The Slow Trudge

I've missed you guys.  No really, I have.  Doing this blog and pursuing my dream of becoming a children's book writer and illustrator makes such a difference in my life.  But let's be frank, (no not you, Frank),  this isn't an easy path.  I have the wonderful problem of being totally booked with decorative painting work all over the Bay Area for the foreseeable future.  This takes me from being primary caregiver to my lovely Sweet P to only seeing her for those busy couple of hours in the evening and bye-bye kisses in the morning.  Ugh... this really pulls at me.  

Last weekend I had a deadline with my agent so I gave up sleep and muscled through.  I'll post those pics in moment. This week I will be finding some time to add color and a storyboard to them to present to the author.  I also got the bad news that the publisher we were pursuing with this doesn't take submissions from unpublished authors/illustrators.  That is truly frustrating news when all you want is to be published.  There are publishers out there who do still take submissions and that is where we have to focus our energy.  Thank goodness for SCBWI.  This organization keeps me hopeful and also does a tremendous amount of work helping to direct newbies like myself to those open channels.  

This may not be a very informative post, but part of this journey is the slow trudge through life's challenges.  I am not discouraged.  I am continuing my work, even if it only seems to happen in weekend spurts.  

Well, please let me know what you think of my blog and/or my sketches if you get a chance.  I love knowing that you are out there and that you care.   Bon Courage!

Copyright Carrie Cartier 2012

Copyright Carrie Cartier 2012

The Church of SCBWI

Kid Lit Saves/Opportunity Knocks

Hi there!  I'm back from my post-conference blogging break.  To those of you who didn't follow my updates on facebook and twitter during the SCBWI Conference earlier this month, I do apologize.  I don't have time to go into all of the speakers again, but I will try to come back to them in future posts.  This is mostly a catchup post.

 What an AMAZING opportunity this was for me and the 1000+ others who attended!  My days went a little like this....

Arrive at the Hyatt, quickly prepare cup of tea, and sit down to listen to an amazing speech by one of many amazing keynote speakers.  Stand in line at ladies room and exchange business cards and pleasantries.  Find a new seat or spot on floor to hear yet another great speech.  Repeat line waiting routine.  Move to a smaller room for the "workshop" of my choosing depending on whether I wanted to hear from an illustrator, writer, editor, agent, etc. Break for lunch. Two more speeches. One more "workshop". Another speech.  And then off to the social activities of pizza parties, book sales/signings, hippie dance, chapter meetings....

Can I just say how delightfully exhausting it was to know that no matter who you happened to sit, stand, dance, wait, or dine next to, you always had something to talk about.  By the end I was overflowing with inspiration and just wanted to lock myself in a room and draw/write.  But... 

I missed my Sweet P too much and knew that was not an option.  

I have done what I could to keep the creativity flowing.  I have joined a local illustrators online critique group to inspire me to continue to put out my best work and to look at my work and others' in a questioning way.  I have also joined The Illosphere, a site specifically for SCBWI illustrators with fun weekly challenges that just keep the pencil moving.  

Another thing happened quite by chance and forgive me if I get longwinded here.  Just Thursday after my return, I had a friend refer a local book agent my way.  He was looking to pair some illustrations with a manuscript he was presenting to a publisher and art director the next Monday.  I received the story on Friday, but between my decorative painting work, family, and painting signs for a friend's wedding, I was left with one day to complete something...anything.  Then on top of that, the agent calls to invite me to attend the meeting with him.  So I really have to produce something now.  I work until 2am sketching, copying, cutting, and pasting.  I do not at all claim this to be my best work, but my goal was somewhere around "Don't embarrass yourself, Carrie!" 

Property of Carrie Cartier copyright 2012

Again, I am feeling so honored and blessed at the opportunities coming my way.  I have no expectations about this piece, but I was given a chance to listen to an agent and publisher at work.  That is priceless.  They also happened to be very nice men and I did not embarrass myself.  In parting, they left with my sample illustrations for the agent's submission, business cards, and my own manuscript.  

I'll talk more about my manuscript later, but for now I will just say that I am in that waiting place.... and just so happy to be in the game!

