What's in a character?

I kinda sorta fibbed. I said I'd only publish one spread and the cover of Annie. But I've already shared these images, and they will change. Perhaps a lot, don't know yet. I still haven't decided the nature of the coloration to this, I love the old hand-colored postcards, but the photography, art and posters from the period are wonderful as well. And who knows, perhaps something of a  modern rather than a retro feel would be more appropriate. That will be one of the things I'll be experimenting with the next couple of weeks when I have a couple of images in the stages I want to play with it. Yet another thing to love about Photoshop, I will be able to play with those images in that way and it won't take a few months like it would have at another time in my life. Right now though, I'm nailing down the sequence and thumbnails and the characters themselves(I will share the thumbnails, and the character studies). It used to be a lot of my compositions were set in stone. I saw what I saw what I saw.

Yah a little OCD in my artistic pursuit, makes that 10,000 hours easy to devote. But it limits the real feeling of what I delivered. I could see the stilted nature, (and of course for every "mistake" I fixed, two more would crop up in the re-do). The class I'm taking is impactful in so many ways (It's Will Terry's and Jake Parkers' class on Visual Storytelling, I can HIGHLY recommend it. I'm so thankful a friend took empathy on some of the hard knocks I was having and gifted me this class. I think if I end up having success at all, for the work to stand on its own, will be because they were able to explain not only what I kinda sorta knew, but also what I didn't and why. Seeing it really brings it home). Between that and Photoshop, the changes in my work will actually be productive rather than badly recycled. The first spread of Annie, this is the computer rendering of my dummy rough:

Not too bad, but pretty boring. Not too bad because there's a lot of detail. Annie's cat was featured in a well-known children's book, by the Harlem Renaissance poet, Countee Cullen, who had visited the Old Homestead a few times (not when his father-in-law, W.E.B. Dubois did, I think it was prior to him). Countee's book, My Lives and How I Lost them, by Pumpkin Cummings gave Ann a giggle right to the end of her generous life. I think adding details to characters, whether they are explained or not (and isn't that what author's notes and study guides are for?) really enriches the whole reading, especially the biography experience. So this was one of my first visual thoughts...

Except the perspective is all off, the character stilted and not formed well,  and it wasn't nearly as exuberant as I wanted. (The last years of her life, Ann lived in the Barron Center. She had MS and it had progressed along. She was diagnosed with the disease as a young woman, was grateful it wasn't a brain tumor and never let it stop her from raising a family or teaching and singing. She didn't complain, she switched gears, she was positively one of the most positive people I've ever met. With so much to be bitter or angry about, it didn't seem to touch her, instead she sought the joyous, the thoughtful the YES in her life and others. I REALLY WANT TO CONVEY THAT IN THIS BOOK).

But it took doing it, for me to realize nope, it didn't work. I still learned a great deal about using Photoshop, the character and there were things I liked about it, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Part of the problem I had and have. I have ONE photo reference of Ann as child (and she was older than when I set the story), and my memories of what she looked like were her as a mature adult. Luckily I'm one of those people I tend to recognize people no matter what the age (though I was much, much better at that as a kid, lol, one of my favorite-drive-some-people-crazy game, recognizing people met a few times, to different times in their lives). But extrapolating that to a three dimensional form, or to a younger person, kinda sorta (get that's one of my favorite approximations?)a reverse engineer, is difficult.

Part of the challenge as well, because these are REAL people, I want and need to honor my friend and what she loved and represent as accurately as possible while serving the story, the art and the fact that I really can't KNOW a lot of this (and you wondered why I was so full of doubt! Not only that, but this story belongs to other people I think it's an important one, and even entitled it in my author's note: We Become Our Possibilities). No pressure there!

Next attempt:

Better I think! Liking the colors, still a bit odd though. I added a Freedom quilt. Ann may not have had one, but her grandfather Shurtleff Emerson was a famed abolitionist (and a relative of Ralph Waldo Emerson) who was lynched for his beliefs, and the fact he'd married a woman of black and First Nation heritage. It's how Ann came to live in Maine, her mother Rose and her mother fled here from New Orleans after the trauma of losing her father. Rose grew up in Portland and moved to Old Orchard Beach after her divorce from Ann's father. 

