I was asked to do an interview with specific questions recently for the PEN AND INK BLOG, by artist and guest poster, Catherine Lee….they allowed me to share it here…. enjoy! I guess this is MY STORY…and a lucky, happy one it is, if I do say it myself!
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Christina Tugeau |
by Catherine Lee
Edited by L. Fernandez
Christina Tugeau is an artist’s agent. She founded the Christina A. Tugeau Agency LLC in 1994.
Here’s a happy terrific woman that loves her agency adorned with a full set of wonderful artists. Perhaps we can all get inspired to love the job that we do. I hope you love the read.
1. Start Agency
I had been working for 3 ½ years with another agent in the industry, and when it became time for me to leave, I decided to start my own agency. I’d fallen in love with picture books and the people who make them! That was in March 1994. The first year I hustled a lot… but by end of the year I was making money and truly a rep! That’s when the ‘shaking nerves’ started for a time! I’d DONE it!
2. First Artist
Stacey Schuett was one of my first artists in the group…. She had done a bunch of books, and I just happened to catch her when she felt she could no longer rep herself well. My first blessing! I think the world of her as a person and an artist still! Over 18 years!! There are several still with me who came on early, but change is inevitable and not a bad thing for an artist or an agency at times.
3. ARTIST Qualities
There are several… but I have to NOTICE their style, and kno
By:
catugeau,
on 3/28/2012
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Well, it’s been a mild early spring for the most part…in most places. Not sure March is going out like a lamb, but it’s been a nice month generally! It makes me think of our changing market…. not what we expect all the time. Lets look at our market a bit…and project how artists can be part of it better.
At the winter SCBWI conference I hear there were mixed feelings, lots of questions and not many answers. But have there ever been? I can read articles from 20 years ago that sound like they were written today. Jean Feiwel mentioned that the publishing ‘lists’ sized down in children’s…but also that they were maybe ‘publishing more effectively’. I think it was Barbara Marcus who said “this is a best seller business,” which upset many, but how is that different from the past? Publishers have to have best sellers to PAY for all the mid lists books they want to do too. It is a Balancing Act. Always has been. It was also shared that “digital sales are supplementing print – not cannibalizing it.” That can’t be a surprise can it? It’s another way to get reading material into the hands and minds of our children. Not bad. Challenging maybe, but not bad. E books and apps are a bit of a moving target however…changing as I write, but that’s an adventure in itself, isn’t it?
The headlines early this year were “Loses widen;” “Sales fall in 2011;” McGraw Hill fires 800 people.” etc. BUT I just read in PW that sales are looking better so far this past quarter overall…especially in children’ books. NICE. But I still see the hesitancy and ‘tightness’ of the children’s book industry. Optimistic but still very very careful. Publishers are focusing their lists and looking for writers and illustrators who can HELP them get where they think they want to be. OK, where that is might be a mystery to many of us, but we CAN help. I advise artists to do their very best always…in whatever style they WANT to do. I read this somewhere…. (sorry) writers and artists need to ‘tell the story ONLY they can tell.’ Do something ONLY you can do. Touch the heart and soul and make the reader laugh! Publishers are FOCUSING and tightening…you need to do the same. Understand who YOU are and what YOU have to contribute and SHOW, don’t TELL. Give yourself permission to push your creativity and your characters. Make both interesting and approachable.
So March turns into Spring for real and another quarter of industry surprises. Good…that’s what it’s all about! Take from that what you need….. and from CAT artist Priscilla Burris an image that SHOWS that:

11 Comments on OUT LIKE A LAMB?, last added: 3/29/2012
I’m very happy to share another amazing visual interview from Kathy Temean and her Writing and Illustrating Blog….check out all she does… and enjoy! NINA MATA http://kathytemean.wordpress.com
Illustrator Saturday – Nina Mata
This week I have the pleasure of introducing you to Nina Mata. You may recognize her first piece of art, since it is one that she sent in to be shown off with the other February Illustrations. Nina has been drawing for as long as she can remember. In 1996, she attended the High School of Art & Design where she concentrated in Commercial Arts minored in cheerleading, film, and boys. In 2004, she switched from Fine Arts and majored in Illustration at The Fashion Institute of Technology.
Since then she has been freelancing full-time in illustration and graphic design working with a variety of cliente. She currently is a 2D concept artist for a social gaming company. Nina says, “I love and truly enjoy what I do!” She specializes in character development, illustrating for the children’s market, editorial illustrations, children’s books illustration.
Here’s Nina: The Process
My process has changed over the course of 2 years, and it continues to change as I hone in my style, for example I have completely transitioned to digital from conceptual sketches to final works (though on occasions I will go back to a basic paper and pencil). Although my technique is constantly changing and ever evolving, there are certain steps that remain the same.

