Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Best Practices: Digital Publishing with Stacy Abrams
If you're a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers (SCBWI) and Illustrators and you're interested in tech and publishing topics, you might wish to register for a free special 'webinar' that the Carolina's SCBWI chapter plans to broadcast earlier that evening.
It's a free session on "Digital Publishing Best Practices" hosted by Stacy Adams, execuive editorial director of Entangled Teen,
a relatively new indie publishing house:
entangledpublishing.com/category/entangled-teen/
(Before moving to Entangled, Stacy was an editor at Bloomsbury Publishing's childrens division.)
The webinar will be Wednesday Oct. 16, 6.15 pm %u2013 8:15 pm (U.S. Central Time.)
To receive your access link you'll need to register here:
anymeeting.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=E954D980884B38
The webinar is open to all SCBWI members.
Its a live feed, so be sure to sign up! It is the last of the ones this year.
Dyann Callahan
Tonight is our Group Critique- so exciting!
For Mark Mitchell's Make Your Marks and Splashes: A Power Course on Creating Effective Illustrations for Childrens Books, Magazines and Other Media for Children
we have a monthly critique for members.
I always get super excited and butterflies in the stomach!
Here is mine for this month:
I think part of the growth experienced in a course is looking at other's art and getting feedback on yours. Its very supportive and helps not only with improvements, but many bounce off ideas that can help make your art the best it can be when getting it ready for a client, conference, submission, or publisher.
I will post notes on my critique soon!
Dyann
we have a monthly critique for members.
I always get super excited and butterflies in the stomach!
Here is mine for this month:
 | ||
| "Basilisk" watercolor, by Dyann Callahan |
I will post notes on my critique soon!
Dyann
The Best Children's Book Education Courses
The BEST Children's Book Education Courses 2013
The Best Children's Book Education Courses
The one thing I fully recommend is to never stop educating yourself in the field you choose. In the past 10 years, things have changed dramatically in the opportunity for creative. Locality is not an obstacle for opportunity. It also has heightened the talent pool for publishers and clients.Talent is one thing of course, and passion. BUT to effectively be the best you can be, treat this as any other profession and educate yourself.
I signed up for many reasons, including a sense of community and these are some of the best Children's Book Courses to educate yourself to be a Children's Book illustrator and my, Dyann Callahan, experience with them:
* Mark Mitchell's Make Your Marks and Splashes: A Power Course on Creating Effective Illustrations for Childrens Books, Magazines and Other Media for Children
I love this course! I think for a overall experience its invaluable as to the resources and monthly open critiques. My local SCBWI (Society Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) group is mostly writers, so the critiques here are a wonderful way to learn. Each week Mark Mitchell post interviews and open streaming webinars from authors, publishers, or other illustrators and has a Wiggio open board for posts and support.
* Will Terry's Folio Academy courses and blog
I check his blog weekly for great videos such as this:
My Speech To Illustration Students - Part 1 - Will Terry
SVS- School of Visual Storytelling
Will Terry has opened the SVS- School of Visual Storytelling that is a tremendous resource. I am a student a WKU and like most colleges, they do not offer anything but studio art, 2D, or ceramics. Not even a digital painting course. The value and impact of courses like
Painting in Photoshop Power day
The combined power of FOUR instructors in ONE day.
Will Terry
Brooke Boynton Hughes
Zac Retz
Kevin Keele
Thanks for reading! If you know of any more, please add them in the comments!
Dyann Callahan
"Maraldia - City of Orphans" children's book cover progression
I sent off a few articles for The Street newspaper last week and we will see if they use them. The air is changing and its hard to believe its October already! A year ago I had the pleasure of illustrating
"Maraldia - City of Orphans" for author Paul Schonschack, Amazon link here and what a treat it was. It is an amazing story full of hope and all profits go to the Zambia orphanage, Living Hope International (LHI).
I had my husband pose his hand holding a Christmas ornament for the cover of this children's book. Originally in natural colors as the story is set in a small village, think a shire like in The Hobbit, I used vegetable dye and hand purposed colors of the forest. He wanted a striped shirt, pirate style, and a golden carved ornament (the whole look of the book was to be sketchy Alice in Wonderland styled pen and inks). It seemed a bit bland, so I did a second cover for the novel in crystalline primary colors to reflect the age group a bit more and have more shelf appeal.
"Maraldia - City of Orphans" for author Paul Schonschack, Amazon link here and what a treat it was. It is an amazing story full of hope and all profits go to the Zambia orphanage, Living Hope International (LHI).
I had my husband pose his hand holding a Christmas ornament for the cover of this children's book. Originally in natural colors as the story is set in a small village, think a shire like in The Hobbit, I used vegetable dye and hand purposed colors of the forest. He wanted a striped shirt, pirate style, and a golden carved ornament (the whole look of the book was to be sketchy Alice in Wonderland styled pen and inks). It seemed a bit bland, so I did a second cover for the novel in crystalline primary colors to reflect the age group a bit more and have more shelf appeal.
The last was the final used on the cover of "Maraldia - City of Orphans" and I love it!
Dyann Callahan
Hello again! Freelancing, stick figures, and keeping it fun
Well, hello again! It's been a busy couple of years at the plate for the perfect blog post, and when you wait for perfection time flies by. Time is precious, so instead I am going to update weekly is more of a learning journey
Welcome to my blog and hopefully we can take this journey together
I have been taking trying to educate myself is so much more is involved becoming a brand than just the actual art. Think 90% success anymore is the perseverance through social media, conferences, and networking.