I'd bought a book on character development and realized the silhouette was pretty boring, and Ann was anything but boring. I tried to make her more dynamic. I also actually went into my sister's bedroom and got on my knees and LOOKED at the perspective. YUP, it was off, lol.

The next attempt

So far this is the most successful. But the class I'm taking has me thinking I need to do some other things. Besides helping me clarify what I need to do for perspective's sake and design (and color is coming up, I'm so danged excited!) but now I think after I do the two spreads I'm working on, I will take the time to do a bunch of character studies, at the very least of Annie, perhaps Eddie and Maude as well, (though I think Maude is pretty consistent. I will talk a little bit about their characterization when I share the working spread that will most likely end up in the book, here). The little bit of extra work will "work out" the problems of continuity, resemblance, expression, etc. 

 I must say I don't think I've done this yet, so I do it here. This is an important story/book for a lot of reasons. I'm having a wonderful time working on it (after the challenge of giving myself permission and admitting, as many great and wonderful artists out there, I really don't want someone else illustrating this particular book, it's such an intimate part of me, from the physical and mental. The thread between Ann and I is stronger than just a commercial effort. She truly informed my life, and I loved her and these things from an early childhood, Old Orchard Beach, history, so it's important also I do it all justice).

But this wouldn't be possible if first Ann hadn't lived and shared her remarkable life. If her daughter Judy Searcy hadn't shared the childhood photo of she and her beloved Eddie in such a generous fashion. Or if Shauni Drake-Reid hadn't shared the photo of her mom, Judy. I value your friendships, I'm so happy you want to share this with people, and most of all, that you all shared with me. Thank you.

Acting like one of the big guys (NOT all illustrators paint)...

There are so many reasons to pursue traditional publication. Not the least of which, professional eyes on your work, who not only love the genre you're working (and presumably your work) but also knows the markets, with the tools and connections to reach them.

Many writers submit to a publisher thinking they need an illustrator, when often it hurts the chances at acceptance.

Unless you make clear the writing and illustrations can be considered together, but also apart and should be accepted as two separate submissions. Rarely do combo submissions hit and the editor/publisher wants to keep people together, more often than not, one of the two submissions are weaker. If you're an established team, if both the illustrator and writer are working at the professional level, and if you're willing to let the other person be accepted while you are not, then learn what the publisher wants and submit just your own work (if YOU are the writer, illustrator, then make sure YOUR work, ALL of it is at a professional level, because both parts reflect upon each other-- an editor once told me she was looking for the reason to say "NO").

(CAVEAT: RESEARCH PUBLISHERS.  If a publisher asks YOU for MONEY, proceed with caution. This isn't the way the business works, unless you're self-publishing; they don't have your best interests at heart, and may not be reliable. Ask others, Google is your best friend, and read the fine print. Make sure you know what you get for your money, and the publisher is known for delivering it. I will deliver this caveat every time I speak about publishing, but realize friends don't let friends drive vanity sales.)

Anyhow. Two other advantages editors have over self publishing is a wide variety of artists to choose from and editors sometimes think outside the box, as artists sometimes do. I mention this, because nearly as often as I've heard, "I wish I wrote-- I've got a children's story!" I've also heard "I wish I drew/illustrated-- I love children's stories!", and the true purpose of this post...

 Perhaps you can...

NOT all illustrators paint. I'll list some of the more unusual illustrating methods. If you're self publishing, and need an illustrator, think about the character of your work, and the skillsets of you or people you know.

Pegi Deitz Shea and Cynthia Weill's Ten Mice for Tet comes immediately to mind. Not only were there two writers, but there are two illustrators: To Ngoc Trang and Pham Viet Dinh.

The collaboration was rather different in this case. First the illustrations were painted, then they were embroidered. Personally, I think the photographers should (and more than likely are in the colophon) credited, as well, because the special art projects take a certain nuance to reproduce well. The textures IN this book is AMAZING.

