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Last weekend, the New York Times Sunday Magazine published a proile of the computer animation program at Brigham Young University. The school has gained a reputation in the last decade for its student films which are typically produced as group projects by the entire class, and thus exhibit high production values. (Some of these films have been featured on Cartoon Brew in the past.)

The focus of the article is the creative tension that exists between the students who attend the school and their Hollywood aspirations because Brigham Young is a Mormon-owned university run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

Students must regularly attend church services. No sex outside of marriage. (“Live a chaste and virtuous life.”) No alcohol or coffee. (There aren’t even caffeinated sodas in the vending machines.) No swearing. No deviations from the university’s meticulous grooming standards. (“If a yearly beard exception is granted, a new Student ID will be issued after the beard has been fully grown and must be renewed every year by repeating the process.”)

The director of B.Y.U.’s animation program, R. Brent Adams, says that the students who come out of the program have a different approach to filmmaking and life in general than the average fresh-out-of-school film industry pro: “Without being preachy about it, if we can add something to the culture that makes people think about being better human beings—more productive, more kind, more forgiving—that’s what we want to do.”

Curiously, the write-up mentions praise for the school from Disney Animation and Pixar president Ed Catmull, the highest-profile Mormon working in animation, but neglects to mention that he is a Mormon, too. The films that Catmull oversees, such as Wreck-It Ralph, get an ethical pass from at least one student interviewed for the piece:

It wasn’t simply a matter of avoiding sex and violence. (A few times, I heard even Shrek described disapprovingly: too many fart jokes, too much cynicism.) There was, instead, a fixation on whether you walked away from the movie feeling uplifted. That question superseded everything, even the usual genre and age-demographic lines. A senior, Megan Lloyd, told me: “I just saw The Dark Knight. It was wonderful, but it’s just so dark. I didn’t feel better about myself after I saw it. Instead, I felt like, I’m a horrible human being—like all human beings are. Now,” she went on, nearly in the same breath, “contrast that with a film like Wreck-It Ralph. That teaches you: Hey, you can be a better person. Here’s how!”

Shawna JC Tenney has always loved to draw and she has always loved children’s books. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from Brigham Young University and started illustrating as a freelance illustrator a year later. Since then, she has created artwork for 16 books along with children’s magazines, charities, educational materials, religious materials and theater playbills. I love drawing and learning every day.  She works in a number of mediums including acrylics, digital- Photoshop and Painter, charcoal, pastels and watercolor.  

Shawna lives in Utah with two very artistic little girls and graphic designer husband.  Shawna says, “One of my favorite things to do is teach an art class for my girls and other neighborhood kids. I love seeing the beautiful artwork they create!”

Here is Shawna explaining her process:

Process 1: First I draw lots of thumbnails. This helps me decide where to place characters and which angle I want to use. Sometimes I draw the thumbnails in pencil sometimes I use ink or the computer.

Process 2: I always sketch my drawings out first by hand using a mechanical pencil. Then I scan the picture into the computer and adjust lines and shape sizes in photoshop. Often I have to draw more than one sketch to get it right. Then I bring the lines into a new layer by selecting the channels so I can use my original lines and color under them. This also allows me to lock the “lines” layer and change the line colors later.

Process 3: Next I make a grayscale study.

Process 4: Then I make a color study. I usually don’t make this many, but it was fun to explore different color options for my dragon.

Process 5: I lay in the background color in photoshop. I like to use lots of different textures on my brushes. Sometimes I will print out my sketch and throw in some background colors with watercolor, just for fun.

Process 6: I lay in all the foreground color.

Process 7: Then I work in all the details over the top. Sometimes I finish the painting in Photoshop. Sometimes I use Painter because of the fun paint textures you can get. And that’s about it!

How did you end up going to Brigham Young University?