In the past few years I I've been a full-time freelance writer and illustrator, to further my lifelong dreams and passion for a life of creativity. After working in a dental lab as a ceramist ( glorified tooth fairy!) for over a decade under a microscope, I look forward to everyday as an opportunity to create and hopefully impart information, comedy, and a few smiles with this blog.
My days are full, doesn't seem to be enough hours now that I am truly following my passion ! I can be found usually in the studio creating art surround about my whimsical little creatures - my cresties! and get the question so much - why haven't you done this 10 years ago, 15 years ago, why wait till now?
I think the market has changed so much with the Internet as you don't have to be local or pound the pavement as they say to drop off portfolios in person. in just the last five years alone there are more opportunities now more than ever.
But also there's more competition as distance is really not a factor like it once was. this is good and bad. as a freelancer, every day, the people you compete with have a very low cost for daily life. Ns s It would be nice to spent years getting ready in learning and perfecting my art and just wait for the big contracts to come in. but in reality, I am a working artist a lot of my portfolio are paid projects. I have taken the road to learn as I experience. many blogs are right in saying "do not quit your day job," or keep a source of income intact while developing your portfolio. I can't complain, as every day is different and I look forward to new projects. I used to have a passion for color pencils, graphite art, and pen and ink art. In trying to become a real artist, and taken seriously, I switched to oils. But now I am a freelancer, ironically - the medium I am most hired for is watercolor.
Here are some samples in my portfolio www.freelanced.com/Jynxx - the ironic thing about the site is that I've had the most views of any site with my portfolio, 10,000 views in the first three months, but due to the flooding of workers I rarely get jobs there. Compared to just two years ago, all the freelancing sites really exploded with new workers. Since I like to work in many styles, Viva la Freelancing!
It does get one used to rejection, and I joke to other artists, with freelancing I am rejected to 10 times a day. Don't take it personally, sometimes your style works and sometimes it doesn't - no matter the quality it may not match the vision. I think art is the only occupation that amateurs have the same chance as experienced workers- as it so objectionable. I mean if someone was working on my car with 20 years experience, as opposed six months, I would have more confidence in them. But with art- beauty really is the eye of the beholder- no matter how cliché that sounds.
To prove a point I was turned down for a job to draw stick figures ( the type on back of a minivan) at the same time I was in a gallery show at the Morrison gallery Elizabethtown, Ky. actually since then a bit on more jobs will stick figures and I'm always turned down, I consider it a personal goal now!
Thanks for visiting !
Dyann
Welcome to my blog and hopefully we can take this journey together
I have been taking trying to educate myself is so much more is involved becoming a brand than just the actual art. Think 90% success anymore is the perseverance through social media, conferences, and networking.
In the past few years I I've been a full-time freelance writer and illustrator, to further my lifelong dreams and passion for a life of creativity. After working in a dental lab as a ceramist ( glorified tooth fairy!) for over a decade under a microscope, I look forward to everyday as an opportunity to create and hopefully impart information, comedy, and a few smiles with this blog.
My days are full, doesn't seem to be enough hours now that I am truly following my passion ! I can be found usually in the studio creating art surround about my whimsical little creatures - my cresties! and get the question so much - why haven't you done this 10 years ago, 15 years ago, why wait till now?
I think the market has changed so much with the Internet as you don't have to be local or pound the pavement as they say to drop off portfolios in person. in just the last five years alone there are more opportunities now more than ever.
But also there's more competition as distance is really not a factor like it once was. this is good and bad. as a freelancer, every day, the people you compete with have a very low cost for daily life. Ns s It would be nice to spent years getting ready in learning and perfecting my art and just wait for the big contracts to come in. but in reality, I am a working artist a lot of my portfolio are paid projects. I have taken the road to learn as I experience. many blogs are right in saying "do not quit your day job," or keep a source of income intact while developing your portfolio. I can't complain, as every day is different and I look forward to new projects. I used to have a passion for color pencils, graphite art, and pen and ink art. In trying to become a real artist, and taken seriously, I switched to oils. But now I am a freelancer, ironically - the medium I am most hired for is watercolor.
 |
| "Leviathan" By Dyann Callahan, Children's CCG card art illustration |
Here are some samples in my portfolio www.freelanced.com/Jynxx - the ironic thing about the site is that I've had the most views of any site with my portfolio, 10,000 views in the first three months, but due to the flooding of workers I rarely get jobs there. Compared to just two years ago, all the freelancing sites really exploded with new workers. Since I like to work in many styles, Viva la Freelancing!
It does get one used to rejection, and I joke to other artists, with freelancing I am rejected to 10 times a day. Don't take it personally, sometimes your style works and sometimes it doesn't - no matter the quality it may not match the vision. I think art is the only occupation that amateurs have the same chance as experienced workers- as it so objectionable. I mean if someone was working on my car with 20 years experience, as opposed six months, I would have more confidence in them. But with art- beauty really is the eye of the beholder- no matter how cliché that sounds.
To prove a point I was turned down for a job to draw stick figures ( the type on back of a minivan) at the same time I was in a gallery show at the Morrison gallery Elizabethtown, Ky. actually since then a bit on more jobs will stick figures and I'm always turned down, I consider it a personal goal now!
Thanks for visiting !
Dyann
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