A visit to New York City the Winter of 2012

Oh, New York! I’ve been there a couple of times but this time I fell completely in love with the city.

While there, I attended SCBWI NY Conference. It was good and had a few personal highlights. Listening to Sophie Blackall on Friday was definitely one of them. Her presentation was moving, inspiring, personal and so very humbling. And thanks to my traveling and illustration buddy, Debra Pehrson Haun, I got to shake Sophie’s hand and tell her how much I love her work. Wee!

Another highlight was listening to 12 (out of 13) of the Book Maker’s Dozen on Sunday. A Q&A moderated by Laurent Linn, Art Director of Simon and Schuster. Questions were insightful. Answers were revealing and very often insanely hilarious. The last question to all of them was: “What are the lessons learned? What do you wish you would have known then?” I heard some brilliant quotes worth sharing:

And right after the second “embrace” and before “potential”, I got the third highlight of the Conference: John Rocco embracing Sean Qualls like a child hugs his daddy, with all the strength he has, with all of his body, with the head contortioning so he touches all of daddy’s self. It was so very sweet. Funny, too. But above all, sweet. A moment I will remember from this conference FOR-EVER. I loved it!

Chris Crutcher’s speech was incredible and ended with a standing ovation, impromptu appearance by Henry Winkler was fantastic, Dan Yaccarino’s presentations were impeccable, and, Sean Qualls’ presence was regal. Yes, it was. As much as I wanted to shake Sean’s hand and tell him how much I also love his work, I couldn’t find him after Sunday’s Q&A.

And now a quick list of what resonated the loudest during those 2.5 days of SCBWI NY:

There were also the dinners. There were the lunches. The drinks, the lines, the cabs. The people hugging, yelling, taking charge, trying to learn, getting overloaded, using columns as force-fields. Lots of sub-stories that make the Conference so much of what it really is. I wish I could tell you more about those but I’m too often caught between estimating the distance to my closest column and getting overloaded.

There was one quick lunch at a pub, though. I got to talk briefly with someone really sweet, intelligent and thoughtful. I’m glad I did and I hope that next time I get to talk to her a little longer. One on one. Because, you know what? She seems really awesome. That lunch gave me highlight number four of #NY12SCBWI.

The following days, we checked off all of the items on the NY list. Sunday afternoon, we got to go to the Met. Monday we went to the MOMA. Tuesday we walked Central Park and went to see “War Horse” at the Lincoln Center. The play was absolutely incredible and I fell in love with that goose! Need restaurant recommendations? Try eating at Tao, Cacio e Pepe and Le Paris Bistrot. They were all amazing.

And now, I can happily say NY was schweeeeeet!

Debra Pehrson Haun and I at SCBWI New York - Winter 2012

This is the 2011-2012 recap post. I have divided it into 3 parts so it is easier to write and read because (reader be warned) it is long. Dissolutions and Evolutions go over what I have learned from the 365 days of 2011. Resolutions is a short list of what I hope to achieve during the 366 days of 2012. I hope you enjoy it!

1 Evolutions –
We are always learning and changing. What I got this past year may be too simple of steps for some people or maybe steps ahead for others. Either way, the most important thing is to learn something from the year that just ended. Here is my list of 2011 lessons:

1. Get Help - Next time I find myself trying to decipher the latest tax deductions and css codes, I will stop and get help from a professional. With all that freed up time I can focus on my craft, put the hours and improve the work. Plus, I will end up with websites, postcards, tax returns, press releases and contracts that are done right and completed in record time.

   I knew for a while that I needed help with the business side of Illustration. Someone else could be doing the work better than me. I needed an agent. Since late 2011, I am with Abigail Samoun from Red Fox Literary. It has been wonderful and now I can finally focus on what I really enjoy doing: illustrating.

   

   Get Help - My agency, Red Fox Literary.

2. Work Smarter - I was raised to believe that you must always work hard. Later I learned that it is also important to work efficiently. I am not saying I do the least amount of work. I just take a smarter approach to the technique and the project to make the work easier to get done.

