Kidlit Art Talk and Exhibit at the Art Museum of Los Gatos

Last night, I attended a children's book illustration panel discussion at the Art Museum of Los Gatos in the South Bay. Titled Children's Illustration A-Z, the event featured Susan Jaekel, a kidlit illustrator, Gennifer Choldenko, a Newbery-winning author, Summer Laurie, a former editor at Chronicle Books for Children, and Heidi Long, a librarian at the Los Gatos Library.

The hour flew by fast as the panelists answered questions presented by both Heidi, who was the moderator, and audience members.  One of the questions: What's the best piece of advice you can give others? 

Summer talked about the importance of having rhino-skin- and certainly, writers and artists need a thick skin to survive the publishing industry.  Gennifer mentioned the late Norma Fox Mazer for her philosophy of feeling one's way through a project instead of thinking the way. Susan remembered an instructor she had in college  who encouraged her to just follow her passion.

Something Gennifer said really resonated with me: "I'm never lonely when I write. I have my characters with me." Sometimes when I'm writing late into the night, and it seems like I'm all alone at my computer, my characters actually keep me entertained. And I think Gennifer's statement speaks to a larger idea---we're never alone as long as we have stories inside of ourselves to share.

Although the panel discussion was a one-night affair, a children's book illustration exhibition, Draw Me A Story- A Century of Children's Book Illustration and Storytelling in Pictures: From Idea to Art, will be sticking around at the Art Museum of Los Gatos from now through February 24. So if you live in the area, you should check this out.

The exhibition is pretty cool. And there's something unique that distinguishes how each of the featured artists show their interpretation of the universe. (I avoid using the word unique because it's so overused- like epic, for example- so I only use this word when I really mean it, and I do mean it here.) Susan Jaekel's animals with personality, Bob Barner's edgy dinosaurs, Yuyi Morales' dreamy, rich brushwork, and Emma T. Capps and Thi Bui's enlightening graphic novel excerpts are just a few of the many things I saw.

As a child, I loved drawing- I used to win all these random poster contests and hang my prize ribbons and certificates up on my wall. Back then, I'd even  fancied being both a children's book author and illustrator someday. But as I got older, I got sidetracked with other stuff and put my art on the back burner. When I heard about this art talk and exhibit, I attended with the intention to learn a thing or two more about picture book writing. But once I arrived at the museum and saw all the  awesome children's book illustrations on the walls, I thought to myself...maybe, just maybe, I can rekindle this old flame someday.

How do your characters keep you company when you write? 

How many of you are both artists and writers? How do you balance the two things? 

Artists of the images shown here, from top to bottom: Bob Barner, Susan Jaekel, Emma Capps, and Thi Bui 

San Jose Art Museum: The Genesis of a Good Comic Book

At the conference last month, I got to sit in on author and illustrator Dan Santat's session about the world of graphic novels. Although I'd initially figured it was a session intended for illustrators, I still wanted to check it out, and I'm glad I did. Not only did I learn about the writing aspect behind composing a graphic novel, the discussion of art flashbacked me to a era many moons ago when I was a dreamy grade school girl who wanted to be a kidlit writer AND a comic book artist when I grew up. 

Back in the day,  I loved reading Calvin and Hobbes, Luann,  Archie, Garfield, For Better or For Worse, Dennis the Menace, and Peanuts. And I LOVED to draw. But while I've approached writing  as a profession, I've approached art as more of a hobby. Lately, I've been reading more graphic novels, both kidlit and adult. Studying the artwork in the comics, I'd  sometimes think...is it too late for me to try...but can I still...maybe I need a sign...

...A sign arrived in my inbox last week when I got an announcement about an upcoming DIY Art workshop at the San Jose Museum of Art titled The Genesis of a Good Comic Book. Held in the room where THE BOOK OF GENESIS by R. Crumb is currently being exhibited, the event was led by Dan Vado, publisher and editor of Slave Labor Graphics in San Jose. At the workshop, I learned some lingo and techniques for creating comic books, the different kinds of quote bubbles, and I even got to sketch out a 4-page book. 