I first went to Utah Valley State College (which is now Utah Valley University) on an art scholarship, where I earned my associates degree. I had a great experience there, but at the time, they offered no Bachelor Degrees. I decided to go to BYU because at the time it had the best illustration program in the state (and also very high ranking nationally). At first I showed my portfolio to one of the professors there, Richard Hull. He thought I had some good potential. Unfortunately, I did not get in the university because of very high admittance standards. Richard Hull wrote a letter to admissions to request that I be admitted into the university to study illustration. Happily, it worked, and I was admitted. I will always be grateful to Richard for helping me get into an amazing illustration program where I learned so much valuable knowledge, which prepared me to working as an illustrator.

What types of classes did you take that really helped you to develop as an illustrator?

I took some awesome figure drawing classes, taught by Robert Barrett, who is phenomenal at figure drawing. I took an amazing (and very difficult) oil painting illustration class from Doug Fryer, where I learned amazing things about mixing color and composition. I also took some amazing illustration classes from Richard Hull, and Bethanne Anderson. Bethanne was my senior project mentor, and she inspired me in so many ways to become a children’s book illustrator and live my dreams. I took a couple  of digital classes in college, but hated them, and vowed I would never be one of those “digital” illustrators. This is very funny if you read on.

What did you do after you graduated?

Funny story. I graduated and had a baby two months later. Then we moved so my husband could go to school at another university. My husband was only able to get a part time job early in the morning working for UPS, and it wasn’t making enough to support us. So I went and got a part time job at JoAnn’s working in the frame shop. I worked there for a while, getting more and more annoyed that I was working at a retail frame shop for minimum wage. I was a well-trained frame shop worker (I had worked at several frame shops prior), and besides, I had a bachelor’s degree in illustration!  All I really wanted to do was be at home with my baby and draw. So I decided to work and pray really hard- take a leap of faith, quit my job and send out my work into the wide expanse of children’s illustration art reps and publishers, and see what happened. I think it was no coincidence that I was in the right place at the right time. Within a month, I got my first illustration job, and I got an art rep.

Did Brigham Young University help connect you to companies that could give you work?

No, but I did learn a lot of valuable information about the business of illustration, and how to start getting work.

I notice that you use a lot of different paint materials. Did you start out with a favorite material and expand to others?

When I graduated from school, my medium of choice for my children’s illustrations was acrylics.  Like I said before, I was scared of the computer. Then I saw more and more how people were able to save a lot of time and money by doing their art digitally. I was still afraid that using it would change my style, and I wouldn’t be able to make my art look enough like a traditional medium. Finally, I decided I wanted to learn once and for all how to paint digitally. So I asked my friend Manelle Oliphant to teach me a few things. I also learned from asking some of my other friends a lot of questions. I decided to jump right in and digitally paint a book I had been assigned. It took a while to really understand how to do things the right way (I am still learning a ton all the time), but eventually I got things to look more traditional than digital. So to answer your question- now I only paint digitally- except for things like watercolor sketches. I have tried a lot of different techniques, which may explain why it looks like I use a lot of different mediums.

What was the first thing you did that you got paid to do?

It was some illustrations for a crossword puzzle for a magazine called The Friend, a children’s religious magazine. My second job was the more interesting one (in a bad way). It was a reader for elementary school called The Case of the Bushy Tail. Because of a misunderstanding I took on the job not realizing that I would only have 10 days to paint the entire book- and take care of a 1 year old at the same time. It was…something I don’t want to do again. But many lessons learned.

What was the turkey’s illustration for?

It was a self-promotion piece I did a few years back.

How long have you been illustrating?

About 8 years.

How  many children’s books have you illustrated?

If you count all the readers and chapter books, 17 all together.

I see that Picture Window Books published The Truth About Ogres that you illustrated.  Can you tell us how that contract came your way?

I got that job through my agent.

Can you tell us a little bit about Picture Window Books?

Picture Window books is an imprint of Capstone Publishing. They mostly publish through the school market. I have also illustrated one of their Read-it Readers, called Allie’s Bike. That was the second book I illustrated- a bit embarrassed to look at it now, but its fun to look back on it and see how my illustrations have grown since then.