I usually start out with a few rough sketches, study the place, person, and or setting, and figure out the best way to execute the layout. I love close up shots of my characters I think the face can express so much more than the body sometimes. After I get a general idea of how I might want the finish to look like I start tightening up my sketch. Now days it’s been a lot easier for me to manipulate my sketches exactly how I want them (without wasting paper) since I can work with many different layers on Photoshop. If the work is for a client I’ll tighten up the entire sketch, but for my promotional pieces and personal work I’ll usually just sketch out the main subject and let it “tell me” about its background, it’s much more fun that way.

After the sketches are laid out how I want them, I’ll move on to coloring. Since I work digitally I usually set up a layer strictly for my color palette to save a little time looking for colors. I like to bring in my training as a traditional artist in adjacent with my digital work by first doing an under painting, especially with the skin tones, I’ll usually paint it a layer of under tone (cool purple) on top of the actual skin color.

Once I have a general rough coloring in place I would add a layer of texture on top to add a little body and a sense of hand painted look about it. Sometimes, I’ll add the texture in the beginning so I know how saturated to keep the color palette.
As we live life, create our art, ride our bikes….we are always trying to find and hold balance. But I forgot to mention the NEEDED HELMET (and other pads in strategic places maybe!) It’s just plain foolish to go on the roads without the protection of a helmet. OH, sure…we all did it as kids back in the dark ages. But would I today? absolutely not.
The same is true of protecting yourself from loss of balance in the industry too. As I mentioned in the earlier post, if you were afraid of falling off the bike, you’d never got on! So climb on, but take care of the inevitable. When the balance is lost, take steps to get it back. Get back on the bike for starters! Don’t let a dry spell keep you from creating. Pick a new ‘route’ or find a friend to journey with. Get a new bike, or tires, or water bottle (style, tool, or color of paint) Don’t be thin-skinned about comments, advice and crits! That’s what the helmet is for. Don’t cry over a skinned knee = lost assignment. Take the knocks as it makes you a better, more knowledgeable rider. Don’t forget to save money in the good times to tide you over in the lean. That imbalance in ‘weather’ is also inevitable.
NOW, I received so many cute samples of art with bikes when I did my agency ‘call out’ I just had to share them…so here you are! enjoy and jump on the bike!
from Stacey Schuett and then from Kelly Kennedy below,

above from Roger Motzkus and below from Ana Ochoa!