Some other stuff I learned from Dan Vado:

-Comics are a medium, not a genre. That's because comics can be about anything, although they are often associated with stories about superheroes.

-What makes a great story? Anything we want!  What artists need to do is give audiences a sense of place.  The art must show the setting and location.  

-Artists should not show panel after panel of people just talking. 

After the workshop, I asked Dan Vado how much he considers an artists'  experience when he assesses their art. I wanted to know if it mattered whether an artist had say 20 years or just two years of experience before their work is regarded as publisher-ready. His response: That stuff doesn't matter. What matters is the quality of the art right in front of him. 

That's very useful to know.

For the time being though, I'm going to concentrate on my other writing projects, the ones that I have already committed myself to finishing. And I'll allow the seed of a plot for a graphic novel to continue growing in my head, where many idea seeds are being nurtured. I'm still content doodling just for fun. For now.

Don't Put Lipstick on a Pig

On Saturday, I attended SCBWI San Francisco/South's discussion panel on Multiculturalism. The presenters were award-winning kidlit author Rita Williams-Garcia (via Skype) and Abigail Samoun, a former editor at Tricycle Press who's now an agent with Red Fox Literary. Being that multiculturalism is woven into a few of my writing projects and book ideas, I soaked in what the industry profs had to say.

Rita gave some insights about developing a character who could be a "stereotype" into a more authentic character:

- Every character has a function. Find the truth of the character and what their journey is.

- Sometimes stereotypes exist because of some statistical truth. As writers we have to dig deeper and add more layers to such characters by sharing, for example, the character's soul and values.

- If there are things in our culture we have to address, we shouldn't put lipstick on a pig to cover it up.

-The writer has to be brave and come from a place of integrity when addressing such characters.

Abigail read aloud excerpts from YESTERDAY I HAD THE BLUES by Jeron Ashford Frame (Picture Book-Tricycle Press) as an example of what a solid multicultural story looks like, even if it was written by a "cultural outsider." Then she shared the characteristics of a good multicultural story:

-A consistent, authentic, and evocative voice

-Vivid metaphors

-Research and craft

-Empathetic imagination

-Intimate knowledge of character, their culture, the environment the character was raised in (Know a character right down to what breakfast cereal they eat!)

I enjoyed listening to Rita and Abigail talk. After their presentation, I stuck around and mingled with the other attendees. Glad I came.

Zombies are the New Vampires

Zombies are the new vampires. And someday, fallen angels will be the new zombies. 

I learned so much from the Big Sur Children's Writing Workshop in Monterey, CA. Getting peer feedback in the workshops, chatting with faculty advisers and mingling with children's book agents from the Andrea Brown Literary Agency marked my rigorous and stimulating weekend. The event was held at the Embassy Suites Hotel Seaside/Monterey. The hotel was very guest-friendly- perks included complimentary breakfasts, complimentary drinks during the evening cocktail hour (woo-hoo!), and the indoor heated pool and jacuzzi. 

On the last day of the workshop, a panel of the workshop's children's book agents answered participant questions. A gentleman asked about the story cliches the agents came across the most. Here are some responses:

-Kids moving

-A kid sent to live somewhere on a farm

-Teen car accidents

-Stories beginning on the first day of school

-Magical relics

-Love triangles

-Romeo and Juliet-type stories

-Waking up from a dream

-The quest for the relic, the pendant, the ring, and the portal

-The prophecy kid

Very useful to know. The agents were quick to note that the topics listed above can still work and make great stories, but the writer should be able to bring something fresh to the "cliche" so the story doesn't become a cliche. One agent says she made a six-figure deal selling a story involving a teen car accident.  

Another audience member asked about how the rise of digital publishing will affect the children's publishing industry. Andrea Brown reassured us aspiring children's book authors by asserting that children's books are here to stay in spite of occasional cyclical changes in the market. Also very useful to know.