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Sorry about the break from the Friday Studio Tours this summer. I guess that's what happens when you're on summer vacation! Please look for the tours to begin when school starts in the fall. Yes, I said fall. I'm going old school here and will be back to posting tours after Labor Day. So look for the next Friday Studio Link post on Friday September 5th. Before then, I might even get a chance to do a post about how I spent my summer vacation!
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It's a privilege for me to take you on a tour today of the studio of Caldecott Honor winning author/illustrator Molly Idle. (Yes! I said Caldecott Honor!) Molly has illustrated over 16 picture books, and has created (written and illustrated) two characters destined to become classics - Rex (from Tea Rex and Camp Rex) and Flora (from Flora and the Flamingo and the soon to be released Flora and the Penguin.)
Hot Off the Press
2014 Caldecott Honor Book
I've had the pleasure of knowing Molly for more than eight years. We have a bit in common. We both live in Arizona. We both work in Color Pencil. And her backyard is home to her very own studio too!
Molly is just as fun and down to earth as her books are. Plus, she likes to share! Back in 2007 she offered her studio up for a workshop with art director Tim Gillner and more than a dozen other illustrators. Yes, her studio is big enough to host workshops!
Before heading over to her studio for a close-up tour, how about a few questions for Molly?
Whats your favorite color? (It’s okay, if you don't say pink!)
My favorite color changes all the time, depending on what I’m working on. Right now I’m deeply enamored of a lovely retro shade of sea-foam green.
How many pencils did it take to complete Camp Rex? (It’s okay if you guess!) No comment. (I’ll be hosting a book giveaway soon that will address this very question…)
More numbers.
I notice you have quite a collection of picture books!
How many do you own?
(You don't really have to count. An estimate will do.)
Judging by shelf space: Far too many.
Judging by how many wonderful books there are out in the world: Not nearly enough!
If you had to use something other than color pencil, what medium would you choose?
Film.
What’s the favorite thing about your studio? The people I share it with.
My whole family utilizes the workshop: My Dad, an inventor, can be found building prototypes here. My Mom, an actress, holds improv workshops here. My husband, Steve, builds ship models here. And our boys come here to do their homework and help me make messes. It’s very much a family affair in the Idle workshop! But for now, I’ll just show you my part…
My prized rubber chicken.
A few books, books, books…
You can see, I like to keep up to date-
using the very latest in technology…
A few things you can never have enough of:
celebratory drinks, printer ink, and storage space.
Can you ever have too many pencils? I submit that you cannot.
Last week my art "Time to Wish" that went to Italy won an honorable mention at the Bologna Children's Book Fair! The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators proudly presented a gallery of images from 34 of it's members as part of the 2014 SCBWI Bologna Showcase. At the fair one winner and 4 honorable mentions were announced for this BiG (Bologna Illustrators Gallery) award.
Time to Wish
I was in great company along with the winner Dorothea Rohner, and three other honorable mentions - Kris Sexton, Ingrid Kallick, and Tanja Wooten. Can you imagine having your artwork show up on the BiG screen at such an enormous event? It would have been amazing to be there, but since I wasn't, here's the next best thing. Check out the links and you can virtually be there too. Thank you everyone for the photos and videos!
In this link from an article in Publisher's Weekly, you can get an idea of just how big and exciting this event is!
The SCBWI Booth with Dueling Illustrators
The SCBWI Booth with the BiG Posters
And in case you haven't seen enough, here's a link to the Bologna Book Fair Photogallery with tons of very cool images.
And a fun video that shows the scope of how BiG the fair really was.
0 Comments on Friday Studio Links - BiG News as of 4/4/2014 4:25:00 PM
I have something BIG going on! Looks like I'm going to Italy. My art that is! I've been selected to be featured in the SCBWI 2014 "Bologna Illustrators’ Gallery." My piece "Time to Wish" will be displayed on the showcase booth walls at The Bologna book Fair.
This leads me to thinking about perseverance in this business and the art of never giving up. That's a hard thing to do when you've spent years chasing a dream. Sometimes receiving encouragement, other times rejection. Then more rejection. Then the rejection turns into a no response, because the business practices have changed, and a no response means rejection. (But in the back of your mind you think there still might be hope - maybe they just haven't gotten back to you yet?) Then you get a good critique, a featured spot, or even a rejection letter with a positive note. And you think just maybe you can make this dream happen.
Someone recently gave me some very sound advice. We were discussing the need to look for a paying job or to continue putting everything you've got into following this dream. She asked me "Which one would leave you with regrets?" Years from now would I regret most not taking a menial job or giving up on publishing?
And that leads me to Bologna. I'm not going to give up. I just got a kick in the butt to remind me of what I want and what this particular piece means to me. This piece is from my heart. It's from a story I started a long time ago and "cut my teeth on" in this business. It not the same story it was when I first wrote it (or for that matter first illustrated it.) It has grown along with me. It's been written many times, revised many times, and sent out many times. Then shelved.
