Kids
Are you rich?… If I grow up to be an illustrator, will I make a lot of money?…
If your goal is to grow up and be rich, I think that I would choose another career! Children’s book illustrators do what they do because they love it so much. I feel awfully rich when I get to take off in the middle of the day and go to a movie, or go to my kid’s games—even when most parents might be working. When you get old like me, you realize that money doesn’t always make you feel rich, and the lack of it doesn’t have to make you feel poor. If you enjoy your work so much that it feels like you’re playing, then it all balances out. Find what you love and be smart…the money will take care of itself.
What’s your favorite book that you’ve drawn…What’s your favorite color…What’s your favorite thing to draw?
I Love You, Stinky Face.
People think my favorite color is purple, but it’s not…I really don’t have a favorite..I use them all!
I like to draw anything that you don’t see around in the real world very often (swamp monsters, dragons, moons with worms, angels, and space aliens…stuff like that!)
When did you do your first book?
When I was in college, I worked at the television station after class. We had lots of kindergarten classes taking tours of the station. My boss asked me to make a book called, “What is a TV station?” which gave information on how a television show gets to your home. We published it and this was the first!
After I graduated, I illustrated some school text books, and then, I worked for Hyperion (Disney) for my first trade book, Tickle Day.
Do you have pets?
I always have pets! Not long ago, I counted the number of dogs that I’ve had in my lifetime…I think it was about 34. When I was a kid, I had lots of pets. The best ones were the goats! Right now, I have a dog named Maya, and 3 very furry cats, Fig, Talulah, and Simone. I like to hug the guinea pigs and rabbits at the pet store, but since my teenagers and I don’t have time for any more pets, I always leave them there.
How do you make your art?
I use a little bit of everything! Opaque and transparent watercolors, Prismacolor pencils and other colored pencils, pastels, oil paint and sometimes even White-Out (makes great stars and snow!) I sketch on either marker paper, or just plain copier paper from the office supply store, and for my finished work, I paint on a heavy french watercolor paper most of the time.
The best thing for any artist to do is experiment. Buy samples of different materials, and just spend time playing with it all. See how everything works…how the paint works on different papers…how the pencils lay down on the surfaces. This way, you’ll find out what you like the most…what’s the most comfortable, interesting, or fun!
Parents and Educators
My child is very talented. Should I get him art lessons? How can I encourage him?
Buy reams of copy paper…clean white sheets from the office supply store. Keep generous supplies of bright colored pencils (like Crayola or Prismacolor), markers, pre-mixed paper mache, clay, glitter, feathers, rubber bands, popsicle sticks, yarn, glue sticks, smooth pebbles (for rock people) and anything else that can be glued together to make a lot of fun. Buy those “how to draw” books at the art supply store. Paint the walls with chalkboard paint!!!
Kids are so much more creative than we can imagine. Let them try everything and encourage them always. Never, EVER, say things like, “who’s ever seen a purple tree?” or “the sky is supposed to be blue,” or even “maybe you should draw it this way.” They have plenty of time in their lives to grasp the reality part of life.…let them have fun for a while.
You can try structured art classes if you want, but if the child doesn’t really enjoy the class after a few weeks, bring him back to the coffee table in the living room and cover up the rug with newspaper! Art classes can be very frustrating to some kids…even when they have loads of talent. Creative geniuses generally don’t fit into structured environments, so look for a teacher that really knows how to inspire her students.
Authors and Illustrators
I’m writing a book. I already have an idea of what I want illustrated on each page. I can send you all of my art ideas.
I rarely work directly with an author on a project. Publishers hire me, and I work with the art director and editor to determine the look of the book. When a manuscript comes to me with voluminous suggestions for illustration, I want to run away as fast as possible! To an artist, this feels like coloring between the lines of a coloring book that someone else drew. Brief clarification is sometimes helpful, but a page by page view of how you think the book should look is NOT helpful. Artists need freedom to visualize their own idea of the story. They don’t need another person stepping on the creative process, anymore than an author wants someone standing over his shoulder while he writes. Unless the story calls for the support of specific reference material, my advice to ALL authors is to give your illustrator the open space necessary to get those creative juices flowing. The book will be better for it!!
