Some of My Favorite Podcasts and Tools

I wanted to share some of my favorite tools that I've been using lately.

Buffer
https://bufferapp.com/

Buffer is a great social media platform for scheduling posts for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  The links that Buffer posts can also be tracked with analytics.  This tool has been great for writing a post once and posting it on multiple platforms, as well as being able to schedule multiple posts at once.

Trello
https://trello.com/

Trello is a great to-do list app for the desktop and iPhone.  It is a wonderful way to organize your thoughts. It has been a lifesaving organization tool for me.  The app syncs between your phone and the desktop, so whenever I have a thought or idea I won't forget it.

I also wanted to share some of my favorite podcasts.  These are great listening materials for when working.

Brain Burps About Books: Children’s Book Publishing Podcast

Katie Davis

iTunes Link

This is one of my favorite podcasts.  Katie is fun and bubbly!  Her podcast is mostly geared towards writers, but even as an illustrator this podcast is so much fun to listen to.  She interviews many knowledgeable kidlit people in the business. Over 100 episodes!

Publishers Weekly PW KidsCast

Publishers Weekly

iTunes Link

This is a great podcast.  It’s a bit on the shorter side, but great for small slots of time (it's around 20 mins). Interviews are based on books about to be released or just released. John is very calm and cool.

Let’s Get Busy Podcast

Matthew C. Winner

iTunes Link

Great interviews with some of the best kidlit authors and illustrators.  Matthew brings much knowledge and fun to the show, he is very lively and so passionate about kidlit.  He asks great questions, and it constantly puts a smile on my face as well as being informative.

Once Upon a Sketch Podcast

Once Upon a Sketch

iTunes Link

No longer being made, but podcasts are archived.  The episodes are great and geared specifically toward children’s book illustrators. Very informative and inspiring.

The Fresh Rag Show

Dave Conrey

iTunes Link

This is a great podcast about creative small businesses.  Has tips for promotion, especially for Etsy sellers.  Dave interviews many creative small business owners, especially freelancers and Etsy sellers. He is very encouraging and supports all artists including musicians in the interludes. 

What are your favorite tools and podcasts?  I'd love to hear what you like! Please comment below.

New Book Dummy Completed - Bento's Bath Time

I am proud to announce that I have completed my next book dummy.  It is titled Bento's Bath Time.  It is about a penguin named Bento who does not like to take baths.

I am very proud of this work and think I have improved so much as a writer and illustrator.

The full dummy and manuscript is available upon request.

Below are some color examples from the story.

New Jersey SCBWI Conference 2014 Recap

Hello everyone!  I just came back from a long, but wonderful weekend at the New Jersey SCBWI conference (NJSCBWI).  SCBWI is the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, which is a great organization!

I attended this conference with my friend Clare Cannon. She went to the conference last year and kept saying how wonderful it was. I was immediately convinced I needed to go this year.

First I have to say - what a wonderful weekend.  The committee that put the conference together did a fabulous job!  Everything was so organized and everyone was so friendly and helpful.

My journey started long before coming to the conference with preparations.  I needed to update my portfolio, create postcards, business cards, and make a piece for the juried art show.  I also made a second book dummy just before the conference as well (blog post about this dummy coming soon)!

My promo postcards

The big auditorium

The conference started with check in, followed by a welcome ceremony in the auditorium and a keynote speaker, Floyd Cooper.

Floyd Cooper giving a demonstration during his keynote

The rest of the day was filled with workshops of our choosing.  There were over eight going on at once and we chose which ones best suited our needs.  One of the great things about the conference is that all the meals were included (snacks too!) and that at meals I could choose where I sat.  The tables either have a writer, illustrator, editor, or art director.  This was very nice because I could have a meal with someone in the business and ask them questions.  Great for connections as well!

My folder and name badge I received at check in

The workshops were very helpful and I learned so much.  Some of the topics of the workshops I went to were "How to Pay the Bills as an Illustrator", "What an Art Director and Agent Desire to See From Illustrators", "Making Your Picture Book More Marketable", "Examining the Space Between Text and Art", and more!  I learned many new things as well as had reinforcements on things I already knew.

Having fun at the conference

There also was a juried art show with the theme "Down the Shore".  Below is the piece I entered.  It was so wonderful to see such a variety of interpretations of the theme in so many different art styles.  One of the reasons why I love children's books so much is that the art is so diverse.  I also had my portfolio included in the portfolio showcase.

Many people told me that they liked my piece- always nice to hear!

I also decided to pay extra money to meet one-on-one with an art director to review my portfolio.  I found that it was very helpful and received great feedback (and a wonderful connection).

My portfolio I had in the portfolio showcase and had the art director review

Other things at the conference:

• There was a book fair on Saturday where books were available for purchase and authors and illustrators were signing them. 
• There also was a fun cocktail hour.  
• Saturday night there even was a hilarious comedian named Robin Fox!  
• We started off Sunday with a presentation on the state of the children's book market - it looks like things are improving and going strong! 
• There also was keynote speech at the closing by the author Rachel Vail. 

My conference experience is illustrator based; there were other things going on for writers including peer critiques, pitches and more.

Robin Fox the comedian - I laughed so much!

What's next?  In a week or two I will receive contact and submission information from editors and publishers on how to submit my work.  By attending this conference I am able to obtain contact information and submission information exclusive to conference attendees.  I'm very excited to send my work out!

I also received valuable information on how to improve my portfolio and present myself as an illustrator and author/illustrator.  It also was great to learn about resources available to me such as helpful blogs (example: http://kathytemean.wordpress.com), and connecting with fellow illustrators.

