It's been four years since my first children's book came out. One thing I've learned since then: to pay more attention to the people and things around me.
EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE can be a source of wonder and inspiration: a snippet of conversation, a secret smile, even someone's shoes. Ask yourself questions about the people and things you see around you, invent reasons why people look or act the way they do, what happened to them, why they chose to wear that particular piece of clothing today.
Now that I illustrate as well as write, I also try to pay more attention to physical details when I observe the world around me: what people REALLY look like, for instance, to help me add authentic or unusual details next time I draw a young girl or stay-at-home parent or businessman or older person or person of colour, etc.. My goal: to increase the breadth and depth of my internal visual library, the one I access when I'm doing a sketch without a physical reference right in front of me.
And this doesn't just apply to observing people. I've always preferred drawing characters much more than backgrounds. I used to hate drawing backgrounds, which is why I rarely drew them in my comics early on. Now I'm trying to get better at it and lo and behold, I find the more I practice, the more comfortable I become. Go figure, eh? I've been drawing a lot of TREES lately. I draw big trees, little trees, scary trees, alien trees, saplings etc. Experimenting with different ways of drawing foliage as well. NO, I don't have any book projects where I have to draw trees right now....but I know I will someday, so why not get better at something I don't enjoy doing? And it's working. I'll post more on this topic in the future.
So go forth and pay attention, all! Your creative inner lives will be enriched as a result, I promise.
A creative tip for writers and illustrators: Every so often, take the time to look at things around you differently than you normally would. Sounds like a glib cliché, I know, but I encourage you to really give it a shot. When I'm walking through a familiar area or doing something I've done a zillion times before, I tend to take my surroundings for granted. Every once in a while, I force myself to stop and really look at something or someone. I mean really LOOK. If I have the time, I sketch or write about it in my notebook. If I only have a few minutes, like when I'm waiting in a grocery line, then I make it a mental exercise. I also do this through my found object art and encourage young people to do found object art for the same reason.
Since I consciously started doing this, I have found my work showing the benefits. I'm sharing this tip here in hopes that it might help some of you as well.
How you can apply this principle in your illustrations: Before settling on a way of illustrating a scene, experiment with different perspectives and other ways of interpreting the text. Feel free to use one of my brainstorming templates. Do more art just for the fun of it to keep yourself from falling into a rut. Doodle, experiment. Remind yourself you don't have to show anyone what you're drawing.
How you can apply this principle in your writing: Avoid describing people and things in clichéd phrases ("she was fit as a fiddle" etc.), take the time to make your characters and stories unique, don't chase trends. Carry around a notebook and jot down phrases, descriptions, ideas, names. Brainstorm. Write every day; it doesn't have to be for a book project or something you want to get published. Write for FUN. Experiment with poetry (you don't have to show anyone); I find writing poetry makes me more conscious of word choice and the sound of the words. Read what you write out loud; read in a different voice, at different speeds.
Do you have your own creativity boost techniques? Feel free to share them below in the comments.
Looking for some kidlit illustrator love for the holiday season gifting? In addition to books, of course, here are some Etsy shops where you can find traditionally published children's book illustrators. If anyone knows of others, feel free to post in the comments section! Please note that I'm only listing shops that currently have items for sale (so have left out my own :-)).
Also see Travis Jonker's Ultimate Children's Literature Illustrator Gift Guide, which includes non-Etsy places where you can buy children's illustrator stuff.
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Aino Anto is offering fine art originals, prints, hug pillows, stuffed toys. Etsy shop | Website
Kate Berube is offering prints, magazines, greeting cards. Etsy shop | Website
Sophie Black is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website
Calef Brown is offering fine art originals and prints. Etsy shop | Website
Ruth Chan is offering prints and postcards. Etsy shop | Website
Joan Charles is offering prints and greeting cards. Etsy shop | Website
Arree Chung and other children's book illustrators are offering adorable wall decals. Etsy shop | Website
Christopher Denise is offering fine art originals and prints. Etsy shop | Website
Christina Forshay is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website
Salley Mavor is offering note cards, posters and books. Etsy shop | Website
Wendy Martin is offering original art, prints, books, masks, clothing, more. Etsy shop | Website
Cindy Pon is offering note cards. Etsy shop | Website
Scott Nash is offering books and stickers. Etsy shop | Website
Matte Stephens is offering fine art originals and prints. Etsy shop | Website
Diana Sudyka is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website
Lee White is offering fine art originals and prints. Etsy shop | Website
Laura Zarrin is offering fine art originals and prints. Etsy shop | Website
If you know of other traditionally published children's book illustrators with Etsy shops that currently have items for sale, feel free to list them (ideally with the Etsy shop URL) below. In answer to the question "why only traditionally published? why only shops with items for sale?": I didn't have time to list ALL shops, sorry; if anyone out there is willing to take on that project, feel free to post your list below.
If I were able to visit London right now, I would SO be checking out as many BookBenches as I could find. Books About Town on display in London from July 2 - September 15, 2014. What a wonderful celebration of London's literary heritage and reading for enjoyment!
I was especially delighted to see a bench devoted to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (see above). I clearly remember receiving this book as a Christmas gift from my Aunt Agnes when I was nine years old. I LOVED this book and immediately read all the other books in the series.
The illustrations were a big part of the story experience for me, as I’m sure it was for many other young readers.
Anyway, the Narnia BookBench had lovely art by Mandii Pope, but I do wish the BookBench description had also given credit to the illustrator of the original book edition, Pauline Baynes, since the BookBench art was clearly an homage to the original.
Above: Photo from the 2008 obituary for Ms. Baynes in The Independent.
Did you know that Pauline Baynes illustrated some of Tolkien’s early work, and that he had hoped she would illustrate The Lord Of The Rings? The project ended up being too huge to include illustrations, but she did create beautifully drawn and coloured versions of Tolkien’s maps for a later edition of LOTR.
C.S. Lewis was a friend of Tolkien’s, and Baynes became the illustrator of the Narnia books. I love her diary entry for one of only two meetings that she had with C.S. Lewis:
“Met C.S. Lewis. Came home. Made rock cakes."
You can read more about Pauline Baynes on Wikipedia and in The Independent obituary.
And you can find out more about Books About Town on their website, on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