Or perhaps cut paper is something you enjoy playing with. My friend Denise Ortakales or Cathryn Falwell are wonderful examples of what you can do with such things (you can make calligraphy paste papers, origami papers, or any kinds of bits, what you can imagine, it can be)

         

And of course Lois Ehlert.  Her career has been long and starried, but each book still has a wonderful individual taste. 

Another surprise is Denise Fleming. Her art is a surprise, because though she calls her illustrations collages, and they are paintings, the paper is the art and the art is the paper. She creates her illustrations from colored paper pulp.  Her most recent book shows the technical skill and level she's come to (anyone who has made paper knows what I'm talking about), and it's a very intriguing idea:

Christine Brallier is documenting her process of illustrating a children's book in mosaic. There's sculpting, bas relief, steam punk art. I have a sculptor friend, Michael Shaughnessy who works in of all things: HAY. Just like good writing, it's not so much the topic, but the expression behind it.

I write this not because I think you need a gimmick. And most definitely, the art should reflect the text, reflect the story, and speak to your reader. However, we get trapped into ruts of thinking, and often we forget we have unhidden talents hiding in plain site. Or know others who do. This is a post to just think of the possibilities.

Syncopated rhyme, words in time...Part 2 B and C

I spoke a little bit about permission, partially as it was a big part of this and perhaps any worthy, work-in-progress' process. Am I qualified to tell the tale?

In Ann's case: I wasn't African-American, and I didn't grow up during the depression, nor in Old Orchard Beach.

On the other hand, like Hillel the Elder, "If not me, then who?" I knew and loved Ann. I know and love Old Orchard Beach. Music, check, illustration, check, words, check.... Two events happened that gave me heart to embrace this project and fully move on. First, I was working at L.L. Bean and in reminiscing about Ann with a coworker who knew here, found out she'd died a few days before. I become immensely, omygoodness sick. Looking back I probably should have gone to the hospital. But literally, in that fevered, mostly sleeping, half estate, came the first line and the push to do it.

The second, I was flagging, doing the research, finding out what sandy ground I stood on in literary, historical and I felt creative terms, and Ann was no longer around for me to talk to, let alone visit. In talking with someone who knew Ann, the place and the time, when she said to me. "Oh my! You know way more than I do about this!" a few times, I thought perhaps I was in a far better position than I'd originally thought. So IF you have something to say (especially to kids), give yourself permission. And then make it as fun as you can.

the only photo reference of Ann as a child (with her brother Eddie)

Drawing of Ann for the cover. Not decided, I'm keeping this?

Once I'd determined what the basic tempos/structure of my book was. I broke it all down into cadence/beats/stresses and syllables. Often times I'd have to brainstorm around the idea of a word (break out the THESAURUS!).  Knowing the flow of the events and story, I began to brainstorm verbs.  In picture books, adjectives are mostly (or should be, illustrations remember) superflous. The nice thing is, often verbs are far more effective short and sweet. Though with picture books throwing in a few colorful words is a wonderful thing, not only because children like the sophistication of words, but it encourages interaction with the adult. The fine line comes from whether the word is too sibylline, the difference between strenuous and sublime, if you get my drift. 

So the first version of the stanzas:

Snap towel, whip sheet!

"Quit it Eddie! Make it Neat!"

Hardly time for any fun,

Chores to do, just begun.

Maude chides Eddie

No ponies for wishes.

Riding off now, Gotta wipe the dishes!

Loved this, it reads well. And the illustrations help it out quite a bit. But would other people know what this mean (and btw, chide was one of my sublime words, if you're going to work in words, it might as well be the ones YOU'RE in love with).

There was a saying I used to love (and hear a lot from the older people in my life, and had heard it a few times more from on oldster in my life the very week I was working on this section of the book) "If wishes were horses, we'd all get a ride!" Beyond loving this saying, it really was one of the things I think about Ann, because she was an artist, and perhaps a dreamer, but she was much more of a doer than anything else, so it was more than appropriate for a story about her. But the above was clear as mud, and if adults didn't get the reference, it would be a complete muddle for kids.

so version two:

Whip towel, snap sheet!"

"Quit it Eddie, make it neat!"

