Queen Quail is Quiet: and other ABC Tongue Twisters

Today's guest blogger is Erika Barriga. Her new book debuts this week, and I hope you'll enjoy her process post about the making of her book, Queen Quail is Quiet: and other ABC Tongue Twisters

Queen Quail is Quiet: and other ABC Tongue Twisters comes out for e-readers (Kindle, Kindle Fire, and iPad) and in print on Wednesday, May 15. 

Queen Quail is Quiet grew out of my love of learning and drawing.  I wanted to be a little different to approaching learning the alphabet. Creating a sentence illustrating each sound for every letter sounded challenging.  I started out by thinking of words for the letters and then forming a sentence I could illustrate.  Sketching of thumbnail ideas came next and was much easier to do once I realized this would no longer be just a project, but a book.  Most of the sketching was just on plain computer paper and once I refined the sketches into final artwork, I scanned in the images onto my computer.

The sketches were brought over to Adobe Illustrator as a layer.  Then I outlined everything in a bright color (easy to see and stands out) on another layer.  At this stage I think of colors and what would work for the entire book.

Then I made a copy of the outline layer and this is the layer that becomes the color layer.

Usually there is tweaking with the image just a bit (the swim cap for the duck is different from sketch to final), but I try to stay true to the original sketch since that is the foundation.  I believe it is better to sketch and erase than to work out those changes digitally on the computer. When the color is complete, I'll bring the image into Photoshop for additional little changes and finally end with applying a texture.

This book took over four years to complete from start to finish and I can't wait for my baby girl to flip through the pages.  I hope other kids will enjoy it too!

I Work in the Children's Book Field & Happy To Do So!

Guest Blogger

Meet Chiaki Darski!

© copyright Chiaki Darski

I'm Chiaki Darski, an illustrator and designer who lives in San Francisco.

My background is in 2D animation.

I had worked for various animation studios as an assistant animator and character designer for several years.

When my daughter was born, I became a full time mom and part time artist.

The days staying with my baby inspired me and made me realize how wonderful to live in a moment.

Then I started to create stories and illustration based on my everyday life.

All of my illustration is created with hand-carved eraser stamps.

I love the simple shapes and imperfect lines the stamps create.

I also love the hand made quality of the impressions of stamps that are never the same.

My goal is to publish my own children's book!

It takes time and effort to be recognized by publishers and agents, but I believe it will happen if I keep creating artworks and stories with joy.

My home page: chiakisforest.com

My blog: http://chiakisgarden.blogspot.com/

This is our final guest post for the time being.

Thanks to all our guest bloggers for participating.

We really enjoyed reading your posts and getting to meet such great talent.

It was a pleasure having you!

If you'd like to read all previous guest posts click here.

I Work in the Children's Book Field & Happy To Do So!

Guest Blogger

Meet Patti Gay!

(for more information on how

to submit a post for consideration click here)

© copyright Patti Gay

I have always thought of myself primarily as an illustrator and have illustrated a book, Cats for Golden Books and educational books for Evan Moore Publications. I do a lot of illustration for licensing for products as well.

It had been suggested by an editor a while back that I try writing. I joined a wonderful critique group and learned a great deal from them. I have a huge respect for good writers which has grown tremendously since I started putting pen to paper. I have a much easier time with the images than the words. It is more of a struggle to get it just right. I am grateful to my writer's group for really helping me hone the words.

I usually start with an idea. In some cases I have the characters and the story line in my head like a little movie. I start by doing little thumbnail drawings and putting the words to them. It is an evolutionary process. I am inspired by how children think and interact. I really try to create something that I think they would really like and relate to.

I don't know what I would change about the business. It seems that right now the business is being turned on it's head by all the changes that are happening. I think I would want to continue to see good writing and good art on what is being produced. I love books and there are so many talented individuals that my collection of favorites continues to grow. I do love having a book in hand that I can turn the pages of, so I hope that format doesn't totally go away.