Some of the wonderful postcards I picked up at the conference

Top Takeaways from the Conference and Tips for Attendees:

• Be friendly and introduce yourself, everyone is very welcoming and supportive
• Ask questions during the workshops
• If you are an illustrator enter BOTH the juried art show and the portfolio showcase. You never know who will see your work and it's best to show in both places.
• If you have a one-on-one session come prepared with questions. It was helpful for me to learn what to improve upon and how to better present myself.
• Come rested in comfortable shoes and with a notebook.  There is much information throughout the whole weekend.  At times it can seem overwhelming.  Remember to pace yourself.  Also many people thought the building was cold, so a sweater would be good to bring as well.
• Bring extra money for buying books- many authors and illustrators will be there to sign them.
• For me it was worth it to stay two nights at the hotel, Friday night before the conference and Saturday as well.  I felt refreshed and ready to go Saturday morning by staying the night before and not having to travel far.
• Always have a business card or postcard to hand out.
• Social media! I was on Twitter during the conference tweeting about various things. At least three times people walked up to me and asked if I was the person tweeting about the conference- and I was!  It also was a great easy way to thank the presenters for their workshops.

I had a great time at the New Jersey conference and hope to go next year. I'm also really excited for the New York conference in January!

Book Dummy Completed!

I am proud to announce that I have finished my children's book dummy!

These color images are from my dummy titled Will You Be My Friend? Much time and effort went into this project and I'm so proud of it.  There were many revisions, but it was exciting to see how the story improved with every change. 

Receiving feedback from my critique group was very helpful and helped me grow as an author and illustrator - I highly recommend it!

The dummy is available upon request.

Here are some pages from my dummy and some final color pieces (You can see some changes from the dummy drawings to the final drawings - can you spot them?).  Note the piece with the flower is not sequential with the other two images.

My complete book dummy - 32 pages!

My next steps include reaching out to publishers and attending the New Jersey Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators conference in June.  I'm really excited!  I love children's books!

Society6 Products Review

I have ordered quite a few items from Society6 and want to share my opinions about their products.

So far I have ordered a canvas bag, a mug, a phone case, and a shirt.  Here are my photos and more information about each product.

This bag is so much larger than I was expecting!  I didn't fathom how large 18" x 18" is when I ordered it.  I can fit so much in here and think it's a good size for shopping or groceries.  It's a great bag with quality printing but some of the super small text on the bag turned out a bit fuzzier than I thought it would.  It is super sturdy and I love that it is washable.  My friends were impressed with the quality as well.  This design is available here.

This mug is great!  I love that the image goes from the top to the bottom of the mug with hardly any border.  The image is super crisp as well.  Others have commented that the print job is very good.  The size is very good and it holds a sizable amount of liquid.  My only complaint is that the first mug I received arrived completely broken.  I contacted Society6's customer support and a new one was sent to me at no charge.  This design is available here.

I love my phone case!  The colors are super vibrant and exactly match my pattern.  The case also protects my phone.  I have dropped it a few times from waist level and my phone has been protected (it has always landed on a corner). The only thing I was slightly disappointed about is that on the sides of the case the image seems to be stretched a bit (but I think that is due to the manufacturing process).  I'm still very happy with my case and hope to order another one in one of my patterns soon.  This design is available here.

I love my shirt!  The design turned out just exactly how I wanted it to.  I love how large I could have the image on the shirt.  The detail in the print quality is really crisp and slightly raised above the shirt.  This shirt is also super comfortable. This design is available here.

I hope to review more Society6 items in the future. 

Children's Book Class at SVA

Since January I've been taking a children's book class at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City.  It is a great class taught by Monica Wellington.

I've been learning so much about the children's book industry and wanted to share my projects and process.

For our first assignment I decided to have my story take place in the American Southwest with Armadillo wanting to make some nachos.

Initial rough sketches 

Final sketch

Color study

Color study

Final

For our next assignment I chose to illustrate January with dinosaurs!

Initial rough sketches

Final sketch

Final color

For the next assignment our focus was on character.  I chose a Hawaiian sea turtle named Kauila. 

Character sketches

Initial rough sketch

First attempt

Final

Our next set of assignments is to work on a book dummy!  I already have my idea set in place and cannot wait to get started.  I'll be posting my progress here so check back soon!

Tropical Fusion Blog Hop Featuring my Samba Time! Collection

Welcome! You are probably visiting me from Pattern Jots by Maike Thoma. We are both participating in the 2014 Tropical Fusion Blog Hop.

For those of you who are new here, the 2014 Tropical Fusion Blog Hop is a collection of surface and pattern designers who have all completed a specific prompt.  Our assignment was to create a pattern inspired by the theme "tropical fusion" (Brazilian theme) and use the 2014 Pantone color of the year, Radiant Orchid.  Each participant showcases their design on their blog and links it from the previous person to the next person, so it's one big loop.

My design is inspired by the musicians during Rio's Carnival celebration.  I wanted to use native animals to Brazil and add some other Brazilian elements to the pattern as well.

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure you visit Nina May Design's blog next! If you have only just found our blog hop head on over to Groovity's blog where you can start from the beginning.

Valentines!

I recently launched my valentines card collection in my Etsy store.  I wanted to pick themes that would be fun and put a smile on the recipient's face.

Here are my collections: Dinosaur, Woodland, and Dogs!  Which card is your favorite?

Feature on LCI Paper's Design Blog

LCI Paper recently featured an interview with me on their design blog.   I use LCI Paper's 100% recycled card stock for the greeting cards I create for my Etsy shop.  I am very honored to be featured on their site and love the wonderful photos they took of my cards.  Read the article to hear about my inspirations, paper choice, and more!

The article can be read here.  Also you should check out LCI's wonderful papers and envelopes.
Thank you LCI paper!