How many children’s magazines have you done illustrations for?

The Friend Magazine, Highlights, Spider and Ladybug.

You illustrated a few book with Magic Wagon. How did those books and contracts find you?

That was also a job I landed through my agent.

Tell us about DEADWOOD put out by the new small publisher Pugalicious Press. I assume that it is a middle grade book and you were hired to do the cover. What is the story behind getting this job?

Yes, Deadwood is a middle grade novel written by Kell Andrews. I illustrated the cover, and the book came out November 2012. I also landed this job through my agent. Unfortunately, I recently heard that Pugalicious Press has gone under, and the book is already out of print. But I also heard that they are selling the rights to a new publisher, and trying to see if they can use the cover artwork that I have already created.  I hope that things go well for Deadwood, especially for the author’s sake!

It also looks like you have done a few Christian picture books. Could you tell us about those books, the publishers, and how you landed those contracts?

Yes, I have worked with  Concordia Publishing house on a couple of books (The Parable of the Prodigal Son, and King Josiah and God’s Book) which I got through my agent. I also illustrated a book called, When I Take the Sacrament, I Remember Jesus, through a local publisher called Covenant Communications. I got that job because I met the art director at a couple BYU Alumni events.

It also looks like you have done a few Christian picture books. Could you tell us about those books, the publishers, and how you landed those contracts?

Yes, I have worked with  Concordia Publishing house on a couple of books (The Parable of the Prodigal Son, and King Josiah and God’s Book) which I got through my agent. I also illustrated a book called, When I Take the Sacrament, I Remember Jesus, through a local publisher called Covenant Communications. I got that job because I met the art director at a couple BYU Alumni events.

I notice a lot of illustrations on your website that have a Christmas (Santa) theme. Are they all from one book? Where they published in a picture book?  Same questions for the reindeer illustrations?

The Christmas and reindeer themed illustrations are all from a book I illustrated for an author, Chantell Taylor, called Rosie the Reindeer. The book was finished about 3 years ago, but the author has not been able to publish it yet. That was a fun book to illustrate!

Do you want to concentrate on being a children’s picture book illustrator?

Yes, it is my dream and passion. I have always loved picture books- I love looking at them and reading them to my kids. My big dream is to write and illustrate my own books.

Where were the Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella illustrations, published?

I think what you are referring to is the Beauty and the Beast pictures? I illustrated  a Young Learners Classic Reader version of Beauty and the Beast for Compass Publishing.

Tell us a little bit about the educational books that you have illustrated.

Well, I’ve done a lot of readers for the educational market. They are good bread and butter jobs, but not ultimately what I want to do for my career. Same thing with the religious books. I am really trying to focus my career on getting work in the trade book /big publishers market.

Have you ever tried to write and illustrate a children’s book?

Yes, I have written a few of my own stories, which have failed. I am currently writing a new story, which I plan on finishing soon and then illustrating. I have so many great ideas floating around my head, and I would really just like to write and illustrate my own stories and ideas rather than always illustrating other peoples ideas.

Have you made a picture book dummy to show art directors, editors, and reps.?

I did make one dummy book that I sent to my art rep some years ago. It was a flop, but I learned a lot from the experience and gained a lot of wisdom since then. I hope to have a new dummy out by this fall.

What types of things do you do to get your work seen by publishing professionals?

I’ve been doing a lot of blogging, social media, and sending out my own post cards. Lately I’ve really been focusing on what kind of things I need to do to connect with other illustrators and art directors.  I’ve also been trying to focus my work on the trade book market.

Do you have an agent? If so, who and how long have the represented you?  If not, would you like one?

Yes, my agent is Janet DeCarlo of Story Book Arts Inc. She has been a great agent and has gotten me pretty steady work for the past 8 years.

Do you ever use two different materials in one illustration?

Yes, I’ve used digital with pastels, Photoshop with Painter, watercolor with Photoshop. It’s fun to experiment!

Have you seen your style change since you first started illustrating?

