Hello again. Sorry for the unplanned hiatus, but life has a way of getting interfering with Plans. Just a couple of updates this time…
Yesterday was my first in-person conference (of any kind) since Covid. It felt soooo good. My introvert self had been indulged for too long. Not only did I get to socialize and network, I even got to introduce the conference’s VIP Illustration speaker! Flexing those muscles again was a relief.
Pictured are some of the lovely souls who came over to encourage me after a somewhat harsh critique of the first page of my manuscript in front of the entire conference (a SCBWI tradition referred to as First Pages, apparently). Honestly, the harshness was somewhat deserved, and it stung less because I had already revised that draft for some of the exact things they mentioned in the critique. Besides, the day ended with interest in my book dummy from the Senior Art Director at a major publishing company. That was enough encouragement to power me through for a bit, and cause for a little celebration.
Next, I’m aiming to do a new version of my book dummy based on the revised manuscript, so that I can send it to said Senior Art Director next week. Here’s what working on a book dummy looks like:
You make the smallest, simplest sketches you can can fit onto a 1x1.5” post-it, which make sketches easy to do, toss out, and switch around quickly. After I have the sketches I want in place, then I scan them, enlarge them, digitally draw over them, and add in text. The result is still rough, but more easily readable.
Rabbit holes this month included:
The Nest which I read because of a review somewhere and because Jon Klassen illustrated it. Middle grade/YA fiction that turned out to be horror — not horrible (it was great), but of the horror genre. Not usually my cup of tea, but I did enjoy the ride.
Learning Adobe Illustrator, which makes #3 of digital tools I’ve been learning this year. Oof.
Banned Books — a report by PEN USA looks closely at which books are being banned and where. Grace Lin, one of my favorite Asian American author-illustrators, has books on that list including Dim Sum for Everyone, which I gave to my youngest niece last year to start her library. Why a book about food should be banned is beyond me, especially if you say the motivation is not about race. I call BS. Please donate to PEN USA, or at least buy a banned book and give it to a child, especially if the main character in the book looks like that child. We need to see each other and ourselves in books.
Traditional Colors of China — I’ve been salivating over this book even though I can’t read it. Inside are photographs of famous pieces of Chinese art alongside the CMYK and RBG color formulas for the colors depicted in those artworks. It’s a feast for the eyes, and I hope to incorporate those colors into the book’s palette.
Have a lovely October!
Sounds like the conference was a very worthwhile experience! Good luck with getting the revised book dummy done and submitted.
I can't believe Dim Sum for Everyone is banned anywhere!!! Come on, people!