Hardly time for any fun

Chores to do, we've just begun.

Maud says, "Pride should be our best guide!

Wishes aren't horses or we'd all get a ride!"
Maud chides Eddie, no rides for wishes,

Annie's galloping off now, gotta wipe the dishes!

Too long, now. The start to me is better. But there's redundancy and the beat is off. Hopefully third times' the charm (rhymes with harm, and arm and alarm, wait make sure that's not a near rhyme and it added a beat and the stress is now off, sheesh).... what I've settled on so far:

Snap towel, whip sheet,

"Quit it Eddie, make it neat!"

Hardly time for any fun, 

Chores to do, we've just begun.

Eddie wants to play, Eddie wants to go,

Mayhap sneak later into that musical show.

"If wishers were horses we'd all get a ride!"
Maude chides Eddie "Take some pride!

Do the job, mind your finishes!"
Gallop off now, Annie's got to wipe the dishes!

Longer yes, but reworked it includes a beat set up in other places. It also sets up a dynamic for later in the book, so the longer no longer bothers as there's a purpose. Even the slight redundancy about what Eddie wants is okay with me, because it has an emotional feel to me, a child's reluctance at rote, duties, mundane especially on a bright sunshin-y Duke Day!

illustration in progress...

Judging a book by it's cover--- my process

I can't speak to how others commit art, and goodness knows I commit it in different fashions on a regular basis, but there are a few givens in the process. I thought I'd set this down, for those who have the tendency of liking to see how others do it (I'm one of those myself, I find it inspiring). Or to inform those who have no idea, especially those who may be foraying into the self-publishing realm, for what to look for, what to expect and what's realistic. It's difficult to know whether a price you pay for the artwork is fair or not without knowing the process 

Some of my covers I've done already:

I think you can tell these are my work, right?

What even constitutes a good cover? Harder than you think. A good cover not only embodies the spirit of a book. It needs to be eye grabbing, clear, reduce down to a small size and be legible and exploded up and still hold the design. Simply eloquent visually with a minimum of clutter. A friend with a BRILLIANT cover, Cynthia Lord's RULES is a great example of an exceptional cover. Intriguing, colorful, humorous, it conforms to all of these things.

I hand render my work. Keep in mind it will look like my art. So if you want a certain kind of cover, you need to find out who does it, or EMULATE (do not plagiarize, or you could get into a world of hurt on that!) Think about the character of the book and the character of the cover, not only the imagery, whimsical does not a horror story make, for instance.

Ingredients for your cover: You need to have the title, byline. Personally, unless your book is an award winner, any blurbs, etc. I believe should be on the back, for the most part.  The less busy ness the better!

I just finished a cover for my friend Margot Finke, and she's given permission for me to share the process. I will not only explain the reasoning, but will also be upfront about the expense end of it, because I'm not the only one doing this for extra credit, and if you're an author buying someone's services it may help you to decide if the money is worth it or not. Again, realize this is MY process, so if you're doing this, you need to talk with the illustrator you hire, so you don't have many glitches.

The first thing I do is talk with the author. Some authors are so specific, they can tell me exactly what they want. There are times I won't take that particular job. Just as authors need to own what they do, barring critique and editorial input, illustrators are alike in that regard. If it feels as if there's no room for me, there are other artists as well as Photoshop and Clip Art out there for the author to make a cover exactly the way they envision. Personally I want them to want ME with my style.

Also if they balk at my price (covers range from $100-300, depending on the detail and time involved, more often than not it comes in at under $150. Sounds like a lot but when you realize I'm not working on my stuff, and it works out to less than minimum wage most of the time, and other than my promoting the cover as my work- which also helps the author-- they own the artwork in my eyes. The only thing I ask is if they need to make changes to it, they give me the opportunity to do it, because my name is on the work as well.

If I take the job, it's one third - one half down, depending on the resources available and what the author is comfortable. Next I  read the book. I'm a slow reader, have difficulties with my eyes, so it can take upwards to a couple of days if it's a longer work.