(My sister, my cousin, my friend)…I have written a children’s book. Would you take a look at it and see if you want to illustrate it for me? How much do you charge?
I generally read manuscripts only from editors. When I get the story, the publisher has already agreed to the project and will be able to pay an advance to begin the job. Because publishers usually prefer to choose the illustrator for their books, most professional illustrators will consider a project only after it’s been contracted by a publishing house. Once the publisher has bought your manuscript, your editor will know the perfect illustrator for your story. You can always recommend me or any other favorite illustrator in your cover letter, but sending your story without the illustrations is a much better idea.
I’ve written a story and I’m going to get my best friend to illustrate it for me before I send it to the publisher. She likes to draw, but she is not a professional illustrator. Is this a good idea? Will it help get my manuscript recognized?
Getting a friend to illustrate your story can hurt your chances of getting published. Unless your friend is a professional illustrator, getting her to work up some sketches to go along with your manuscript is a very poor choice. You will have a much better chance of getting the story read, if you send in your work professionally presented without illustrations.
I’m an illustrator. An author has asked me to illustrate a book that she has written. I’ve always wanted to illustrate a children’s book, so I am excited about the project. The author has never been published, but she thinks that this story will be a hit!
If you are an unpublished illustrator, working on a book which has not been contracted by a publisher is a risk. Most of them will never be published and working without pay only hurts you. I haven’t heard ANY success stories of artists who have worked for free. Maybe it happens, but in many years, I’ve never run across even one.
If a book is going to be published in the trade, the editor will offer the illustrator an advance against royalties. You will usually get paid either 1/3 upon signing the contract, 1/3 upon finishing the sketches, and 1/3 upon finishes, or 1/2 on signing and 1/2 on finishes.
The best way to get your work published is to send samples of your art to the art directors. You can buy an ad in an art directory like Picturebook which is used most often by art buyers to find artists. Throughout the year, they will see your art again and again, as they look through the book. Get your work online, so that when art directors want to see more of your work, they can get it quickly and easily.
I’m an unpublished illustrator/author. I have written a story, made a dummy book, and I have sent it many times to different publishers. One editor suggested that I let someone else draw the pictures, but I want to do it. I’m thinking of self publishing my book.
If you could only do one thing in your life, which would it be? Illustration or writing? Is it more important for you to get your book published as an author/illustrator, or could you be happy if another wonderful illustrator brought your story to life? If you are getting comments from editors suggesting that the story is good, but they would rather see other illustrations, you should listen. Editors know the market. They know what sells. Maybe they see a larger story visually, than you can see.
If you self-publish your book with your own illustrations, you are also agreeing to market that book. This is the hardest part. After you’ve invested a LOT of money to get your book printed, you have to get people to buy it. This usually means peddling them from store to store or school to school, from the trunk of your car. You make more money per book, but you spend so much time selling, you might not have time to write more, or work on your illustration samples.
Do you want to be a salesperson? Do you enjoy this part of the business? Usually the most successful self-publishers are those who have a niche-market. They can get mailing lists from organizations which make direct mail marketing more successful.
Think about what the editors are telling you. They usually give very good advice. You might find their responses very helpful in guiding you to a better place in your career if you are open-minded to their suggestions.
How do I find the publishers addresses? How do I know what publishing house would be interested in my work?
Get a current copy of the Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators Market. It’s available at any bookstore. Updated every year, it’s filled with helpful information, including the types of manuscripts each publisher buys. The Literary Market Place is another source, available in the reference section at the library. The internet has many lists of publishers. Try the Children’s Book Council list.
Other promotion ideas are on the Picturebook website. They have art resources and a ‘News You Can Use’ section that are very helpful to artists and even writers.
Should illustrators have a website?