I've worked on other things since then. I started new picture book projects, I've illustrated books for other writers, I even started writing a novel of my own. Recently an Art Directer reviewed my portfolio and told me this piece showed how much I loved working on it. So I pulled it out from the dark drawer again, made more revisions and decided it's good. The writing is good. The concept is good. I think I got this. I think it's time to start shopping this story...again.
Please Note: This month's Friday Studio Links has been delayed. Check back next Friday for more information.
0 Comments on BIG Opportunity and Perseverance as of 3/7/2014 6:18:00 PM
By now you all know who the big ALSC winners were this week at the ALA conference, but have you seen where they work? In honor of the Caldecott winning illustrators, this month's Friday Studio Tours take you inside the studios of the 2014 winners.
The titles above will take you to a review of the book, the illustrator names above will lead you to their website, and - of course - below each photo you will find a link to more cool details on their workspace, with interviews. Enjoy! And a big congratulations to all of the winners.
Update: Just came across this great blog post with lots more links to videos, photos, and interviews from the Caldecott winners.Check it out. It's a must read! Watch. Connect. Read.
Starting off the New Year with an old tour. Since I claim to be a Jack-of-All-Trades I thought I'd show one of them. You probably wouldn't guess, but I secretly always wanted to be an architect. Since I didn't become one, I fulfill this need with architectural projects. Here is the biggest one so far. I drew the plans and worked with the city. My husband built it and I helped where I could. Check out some construction shots from when we built my studio.
Later, I will have a post of what it looks like today, but I'll need to do some cleaning first! Until then here is a sneak peek of my bookshelf.
Links? Well, follow this, which will lead you to a few other posts that show the studio.
0 Comments on Friday Studio Links- Building My Studio as of 1/1/1900
I don't have a lot of art from when I was a kid. There's no "here is the first book I wrote and illustrated." Not too many drawings or paintings. But I do have a few "project" pieces that I treasure. One of those projects came from when I was about 8 or 9 years old. Christmas ornaments!
They still hang on my tree. (So do the ones my sister made. As I got older I always pointed out how much nicer mine were than hers. But then again, she was only 5 when we made them. And hers are still displayed along side of mine, on my tree.)
I marvel at the fact they have held up over all these years. You see, they were made out of Elmer's Glue with food coloring, and navy beans, and other embellishments. And we live in Phoenix. (We can melt candles in the summer without lighting them. Just leave them in the garage or outside.)
One of my favorite parts of Christmas is decorating the tree. Each ornament bringing along a memory or story from the past.
Magical Tree Click here to purchase an archival Giclee print.
Early this year I featured the summer studio of award winning author/illustrator Wendy Watson. Today we get to see where she creates her wonderful books during the winter. How lucky she is to have two places to work. Wendy has written and illustrated twenty-one children’s books, and illustrated more than sixty children’s books by other authors. Just look at this list of books she's written or illustrated!
I recently had the opportunity to visit Wendy's home and see her studio. The one thing that stood out, was the artwork that covers the walls of her home. Wendy is a third-generation author and artist. Many of the pieces on display were not only hers, but those of her father, Aldren Watson and grandfather, Ernest Watson.
A few of their many accomplishments were teaching at Pratt Institute, co-opening one of the first summer art schools - the Berkshire Summer School of Art, and founding and editing American Artist magazine, which remained in publication for 75 years. These three generations have written of illustrated over 275 books combined.What a fascinating family filled with talent!
Plus, she has a pretty darn cool collection of old chairs and desks.
Be sure to follow Wendy Watson’s Blog. Also, Wendy recently opened up a new online studio shop! So head over to do some holiday shopping at her Esty store.
Thanks so much for sharing your studio Wendy!
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November is Picture Book Month! So head over and help celebrate. You'll find new posts each day from champions in the field reminding us of why picture books are important. Just follow thislink.
Author and illustrator Megan Bair has put together a wonderful blog, full of monthly interviews, reviews, illustration "Greats", reading lists, tutorials, but best of all, she features an Illustrator of the Day. Every day! How's that for inspiration! Follow her passion at Children’s Illustrator’s on Fire. Megan Bair, your blog is on fire! Follow here Facebook page here.
Over at Design Mom, writer, librarian, and designerCarter Higgins takes on the Author Interview Series. Yup! Click on that link. There are tons of great interviews. You'll find plenty of illustration there too! Plus, her blog Design of the Picture Book is loaded with just that. Wonderfully designed picture books.
Heck, follow all the links listed in this post. You're in for a real treat!
0 Comments on Links, links, and more links! as of 1/1/1900
I figure most of you have heard of this project, and many of you I'm sure are participating too. But just in case you don't know, PiBoIdMo stands for Picture Book Idea Month. It's the brain child of children's book author Tara Lazar. It's a simple idea. A challenge to create 30 picture book ideas in 30 days. Here is where I'm at on day 15.