a tiny down hill from Melissa Iwai
This ‘How to Ride’ from Susan Drawbaugh….. and don’t we all wish we understood that book! But here’s to the RIDE of a life time….. balanced and fun!
1 Comments on more BALANCING acts….., last added: 2/27/2012
By:
catugeau,
on 9/21/2011
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Last night I had the privilege of presenting, at a Norfolk VA library,to a group of FINE ARTISTS from the Chesapeake area, I spoke about my business (children’s book publishing and repping illustrators to that industry) and a bit about ART in general, and the Business of art in particular. I totally enjoyed myself and hope I gave the group some helpful information, motivation and entertainment as well.
What I couldn’t help notice and feel while speaking to the group was how fun it was to be speaking to FINE art again. I am a fine artist myself. I would have been in that field now had I not gotten so sick with asthma 25 years ago (from the oils and turp.) Today I do paint when I can and always enjoy it…watercolor mostly now. But my days are full of illustration and illustrators…many of whom ARE fine artists of course as well.
We are SO blessed. Art, whether painting, writing, music, dancing, acting, is a part of the you that is YOU. It can not help but to well up… bubble to the surface almost in spite of us sometimes. Creativity refuses NOT to be, doesn’t it? Being creative is a personal gift…but isn’t it wonderful how it seems to want to be shared! We need to give it out…give it away. Sometimes thankfully for compensation, but we feel the deep drive to be brave and give it to others to enjoy – to think about. It hit me again last night what a true gift it is to have that bubble in us! Let’s just let it come to the surface….. as much as possible! The world can use it……
I try very hard to keep up on our changing industry…a challenge! I read PW weekly (!), Horn Book, Publishers Lunch, and the many blogs and sites that I find helpful when I remember to go there. (some I subscribe to…but how much time does an agent HAVE to read!) I love information from SCBWI (have fun at THE CONFERENCE this week all!). I talk to clients and other agents (yup!) and just keep my eyes and ears open. And my mind open as well.
I tend to be an optimistic person….think that a must with the agenting profession. It’s not been easy the past few years! I seem to see/feel that the over all view is ‘rosier’. As a Bologna review mentioned there is a “palpable sense that things are looking up.” We are in the midst of constant change and surprises from all industries, government and personal happenings. Life feels unsure and as if it’s shifting right under our feet. It can be exciting and so so frightening… and all that on one day! It’s far from over…. grab on for the ride…what choice do we have? Maybe fine a proactive way to USE this shifting….
So I wanted to share with you some of the most helpful ‘things I’ve noticed’ recently:
From David Caruba’s ([email protected]) interview/report on Kathy Temean’s blog “Writing and Illustrating” (see earlier Way Tugeau Blogs) : ”Market isn’t a Book industry, it’s a MEDIA industry.” Generally publishers are acquiring at about 20 % YA (lots in pipeline) 40% middle grade, 7% picture book, and 33% are acquiring across the board. A TRUE middle grade ’voice’ for fiction is very much wanted. Fantasy is still HOT, historical fiction NOT (though it continues to win awards!) Dystopian is going soft now. Vampires are not so HOT any longer either. (but I was told monsters and mermaids might be?) Picture Books are healthier as most publishers are publishing more than last year. Publishers are ‘passing’ on quiet books. (I’ve found this to be true for the past few years now!)
Now for hints I’ve heard from publishers when I visit or chat. >Middle Grade …very big! Science fiction (Sci Fi) next big thing. >YA is selling big into adult markets especially women up to mid 40′s! (I got my bookgroup to read The Last Shard recently and they loved it!)> HIGH interest in author/illustrator projects for PicBks. >Not big on ‘one-offs’…meaning a stand alone book….want series potential. Which leads right into the >“CHARACTER FIRST” I keep hearing. Concept books are not in great demand these days. >Also developing the careers of authors (and so artists) isn’t as big a concern for publishers as it used to be. They seem to demand success right away, which is most unfortunate for the long view! I know of some dear exceptions to this trend….THANK YOU!
You have to know that the downfall of BORDERS will have a big effect on sales…less shelf space = less sales. But how much is anyones guess. Lower sales = lower advances for writers and artists! There are already lower print book sales showing up as e-readers become more widespread. But a ‘new toy’ will cause an activity flourish, then things settle down to ‘normal’ use…lets wait and see on that.
Some other noticed points/hints:
1 Comments on Noticed New in the industry: tips and thoughts, last added: 8/3/2011
We are so honored to have our second CAT ARTIST inteview done by Kathy Temean, who did a lovely one on my son and artist Jeremy Tugeau last week! Her Blog is below for more fascinating and helpful reading!
This week’s is about JOHN KANZLER who has been a valued artist with my agency for over 15 years (fellow CT artist originally). I was attracted by his sense of humor and this has stayed evident though he’s changed his painting styles and mediums over the years. HUMOR IS ALWAYS GOOD!
Thank you Kathy for letting us ‘borrow’ this interview to brag further! Enjoy,,,
Also of note is that his Book LUCY from Random House, which you will see in the interview has JUST LAUNCHED on JULY 12th! Hope you’ll want to go out and buy it for the children in your lives!
John Kanzler
John Kanzler grew up in Norwalk Connecticut in a house formerly of William Steig’s and currently lives on a small farm in Greenfield Massachusetts with my wife Diane and his daughter Lorelei. They have several sheep and a llama or two. I have been drawing on things as far back as I can remember and is completely a self taught artist. Most recent titles include CHRISTMAS PUPS (Albert Whitman & Co.), LITTLE LUCY (Random House) and PRICELESS GIFTS (August House). When not doing any of the above, I generally pursue a crazy range of interests, from astronomy to paleontology.
Question: Have you seen your style change since you started?
Okay, you are asking me to go back and look at twenty years’ work now. Afterwards I am either going to feel amazingly hip and current, or simply unchanging, obsolete and depressed!
In essence, I would say no, I am still me and my art reflects that. Years ago I would not have agreed. I exposed myself to lots more influences and allowed them to rub off. Now, I am my own main influence and happily so. On the surface (that is to say, technically), I certainly evolved over time. I think I generally keep an idealized version of what “my” art should look like, with respect to color sense, painterliness, etc. I will always love nice visible brushstrokes and drybrushing, whether painted traditionally or digitally. I always look at characters through Norman Rockwell glasses…So there is that consistency that I always strove for. Overall, perhaps my palette has toned down a bit.
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (August 1, 2011)