SCBWI Summer Conference 2012

So I am on my way to the conference. Car to train to plane to shuttle to hotel. My dummy book sits next to me in a bag , waiting to be assembled from the pile of papers it is now. I was able to get a slight handle on Photoshop and illustrator.  Thank you again, Nikki! Time got pretty squishy over the last few weeks, which leaves me feeling under-prepared.  I am so very happy to be on my way though.  I am so grateful for all the support that continues to come my way. This book journey is long and after months of preparation, I know that I am still only at the beginning.  I will try to keep you informed over the next few days should anything interesting occur.
My traveling partner, once I reach LAX will be the talented Miss Madelaine Standing.  You can check out her work Adventures in Ink, International on Facebook or her website www.grandstanding.com. 
You can also check out the official SCBWI conference blog or Twitter feed to get a general idea of events.
Have a great weekend, I sure will!
I apologise for any mistakes in format or spelling. This is my first blog post via cell phone.

Time!  I need more time!!

I feel like I'm in college again, pushing against a deadline in 5 different subjects.  There is just not enough time in the day to master them all.
I want to tell you guys a little about the workshop I participated in last Thursday.  Julie Downing http://www.juliedowning.com/Pages/books.html did a wonderful job breaking down the process of illustrating a picture book.  She used her book "The Firekeeper's Son" ,written by Linda Sue Park, to demonstrate this involved process from storyboard to finished book.  Oh why oh why couldn't I have heard this information a few weeks ago as I was preparing my storyboard for submission???   It all makes such sense now!  Okay, I'll dial down the dramatic overtones and explain myself.
You have probably heard of the dramatic structure or arc of a story, but I'll give a little history.  In the mid 1800s, a German gentleman named Gustav Freytag wrote a study of the 5-act dramatic structure.  It became known as Freytag's Pyramid.  Now this was for a 5-act play, but the structure works for most any story. According to Freytag, a drama is divided into five parts, or acts: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and dénouement.  Here is what that looks like for you visual people.

I had understood this in relation to my written story, but hadn't considered its connection to the visual 

images in a picture book.  In her storyboard this arc was evident.  The lines, the placement of picture on the page, the choice of a full-page spread or vignette was all presented with this same dramatic arc in mind.  I wish I had the time right now to redraw my storyboard to include this thought process, but it will have to wait.  

In the mean time, I am happy to say that I have a lovely friend and neighbor, Nikki, who has volunteered to give me a PhotoShop demo today.  Perhaps with her help I can make some of these adjustments in presentation for my dummy to take with me next week.  NEXT WEEK!!! Sorry, brief freak out.  I am very excited to be doing this conference.  I'm nervous too.  But most of all, I am enormously grateful for the opportunity.   

Hopefully I will get a chance to write one more time before I go.  Hope you have a great week!

Staying on Track

Ok, so I made it past Sweet P's 3rd birthday and am attempting to squeeze a few more finished pieces out of the next few weeks before the conference.  I am finding that I tend to make things too complicated for myself though,  and I am making a renewed effort to stay focused.  For example, since Sweet P wanted a Little Mermaid party, I thought it would be fun to draw each of the kids attending as a mermaid.  I need more portfolio material and this could kill two birds with one project.  In the end they did make nice additions to the goodie bags, but I was up till 2am the night before, exhausted, and not oh so pleased with the finished product.  Not portfolio material.  Later I decided to download a free trial of Photoshop and Illustration CS6.  I can just tweek the merkids in photoshop and turn them into something more interesting.  A few hours later playing with the lasso tool and a few dozen brush options, I closed the computer, moved to the dining room table and began to rework a current illustration.  Ahhh, my happy place.  I'm not saying that I won't learn how to use those programs or try to create fresh looking work.  I just had to accept that this may not be the time for it.  I've now made a list and am choosing the shortest distance between to two points to get there.  Short and Sweet lesson for the day, but it comes with pictures. :o)

Copyright Carrie Cartier 2012
Not the best picture, but here are my MerKids.

