Art Break Wednesday: Uri Shulevitz’s WRITING WITH PICTURES

images WRITING WITH PICTURES cover

If I had to clear out my shelves and give up all but one book about illustrating children’s books, I’d keep Uri Shulevitz’s classic, WRITING WITH PICTURES – How to Write and Illustrate Children’s Books (Watson-Guptill Publications).  I have the bona fide 1985 version, which includes chapters on color separation – a process unknown to young illustrators today, I’m sure!

I revisited this wonderful volume this past week because I had to list a favorite quote for a blog interview appearing today at Check It Out.  I snuck in two quotes – one on haiku writing and one for art, the Uri Shulevitz quote I have literally written on my wall above my drawing table:

Give up the idea of the perfect flawless picture, and aim for one that is alive instead.

The book contains hundreds of examples of illustration that is alive, mostly Shulevitz’s own work but also work by other artists, including many classics.  Shulevitz won the Caldecott medal in 1969 for Arthur Ransome’s retelling of THE FOOL AND HIS FLYING SHIP and a Caldecott honor in 1980 for THE TREASURE.  Born in 1935 in Warsaw, the young Shulevitz and his family fled from Poland during World War II.  He lived in France and Israel before settling in New York to work and teach.

WRITING WITH PICTURES delves into what makes a story with a complete action as well as the finer points of drawing technique, style, and composition.  It includes the best examples I know about creating a storyboard and dummy.  For a taste, here is an excerpt from the book as tutorial on the site, Mighty Art Demos, which says the tutorial is reproduced with permission from the publisher.   While this is a pretty thorough excerpt, I’d still encourage anyone to purchase the book, chock-full of clear explanations and insights about the process from beginning to end.  Here are a few more quotes, to give you an idea:

A picture book is closer to theater and film, silent films in particular, than to other kinds of books.  It is a unique type of book.  (p. 16)

For a story to succeed, the reader must be engrossed in each successive moment of the story and must care about what happens next, or at least be curious enough to want to know. (p. 41)

Outstanding illustrations are effective on at least two levels.  First, they tell us the story, portraying the subject matter accurately; and second, the abstract pattern of the picture is alive in its own right, with an underlying geometric structure that gives character and strength to the forms. (p. 129)

Great stuff, no?  I have other books on illustration that I treasure, but this one captured me early on and still rings true.  Do you have any favorites?

Art Break Wednesday: Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s “Drawing Into Poems” project

 

Hope you are enjoying a Happy Poetry Month!

Today I have a special treat.  Children’s poet and author, sought-after writing teacher, and Poem Farm blog creator Amy Ludwig VanDerwater has embarked on a wonderful project this month that she graciously agreed to let me share here.

Amy LV

Amy LV

Each day in April, Amy has been “Drawing Into Poems” – her daily “drawing/seeing/writing study into poetry.”

“I chose this project because I have always wanted to learn to see better, to understand through seeing, to develop my own sensitivity,” she says in the introductory post here. Logo Amy LV

(Don’t miss the great books she’s listed as resources on that page.  I smiled at a couple of old favorites, THE ZEN OF SEEING by Frederick Franck  and DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN by Betty Edwards.  Others I’m putting on my to-read list.)

 

Here’s a taste of her project.

On April 4th, Amy shared this drawing of a bowl:

Bowl Good 2 Amy LV

On April 5th, she shared a poem inspired by that drawing exercise:

Cupped Hands 3

Don’t you love all those associations?  And such lovely imagery?

a dream / of old coyotes / a dream / of sun-warm deer” makes me swoon.

Another favorite of mine from this project is her cemetery sketch from this past Monday (April 15):

Cemetery Amy LV

I  LOVE the lively composition here – so much life for such a “grave” subject, no?  And what wonderful reflections, such as the winding thought penned above the arched tombstone, “Always… These tombstones remind me… not to worry…

I’m enjoying Amy’s reflections in her blog posts, too.  Here’s an excerpt from this same day:

What places make you feel grateful and reflective?  It is important for all of us to find places where we can find our quiet selves and just think. Cemeteries slow me down and help me remember what matters most to me.  I wish that I could talk with all of the people buried here, learn from them, hear their lessons.”

My mother instilled in me a love of walking through cemeteries, too – sketching, pondering.  Amy’s drawings and words help us appreciate such contemplative moments and places.

At just past the mid-way point of this project, I asked Amy what she’s learned so far.

“Halfway through my month of Drawing into Poems, I see that drawing and writing are even more alike than I had imagined,” she says. “There’s that initial flash of love, followed by circling around and around, trying to make clear outside what you see and deeply feel inside.  I’m studying shadows now, and roof lines, noticing the silhouette of a milk carton and the way our mother cat’s tail curls around her smallest kitten.  I am seeing more because I am looking differently; drawing has opened up another window for me.  I plan to keep drawing in my notebooks even after April is over so as not to lose these new eyes.”

Amy’s poetry appears in many publications and acclaimed anthologies.  Her first collection for children was released this spring by Clarion Books – FOREST HAS A SONG, illustrated by Robbin Gourley.  Led by a girl in spunky red boots, readers FOREST COVERexplore the woods in 26 poems.  From “Song”:

Under giant pines / I hear / a forest chorus / crisp and clear.

Singing its praises are the most respected names in the field of children’s poetry as well as teachers in the trenches.  You might also be interested in seeing the art for this book develop – Amy includes a page on her website which chronicles Robbin Gourley’s beautiful illustrations as they progressed.