Yes, a lot. When I first started, I only painted in acrylic. My goal was to have as little texture as possible and to finish every single last detail. My colors were very saturated all the time. The end result is that every one thought my illustrations looked too “Disney” and too mass market. So I’ve changed things up quite a bit. Now I use a lot more textures. I realized I don’t need to finish every single little last detail- in fact, it works better when I don’t. I have tried to make the eyes of my characters look less “Disney.” I know better how to use color. I know now that it’s better not to saturate everything with pure color. I also know better how to stylize characters and how to compose an illustration. I think it’s important to be learning all the time- from teachers, from friends, from books, from conferences. I hope my style evolves and changes and improves a ton in the next 10 years!

Have you gotten any work through networking?

Funny enough, no, not really. But I have gotten lots of lifetime friends through networking. And I learn tons from my friends all the time. In fact, I run a local monthly illustration critique group, which I love!

Do you do any art exhibits to help get noticed?

I have participated in a couple BYU Alumni illustration shows. I have also participated in two shows at the Bountiful Davis art center called Illustrators Utah. It is a juried show, and the last  show I was in, I one 3^rd place for my illustration entitled Ghost Watcher.

Are you open to doing illustrations for self-published picture book authors?

As I said before, I illustrated the book Rosie the Reindeer for a self-publishing author. I think since then I’ve learned a few things. I may be open to illustrating for a self-publishing author if they had a phenomenal story and gave me an offer I couldn’t pass up. But for the most part, I would say no. I’d rather write and illustrate my own stories or work with a publisher.

When did you start using Photoshop?

The first book I illustrated in Photoshop was The Parable of the Prodigal Son, which was published in 2008. After my friend Manelle showed me how to paint in Photoshop, and I just jumped right in, hoping to make it look just like I illustrated it in acrylics. Since I was so new to the medium, the process took way longer it would have taken to just do in acrylics. Since then, I have learned a lot of tips and tricks to really speed up the process.

Do you own a graphic tablet? If so, how do you use it?

Yes, I paint all my illustrations in Photoshop and Painter with a Wacom Bamboo tablet. I hope someday soon to be able to get a Cyntiq!

How much time do you spend illustrating?

Well, I’m a mom. So whenever I can fit it in! Both my kids are in school now for a full day, so I really try to get a lot done while they are at school. Sometimes I illustrate late into the night or early in the morning.

Do you have a studio set up in your house?

Yes, I have a studio/office room in the house. It’s pretty small and I share it with my husband who is a graphic designer. I have a computer desk and a drawing desk, he has a computer desk, and we also have scanners, printers, a book shelf, and a supply closet. So as you can guess, it’s a little crowded in here. It is also often filled with my kids and their drawings, so it gets even more crowded! But it serves it’s purpose.

Is there anything in your studio, other than paint and brushes that you couldn’t live without?

Of course, my computer (I used a Macbook Pro which I hook up to a bigger screen). My Epson Scanner (since I draw all my drawing with pencil and scan them in). I also love my Epson Artisan 1430 large format printer. And of course my art books. I am obsessed with children’s books and art books!

You have an illustration you titled Christmas Surprise. Was that used in a picture book? What about the one titled Flying Pig? 

Christmas Surprise and Flying Pig are both self-promotion pieces I illustrated quite a few years ago- when I was still using acrylics. I like Christmas Surprise, but I don’t put it in my portfolio anymore because I often get the comment that it looks too mass market, and I’m going for trade books.

Any picture books on the horizon?

Right now I’m working on a few non-picture book jobs. But I am also working on my very own written and illustrated book –I hope to have a dummy finished and sent out this year.

What are your career goals?

I would love to illustrate more middle grade novels. My ultimate goal is to write and illustrate my own books steadily.

What are you working on now?

I am working on an few illustrations for The Friend Magazine, and I am illustrating a story which will be published by Oxford Publishing house called Harpoona. It’s an under the sea/fish Cinderella story .  And of course, I’m working on my own story!