Copyright Carrie Cartier 2012
Here is my reworked illustration.  The colors need to be enhanced a bit, but I'm fairly please with this one.
Done in Watercolor Pencil and Watercolor paint. 

Tomorrow I will be attending the SCBWI Illustrator's Series Event, which will include a hands-on workshop and lecture with award winning illustrator Julie Downing will focus on thinking about and creating a series of images that work together to tell a story. Can't wait!  I'll let you know how it goes.

I am now in the last month before the SCBWI Conference.  I just returned from a week up near Mt Lassen with the family.  I was able to put in the final hours of work on my "First Look" submission for the Illustrators' Intensive.  Here were my requirements.
1)  THUMBNAILS. 32 Pages.  Thumbnails should be small and loose because they are used to judge pacing and composition, not content.

2)  TWO CHARACTER STUDIES, showing the protagonist from different angles
3)  ILLUSTRATION.  One complete scene (whether a spot, single page or spread), finished in the style that would be used throughout the book.

4)  ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTIONS of
      A) the characters
      B) the setting
      C) the dilemma
      D) the point/resolution of the story

I thought I would share the drawing portion with you, so here it goes.

Storyboard Copyright Carrie Cartier 2012

  

Balloon Character Study Copyright Carrie Cartier 2012

Little Girl Character Study Copyright Carrie Cartier 2012

Finished Illustration Copyright Carrie Cartier 2012

I was able to get these off last Friday 2 hours before deadline.  I may not be the earliest, but I did get it in under the wire.  So now I am just crossing my fingers that my work will have the opportunity for review.
I did a little research as to what is to look forward to on the day of the intensive.  Apparently last year there were seven of the top illustrators who did live demos.  It all sounds pretty inspirational.  Yay!  I can't wait.
Well, I still have a lot of work to do before I go, so I better get to it.  Have a great day!

Socializing

Hello friends!  How are you today?  I have had a good week.  Life sometimes changes things up on you, and I am going with the flow.  For those of you who don't know me very well, I am a decorative painter by trade.  I work by contract and when work is slow I am happy to be the one cooking breakfast for my daughter in the mornings and taking trips to the park.  I am also very grateful when my painting schedule fills up and I get to load up my ipod for a day of painting and podcast listening.  I am all up to date on my "This American Life", so I have been searching for informative podcasts that inspire and expand my mind.  

I had listened to one woman's podcast a few times, but hadn't really got into it until recently.  Katie Davis's "Brain Burps About Books" is all about kidlit and the business of writing and illustrating children's literature.  http://katiedavis.com/category/podcast/  This past week, I decided to start at the beginning with her episodes.  Only just this week has she reached 100, but I am still in the 20's at this point.  Long story, short, I am learning so much.  One of the big themes so far has included the dual challenge of marketing yourself as a writer and/or illustrator and connecting on a personal level with your audience while doing so.  I, frankly, am so grateful for the small audience of supporters that I have ,and I would love for you guys to challenge me to stay connected by letting me know you are out there.  

Marketing these days is heavily influenced by Social Media.  Facebook has been vital in me sharing this blog so far, though I still need to set up a professional Facebook page.  I also use my Linked In account to share the news, but until recently that is as far as I dabble.  It can definitely be a time sucker if I allow myself to just browse mindlessly.  I discovered that when I set up my new Pinterest account.  However, it can also be utterly inspiring.  The ability to have others at your fingertips who share your passion or just believe you are worthy is priceless.  So, I decided to take Ms. Katie Davis's advise and set up a twitter account @paintdrawlove.  You should also be able to find me through my name.  

Please, if you follow me, give me time to figure out the lingo.  There is definitely a learning curve to this form of communication.  After my family goes to bed and the house settles down, my computer comes to life.  

I am also still working towards readying myself for August's conference.  I have been going through my check list and when I start to feel stuck in one area I can always find something else with a different slant that needs my attention.  Tonight I felt like drawing something and decided on my logo.  I will be needing business cards to share with any new contacts.  Please take a look at the sketch I came up with tonight.  Thoughts?  I would love to hear them.