Five picture book titles
Five settings
Five characters or plot ideas
Be sure to read her blog. Tara has daily inspirational posts by picture book authors, illustrators, editors, and more. (Really great stuff!) Here's the run down for the month.
Ramblings About the Project and the Process
I'm not sure yet, if thinking of so many ideas at once is a distraction or a catalyst in creating picture books. It's one of those things where we'll have to wait and see. Many times if an idea isn't written down it is forgotten. From that standpoint, PiBoIdMo is a great tool. Plus, it's a lot like a brainstorming session. No idea is a bad idea. And one idea leads to another. I'm sure many of the ideas are throw-a-ways, but if just one is a light-bulb moment, then great! You've got a new project to work on. But staying focused enough to develop that "cocktail napkin idea" into a complete project is something else. It needs time to develop. That's hard when you're moving on to a new idea first. So I plan on checking back in, in 6 months time to see what's developed. Stayed tuned...
I'm not talking about "this space could be featured in a decorating magazine" kind of style. (Although it could!) I'm talking about personal, functional, "this is my art" and "this is where I make it" kind of style. This space is all about personality!
Welcome to the studio of Holli Conger. A girl who creates. And create she does! Her eclectic, whimsical style can be found in magazines, on greeting cards, CD covers, and packaging. Holli not only illustrates children's books- 11 of them so far this year, she is also a successful licensing artist, does killer typography, and has become a huge inspiration to others by documenting her creative journey on Becoming An Illustrator.
Holli has a style that shines though no matter what is is working on. This goes for he studio too. Check out the process of how her studio was built here. And be sure to follow Holli's Blog and visit her Website.
Check back on the first Friday of each month for a new Studio Tour.
It was time for an overhaul. When I designed my last site I had no idea Flash would become a thing of the past in...well...a flash! My site needed to work across all devices. So I'm launching a new and improved site.
It seems like the last month has been filled with the business end of what writers and illustrators have to spend a good chunk of their time doing. Running a business. Yes, I'd rather be in the studio drawing or sitting at my desk researching and writing. But a gal's got to do what a gal's got to do.
Design a new look and logo- check! Design new business cards and stationary- check!
Postcard design and printing- check! Mailing list of publishers and who is where- check! Print mailing labels, stamp, and mail postcards- check!
Create a new portfolio- check! Decide on portfolio images- check! Print images- check! Assemble portfolio- check!
Register for the local SCBWI-AZ Conference- check! Prepare and mail portfolio- check! (Yes, a second one!) Mail PB manuscript and dummy book for conference critique- check! Proofread, print, and mail first 10 pages of MG novel- check!
Redesign website- check! Photo shoot for website- check! Select and size images for website- check! Launch new website- check!
Phew! Now back to some writing and illustrating. Right after I write a synopsis and cover letter for that MG novel...
It seems like Facebook has taken over blogs. It's quick and easy. You spend some of time scrolling, tap a quick like, maybe even add a comment, then move on. But writing a blog post, that takes time. We all have a few favorites we read regularly, but how often do you leave a comment these days? Have your posts dwindled down to occasional? I'm guilty of it. There's no thumbs up. You've spent enough time "researching". It's time to get back to work. You're inspired, you're energized. You leave with something, without leaving something.
This week I've read some amazingly great blog posts. The kind you can enjoy with your morning cup of coffee, think about during the day, and come back to again later and savor. So for today's studio links, I'm skipping the visuals (this is a hard one for me) and sending you right to these blogs. Check them out. And while you're there leave a comment! I will. Right after I finish this post.
In an attempt to not neglect my Friday Studio Link posts, I'm going to make this a First Friday regular. Once a month is much more realistic than the once weekly I started the year off with. So check back each month. And enjoy these links!
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If you'd like to find out what time to watch the moon rise in your area, just follow this link and put in your location. I know where I'll be tonight! To learn more about the books shown click on the image. To see more about the author or illustrator click on their name.
Spring, it's a busy time. Sorry for the laps in posts on studio tour links. It looks like April is just full of deadlines! Fun stuff like wedding planning. My middle child is getting married the end of April. It's a backyard wedding. Our backyard. The house she grew up in. So along with all the fun plans, we needed major re-landscaping in the yard. Fun things like plants and flowers. Not so fun things like trips to the dump and spreading granite...35 tons worth. Yikes!
Then there's that April 15th deadline, and like a true artist I'm pushing that deadline to the limit.
And lastly, I book deadline. The dummy book for a very exciting project will be mailed next week, labeled requested, written and illustrated by yours truly!
Enjoy your spring. Stop and smell the flowers. If your in part of the country that is still waiting for spring, then check out these links with photos here, and here, and here, and here of what the desert can look like in spring. And watch for the tours to resume in May.