Are there any painting tips (materials, paper, etc.) you can share that work well for you? Technique tips?

Something that I really like to do is scan textures into Photoshop- such as watercolor textures or gesso textures. This is how to do it. Scan in a texture such as a watercolor texture. Change the mode to gray scale. Play with the curves to make the pattern more contrasted. Select the entire image. Go to the “Edit” menu and choose “Define Pattern” and give it a name. Then your pattern will show up in your brush palette when you double click “texture.” Then set the brush mode on multiply and you can make the contrast go as high as you like. Use this on an already textured brush. Then you can get textures that look like you are using real paint!

I  love the examples of the paper doll illustrations you have on your site. Who did you do these for?

I did some paper doll illustrations for Girl Guiding U.K. (equivalent to Girl Scouts in the U.S.). I also did a fun zombie-ish paper doll for self promotion.

Here are a few examples of Shawna’s black and white illustrations,

Any words of wisdom you can share with the illustrators who are trying to develop their career?

If you are in this field, illustration needs to be your passion. You need to keep finding ways to learn and improve your style every day. Find friends and mentors who will help you and inspire you. Blogging and social networking are important. Never ever give up, no matter how depressed you might feel about where your career is going, or feeling that your art isn’t good enough. The people that make it are the ones that never give up. I don’t even feel like I’ve made it yet to where I want to be, but I’m not going to give up! Remember, you don’t have control over what is happening in the industry, but you do have control over the quality of artwork you are producing– so keep making better artwork. Don’t ever do artwork for free. Don’t take on cheap jobs that pay way too little. Instead, focus on making better artwork, and if you do, the better jobs will come. I keep having to tell myself this every day. I know if I do, good things will happen for me and my art. And I know it will for you too!

Thank you Shawna for sharing your talent and process with us. I see a great future for you and you art and good luck with adding the writing to your achievements. Please remember to let us know when you have new successes. It will be fun following you.

If you would like to visit Shawna, you can go to: www.shawnajctenney.com Please take a minute to leave a comment below for Shawna. It will be  much appreciated. Thanks!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Manelle graduated with a bachelor’s degree in illustration from Brigham Young University Idaho and has been working as an Illustrator since 2005.  She’s illustrated multiple books. Most recently, In the Garden, (spring 2012) In the Woods, (fall 2012) and At the Beach (spring 2013) for Peachtree Publishers.

Some of my other clients include: McGraw-Hill, Friend Magazine, The Empress Theatre, and Blooming Tree Press.

I work with watercolor, prismacolor pencil, pencil, Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Manelle says, “My object in writing and illustrating books for children is: to recapture imagination, rekindle curiosity, and demonstrate the rewards of knowledge and virtue. Pretty good eh? I stole it from Walden Media. Regardless I am creating books and illustrations for children with this in mind. Hoping that others will have a chance to have fun, and learn from the products I create.”

Manelle has sent three panels that describe her process, thinking, and interview answers.

Have you always lived in Salt Lake Utah?

Basically, I did go to school in Idaho. I lived in West Yellowstone Montana one summer and I lived in Provo Utah for about a year after college.

How did you go to college to study illustration?

Well, yes, sort of, I went to college to study art. I thought I wanted to be a gallery artist but then I took an illustration class and the rest is history.

What types of classes did you take that really helped you to develop as an illustrator?

Like I said I took this one illustration class… It was intense and really hard. It seems like during the semester I was just exhausted the whole time but it really gave me the tools I needed to be able to draw the kinds of pictures I always wanted to draw. In the end I took that class three times, twice with the same teacher and once with another teacher. I learned so much in all of them.

What did you do after you graduated?

After I graduated I moved to Provo Utah and got a job doing layout for an educational publisher. I liked it there and I sometime I got to do small illustrations. It was fun learning more about Graphic design and layout there. I still use those skills all time.

What was the first thing you did that you got paid to do?

I think it was an illustration for the Friend magazine.

How long have you been illustrating?