QUESTION: Tells us about the materials you use, paper, paint, brushes, pencils, etc.
Currently, I am working on a mac (an older G5 1.8MHz dual-processor, upgraded RAM and lots of external storage…until I win the lottery) running Painter and Photoshop mainly. I use a large Wacom Intuos 3 tablet instead of a mouse. When I switched full-time into digital painting, I had waited until I was sure I was emulating my acrylic painting style fully to my satisfaction. I accomplished that by customizing many of my digital brushes, and creating custom painting textures from scans of actual gessoed boards. I felt that this was a critical process that has helped to keep my art distinctive.
•Pub. Date: July 2011 – Publisher: Random House Children’s Books

Jeremy Tugeau has been painting ever since he could hold a crayon. Born into an artist family, he was introduced to the master’s at a very young age. This exposure has carried over to his career as a fine artist and illustrator of 14 children’s picture books and miles of educational work.
You may recognize his name, because of that artistic family. His mother is Chris, owner of the Christina A. Tugeau Agency and his lovely wife Nicole heads up Tugeau 2, an artist representative agency with him. I guess you could say they are keeping it all in the family.
Chris says, “I saw Jeremy’s talent at about 3 years of age…he had been frightened by an ad on TV for the movie JAWS… and he began drawing sharks and attacks on people to work out that fear! at 3 1/2!! and you could TELL what they were! He loved Maurice Sendak’s work right away (who lived in our hometown, but we never saw him!) and began early to draw freehand with a black sharpie marker on white paper…always starting in the middle of the page and working his complex images out.
All his life he worked out fears with his drawing…and was quite popular for them as other kids, boys in particular, shared this ‘working through’ with him and his drawings. Lots of muscles, CONAN, action etc. He had/has great visual recall and it was tough to get him to work from Life! He was always the ‘school artist.’ Syracuse University accepted him into the SVA program based on his HS portfolio right at the Portfolio Review at Pratt.”
At Syracuse he was encouraged to try ‘fine arts’ as well as illustration, and though resistant, he finally fell in love with oil and the ‘real world.’”
“Working with Jeremy professionally has been a treat and honor for me…as a rep and a mother. He surprised me with his speed and dedication to deadlines and meeting the needs of the client. I knew he was talented artistically, but in his youth I would not have expected this! I wish more artists understood the important of this when working with assigning clients!”

QUESTION: Could you explain a little bit about how you get started with a project?
JEREMY: The steps I take to produce my illustrations are not unusual. First it’s the thumbnail stage, when I quickly scribble out some thoughts for the piece. I might do 5 or 6 of these…maybe more if I’m having trouble finding the picture. For me, it’s easiest to draw a box and work out the big shapes first. It’s important to get the compositional elements balanced before moving on to a finished sketch. I try to come up with the most dynamic composition I can, while keeping in mind the client’s needs and the readability of the art.