   Last Summer, I was offered a picture book project with a tight deadline. I wanted to take it so I had to make it work. Needless to say, I learned that when I really focus I can get a project done considerably faster than I had ever thought. How did I save time? I made photoshop color studies for each spread, limited the amount of time spent per illustration (with the help of a timer), and used flat color backgrounds with flat color designs (leaves) to keep the pages interesting. If you are curious, you can read more about the project here.

   Pay close attention to what you are doing and how you are doing it. I assure you, you will think of a faster, more efficient approach to get the work done.

   

   Work Smarter - Find a more efficient way to get the work done.

3. Expect Nothing And Be Surprised - This may sound like aiming low but let me explain. I accomplish very little and wander way too much when I have no goals. I make plans, have goals, work towards them and expect nothing. When I expect nothing, I am grateful for anything that comes my way – big or small.

   During SCBWI Los Angeles Conference in 2011, I was honored to receive an Illustrator Mentorship Award. I have to honestly tell you, in 2010 I wanted to get one and got none. This past 2011, I went expecting nothing and my name was called.

   I am pleased and grateful, extremely grateful to SCBWI and all the opportunities that the mentorship has opened up. If you are not a SCBWI member and are serious about your career as a children’s author or illustrator, you must get a membership now!

   

   Expect Nothing And Be Surprised - 2011 SCBWI Illustrator Mentorship.

4. Meet in Person - Social networking is the compounded one word I probably have read the most in the last 5 years. Yes, it is necessary to know how to network and granted some people are extremely good and successful at it. Yes, it is necessary to have active accounts on Facebook and Twitter. Yes, having a presence helps getting your work noticed. But at the same time, I believe meeting in person and building relationships in real life can be a lot more satisfying and can still give you the benefits of a presence and getting your work noticed.

   With that in mind, I decided to travel to San Francisco and attend the SCBWI Annual Illustrator Day. There I got a chance to finally meet Tracy Bishop, Laura Zarrin, Joey Steuerwald and Shirley Ng-Benitez. A definite highlight of the year. I have “known” them from Twitter for a while but meeting them in person brought a new level to the tweeting and emailing. I also got to meet Abigail Samoun (see #1) and listen to a fantastic panel that included Joann Hill, Art Director at Disney-Hyperion Books, Linda Pratt from Wernick & Pratt Agency and the illustrator Andrew Glass. All and all a great, fun, fulfilling trip.

   On a more local level, I continued to try and find excuses to meet with our small illustrators group. Nothing like seeing them and sharing some art over salty Margaritas and Colorado Bulldogs!

   

   Meet in Person - Build relationships.

5. Travel - It is so easy to get comfortable in the studio. But I must drag myself out. It is always worth it. This past year we made a few trips. All trips were great but September’s trip to Mexico was fantastic and the picture sums it up pretty well.

   A trip to the zoo or out of the country. It doesn’t matter! Just get out, enjoy the rain, sun or snow while I keep my eyes open.

   

   Travel - Get out and get inspired.

6. Take Risks - Opportunities come to us and they not always look perfect from the very beginning. A couple of times this past year, I took projects that looked like a perfect match but the pay was less than I would normally take. I took the projects, and they led to better jobs. If I haven’t had taken the risk with the initial projects, my portfolio wouldn’t have had the pieces that led to the new clients. I think they were worth the gamble. So this year, if my heart says: “do it,” I will listen.

2 Dissolutions –
We change and modify things according to our experiences. This past year, I learned to keep myself away from certain things. This is what I learned in 2011:

1. Only Take Projects You Love - Much like I listen to my heart to know if I should take a risk, I now listen to know if I should say NO. If I don’t love the project immediately, I walk away. Something better will come along.
2. When In Uncertain Territories, Open Your Ears And Close Your Mouth - A couple of times I found myself sitting with people I didn’t really know who were sharing ideas I didn’t really agree with. From now on, I will listen, take mental notes and keep filling my mouth with snacks. Better forgotten than sorry… unless the conversation involves race misconceptions, of course. If that is the case, you will hear me.
3. When in Too Much Doubt, Say NO - It is not worth forcing yourself into a situation you won’t enjoy. This year when my heart says: “don’t go,” I will listen.