Eight years

What materials did you start out using for your illustrations?

Watercolor and pen, and I also did a lot of digital painting at first.

Have those material changed over time?

Yes. I still use watercolor but now I use colored pencil and pencil more than pen. I just use the computer for prep work now, value studies and things like that. I stopped doing digital after I got a few jobs painting that way and realized I didn’t enjoy doing that as much. And sometimes l like to just try something completely different if I can. That is what Ruby and the Skateboard is, a fun style experiment.

Was the artwork for Don’t be Afraid a self-published book project?

No it was for a small Christian publisher. I think the first book job I got. I was pretty excited about it at the time.

How did you get involved with Familius?

It’s a long story. I’ll try to sum up. The Just In Time books were first being published by another publisher and they hired me. But before they were published the authors decided they wanted to go a different rout than that publisher was going so they pulled out. I had already done some sketches and things for them and I really, REALLY, wanted to do them. Luckily the authors, Cheri Earl and Carol Williams, live in Utah and I had met them at some SCBWI conferences, so the next time I saw one of them at a conference I told her how baldly I wanted to do those books. Later I emailed the sketches I had done and she liked them. She said she would suggest me as an illustrator if they found another publisher. Years later they found Familius and Familius hired me. So I think the moral of the story is be patient, and go to conferences, you never know what will happen.

Will there be other Just in Time books coming out?

Yes, 50 are planned, one for each state.

Can you tell us something about Familius?

They are new as of last year (2012). Christopher Robbins the publisher used to be CEO of Gibbs smith. So far they have been good to work with and we’ve enjoyed getting the Just In Time books ready for publication.

Will you be the illustrator for all of them?

That’s the plan.

Did you do any interior art for The Princess and the Pee or was it just the cover?

Yeah, I did an illustration for each chapter.

I see that you just wrote and illustration your own picture book and are selling it on Amazon for $.99. Was it easy to take the book dummy and turn it into an ebook?

It wasn’t too hard. But like I said I had a job doing layout and I took some deign classes in college. I don’t know that it would have been as easy if I didn’t know how to do that.  After the layout there is just some mechanical stuff to figure out that takes time but isn’t too hard. Julie Olsen has a nice blog post about how to do that. http://jujubeeillustrations.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-create-and-publish-ebook-picture.html

How hard is it to get people to notice your ebook?

I haven’t been good at it yet. Gradually I’m selling more and more and I’ve been trying things here and there to market them. Just learning stuff from people online and trying it. No giant success yet but I kind of enjoy the trying.

Do you plan to produce the book and self publish it, so kids can hold it in their hands?

Not at this point. Both of the ebooks I have out right now were just little things I did for fun and for practice telling stories. I think they will always just be ebooks.

What are your thoughts about the acceptance of buying a digital picture book?

I think people are accepting it more and more and that we all aren’t sure what a digital book is exactly. It’s all a process and I just want to be involved in the new fun. I don’t have programing skills or animation skills so my books are just pictures and text but there are so many more things they can be. I plan to keeping learning and telling better stories and just seeing what happens with digital picture books.  And having fun with them as they evolve.

Do you plan to write and illustrate another children’s picture book?

Of course. I think the reason illustration appealed to me in the first place was the chance to tell stories with my art. I plan on doing that until I die and still doing it in the after life. Why stop right? I have some fun manuscripts written and new ideas all the time, and as I said I feel like I’ve just been practicing so far. I plan on getting better at telling better stories.

Are you concentrating on becoming a children’s picture book illustrator?

Um… yes, and no. I like variety I love picture books but that is not all that I want to do. Mostly I just want to tell good stories.

How did you get involved with Peach Tree Publishers and the board book you illustrated for them?

They hired me after I sent sample postcards.

Who is Jeremy D. Miller and how did you work together on a wordless picture book?

Ha ha, good question. Jeremy is my husband and after I had the idea for Ruby and the Skateboard he helped me figure out everything that would happen to her. Then I drew it.

What types of things do you do to get your work seen by publishing professionals?

