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girllustrators · 2 years

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Brave Every Day story time

Thank you, Brazos bookstore, for a splendid afternoon! Thank you to everyone who came! My favorite moments reading Brave Every Day (by Trudy Ludwig, pub. by Knopf) were when the kids laughed, gasped and cheered in the places I was hoping they would. Yay!

We also had a little drawing demo.

Signing some books for Martha, Rocket, Spike, Stradley, Leroy… loving these names. :)

Activity sheets and stickers for all!

- patrice barton

#kidlitart #girllustrators #children's books #illustration #children's illustration #scbwi #picture books #scbwi austin #anxiety #fears #worries #patricebarton

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literaticat · 1 year

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Hey Jenn! Just curious: What are some of the best conferences you’ve been to? What made them so good?

When I was a "young and hungry" agent (literally), I went to EVERY conference, because I was actively building my list and I needed the money and food! I am now old and tired, and I don't need the buffet, so I have stricter rules about what I will agree to.

-- I will only go to Children's Book specific conferences -- the ones that are "general interest" and happen to have some kids book people are the worst. It's just not a priority for the organizers and they are invariably attracting people who likewise don't prioritize kids books. And since I don't give a fig about grownup books... well, it's not a match.

-- I max out at 4 a year, and will only go to conferences where they pay an honorarium, travel food and lodging etc -- they are A LOT of work, and the idea that I would schlep to the back of beyond on my own dime is LAUGHABLE

-- I will only go to conferences in places I *want* to go, either because they are beautiful or cool, or because I have clients/friends/family there. I can't do virtual conferences, I'm zoomed out.

So all that being said, probably this answer is going to sound like cheating or something, but really, for children's book writing, the BEST conference I have ever been to is the one my agency puts on twice a year, the Big Sur Children's Writer's Conference. It started in, yep, Big Sur, and has now grown so big that the winter one is in a larger venue in Monterey CA, and there is an East Coast version in Cape Cod. (In fact, I'm leaving for Big Sur Cape Cod tomorrow, excited!)

It's obviously too late to get in for THIS one, but the next California one is February 2024 and the registration opens in August, keep your eyes peeled for it, here's more info.

Anyway, what makes it good is that instead of being a bunch of people giving speeches all weekend, it is small workshops throughout the weekend where attendees get hands-on feedback from their mentors (who might be an agent, editor, or successful author), like mini-critique groups, and lots of time for revising, in beautiful locations -- I have to tell you, it sounds cheesy but I have seen MIRACLES happen from Friday to Sunday, it's really wild how much this dedicated time to dig into the book helps writers revise. It's a kind of alchemy. There are always great conversations and I invariably end the weekend feeling like my OWN creative well is filled up - and I'm not even one of the writers! Really, truly a great experience, and I do NOT get paid to say that, I promise you.

Other than that -- I have discovered that for MYSELF, I am not great with Virtual conferences -- and I will only go to Children's Book specific conferences -- the ones that are "general interest" and happen to have some kids book people are the worst. It's just not a priority for the organizers and they are invariably attracting people who likewise don't prioritize kids books. And since I don't give a fig about grownup books... well, it's not a match.

Other kids book specific ones I have liked -- I had a great time at the Highlights Foundation doing a program (again, small, intimate, beautiful location) -- and I had been invited to the Book Barn in Austin for a similar type program which I also think would have been awesome but then the pandemic happened so it had to switch to virtual. :( But they do have great programming - I just have not been there in person so IDK what that would have been like (probably great!)

I like the big SCBWI conferences, NY and LA, mostly because of friends and clients being there. I used to always attend NE-SCBWI because a ton of my friends and clients go and it's fun to see everyone, but I haven't been invited since the Pando. (And I'm sure there are other great regional SCBWI conferences - I just can't remember them all! Because again, it's been years since there were big in-person ones I went to!)

When I was a "young and hungry" agent (literally), I went to EVERY conference, because I was actively building my list and I needed the money and food! I am now old and tired, and I don't need the buffet, so I have stricter rules about what I will agree to.

-- I will only go to Children's Book specific conferences -- the ones that are "general interest" and happen to have some kids book people are the worst. It's just not a priority for the organizers and they are invariably attracting people who likewise don't prioritize kids books. And since I don't give a fig about grownup books... well, it's not a match.