My books- Friends, Amanda and Max. It is a picture book for 3-6 year olds. It's about a big orange tabby cat and a wee dachshund pup exploring what it is to be a friend. I have it on Barnes and Noble and Amazon for $.99. Amanda and Max also have a blog with free coloring pages and paper dolls for kids to download. http://amandaandmax.blogspot.com/

I have illustrated and written another e-book also on Barnes and Noble and Amazon called animals MUST BE about a menagerie of friendly animals playing in the park when they notice they are being observed (by the reader). What must it be? Each animal tries to discern what is watching them. They each have their own ideas based on the wonderful, individual characteristics they each possess. It is written and designed to make the child an intricate part of the story.

www.pattigay.com
http://pattigay.blogspot.com

I Work in the Children's Book Field & Happy To Do So!

Guest Blogger

Meet Hannah Shaw!

(for more information on how

to submit a post for consideration click here)

© copyright Hannah Shaw

Hello All! I'm Hannah Shaw. I live in Gloucestershire in the UK and have been working as an author and illustrator officially since 2006 but I've been making up stories for most of my life.
You may have seen some of my picture books such as Evil Weasel (or Sneaky Weasel in the US pub. by Knopf) Erroll or School for Bandits. I also illustrate for other authors such as Sean Taylor and I'm very lucky to be illustrating some young fiction books for Julia Donaldson this year.
I work from home, I have a studio office at the back of my house but I actually prefer working in my living room or at my dining table where the sun (yes, it does come out occasionally) shines through the windows. I am helped by my canine assistant who reminds me when to take a break or walk him. He is lying on his back as I write, barking softly in his sleep.
Things I love about being an illustrator:
Getting paid to draw things.

Working on my own stories (endless possibilities).

Really funny briefs from talented authors, editors and art directors.

My Agent, she's very supportive.

Meeting children who read my books.

Doing school visits (for the same reason as above).

Working from home and walking my dog in the woods at lunchtime (the fresh air really helps to get my creative juices flowing).

Having a sneaky lie-in every now and again.

Things I find more challenging about being illustrator:

Deadlines -Yuk!!

Even worse: Deadlines that clash with other deadlines!

Restrictive briefs (If you don't trust me to put my mark on it, why did you commission me?)

Working until very late at night.

Drawing arms (Arms are difficult to draw, they have hands at the end of them).

People who say "It must be so NICE being an illustrator, so EASY just sitting around drawing all day" - Yes, sure it's NICE but darn it's never EASY! Saying that, I wouldn't want to do anything else... except... maybe... cuddle puppys for a living!

Link to my website: www.hannahshawillustrator.co.uk

Link to my BLOG: www.weaselsmeasles.blogspot.com

Twitter: @HannahWeasel

I Work in the Children's Book Field & Happy To Do So!

Guest Blogger

Meet Mandy France!

(for more information on how

to submit a post for consideration click here)

© copyright Mandy France

My name is Mandy France and I am children's book illustrator. I work

part time as a graphic designer for the Walt Disney Company in Florida

and the rest of my time is spent illustrating in my studio at home.

What inspires me most is travel. Whether I actually travel someplace

new, read about exotic lands, or watch a documentary, I am truly

inspired by travel. It's just something about new places and spaces

that get my creative juices flowing. When I think of traveling to

distant lands, I just want to get my sketchbook out and start drawing.

My husband and I trekked the Inca Trail in Peru this past September,

and when I got back I filled 3 sketchbooks!

I do all of my illustrations digitally using my Cintiq. I have been

painting in oils and acrylic for years, but now that I have moved to

the digital realm, I feel like I have a lot more options with my

painting style. I paint in Photoshop and I never have to wash my

brushes or figure out a way to store my unused paint! And did I

mention the undo button?

There are a lot of ups and downs in this field of work. I'm a rather

new illustrator, so trying to find an agent and sending samples to

publishers takes up most of my time. Something that has really helped

my transition from graphic designer to illustrator has been joining

SCBW: The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. I

recently returned from the SCBWI conference in New York City where I

met a lot of fantastic illustrators and authors. If you are at all

interested in working in the Children's book field, I highly recommend

joining this society.

Illustrating children's books is my passion. After I lost my mom to

cancer last year, I realized that life is too short not to do what you

love. So I made sure to make illustration a priority in my life.

Although I have yet to illustrate my first children's book, I feel

very connected to this community. Illustrating is what makes me happy

and I want to pass on that joy to children who will someday read the

books I will illustrate.