Now, I know you want to click over to Amy’s blog and check out all the art and reflections thus far this month.  And aren’t you thankful we still have a couple more weeks to go in April? :0)

Gracious thanks to Amy for visiting today and sharing her inspiring work!

Art Break Wednesday – Hyewon Yum

with Hyewon Yum and Ladybug 2013 kaigler crop

Robyn with Hyewon Yum at the 2013 Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival

Waving howdy from the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival in Hattiesburg, MS!

I’m on a poetry panel here with Irene Latham and April Halprin Wayland, as we present a workshop called “Take 5 – Create Fun with the Poetry Friday Anthology.” (I mentioned on my author blog here.)

Also on my author blog a few months ago, I featured an illustration from Hyewon Yum.  I was thrilled because she illustrated a poem of mine in the Nov./Dec. 2012 issue of Ladybug.  (Here’s my post about all that.) Yum is an acclaimed author/illustrator of many books including: MOM, IT’S MY FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN (2012), THE TWINS’ BLANKET (2011), THERE ARE NO SCARY WOLVES (2010), and LAST NIGHT (2008) all from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. More books are soon to hit the shelves, which she either illustrated or wrote and illustrated.

I was extra-thrilled to discover last month that she won the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award, presented at this festival!  Here’s her blog post about that.

She kindly permitted me to post her artwork for my poem in December, so I’d like to share it here with you to day as I’m wishing her hearty congratulations on her new award.

fox-final and LADYBUG collage

This is a linoleum cut print, and, being a print fanatic, I just love it.

Many thanks to Hyewon for sharing her artwork, and to The LADYBUG/Carus folks for granting permission to share my poem online.

GRAY FOX

by Robyn Hood Black

At the edge of winter,
at the edge of the wood,
at the edge of the brush,
a gray fox stood.

I took a small step,
I took a breath in –
then nothing was there
where the gray fox had been.

© 2012 by Carus Publishing

If you’re an educator, click here for a link to the LADYBUG Teacher’s Guide for this issue.

The future of children’s book illustration looks to be in good hands!

Art Break Wednesday: Registration is Open for SCBWI Southern Breeze Illustrators Day!

 

Interested in Children’s Book Illustration?  Whether you are just starting out or you are a seasoned pro, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Southern Breeze Region is hopping with talent, resources, and folks to get to know.  Led by Illustrator Coordinator Elizabeth Dulemba, with assistance from Kathleen Bradshaw, the region offers ways to develop your craft and network with industry professionals throughout the year.  (Click here for the Southern Breeze Illustrators Corner.)

One of the most ambitious events is always Illustrators’ Day, jam-packed with talks from leaders in the field as well as feedback on artwork.

Robyn Hood Black, Jo Kittinger, special guest Greg Christie, Elizabeth Dulemba, special guest Peter Brown, and Kristen Applebee enjoy the SCBWI Southern Breeze 2012 Illustrators’ Day in Atlanta.

Held previously in September, the event is moving to the Friday just before the Southern Breeze Springmingle conference in Atlanta, the last weekend in February.

(Note:  I will actually be in the building but involved in the other Friday option that day – a verse novels intensive with Nikki Grimes!  But I look forward to meeting some of our Illustrators’ Day guests and taking a look at portfolios, etc.)

Here’s the scoop on the 2013 Illustrators’ Day:

Friday, February 22nd, from 10:00am to 4:00pm at the Century Center Marriott (the same location as Springmingle).

Cost: $65 per person for SCBWI members, $70 for SCAD or AIA students, and $85 for non-members. Audit options will be available to regristrants after the first 30 slots are filled.

Organizers are looking forward to the new date and digs.

“We hope that with this new change, our illustrators will want to stick around to enjoy the advantages of the entire conference weekend, although it’s not required,” says Elizabeth Dulemba. “We will also be overlapping some of our speakers.”

Binders Art Supply will host a Portfolio Viewing Cocktail Party from 4:00pm to 6:00pm for local Art Directors, gallery owners, instructors, etc. to drop by and view attendees’ work. (In other words, you’ll want to stay later, says Elizabeth! Please include take-aways with your portfolio – business cards, postcards, bookmarks, tear sheets, etc.)

“We will also have a display table just for book dummies along with the portfolios,” adds Elizabeth.  “We’re offering amazing new opportunities for our illustrators to learn more about the business of children’s books and perhaps get some good leads for freelance work.”

The  incredible line-up of speakers and mentors includes  Chad Beckerman, Creative Director for Abrams (Abrams Appleseed, Abrams Books for Young Readers, and Amulet Books) Dianne Hess, Executive Editor at Scholastic and Blue Sky Press,and Will Terry, illustrator and innovator.

Illustrator Mark Braught will mentor the first 12 registrees (first-come, first-served) with an assigned project before the workshop. The goal:  to create a finished piece ready to show on Illustrators’ Day during the Portfolio Reviews.

Portfolio Reviews: The first 30 registrees will display their work and receive feedback from this illustrious faculty in a public overview manner (timed – no more than 2 minutes).   (Attendees should follow the Portfolio Guidelines on the Southern Breeze site.)

NEW! Dummy Display: This year a designated table in the portfolio viewing area will be dedicated to the display of picture book dummies.

Registration is now open!
For more information, for links to all these great speakers, and to sign up, click here.
For questions, contact  Elizabeth O. Dulemba: http://dulemba.com elizabeth at dulemba dot com.