-- I max out at 4 a year, and will only go to conferences where they pay an honorarium, travel food and lodging etc -- they are A LOT of work, and the idea that I would schlep to the back of beyond on my own dime is LAUGHABLE

-- I will only go to conferences in places I *want* to go, either because they are beautiful or cool, or because I have clients/friends/family there. I can't do virtual conferences, I'm zoomed out.

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kwauson-blog · 5 years

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And then there were three! Welcome to the world Toothiana, Guardian of Memories. She’s all ready to join her friends Jack Frost and Sandy for the silent auction at SCBWI Austin 2019. 🧚🏻‍♂️ #kidlitart #kidlit #riseoftheguardians #toothiana #williamjoyce #guardiansofchildhood #theguardiansofchildhood #picturebookcharacter #characterdesign #kokeshidoll #kokeshi #pegdolls #childrensbookart #fairiesarereal #thetoothfairy #toothfairy #picturebookart #childrensbooks #fairytales #scbwiillustrators #scbwiart #scbwiaustin #scbwi (at Dripping Springs, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxVk3B2nEdZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=vbcdclmpc8sm

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dansantat · 5 years

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A busy day in Austin toggling between the Austin Summer Dive and keynoting at SCBWI. There were laughs with kids and tears with adults. https://www.instagram.com/p/BxqFDG2nBRg/?igshid=15tgf6f38wtgl

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illustrationexhilaration · 6 years

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kickstarter

Day 420: Mariya Prytula “Mariya has been freelancing since October 2015. In that time, her work has been published in The Journal: Art Order Invitational, she has illustrated three picture books for private clients, one for the publishing division of Child Welfare League of America, and had a pleasure to work with Reeves International among various clients. Her hummingbird work won the ArtBoard billboard contest in Austin, TX.

In addition she has served as the local advisor for ICON9 The Illustration Conference, and is a proud member of Changeling Artist Collective, The Bird Whisperer Project, and SCBWI.

Self-taught in art, she completed her degree in Biology with emphasis on medicine at Baylor University. Mariya currently lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and their velcro Border Collie, Lucky.” Click here to support her collaborative children’s book project “Little Moss, Big Tree” on Kickstarter: http://kck.st/2GL4m7J

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laurafisk · 3 years

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This weekend was the @scbwi austin regional conference. I love attending it (even virtually!) every year. It helps me focus what I want to be doing and I feel like I grow as an illustrator by leaps and bounds in one weekend. Our intensive today with @uyenloseordraw blew my mind and helped me really see how to improve my work. And what a high standard to live up to!! . So much to think about and here’s a few samples from my portfolio. Really excited to move forward and this weekend was just what my mentally exhausted brain needed @scbwiaustintx . #scbwi #kidlitart #kidlit #hikingbunnies https://www.instagram.com/p/COZI4DllPXh/?igshid=q6jpgcm9eb2r

#scbwi #kidlitart #kidlit #hikingbunnies

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melissaburon · 6 years

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Thank you to SCBWI Austin for inviting me to come speak at Bookpeople on Saturday, February 10th at 10am. I’ll be talking about science, learning and creativity. #learning #science #brains #creativity #scbwi #bookpeople

#science #creativity #learning #brains #scbwi #bookpeople

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lmarieblog · 4 years

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Lemon day 23 A bicultural illustration 🙃. In Mexico we call lemons what here are limes and the yellow lemons are “limones amarillos”, they are not as popular as the green ones, a lot of people put “limón” to almost every salty meal. #illustration #iluzmarie #doodleadayapril2020 #doodleadayapril #lemon #market #childrensbookillustration #childrensillustration #kidslitart #scbwi #sketch #procreate (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_XQeQuHsCd/?igshid=ggit5hrmjnlx

#illustration #iluzmarie #doodleadayapril2020 #doodleadayapril #lemon #market #childrensbookillustration #childrensillustration #kidslitart #scbwi #sketch #procreate

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pb-and-paint · 7 years

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A website banner I did for the Austin chapter of SCBWI recently, plus a couple of close ups