I mentioned to Jeremy that the pig in his acrylic painting above looked like it could have been done in pastels. He said he acheived that effect painting the underpainting in a warm pink and the hair with a cool blue/white mixture. He says this is an easy way to add luminosity and texture to the painting!
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By:
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on 5/31/2011
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By:
catugeau,
on 3/14/2011
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I keep ‘noticing’ things…. reading various articles, see something new in stores, hear it on TV etc. Thought I’d start sharing some of these ‘mullings’ as they come to MY NOTICE. (share yours too!)And I’m happy to start with a recent article in PW (Publishers Weekly) about Picture books. (sorry I forgot to note WHICH week of PW~!)
The basic topic was triggered again by that Times article about Picture books being ‘dead’. LOL!! In fact it seems, PictureBooks are selling about how they were (market share) in 2005. Several publishers were involved in this article. Middle sized publishers Charlesbridge and Candlewick both agree that the market ‘is far from bleak!” Large publisher Random’s Chip Gibson says PictureBook market has GROWN and remains one of their most profitable areas. Penguin PB sales are up, but publishing fewer titles…more of a refocusing than an economic change. HarperCollins Susan Katz did admit that the ‘mid-list’ (where most of you are, 10,000 to 15,000 sold potentially) is the hardest hit. That makes it understandable that publishers are so VERY careful still about buying new ideas for PictureBooks too. But that truly isn’t bad! Hopefully those being published are BETTER for our kids and for our market!
Leonard Marcus notes that when there is a BABY BOOM there is also one with PictureBooks. A good thing, and there has been a bit of one it seems lately in spite of the ‘depression.’ He also chatted some about tendancies…like the ‘celebrity’ authors. That seems NOT to have helped the market much, nor has the remaking of classics all that much either, though if it brings them to a new generation, I’m for it! Also pushing old un/under published books by ‘passed brand authors,’ hasn’t worked out. Loved his comment that there was probably a REASON they didn’t sell while the author/artist was alive!! (duh!) These are all examples perhaps of MARKETING taking over the upper hand at publishers instead of the editors and people who KNOW BOOKS.
Getting back to the KIDS who are being pushed away from PictureBooks (Times again)… Susan Katz (HC) said that parents doing that are ‘taking the training wheels off too soon.” Parents should ask themselves “WHY?” PictureBook concepts are quite often sophisticated and timeless…a fun education about ‘life’ needed at the appropriate time in the appropriate fun way, it would seem to me. Libraries have always had a huge interest in PictureBooks because so many do a great job of marrying the writing with the informational helping illustrations. (they are loving Graphic Novels for the same reason!) In libraries, as in bookstores, PBs are harder to display well…takes more shelf space… they are large and with thin spines. Placing them ‘out’ takes a LOT of shelf. BUT Barnes and Noble stated that they are ordering just as many as ever, but ‘reducing inventory depth for softer sales.’ However, perhaps there isn’t such a soft market after all. Hard cover sales are a bit down…soft up.
Ebooks and Apps are not yet ‘cannibalizing’ PictureBooks (Sabia of Charlesbridge) but are another tool toward becoming literate in our age. Kids need and want both. In both they can learn to ‘fill in holes and make predictions as the story moves.’ One of the real pleasures of reading at any age.
I hope you are a bit uplifted by some GOOD noticed news today. Some hints though were also thrown out in this article. There is generally LESS TEXT in books these days. ALSO we in USA are very BIG CHARACTER motivated…possible brand potential. Editors seem to relish the author/illustrator offerings the most! Publishers seem to want BIG SALES right away…but this isn’t all that new to be honest in my ex
By:
catugeau,
on 2/23/2011
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By:
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on 2/1/2011
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As an artist agent I get asked OFTEN about what styles are ‘they’ looking for…what will sell…what subject matter is ‘best’ to do in samples etc. While I can make recommendations, and do (see ‘Articles’ on my site) , I more often will tell the would-be-repped artists to go study the books in bookstores (current) and figure out themselves what THEY ‘should’ be doing. It’s a process that is truly individual…and personal.
This reminds me of a chance comment I made a few years ago while having lunch in NYC with two editors. They were admiring one of my artists and I said that she seemed to create from ‘the inside out.’ As if her artistic inside self was brought into the outside world for us to enjoy! It was this quality that made her work stand out…feel ‘real’ and comfortable and especially ‘right.’ One of the editors immediately looked excited about those words I’d used. She hadn’t known how to express the quality she’d seen in some special artists works that appealed to her. This ‘from the inside out’ comment of mine seemed to make so much sense to her. We went on about other artists who intuitively went deep inside themselves to find their characters, their color palettes, their unique sense of the world and it’s stories. Some times we will see this in sketches, or sketch books…a repeated character or series of things that just jump out at us. Something that obviously speaks to the artist. These are the things an artist ‘should’ be doing because they are from a place others do not have access to.
So I want to suggest to all artists in our industry (or any artists anywhere!) that you need to study books, and draw a lot from life, and think in ‘story’ with your characters and scenes. Do samples that show character development in several scenes of the same characters. Show interaction between characters. Do various aged and ethnic characters. Do adults and animals, interiors and exteriors, different perspectives of scenes. Play with color and art materials and digital as well. But more importantly you need to feel and look and create from your ‘inside out.’ Discover and own that ability to find your personal world view and your work will improve on its own. I and buyers will see that you have the confidence and comfort of YOUR LOOK, and they too will have the confidence to remember and to hire you.

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From the INSIDE OUT…, last added: 2/1/2011
I will be at the illustrator intensive – see you then!
Terrific!
Wish I could be there!
web: http://www.melissaiwai.com
blog: http://www.thehungryartist.wordpress.com