1. Listen more.
2. Say less.
3. Write short replies.
4. Breathe deeply at all times.
5. Sketch something not work related once a day every day.
6. Mail 1 promo postcard every 3 months.
7. Talk to one person I have never talked to every month.
8. Get back to reading and commenting on blog posts.
9. Take a short vacation with the family every 3 months.
10. Bake once a month.
11. Take mental pictures.
12. Make Wednesday mornings accounting days – starting February.
13. Sit out in the sun for 15 minutes every day.
14. Laugh more.
15. Worry less.
16. Keep my eyes open.
17. Be surprised.

I want to wish all of you an exciting, successful and happy 2012! I am leaving for New York for a week later this week. I have tickets to see “War Horse” in Broadway, hope to visit the Met and walk Central Park (weather provided). I will try and take lots of pictures so I have a short but colorful post to remember the big, great adventure. Off this Peruvian girl goes to the Big Apple. I am bringing my boots. Wish me luck!

Talk to you in a couple of weeks!

Lucecita - Iguana Magazine - November/December 2011

I got the assignment to illustrate the story of “Lucecita” in late November. It was a super-rush (aka less than a week between sketches and finals) but as you are all already guessing, I took the project. The artwork was published on the November/December 2011 issue of Iguana Magazine and since my copies arrived in late December, I decided to post later. Holidays are a busy time for all of us!

As I’ve done before, some process pictures and the final illustrations at the end, and this time I’ve added some instagram shots of a couple of the sketches. Also at the end, the link to subscribe and learn more about Iguana Magazine.

Have I told you how much I love instagram? If I haven’t, here it goes: I ♥ that app! So if you are interested in seeing my sketches and wips (works-in-progress), you can join me there. I post almost every day.

I am positively, absolutely done with the pending posts from 2011. Clean slate and back to my soul-searching for the 2011-2012 recap that I’ll be posting soon. Pinky promise. Until then!

Initial Sketch for Looking for Lucecita

Initial Sketch for Homework

Painting the illustrations for Lucecita - Iguana Magazine - November/December 2011

Homework - Work in Progress

Looking for Lucecita - Work in Progress

Meeting Lucecita - Work in Progress

Homework - Final Illustration

Looking for Lucecita - Final Illustration

Meeting Lucecita - Final Illustration

You can subscribe to Iguana Magazine or read more about the magazine here.

Mary Talks to Baby Jesus - The Little Lutheran/The Litte Christian - December 2011

Christmas has come and gone and I still have this sorta-Christmassy post to go before I can get to my “Welcome 2012″ one. So let’s post it really quick to clear my desk, ok? Great!

I loved this project! From research to final art, it was one of my favorite magazine assignments of 2011. I have to applaud my Art Director. She always brings and encourages a non-traditional vision and that’s why I love working with her. She requested to avoid halos, rays of lights or any more classical depiction of religious art (hence no angels). The main idea was to portray Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus as real people so given the historical and geographical reference, I considered they should look Middle Eastern.

The illustrations were done for the story of “Mary Talks to baby Jesus” published on the December issue of The Little Lutheran/The Little Christian magazine. Some process pictures below and at the end the final art that you can click on for larger views.

Now, let’s see if you can find my favorite animal on these pieces: the goat. Have you seen where it fell asleep? :)

Resolutions, dissolutions and evolutions post will follow in a few days. Until then!

Detail of Mary's face - Work in Process

Detail of Mary and Baby Jesus - Work in Process

The two spreads - Work in Process

Cow and Sheep - Detail

Animals - Detail

Mary Talks - Final Illustration

Holy Family - Final Illustration

You can find out more about The Little Lutheran/The Little Christian magazine here, and subscribe to them by clicking on the button below.

As I sit on this Christmas Eve with a sleeping home, I don’t want to pass the opportunity to wish each and everyone one of you the happiest and warmest of Holidays. All the best for this Holiday Season!

Fidel, Miguel y el Pastel - Iguana Magazine - September/October 2011

This week I got my copies of the September/October 2011 issue of Iguana Magazine. I have an illustration published for the poem of “Fidel, Miguel y el Pastel”. The poem is a short story about two friends, one pice of cake and a cat that intercedes when things are not happening the way they should.