Blog/Portfolio

Cheers,

--

Mandy France

I Work in the Children's Book Field & Happy To Do So!

Guest Blogger

Meet Kristi Valiant!

(for more information on how

to submit a post for consideration click here)

© copyright Kristi Valiant

Lean in and I'll tell you a secret. Digital illustrating has come a long way, baby!

Years ago in art school I took a digital illustration class and learned that 1990s-airbrushy-absolutely-made-with-a-computer illustration style. Now I work completely digitally and some of my art directors have no idea that I do so. It's so much faster to move around my characters, resize, and play with color on my computer than if I were to use regular art supplies. And I don't have to worry about my toddler, or more likely clumsy me, knocking my dirty painting water over.

I'm blessed to be illustrating a fun series of chapter books for Random House right now called LITTLE WINGS about Willa Bean, a cupid with a crazy mess of curls. When I visited Random House in New York, I had a hard time convincing one person that all the illustrations were indeed drawn on my computer. My publisher for a picture book called CORA COOKS PANCIT didn't realize that I created all the illustrations digitally until she read an interview I did after the book was out.

How do I make even my sketches look like they were drawn with a real pencil? By customizing Photoshop brushes and using a tablet and pen instead of a mouse. The pencil tool in Photoshop is abysmal. Instead of that, open the Brushes palette, choose a brush with some grit to it, size it down to a pencil line (I use 8 to 12 points), and play with the Shape Dynamics, Texture, and Other Dynamics. I like to control both my Size Jitter and Opacity Jitter with my Pen Pressure. There are also a host of free Photoshop brushes online to download. But even those I play around with in the Brushes palette to make them my own. If you get a hankering to give it a try, there are also loads of YouTube videos to watch for technique hints.

Hope you enjoyed my geeking out post about digital illustration.

Kristi Valiant

www.kristivaliant.com

http://kristivaliant.blogspot.com

Author/Illustrator of: Penguin Cha-Cha (Random House, 2013)

Illustrator of: The Little Wings Series (Random House), The Goodbye Cancer Garden (Albert Whitman, 2011)

I Work in the Children's Book Field & Happy To Do So!

Our first guest!

Meet Jane Heinrichs:

(for more information on how

to submit a post for consideration click here)

© copyright Jane Heinrichs

Hello readers! I'm Jane Heinrichs and I'm a globe-trotting children's book writer and illustrator. I grew up in Canada, studied in England, and now I’m living in South Africa with my husband.

The one thing I love about working in children’s books is the ability to open young minds to all sorts of new and exciting ideas. Children are more able to suspend disbelief than adults, and as a result, so much more is possible (rather than impossible) in their world.

For the past year I’ve been working to illustrate new curriculum picture books in South Africa. This has been an amazing challenge. The absolute key to the survival of South Africa is the education of the next generation. These books will go into every elementary school, and hopefully inspire a whole new generation of children. A tall order for an illustrator!

It’s been such a rewarding and challenging project, and I so happy I was invited to be involved.

I do all my illustration work from my studio at home, which overlooks our garden courtyard. When I’m stuck for an idea I look out the window to the top of Table Mountain and inspiration always returns.

Since I work from home most of the day, I love to read blogs and chat with other illustrators via Twitter. It’s like a window on the world from my small studio in Africa. Please drop me a line, or pop my blog to say hello!

X
Jane

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Want to be featured on our blog?

© copyright Alicia Padrón

Hello readers!

Are you a children's book writer and/or Illustrator or perhaps an editor, librarian, art director or agent and would like to be featured on our blog?

We will have a special feature all the month of February and maybe if we get many wonderful entries we will extend it to March as well. Every Friday we will post about a special someone in this business and that could be you!

If you want to contribute to our special I work in the children's book field and I'm happy to do so posts just send us your post along with one image (only one please). In that post you can tell us a little about you, how you work? What inspires you? What are the ups and downs of working in this field? If you could change one thing is this business what could it be?

Your call. Be creative.

Anything related with children's books and always appropriate please. Of course you can include a link to your website or blog as well.

We reserve the right to choose the entries that will get posted. Please email me (Alicia Padrón) your ready-post. You can find my email here under "contact me".