 Then I will sketch it out, keeping in mind the original conversations. This is the first sketches I showed Margot for her upcoming book, Down Under Calling:

This wasn't what Margot had in mind so we spoke a bit more and I reworked it to this:

and a colored version fleshed out a bit more to give an idea of the palette:

 This is usually where I get the author's approval to go on. In this case, talking further, we lost the clothes line, and I put a pair of kookaburras in, then edited further:

Now we start playing with the titles, Margot liked my calligraphy from Nana's Gift. I haven't got my pens with me so I play in Photoshop. In the end I used a combination of Photoshop rendered and hand rendered-I can make a broad edge with a couple of pencils, papertowel and rubberbands for a small amount of text-- and Photoshop edited Title and byline. Here's the playings with:

Decided to lose the Kookaburra, then the Frilly, the color of the shoes, a few little details.... 

And VOILA! We have Achieved Cover!

 There is still the adjustment of the title so it's not hitting the top of the page to make, but over all I like this, composition and the color.  If someone has paid me one third, they will pay the second third when I give them the color study. Final payment is due with the finished art. I send them the 350 dpi and a web version of 72 dpi. I tell them I can resize specifically (it's better to do it in Photoshop, the resolution is far superior) if they give me the dimensions they need. 

P.S.

Another trick to see if things clearly, if your composition and forms are working,  but you have to do it to a COPY, is to DESATURATE the work. Rendered in grey you can see if the work holds and reads well. Here's the study I did for that:

Hope this helps!

Back to it! I'm excited and glad to be back working. I share an update, and hope to be working on process and such as well as sharing it all in the upcoming weeks. First, I had a few epiphanies over the interim weeks. I need to simplify, clarify and color-ify (is that a word? It is now!) my work.
     Ebooks are differenter than publication. One of the reasons I wanted to do this project, I knew it would help my own personal projects. I love animals, but being able to paint someone else's pictures (like teaching) means I can rethink some of my projects because the process is self-clarifying. I will share the finished second illustration and a few changes, because it will no longer BE the second illustration.  I'm currently reading Will Terry's WONDERFUL, must read-blog (to me at least! http://willterry.blogspot.com/) and already stumbled over an affirmation (remarkable how comforting it is to have that kind of reinforcement, kind of like I'm on the "right track").
      In his post on "I live to Create" he shows his process of one of his drawings. Somewhere down the line he notes how his character wouldn't fit through the door. "This is where I realized that my little mouse would never fit through the door. Sometimes when I get working along I lose objectivity and this is a good example. I had to come to terms with the fact that if I wanted it to look right I would have to spend an extra hour or so fixing my mistake. So, I had to cut out little mouse and move her forward in front of her vegetable basket. In the past I would have settled. In the future I'm sure I'll be able to spot the places where I settled in this image."  Not to mention, the fact I learned a few neat tricks (I actually "mastered" Photoshop, because I've taken his online course through his Folio Academy).
      Anyhow, this has been true for me. In this example, you can see the original drawing of the characters in Oscar's dream sequence...

     What I realized after I'd colored most of them, the proportions didn't work. I enlarged and cut and pasted and learned quite a bit in the process. I now feel enough confidence changing in the middle (or even the end) isn't so scary and far superior to not being happy with the result. 
     What I ended up with...

      I like it far better as far as proportions go (HA! the ADD, dyslexia which CAN be amusing and informative kicked in, and I'm going to talk about how it is to work with THOSE kinds of differenter, and I'd written "propoortions" before I corrected. Talk about FREUDIAN, lol!). But now I don't care for the colors or composition. It's interesting, but it's too busy and I don't think it will translate to a small screen, which is a goal. 

     I'll be reading the rest of Will's blog before I restart, but restart I must. Don't get me wrong. I will probably use this as a start, and I will more than likely keep some of this flavoring (not to mention I have to be considerate of the REAL colorations and animals. Who knows, I may cut and paste, remove, redraw and play with this particular drawing. But I'm sure what I end up with, won't look like this, and I will like it better. It will be more of what Oscar ordered, because I can tell, he'd really love to have his story told to the very best of my ability. So another cup of peach tea and then back to the mulberry tree, with me!