Copyright Carrie Cartier 2012

Thank you for reading!

Carrie

I've gotta make this one quick.  I feel terribly guilty for not keeping up on my once a week blog schedule and leaving folks hanging about my trip to the library.  Man out of town, sick baby, new all consuming pinterest habit... I know, Excuses! Excuses!  I'm back though and I have been working.  Let's get down to business.
The library reading went okay.  I learned an important lesson about proofreading materials before a presentation.  I decided to redo my dummy book to allow for larger pictures for the kids to see, so I used a folder with clear plastic sleeves.  Well, in filling the sleeves, I managed to reverse two of the pages.  I had even drawn on the pages that way and still didn't notice it.  It only became clear when somewhere in the middle of my reading I thought, hmm, that didn't make sense.  I'm sure none of the kids noticed, but it kinda threw off my flow and concentration.  Oh, well. C'est la vie.  It was fun practice chatting with the kids about how to make your very own book.  And when asked the question, "Did you think the story was interesting or boring?", they were nice enough to say interesting.
I also had my book club (generally grownup books) humor me and give me their input on the story.  And finally, I read it to a dear friend from Portland, OR, who was visiting.  She is an educator and was very helpful in reminding me about my grammar rules.  I get a little sloppy with independent clauses apparently.
So in the end, (that was an independent clause right there :) I was able to get my manuscript in the mail to arrive in L.A. yesterday for the professional consultation I will subject myself to at the SCBWI Summer Conference in August.

My next goal is to prepare to submit my story board, character sketches, and a couple of finished illustrations for July's deadline.  This will have to do with Illustrator's Intensive I'll participate in at the end of the conference.  Even though I haven't been blogging, I have been painting whenever possible this past week.  I'll leave you with one of my favorites.  I'm really working on improving my watercolor skills.  I will probably redo it at least one more time on nicer paper, but I think this captures some of the emotion I'd like my story to convey.  I'd love to hear what you think about it.

Copyright Carrie Cartier 2012

Story Time

Our local librarian and 'Story Time' leader, Sheila, agreed to read my manuscript and give me her notes.  I definitely consider her an expert on reading to children, among other things.  Her story times have packed them in for years.  Here is an article from a couple of years ago, but it remains the same today.
http://richmondconfidential.org/2009/12/24/story-time-for-a-special-season/

She gave me some wonderful pointers for my next set of manuscript revisions and is encouraging me to read it at the library.  She said the kids will let me know if it works.  Yikes!  I suppose part of this business is an ability to do self-promotion and group talks.  I can read a book to a bunch of kids and parents....right?  I've managed to put it off until next week to rework my dummy.  I think it will be much easier to read if I have pictures to go with it.  They will just be black and white sketches, but it's better than nothing.  I expect this experience will allow me to hear some of the things that I can't when just reading to myself.

I really value women/people like Sheila.  It is so important to instill a love of books and learning.  She is someone who has dedicated herself to this task, remembering the dozens of names that pass through the library doors and making each child feel special and welcome.  That is really all it takes with kids.  They don't look for perfection.  They just want connection.  I'll try to remember that as I'm shaking in my boots next week staring into all those little faces.

Copyright Carrie Cartier 2012

Here is a happy little accident that happened while I was playing with some watercolors this week.  She makes me smile.

May 17th Illustrator Event

Tonight I went to a wonderful illustrators' event in Sausalito put on by our local SCBWI chapter featuring Lea Lyon.
http://www.lealyon.com/illustrations.html
Lea does amazing watercolor paintings and has illustrated several published books so far, with more in the works.  She lives not far from me and I hope to take one of her watercolor classes in the future.  She gave a lovely talk covering her path into the world of children's book illustrations focusing on the question of what makes an illustration work.  This was a small event, which allowed for participants to bring a favorite piece along with portfolios to be critiqued or analyzed by the book.  We weren't told until yesterday that this was part of the event, so I had a small freak out and then pulled a favorite line drawing from my files, traced it onto heavier paper using my light board, and started painting.

Copyright Carrie Cartier 2012.