#art #illustration #kidslit #scbwi #collage #night #as we all know social media platforms just love these sorts of dimensions #what even is portrait says tumblr shyly and everyone just looks at them bewildered

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crushillustration · 7 years

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Catch one of our members @fiskandfern at the regional SCBWI in Austin this weekend! #Repost @fiskandfern (@get_repost) ・・・ A couple pieces going in my portfolio for the @scbwi austin regional conference this weekend. I'm putting my portfolio out for people to look through and doing a portfolio review. I'm not nervous about this at all. AT ALL. 😬😬🙄😂 see my IG Stories for a flip through of all the pieces going in. #scbwiaustin http://ift.tt/2qZTAa9

#IFTTT #Instagram

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kansascityhappenings · 5 years

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104-year-old writer collecting 104 kids’ books to donate to school library for her birthday

BUDA, Texas — When the senior living and memory care facility where Betty X. Davis lives asked what she wanted to do for her 104th birthday, the lifelong reader had one request.

“She said she didn’t want a big party or any of that. She just wanted to give back and pay it forward,” said Rachel Grover, life engagement director at Sodalis Senior Living in Buda.

Grover asked if she wanted to collect something to donate. “And she said, ‘I think we’ll do books.’”

Davis turns 104 on Monday. By Friday, Sodalis had collected at least 70 children’s books for kids just learning to read all the way through young adult novels.

The facility will donate the collection to a local elementary school library.

“Many children have little choice in books, don’t even like to think about them,” Davis said.

An avid reader throughout her life, she taught her kids the value of loving books at an early age.

“You have to enjoy it to keep it up,” said Harvey Davis, the oldest of eight kids that Betty and her husband raised.

Becoming a writer

Betty has penned dozens of short stories for children.

“She just wrote story after story,” Harvey said. “And of course she worked hard to try to get them published.”

Davis is a founding member of the Austin chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), which awards the Betty X. Davis Young Writers of Merit Award to local young writers every year.

But the pursuit of writing came to Davis later in life.

“I never considered being a writer,” she said in an interview published by SCBWI. “No one we knew was a writer.”

After raising a family in Dallas, she said, she became a speech therapist and had to start writing her own curriculum in the 1970s and ’80s. She just kept writing, tallying more than 100 poems, stories and novels.

“I just had lots of children’s books that I loved,” she said.

Now she’s passing that love along to the next generation of readers. Sodalis will collect book donations until Wednesday, then donate them to a school library.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/11/25/104-year-old-writer-collects-104-kids-books-to-donate-to-school-library-for-her-birthday/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/11/25/104-year-old-writer-collecting-104-kids-books-to-donate-to-school-library-for-her-birthday/

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girllustrators · 5 years

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POP-UP WORKSHOP

KEEPING THE SPONTANEITY IN YOUR ART

Q: How does one get to finished art without getting bogged down and stiff in the process, ending up with overworked art?

A: This is a continual challenge for many illustrators at all levels. Some artists use their hand-drawn sketches in their final art, as in Patty, Emma and Vanessa’s energetic characters. Others use media that have a sort of mind of their own, as Amy does with her playful watercolor work…though one has to invest the time playing and experimenting with the materials to avoid losing control altogether. For her acrylic line work, Lalena uses “crappy old brushes” for the raw quality of their marks. Paradoxically, digital technology can help with retaining spontaneity and energy. Photoshop and similar software allows you to composite the best of your sketches, scanned textures, painted marks, and fills. Software can give you a lot of freedom to explore, while still having a lot of control. We certainly don’t have a magic answer to this, but we do have strategies, and shared them at a recent meeting:

LALENA: I find that the more detailed the illustration, the more danger I am in with stiffness. Because there are more pieces that I have to get right, that have to work together—and you have to spend time coordinating all of that. By that time, the spontaneity is gone!

EMMA: I’m working on a new dummy book; Normally I have to do all the pages in order because of my OCD, but this time I followed my heart, did the spreads as I felt inspired, and felt much better about it. I had been stuck on pages 16-17; I did it a few times and I kept getting the same result, so I thought, “Well, I’ll go to a different page and come back to it.” And it was like I’d just invented sliced bread!

RIVKAH: I can identify with your OCD; I can’t jump between projects. Part of my approach to avoid getting bogged down is to save details until the end.