Fidel y Miguel - Initial Character Sketches

Fidel, Miguel y el Pastel - Final Illustration

During the early character sketches stage, tthe two friends looked different – see sketch above. As I moved onto the final sketches and the painting itself, their features changed. What was clear from the very beginning is that I wanted a monochromatic piece where the characters would bring the color into the piece. Using the bright shirts and dark skin tones, I created enough contrast to bring attention to the main characters.

You can subscribe to Iguana Magazine or read more about the magazine here.

Every year SCBWI and Tomie dePaola hold a contest. Each year, Tomie chooses an excerpt from a story to illustrate. I have never participated before but decided to enter this year.

So as I was working on other things, I kept “cooking” my Chicken Licken entry. The choice was easy: I needed children in my portfolio so I painted all the animals as children in costumes. Yes, I’m that simple!

I sketched characters on and off for about 10 days and finalized the sketch at the beginning of the week. I honestly didn’t think I was going to make the deadline but kept painting. I sent the entry with 1 minute to spare and the hope that my computer’s clock showed the same time as the recipient’s.

Why did I enter? To produce work with certain restrictions (in this case the excerpt) but that only satisfied me. You can find out more about the contest here. And here is the full excerpt taken from “Chicken Licken,” by P.C. Asbjörnsen. I focused mainly on one line – “I saw it with my own eyes”.

So they went along and went along until they met Turkey Lurkey
“Good morning, Goosey Loosey, Ducky Daddles, Cocky Locky, Henny Penny, and Chicken Licken,” said Turkey Lurkey, “where are you going?”
“Oh, Turkey Lurkey, the sky is falling and we are going to tell the King!”
“How do you know the sky is falling?” asked Turkey Lurkey.
“Ducky Daddles told me,” said Goosey Loosey.
“Cocky Locky told me,” said Ducky Daddles.
“Henny Penny told me,” said Cocky Locky.
“Chicken Licken told me,” said Henny Penny
“I saw it with my own eyes, I heard it with my own ears, and a piece of it fell on my tail!” said Chicken Licken.
“Then I will go with you,” said Turkey Lurkey, “and we will tell the King!”

Please forgive me for the 3 weeks of silence. More posts are coming in the next couple of weeks. Not sure if I’ve said it before so here it goes: I truly thank you for following my blog!

After the classic 15 minute pen-search, I got my names written down, got my 33 mini-strips of paper filled out and performed the pulling-of-a-name-out-of-a painting act successfully. We got a winner with Sofia as my witness. But I took pictures just in case.

And for all of those who haven’t won yet, we have a Mini-Interviews Final Surprise so stay tuned. News are coming next week.

Congrats again, Megumi!

I’ve been the first one to post on our blog tour every week. So to take the edge off the akward monologue I thought I would have a pre-post yesterday. Did it help? Not really. I have rewritten this intro so many times, it’s starting to feel like writing a bio. Now the intro is done and over.

Let’s talk Giveaway: One lucky winner will get a 12″x12″ original, signed illustration on canvas – pic below and here. So if you like my work, check out the details on how to enter. Shall we get started? I think so! I hope you enjoy the interview! And Happy Turkey Day for the ones who celebrate it!

Quiet, naive, determined, feisty and odd.

Now tell us how you got started as a children’s author and illustrator in more than 5 words.

Well… I got started as a children’s illustrator twice, really. The first time, I wasn’t aware that it was happening. The second time, it was MY choice.

The Unaware Time - My dad quit his job as AD at one of the agencies in Lima and started a graphic design and photography studio. One day, he got a new client: a Toy company. They were just starting and needed display boxes for all their toys and with that lots of illustrations. And my dad is an incredible, realistic artist but he is not an illustrator. So he sat me at one of his tables, told me what I needed to draw and walked away. He was a good art director! Thirty minutes later, he came back to check back on me. I remember him being kind of happy, kind of puzzled when he saw my sketches. I think he knew right then I was a children’s illustrator. But I didn’t. I was 16 at that time. I kept helping him through high school and until I was 21 when I decided to go to Art School.

