Middle Grade Character Studies
I was recently working on some character studies geared towards middle grade. The characters were *almost* 12 years old. I've mostly worked on younger Picture Book age characters before, so there was some testing to do. In the image below, you will see my three rounds of sketches for the main
A Mini-Interview with Sophie Blackall
Welcome back to our Mini-Interview Grand Finale Week! Today I have with me the author-illustrator Sophie Blackall. I have lost count of how many times I have read, looked, open and closed "Are You Awake?". Sophie brilliantly wrote and illustrated it. Since I love the book and Sophie's work so much,
A Mini-Interview with Zachariah OHora
Hello again! Happy Thanksgiving week! Welcome back to week four of our 2013 November Mini-Interviews. People, it's time to celebrate! I have here with me the most talented Zachariah OHora. The first time I saw Zach's work I was at a bookstore. I opened "No Fits, Nilson!" and was immediately attracted
A Mini-Interview with Brian Won
Welcome to our third week of the 2013 November Mini-Interviews. This week, I have invited an author-illustrator whose work I love. The most wonderful Brian Won. I saw Brian's work for the first time at Lost Weekend 2012. Brian was a Mentee from the 2012 SCBWI Los Angeles Conference. I immediately
A Mini-Interview with Yuyi Morales
Hello again! Welcome to our second week of the 2013 November Mini-Interviews. This week, I have the huge pleasure to bring you the most wonderful author-illustrator, Yuyi Morales. I am fascinated with Yuyi's work. Completely. Utterly. Needless to say I am beyond excited to have her as a guest. I know
A Mini-Interview with Marta Altes
Welcome to our first interview for the 2013 November Mini-Interviews. I'm starting by introducing you to the work of the Spanish author-illustrator, Marta Altés. Marta has a fun, loose style. I found her work online a year ago and immediately loved it. So when it came time to short list our
The November Mini-Interviews 2013
The 2013 Mini-Interviews are back with more interviews, more guests, and more weeks! Our focus for 2013: Author-Illustrators! For this year, we have 20 Picture Book Authors-Illustrators visiting our blogs. Once again, we will be hosting the Mini-Interviews on our blogs with our regular posting schedule: my blog on Tuesdays, Molly
The Craft of Portfolio Artwork Mounting + KOLO Giveaway
Hello there! Welcome to the last post in The Craft of Portfolio Making Series. Today, I will show you how to mount your artwork to a Kolo album. I am also holding a Giveaway for a Kolo Newport 8.5"x11" or 11"x14" Album (your choice). But first, let's recap. Over the past 2
Mentee Portfolio vs. Grand Prize Winner Portfolio
Hi again! The Craft of Portfolio Making - Post #2 is here! Last week, we worked on putting together your brand new Physical Portfolio on the post "How to Put a Children's Illustrator Portfolio Together". Today, I will try to expand on what we briefly touched on Image Selection and Flow
How to Put a Children’s Illustrator Portfolio Together
Spring is finally here and that can only mean Conference Season has started! With that in mind, I thought I would write a Blog Post Series about The Craft of Portfolio Making. Today we will focus on the making of the Physical Portfolio. We will be talking materials and how to best