Monday, November 12, 2018

Taking the Leap

Taking the Leap

Illustration from Big and Little, A Story of Opposites






I am so excited that my debut author/illustrator picture book, Big and Little, A Story of Opposites, is due out April 2019 with Holiday House. https://www.amazon.com/Big-Little-Opposites-Cheryl-Pilgrim/dp/0823440214

My road to publication has not been an easy one. I actually spent three years on this story from the time of conception until I turned in all the artwork last spring. This story went through many changes and rewrites. And it only has 28 words in the whole book! 

To make matters worse, l didn’t get serious about children’s book writing and publishing until I was nearing the age of 50.

When I first started this quest, my first question was, how can I get published? That is the end goal, right? What good is all these drawings and stories if they stay in my file cabinet where no one can see or read them.

But, there were other questions I should have been asking first: 

Do I have what it takes?

What does it take? It takes stamina, long hours of work, and the ability to accept criticism and rejection. (I’m still working on the last one). 

It’s important to have a stubborn ignorance about publishing. I remember the first time I heard the statistics for how many people actually get their children’s book published. I was deflated. But fortunately for me, I felt I was already too far into it to quit.  So don’t listen too much to the naysayers and the doom and gloomers. Stay ignorant. If it’s something you’re passionate about then be aware it will be a difficult road, but don’t let it stop your pursuit.

Am I open to ideas?

When I first started, I had no idea how to write a good picture book. I attended conferences, webinars, critique groups, and read books about the subject.  SCBWI, Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators. https://www.scbwi.org/ is a huge resource and a great place to connect with others in the business. 

You need  to be willing to take your story and try it in different ways. Let others read it. Be open to critiques. Listen to others’ opinions and even thought it gets a little overwhelming and confusing at times, it doesn’t hurt to apply some of those ideas.

It helps to have mentors. I have weekly skype classes with illustrator,  E. B. Lewis.  http://eblewis.com/visual-mentor-learn-from-eb-lewis/
I’ve also had classes with SVS Learn: https://www.svslearn.com/ and The Illustration Dept:  https://illustrationdept.com/. These are just a few resources. There are many more classes, webinars and critique groups to help you learn about the business of writing and illustrating.

If a story isn’t working, set it aside and start a new one. I feel like I spent way too much trying to get my first story polished and ready for submission. When actually, the story was flawed from the beginning. Even though my first picture book wasn’t successful, all that work prepared me for my future stories. 

Can I deal with the lows?

I find this business is a roller coaster ride. One day I feel like I’m on my way to brilliance and the next day I realize I was delusional and need to start over. Maybe it’s just me, but I often fight the doldrums in the middle of a project. I get in “slumps.” This is when you need to be careful you don’t talk yourself out of creating your stories. So when you’re in a slump, what should you do? 

Tell others in the business. Frankly, I don’t think anyone outside of this crazy business will completely understand the ebbs and lows, so find other writers, illustrators, and creatives to commiserate with. Most likely they have all been through it many times as well.

Start a new project. Find something new to work on that will give you a new spark or energy. Then you can come back to the old project with new eyes. 

Get out and do new things. Go to museums, shows, libraries, book stores and especially get outside for some exercise. All of these will help your brain get turned on again with fresh, new ideas.

I hope this has helped inspire you to create your own stories. Feel free to connect with me with comments or questions! You can see my artwork at www.cherylpilgrim.com and on Instagram @cherylpilgrim. 


Friday, August 24, 2018

Mess Ups and Self-Doubt

Yesterday, my junior-high art class worked on preliminary practice drawings in their sketchbooks before starting on their final project using weighted line and pattern. I noticed one student kept working in her sketchbook, but wouldn’t move on to the final project.

“I’m afraid I’ll mess up,” she explained.

I thinks she was a little shocked when I replied, “You will mess up.”

So I explained that everyone in the class, including me, will mess up. I make mistakes every day in my art (along with a few other areas of my life). These projects are made by the human hand, not a machine. There will be imperfections. We can fix many of them, but the mess ups are there for us to learn something. If we aren’t making mistakes, we’re not pushing ourselves and we’re not learning anything new. So let’s go ahead and make our mistakes and get them out of the way. 

“If you’re not “messing up”, you’re not trying hard enough.”

That doesn’t mean we rush through without considering design and craftsmanship. We should always try our best. But, no matter how hard we try to make that next brilliant thing, many times it will fail. If we fail enough, we will improve.

I write this because I am in the middle of struggles in my own art. The final piece never quite works out the way I had hoped. Occasionally, I’m satisfied with something enough to post it on Instagram. But of course no one sees the failed sketches and paintings in the trash. I look back at my art and cringe as I see all the mistakes. But for some reason, I love the process of making art. It’s therapeutic, expressive, and yes, sometimes painful. 

It's scary to put out art out there -- to expose ourselves and open our work to criticism. Everyone can see the flaws and imperfections. But if we don't ever complete something and occasionally share it, what's the purpose? 

I'm glad to say my student finally worked through her doubts and fears and started on her project.

Here’s hoping the rest of us can do the same.


A stack of  my drawings you'll never see on Instagram.

Sunday, March 4, 2018

What I've Learned from E.B. Lewis


About a year ago, I signed up for an online mentorship with E.B. Lewis. (http://eblewis.com/visual-mentor-learn-from-eb-lewis/)   He's illustrated over 75 children's books including a Caldecott Honor book and 5 Coretta Scott King winners and has paintings in galleries throughout the U.S., France, and Luxembourg.  

I had been struggling with my artwork and feeling stuck so I decided to take the plunge and sign up for his weekly 30-minute skype classes. 30 minutes might not sound very long, but he can pack a punch in that amount of time. He doesn't mince words and tells you exactly what you need to know even if sometimes you’re not sure you want to hear it. But since I'm a late bloomer in this industry, I don’t have time for glossing over, I need the facts. And that’s what he gave me.

In a nutshell, here are some of the main points:

     More storytelling- act like a director of a movie and move around in the scene. Give different perspectives and angles.

     More emotion, narrative, and anticipation. The illustration should make the viewer feel something and wonder what’s about to happen next.

    Find references for everything. Not only photo references, but also look at how other artists approach the same lighting, color, poses, etc. (He often refers to Sargent, Rockwell, and Zorn to study.)

    Push my values and lighting more.

    Vary texture, color, and value to create a feeling of space on the page.

    Stay consistent.  In a picture book, everything has to be consistent from one page to the next.

I’m still struggling with these things and need to improve on them, but what a difference a year has made. There’s also something about having a homework assignment each week that helps me stay focused and makes me complete my work.

And during all this, my agent, Essie White with Storm Literary, sold my debut author/illustrator picture book, Big and Little to Holiday House (Due out 2019). I was also a finalist in the SCBWI Bologna Illustrators’ Gallery.
SCBWI BIG Finalist 2018

E.B. has helped me grow by leaps and bounds this year, and I plan on continuing with the mentorship. I still have much more to learn.

Below are some examples of the process.

Each time I attempted this painting, I pushed the color, values, and composition.
Sometimes subtle changes can make such a difference. E.B. showed me the painting by Dan Mieduch (center), and it helped me understand the effects of moonlight better. I cooled down the colors affected by the moonlight and added highlights and shadows. I brightened the lamp light and warmed up objects affected by it.