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Last weekend I got to spend time with all of the artists you see below. Not quite in their studio, but at the 2013 Tuscon Festival of Books! It is the fourth largest book event in the country. And it happens right here in Arizona. It's a two hour drive south for me, but gives you two full days worth of book fun! I went to the presentations of the following picture book illustrators. (Plus, many excellent authors, but since Fridays are all about studios I'm going to focus mainly on the illustrators. Although I did find a couple of cool writing spaces I had to include.)
To see a link to each studio, some with interviews, click on the photo. To go to the website of each artist click on their name. So be sure to click both places!
Remember, this is just a handful of the talent the Tuscon Festival of Books had to offer. There were many, many sessions I had to pick from, so some I had to miss. If you haven't gone before, mark your calendar for next year!
Be sure to check out the post at Gommies World. She has some great information, and a video, of the workshop Floyd Cooper presented. I was right there in the front row for this one too. It was a very special day!
2 Comments on Friday Studio Links!, last added: 3/17/2013
And thank you for posting the video! Yeah, it's always fun to see other artist's studios. I'm trying to keep this as a regular Friday feature on my blog. so come on back!
Since I've been spending so much time in my studio and it's been so long since I did a post just about me, I thought today I'd link you up with some previous posts all about my studio! I hope to someday get all the photographs from when we built the studio organized and show the construction, as well as the construction drawings I drew, to build this little piece of paradise.
Today we've got a tour of the summer studio of award winning, third-generation author and artist Wendy Watson. Wendy has written and illustrated twenty-one children's books, and illustrated more than sixty children's books for other authors! Just a few of her books include, The Cats in Krasinski Squareand Spuds both written by Karen Hess, and The Family Bedtime Treasury: Tales for Sleepy Times and Sweet Dreams and Bedtime Bunnies, both written by Wendy. And yes! I did say summer studio. Wendy is also is lucky enough to divide her time between two places, Arizona and Massachusetts.
And what studio wouldn't be complete with out a favorite chair and someone to keep you company.
Wendy's work for BEDTIME BUNNIES was included in the 2011 Society of Illustrators annual "Original Art" exhibit. You can read more about Wendy in this great interview. And be sure to follow these links and head over to Wendy's blog to see even more photos of her summer studio. Both before and after being cleaning up!
4 Comments on Friday Studio Links!, last added: 2/25/2013
Glad you're stopping by to have a look. Thanks for the comments! There's lots more to come. If I can ever get mine cleaned up I would love to post it too. Caitlin, we built a separate studio in the backyard. All by ourselves! Hope to show it and other artist-built studios in the future.
And finally, if you haven't seen it yet, you are in for a real treat! Head over to the website and studio of world famous Etch-A-Sketch artist George Vlosich III.
Note: Sorry this post showed up late. I had some issues with my computer on Friday.
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Today, check out this Mark Teague video from School Library Journal's 100 Scope Notes. You'll not only get to peek into his studio and see his process, you'll get a bit of advise and inspiration. Also check out this great interview with Mark and Jane Yolen from Scholastic. You find some of Mark's books here. And his bio here. Enjoy!
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Special thanks to the American Library Association (ALA) for the live webcast. What a fun way to hear the results over my morning cup of coffee! Be sure to follow this link to see the complete list of all the winners in all of the categories. Congratulations again to everyone!
2 Comments on Caldecott & Newbery 2013, last added: 1/29/2013
Picking up my copies today. Managed to put library requests in as the awards were being announced. Except for The One and Only Ivan, I had already gotten that one!
Today's tour will be all about links. So sit back, click, and follow some fun. In honor of the upcoming Caldecott Award announcement on Monday, I'm putting in my vote for favorite picture of 2012. It is The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, by William Joyce.
Take a tour studio office space and the creative team Joyce has put together at: Moonbot Studios
It's time to VOTE! The 2013 Mock Caldecott polls are open.
Head over to The Horn Book blog before January 22nd and get your vote in. They have a link to the Calling Caldecott Ballot. It's easy! Just takes a minute. But remember, the polls close at 9am tomorrow.
Vote for Your All-time Favorite Caldecott Winner.
In honor of the 75th anniversary of the Caldecott head over to@ Your Library and vote! Your name could be drawn to receive a copy of the 2013 winning Caldecott title and a $25 Amazon gift card! Contest will remain open until 2:00 p.m. Central time, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013.
If you need help remembering your favorite Caldecott Medal-winning title, just follow these links from @ Your Library, and you will find book covers, grouped by decades, of all the past award winners.
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It's always awesome to see other artists' studios! Thanks for the link to my blog! :)
And thank you for posting the video! Yeah, it's always fun to see other artist's studios. I'm trying to keep this as a regular Friday feature on my blog. so come on back!