The Aware Time - This time was completely different. After Art School, I moved to Los Angeles. For 10 years, I worked doing graphic and web design. I stopped sketching and painting completely. But after my second boy was born, I felt I needed a change. A big change. One of those after-motherhood moods that messes with your head and makes you want to do something completely different. At least, that’s what motherhood did to me. My husband had been telling me for a loooooong time that I needed to get back to children’s illustration. I finally listened to him, googled “children’s illustration” and found SCBWI. The AZ conference was happening a couple of weeks later and I could save $20 if I joined SCBWI. So I joined. It had to be a sign! I went to the conference with nothing to show. NOTHING. Sat through the presentations and break-out sessions. Something within me said this was IT. Then at the end asked Laura Jacobsen if we could talk. She was one of the keynote speakers that year. She gave me some ideas on how to get started in this business but above all I remember her being encouraging, extremely encouraging. And that meant a lot at that time. So I got back to illustration after a huge break. This time I was aware of my choice. I was going to be a Children’s Illustrator!

What was your favorite book as a child?

I read a lot as a child. A lot. But my favorite book was “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I got my first copy on my 7th birthday. Paperback. White cover with the Little Price on the left and the title on the right. The book is so full of sweet moments and there’s the constant concept of simplifying your thoughts and life. I love that. Things can be simple. Really.

One lesson you have learned from working in this industry.

Get the work done. It takes a lot of hours and painting to get the work ready to be publishable. The work will only improve once you get lots of work done and no one but YOU can do that so get the work done. Work EVERY day. Don’t talk about painting. Don’t post that you will work. GET THE WORK DONE. Work and then you will see how things start happening. So finish this interview, post your comment and get back to painting. Seriously.

The happiest moment of your career.

There has been a few so far and I hope there will be lots more but one of the happiest moments to come by so far was when an illustrator who I admire very much told me at the LA Conference this year: “I was so impressed with your work. So impressed.” I was thrilled, so happy to hear that coming from her. And it’s not the approval. It’s the feeling of a job well done. More like a pat on your back that feels SO good when you have been working so very hard. I can still hear her words and get excited all over over again.

What’s next for you?

I have a couple of picture books coming out within the next months. One is a bedtime, birthday book, “The Night Before My Birthday”. The other one is about a pearl and a little girl. It will be published by Kalimat in the United Arab Emirates. The book is called “Dana’s Trip”. I also want to squeeze in a trip to Peru and this time I want to take my 3 boys (husband included). Going back, seeing life-long friends and just listening to people speak Spanish always give me something that reflects growth in my work. Don’t ask me why or what, it just does.

And this concludes my silly monologue and I thank you for staying this long. But don’t leave just yet, we still have the Giveaway so see below for how to enter.

I’m giving away Sofia. Piece is a 12″x12″ original, signed illustration on canvas. The winner will be randomly chosen from all entries, and announced on Monday November 28, 2011.

Ways to enter:

I’ll be answering to more questions the rest of this Holiday week. So if you need a place to rest from the crowds, turkey and stuffing you know where to come. I’ll be visiting Molly on Wednesday, Mikela on Thursday and Laura on Friday.

Now, Juana, what’s the purpose of this post? Really! Getting quickly to the point: My Week is FINALLY here! Well, tomorrow but still… it’s here! Woop! Woop! So in my excitement I may double, triple or quadruple post this week. Or I may not. You shall came back and see.

I also know that MY week falls on the American Turkey Holiday week. So I thought I’d let everyone know that if you are in the US, there’s a safe place to escape from crowds, turkey and stuffing. I’ll be here as planned.

My week of Mini-Interviews come with a Giveaway. I debated for weeks: books, prints, original illustrations. It was really hard to decide so Saturday I painted something for this week. And she is right below here thinking, “Really?!”

And here is a curious note: for one of those reasons that I never try to explain, just Friday I got a box with some books where she+padding fit perfectly. Perfectly. That’s great news for the lucky winner of Monday, November 28th *!

And now the last picture of the illustration ready to go (minus padding). You just have to come back tomorrow to read the Mini-Interview and enter the giveaway. See you then!

* Shipping Note - I will be covering the shipping charges when mailed within the continental US. If the winner resides outside of the country or the continental US, I will contact the winner with shipping charges and estimated date of delivery. Thanks for understanding!