Anyone want to share there current projects?
-
@Dulcie I saw these on twitter and they are fantastic! So polished you should be so happy, congratulations!
-
@Dulcie Also I am sorry to hear about the broken leg
-
@smceccarelli the rainbow is amazing!
-
@Sarah-LuAnn very nice!
-
@smceccarelli Wow sorry everyone for going off topic on this thread, but could I bother to ask why your book dummy went back to the planning stage? Any learning gems you could share?
-
@Perrij Three months after signing the contract with my agent I am starting to grasp some consequences of this fact that I did not anticipate. To make a long story short, she will not take any book dummy to her circle of editors until she thinks it has a chance of selling. And she does not believe that the book dummy I proposed to her (a "children-mess-the-kitchen" with a sci-fi theme) is ready for prime time. Don't take me wrong, she takes the time to make thoughtful comments and suggestions, and I am very grateful for that - and sure in my heart's heart that I will profit a lot from this direct contact with an industry expert (I already am). But I am also starting to truly understand the concept of "gatekeeper". Basically, to make your way into traditional publishing you will have to meet the taste of a series of people - from the agent on to the marketing people - who have their own view of what they like and what sells or not.
But yes, that is what I have committed to and I will hold on. Currently working on draft 8 of another book project that my agent thinks holds promise (which does not stop her from sending back each draft for re-working....). -
@lmrush Thanks so much! I'm really trying to get a higher level of 'polish' on my pieces at the moment, so to hear you say that means a lot...glad some of the effort is paying off!
@smceccarelli Thanks for sharing your - as ever - interesting and insightful thoughts. I'm sure that perseverance on your part will pay dividends eventually!
-
@Dulcie Wow Dulcie - these are really nice!
-
Working on a polar bear book dummy, i was just going to post some pics of it. Love horses so interested to see how your project pans out too.
-
@smceccarelli Whew..that's rough. But good to know, maybe I'll be more prepared if I ever see that day. Hope that this draft is the winner!!
-
@MirkaH Your images are so charming and endearing!
-
@lmrush thanks so much. I love working on them.
-
@Dulcie I am loving the textures. You definitely know your style. Everything always seems so consistent.
@smceccarelli I have also been wondering how your life has changed since signing with an agency. It is good to hear some of what you have experienced. I am sure you will get the gist of it after awhile and know their likes and dislikes overtime. Your Leprechaun is amazing. I am wondering' do you know of any way in Procreate to get that sort of paint spot look you get in that image? I see that used all of the time, and feel as though photoshop just provides so much more when it comes to brushes.
@MirkaH looka fantastic! However, do book dummies require full colored pieces? I hope not
@SarahLuAnn love the concept. Very secret of Kells, which I love!
@kassadoodle great piece. The character design is something along the lines of how I wish to design my characters as well. Really works well with water color.
-
@Eric-Castleman Yes, I just need to be more patient with myself and the world...much more than it is comfortable for me. It helped to hear many stories from established authors and illustrators in NY, and knowing that even for the super-pros it sometimes took many many years before they had their break. The illustrator Bryan Collins (who gave the keynote opening lecture) said it took him 7 years to get his first picture book in print...No quick successes in this business! And looking at how much time it takes to polish a manuscript, I am not surprised....
What do you mean with "paint spot look"?
This image was painted in Photoshop with my favorite brush ("oil canvas flat" from Kyle Webster's sets). The rainbow was painted in Rebelle (a watercolor simulator - very hard to control, but makes cool watercolor effects). The spatter was added in Photoshop using some of Kyle Webster's watercolor spatter brushes.
Despite always thinking of doing some traditional mixed media, I always end up sticking with digital.... -
@Eric-Castleman yes/no depending who and how you are submitting to. Most of the time when submitting, agents/art directors/ editors want to see a couple finished pieces of art inside the dummy to get an idea of what the finished book will look like.
-
@Eric-Castleman Thank you!
-
@Kevin-Longueil Thank you!
@Eric-Castleman Thanks! I've been trying to work on my process/style development sort of thing (and didn't think I was quite there yet) so if it's looking consistent to someone else that's great to hear
-
@Eric-Castleman I was totally thinking Secret of Kells when I drew it. I'm glad someone made that connection :-).
-
@smceccarelli Sounds like your agent is doing her job... which doesn't mean it isn't frustrating. This may be a dumb question, but do you perhaps have a critique group of author-illustrators also making dummies that could help you work on your dummy before taking it to your agent? If so ignore this comment, but I've found critique friends to be very beneficial.
-
@Sarah-LuAnn Yes, I actually do belong to a local SCBWI author/illustrator critique group - we are all pretty inexperienced though....and much too kind to each other
I am trying to up my writing practice by writing and submitting short pieces to children magazines. It has been quite interesting to research that market! Nothing accepted so far (well, they do have a 6 months response time), and maybe nothing ever will, but it is good practice!