Websites are wonderful as a support tool. Don’t count on publishers and art buyers to surf and find your personal site. They are too busy to randomly look around the web. If you are producing an ad or a sample and you have a personal website, you should always include your web address. Art buyers will use the web to see more of your art if they have a direct path to your site.
Art directors are familiar with the group portfolio sites and sometimes visit often. Picturebook (www.picture-book.com) and the Ispot (www.theispot.com) are examples of this type of site. Artists pay to be listed on the service. Picturebook’s Online Portfolios are dedicated specifically to the children’s market. If you are an advertiser in the Picturebook directory, you get the Online Portfolio and even a link to your personal site for free. It’s a great way to increase traffic on a personal site.
Do samples have to be printed professionally?
Absolutely not. Publishers and other art buyers receive color copies all the time. Just make sure that you get great copies that are as close to your original color as possible. Your samples should have your current contact information on each piece, just in case they get separated. Include your web address, if you have one.
Do mailers really work? I once sent samples, but nobody ever called.
A one time mailing is not very effective, unless you are lucky. Schedule monthly or quarterly mailings for the best results. Include a good variety of subjects…animals, people, spot illustrations. Some artists have success with mailings, but you must remember that publishers get hundreds of samples per month from artists and the competition to be seen is intense.
Postcards are best, because they don’t have to be opened. Sometimes art directors pile up packages of art samples to open later on a day that they are not so busy. Sometimes, that day can be very far away.
If you want to send a package, it should be clean and professional (it can be fun and still be professional.) Get a mailer large enough to keep your samples flat. NEVER EVER EVER send original art or anything that you want returned. It’s totally unprofessional and you might lose your work. You want the buyer to file your work for future jobs, or better yet, put your postcard on their wall.
If you don’t have call waiting, get it…if you don’t have voice mail, get it. Be professional in your business. Don’t miss calls! Art directors don’t have time to call over and over waiting for you to get off the internet or end your call to your best friend.
What else can I do to learn about this business?
Go to conferences and trade shows. The SCBWI has great workshops both locally and nationally. Editors come to the events and review portfolios. Their newsletter is filled with information for beginning illustrators and writers. The American Library Association and the American Book Expo are wonderful trade shows, usually held in larger cities like Los Angeles, Chicago or New York. These are the shows for the book industry, and you will be overwhelmed by the sheer expanse of books and information. Go anyway. It will inspire you. Check out the speakers each day. You might get to see someone you admire.
I’ve sent samples, built a website, and I’m still not published. What am I missing?
As an illustrator, you must be objective about your work. Take a hard look at your samples. Is your work presented in a professional way? If you have to explain away a sample, take it out. (Do you make comments like this?: “The art director made me do it this way.” or “This was a school project and I don’t really like it, but it shows that I can do people…”) Go to the book store and look at the newest books. Is your style one that is fresh and creative? Are your characters exciting and well executed? Are your colors muddy and overworked, or are they clear and bright? Get objective opinions from other artists and art directors. Listen to the comments.
You should always be working on your style. If you are doing your art regularly, it will be constantly evolving, getting better and better. You will find your own niche…your flow. It will be easier, rather than harder. One artist had 2 wonderful pieces in her portfolio and about 15 really bad ones. When I asked her why she didn’t have more like the 2, she said it was because they were so easy to do, she thought that they were bad. So she kept doing what she thought she had to do, instead of what she wanted to do. She honestly thought that art had to be a struggle. It doesn’t. When you struggle, it shows in the work. Get comfortable with a style before marketing it.
Is it hard to make a living being a full time children’s book illustrator?
Yes. You must be very motivated each day. Being prolific helps. Some illustrators do 2–4 books per year, but most only do 1. Advances increase as you become published more often, but in the beginning, they are low and you can’t possibly live on them. You can create other ways of bringing in income. If you are able to speak to groups, hit the road! Create a great presentation for kids and promote your program to schools. The PTA. parent groups and grants pay for illustrators and authors to come to schools. Teach art classes after school or at your community house. You’ll get out in public and the kids and parents love it!