EMMA: Sometimes it does help if I stop and draw something else.

LUZ MARIE: I have to do that too.

RACHEL: I have to start with a lot of structure in order to end up in a place where I feel comfortable and can be looser. Throwing pasta at the wall doesn’t work for me.

ELIZA: It helps to have thumbnails prepared and problems figured out beforehand.

PATTY: Right—you get the thinking part done, then you can go to painting and have fun. I draw sketches and then trace them and scan them, and layer in textures. Sometimes I’ll trace over the sketches some, but other times the original sketches are just right.

RACHEL: I do a thumbnail, very ugly and loose, scan and print it, then trace it doing a more refined sketch, but still not finished-finished. Then I trace that with the final line. With each step, something is added. Each step is a guide for the next step.

VANESSA: When I do collage, I keep the backgrounds separate. Then I can be loose because I’m not going to mess up where the characters go. Then I cut out the characters and put them on the background; I can move them around that way. Or I’ll use Photoshop, doing same thing. Lucy was all Prismacolor pencil with watercolor line around silhouettes, and no backgrounds at all. But if I’m loose, I ask myself: Is it too messy? Do I clean it up, or then will it be too clean? Or use Photoshop? Then it can look overworked. I dunno, it’s tough.

EMMA: Technology is definitely part of my process. I draw in charcoal, clean up the line in Photoshop, then use Illustrator’s autotrace function.

LALENA: Eliza, you showed us your new dummy book, and your painted work is always so enviably spontaneous-looking. How would you do the final art, so that you’d keep that quality?

ELIZA: I make sure I have a thumbnail, then I just go crazy. I might do practice air-brushstrokes, or test a stroke on another piece of paper. Then once I have it right, I do it on the final paper. If I’m not in a hurry it can help. If I mess up, I do sometimes fix it in the computer.

PATTY: It helps to know you can fix it if you need to.

ELIZA: If I overwork it, I realize it right away. I just have to start over. I do always test the brush, and switch brushes if I think it’ll help.

RIVKAH: Do y’all know Quentin Blake? He illustrated the Roald Dahl books. His illustrations are just a bunch of squiggles! He has these huge pieces of paper, and draws the same picture over and over quickly, until he gets it right!

#illustration #girllustrators #loose drawing #childrens illustration #kidlitart #SCBWI #scbwi austin #Women Illustrators #picture book illustration #illustration technique #illustration methods #illustration craft #children's books #children's literature

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heatherhelene · 6 years

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Today is all about writing. I finally had time today to start rewriting a chapter that has been giving me a lot of grief lately. I can only hope when I read it next I don’t feel like it’s a complete disaster like before. The goal is to have it ready by the next critique meeting. . . . #amwriting #writerproblems #critiquegroup #scbwi (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnhaT9uFvro/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=19jqgxc2y2fhx

#amwriting #writerproblems #critiquegroup #scbwi

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thunderchikin · 6 years

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Texas: Austin | 2018 Cynthia Leitich Smith Writing Mentor Awards Chosen

Great news from the powerhouse Austin SCBWI!

Congratulations to Aimee Thomas, who has won Austin SCBWI’s 2018 Cynthia Leitich Smith Writing Mentor Award! Plus, our mentor Jennifer Ziegler has decided to expand her mentorship to include an Honor recipient, Amy Bearce. Aimee receives a year’s mentorship with Jennifer, including one full manuscript critique. Amy receives one full manuscript…

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storyteller-things · 7 years

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Novel Writing Retreat with Agent and Editor Nov. 10-12

SCBWI Austin has spots open for their Novel Writing Retreat

Dates: Nov. 10-12

Location:

Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center 5602 Hwy 317 N – Temple, TX 76502

Registration is open for Austin SCBWI’s Novel Writing Retreat with agent Natalie Lakosil and Little, Brown editor Deirdre Jones. Limited critiques are available through Oct. 6. The retreat includes workshops, roundtables and more. Go to…

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#authors #blogs #business #children #short stories #stories #USA #Work #writers #writing

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pjhoover · 7 years

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Score! Won at the Austin SCBWI conference silent auction! (at Crowne Plaza Austin)

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