Just finished this piece, which created struggle and challenge for me. I wanted to place a fresher and newer spread in my portfolio, and one that showed an interesting perspective. This, I don't feel, is present in my portfolio at this moment. It took several sketches but finally got to this. I was struggling with letting go of the ice skaters and all of the interaction I had going on in the bkgr behind the girl. I learned, though, that you can't control what the image is asking. I didn't need all of that interaction, and although it was interesting, it wasn't interesting enough to create a strong visual story. I am very pleased with how this turned out and a HUGE thank you to my crit group. You guys rock!
I feel refreshed and so motivated to work! Yesterday my Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market book for 2010 came in the mail. There are already bookmarkers swamping the pages, and that's just for magazines. I'm excited to start sending out promo postcards and getting a schedule down for submissions.
I also got a beloved favorite from my childhood in the mail. I LOVED loved the book Rumpelstiltskin, retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. Oh man....it's De Vinici meets today. Classic oil painting but has a splash of expression and freshness only children's books provide today. LOVE IT! I used to have it in hardback, and when I ordered this one I thought it was too. Oh well, it wasn't. But that doesn't matter. I forgot how rich and beautiful the illustrations where. I'm definitely going to invest in buying more of Zelinsky's books. I know he did a few others...I'm sure there's more than that even!
Another book I purchased last week was "Ignis" illustrated by P.J. Lynch. I saw Matt Phelan mention him and checked him out. The book "Ignis" was perfect for my full page spread project. The entire book is spreads. How awesome is that? It's a very large format book filled with lush color illos and beautiful expressions. Exactly what you'd expect from P.J. Lynch.
The market book I purchased has an article in it from an agent about steps to take in becoming an illustrator. The first ones are one...know your market. Know what books are coming out, what books are winning awards, who's publishing who, etc. The other is know your children's books illustration history. Reading up on the masters (i.e. Maurice Sendak Where the Wild Things Are), and start building a library full of books that you like. It's very helpful, as I've noticed just having P.J.'s book here by my side as I went through this project, inspired me and kept me motivated. I could see what perspectives were interesting and being used. I'm jazzed about the Rumpelstiltskin book because the perspectives in that book are just gorgeous!
Like I said before, I'm highly motivated and truly ready to continue on with this adventure. :)
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