Here is my original line drawing, which was obviously done on a sheet of notebook paper.

Copyright Carrie Cartier 2012.

Here is today's creation.  I used watercolor, some colored pencil, and ink.  I personally liked the original better, but I was encouraged by my fellow illustrators that this was good start.  Perhaps I'll try to redo it again soon and go with a darker background and scratch the silly star notes.  

The best part of this event was how it opened the group up to friendly and helpful conversation about our work.  It became a networking event.... or support group in a way.  I even connected with a couple of women who will be attending the L.A. conference in August.  Our work was all different.  Some people were skilled in digital illustration and had elaborate portfolios.  Several were like me with their book full of sketches.  One older gentleman came in with a simple folder, a few color copies, and one of the most beautiful prints I have ever seen.  His originals are on 1'x2' pieces of masonite, which he said will be left to his children, but he was hoping to sell prints and try his hand at illustration.  AMAZING work!  

Well, I don't want this to get too long.  I'd like to do a little painting before bed.  Sweet dreams all.

This week was exciting.  The Man and Sweet P took off for the mountains for a couple of days leaving me home alone.  WooHoo!  During that time I got down to business. Arrangements for my stay at the SCBWI International Conference in L.A. this August were made and then it was time to get to work creating a children's book.  

The Particulars of Planning and Process

So I have a story/manuscript.  That part came rather quickly.  One day during Sweet P's nap time I turned one of my jotted down notes of inspiration into a story from start to finish.  Don't get me wrong, that has had revisions and will continue to be revised until all the parts fit together.  I have a story though.  Done. Hah!

My dream is to be an Author/Illustrator, so it doesn't end with the story.  Actually, here is where it gets complicated.  Luckily there are some pretty clear rules to follow in the children's book world that help me begin to fill in the blanks without creative overload.  Most children's book are 32 pages long and when books are bound together the paper is generally bound 4 sheets at a time.  If my story goes over that 32 page format, I have to come up with not 4 more pages of pictures and writing, but 16.  That is front, back, left, and right side of each sheet.  Also, within that 32 pages resides the front matter, which involves titles, publishing info, dedications, and those doodley pages that are often out of a different type of paper than the interior.  So to make it short I have about 24, maybe 25 pages to work with here.  A great way to figure out exactly what goes where is by creating a storyboard and what is called a "Dummy Book."   

Here is a link to someone who explains it quite clearly with pictures and all.

http://www.juliehedlund.com/2010/04/01/picture-book-dummies/

My storyboard became more of a story-wall that I could step back and analyze.  Once the geography of everything is understood I begin transferring the information into my dummy.  These thinking tools will be used multiple times as the book evolves.  Here I map out word placement and tackle the logistics of the book.  How does the story sound when read aloud?  How do the forced pauses of page turns effect the flow?  Once the sketching process began, I asked myself if I was being too repetitive in word and picture.  (sound of crumpling paper and begin again)

For this particular book, I want a manuscript that makes sense when read on its own, but I would like the pictures to add dimension.  As a parent who has read the same book dozens of times, it is fun to go off script now and then to point out something else that is happening within the illustrations.

copyright Carrie Cartier 2012- all rights reserved

                                                                                     

Here is a glimpse at my dummy with taped in photocopies of my sketches with words.  I've already found tons of mistakes through this exercise.  This also proves that you don't need phenomenal computer skills to put a dummy together, though as it evolves into a cleaner product I will put more effort into that area for a more professional display.  

Now for the Love part of Paint Draw Love!  This makes me happy!  Writing this blog, telling these stories, drawing these pictures, and reading reading reading all the wonderful tales of and from people who have gone this road before makes me happy.  

For a feel good tale of friendship reciprocated check out last year's Caldecott winner, "A Sick Day for Amos McGee" by Erin and Philip Stead.  I love the colors in this book too.  

http://erinstead.com/books/a-sick-day-for-amos-mcgee/

SUPPORT

This week's entry has taken a turn.  I had planned to get into the nitty-gritty of the format and planning which goes into producing a children's book, but I think that will wait at least another week.  Instead I have decided to focus on something else I believe to be crucial to the creation of anything new.  

I decided to look up the definition of the word support on thefreedictionary.com and came up with so many that I will have to choose a few of my favorites to share. 

sup·port  tr.v.  1. To bear the weight of, especially from below. 2. To hold in position so as to keep from falling, sinking, or slipping. 3. To be capable of bearing; withstand:  4. To keep from weakening or failing; strengthen: 5. To provide for or maintain, by supplying with money or necessities. 6. To furnish corroborating evidence for:  a. To aid the cause, policy, or interests of:  b. To argue in favor of; advocate: . 7. To endure; tolerate: ". 8. To act in a secondary or subordinate role to (a leading performer). Synonyms: support, uphold, back1, advocate, champion

I have been so fortunate that despite a lack experience in this field and that envelope/drawer full of unrealized ideas, I have people in my life who have placed themselves in each of those support roles and are willing to go above and beyond to say and show me that they believe in me and support my dreams.    

My current goal is to prepare for the SCBWI International Conference in Los Angeles this August.  For that, I will be creating a dummy book for one of my manuscripts (I'll tell you about it later) with several finished illustrations and the rest clean line drawings.  I would also like to begin an online portfolio (a must according to my sources) and have a number of promo cards printed to hand out with examples of my work.  

Those are simple sounding tasks that take an incredible amount of time and energy.  Thank you to my daughter's loving father and grandparents who allow me time alone here and there to think about this project knowing that she is not lacking.  Thank you to the friends and family who supply strength when my confidence weakens, to the lovely Linda E. who is making an expensive conference in L.A. possible, to my dear Aunt who flew all the way from Alabama with a handful of her own stories to join me at another conference last fall so that I didn't have to bear the shaking nerves alone, to our local children's librarian, Sheila, who is willing to share her time and expertise, and the list goes on...

This may all sound overly personal, but I want to make a point of recognizing the advocates I have in this venture.  It reminds me that what I am doing is a blessing that can bring joy to many.  It also reminds me to search for ways that I might champion another.  In saying that, I would like to encourage you to check out the writing of a talented young woman and dear friend who will be traveling to L.A. from Vancouver, Canada with me to follow her own dreams and searches for a publisher for her Adventure Fiction novel 'Heaven in the Meat Packing District.'  You may read some of her work at ww.gaiastanding.com/1

INSPIRATION

This has been a big word this week in my house.  I have a big envelope in my drawer that I slip an image or quote into now and then that holds a creative spark.  It may be a craft project that I'd like to try out, a gift I'd like to make for someone, or a shirt or dress that I look at and think, I could just maybe make that for myself or my daughter and skip the high price tag.  My daughter has watched me make contributions to this folder and wanted her own.  Once we had cut out several images she picked up some glitter glue and began putting them together in a collage.  I've done this many times myself as a sort of visual wish list or even just as a way to lay out what I was thinking in a way that was perhaps not possible with words at the time.  Thank you, my sweet P for reminding mommy how to use my inspiration for more than a folder that gets added to, but seldom taken from.  

As this blog progresses I want to be sharing more of my personal experience and "expertise", but for now I am happy to point readers towards others who inspire me.  Here are a couple of talented moms who really make it work.  

http://zero2illo.com/community-success-suzanne-delrizzo/

Suzanne Del Rizzo has such an interesting style that reminds me to search for that something truly unique in my work.  On a similar note, Holly DeWolf, who created the blog "Illustration Notes", has published a wonderful list to help artists define their UCP or Unique Creative Position.
http://hollydewolf.blogspot.com/
It seems pretty obvious that I need to recognize my target market and what makes my work relevant, but it's also an easy thing to forget when, as a decorative painter/independent contractor, I have always painted from someone else's vision and am left with a pile of work that paid the bills at the time but very few pieces that speak of me.  Running through this probing list of questions helps clear out what is less than and leaves what is crucial. This is very important to understand about oneself when creating a portfolio to attract THE job, an online presence that pinpoints ones' finest assets, and having the confidence to reach for that goal and believe in the possibility.