Postcard mailings, and a website are the main things. Conferences are great also. You never know what is going to happen. I have heard of people getting jobs from twitter but that hasn’t happened to me yet.

Do you have an agent? If so, who and how long have the represented you?  If not, would you like one?

I don’t have one. I would like one but I want them to be the right one so I keep dragging my feet. I’ve submitted to some before and got some offers but they never felt right. I’ve also gotten a lot (and I mean a lot) of rejections. That was a couple years ago though so maybe I’ll try again soon. But not having an agent has been good for learning. I feel like I know my way around contracts and I’m getting better at taking better jobs. It’s hard asking for more money or changes in contracts. When I have to do stuff like that It’s always nerve racking but I like the feeling of accomplishment at doing something hard even if I don’t get what I want. And of course I’m getting better at it the more I do it.

I see you have used your artwork to make t-shirts, cards, ipad, iphone covers, etc.  Can you tell us a little bit about this?

Yeah, I just use the website society6 which is a service where I upload my art and they print on demand. If someone buys something of mine I get a percentage. I think they have good quality from what I’ve seen. It’s been a fun little side thing.

Do you ever use two different materials in one illustration?

Yes. Right now almost all of my color illustrations are a combination of watercolor and colored pencils. Some of my pencil stuff has a grayscale digital under painting. Doing that helps me save time.  Ruby and the Skateboard is ink and digital.

Have you seen your style change since you first started illustrating?

Yes. Although I don’t know how I can explain it in detail.

Have you gotten any work through networking?

Yes. I would say the just in time books are a good example of that.

Have you published any illustration in magazines or newspapers?

Yes. I’ve done a couple jobs for the Friend Magazine, and some other stuff here and there. I’ve also done illustrations for text books and thing like that.

Do you do any art exhibits to help get noticed?

Not usually but sometimes if the opportunity arises.

Are you open to doing illustrations for self-published picture book authors?

No.

Do you ever use Photoshop?

Yes. I use it for value and color studies and all kinds of other stuff. I used to do a lot of my paintings with it but now I just do paintings with Photoshop for fun when I’m doing experiments and the like.

Do you own a graphic tablet? If so, how do you use it?

Yes. I use it  for painting in Photoshop mostly.

How much time do you spend illustrating?

As much as I can I suppose and sometimes more. I just finished the second book for Just in Time. We had a really tight deadline with it and I spent every waking hour illustrating.

Is there anything in your studio, other than paint and brushes that you couldn’t live without?

I suppose I would prefer not ever live without the salt lake county library system. They provide most excellent recorded books for me to listen to while I’m illustrating (It’s not technically in my studio but the books are).

Any picture books on the horizon?

Not right now.  I have some manuscripts I’ve been working on but it remains to be seen if I will turn them into ebooks or try to publish traditionally. Right now I’m just really busy with Just In Time.

What are your career goals?

Be amazing and keep getting better.  I did have the goal to illustrate cover and interiors for beginning chapter and middle grade books. That’s what Just in Time is and they will keep me busy for a long time.  So I met that goal and haven’t made any new ones yet. I suppose my goal would be to not mess them up. I have some personal projects in mind to do while I’m working on those as well.

What are you working on now?

I just finished the second, Just In time and will probably start on the third soon.

Are there any painting tips (materials, paper, etc.) you can share that work well for you? Technique tips?

Every painting needs an awesome composition and the right values.

Any words of wisdom you can share with the illustrators who are trying to develop their career?

Keep moving forward. I still think I’m in development stage but when I look back I can see that I have made progress. It has been slow going but the work is starting to pay off. I just had to be persistent and I have to keep being persistent and believe it’s gonna be great.

Thank you Manelle for sharing you process and journey with us. We look forward to hearing more success stories from you. Please make sure you let us know.

If you would like to visit Manelle you can go to her website: www.manelleoliphant.com And please take a minute to leave a comment here for Manelle. It would be  much appreciated. Thanks!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy