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. 

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.

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.

Little Red Riding Hood

I wasn't a finalist this year, but this is my entry for the Tomie dePaola SCBWI contest. The prompt was to illustrate a scene from Little Red Riding Hood. I used acrylic paint, collage, and Photoshop. There were over 400 entries and so much talent. You can see the entries and the winners here: http://scbwicontest.blogspot.com/

Hey Diddle Diddle

This is my entry for the children's book illustration contest at http://susannahill.blogspot.com.

The theme is "Discovery." Entries are judged on whether the art evokes a sense of story, is readable to a young audience, and on character development, originality, and skill. I created this illustration with papers, fabric, paint, and Photoshop.

Tomie dePaola Contest Entry

I'm so excited to be selected as one of the finalist of the Tomie dePaola SCBWI illustrator contest. 

The prompt was to tell a story in 4-6 panels with no words.  I had already been playing around with this idea while working on a picture book with a sheep wearing a sweater.  I had a couple of people express concern that a sheep would wear wool (one of it's own kind!) So with this story, I wanted to illustrate that sheep are not harmed (just maybe a little embarrassed) in the process of getting their wool.  *No sheep were harmed in the process of making this story!

After getting Tomie's feedback on this piece after the contest, I made a few changes with the color and the girl's nose.  We will receive our next prompt in the near future.

The final winner gets a trip to the SCBWI Conference in NYC and lunch with Tomie dePaola!  Whether I win or not, this has been a great learning process.  Anytime you work on something (whether it's successful or not) and stretch yourself to try new techniques, your skills improve and you have that knowledge to take to your next project.  I also have two fantastic SCBWI critique groups who aren't afraid to "tell me like it is," and make me push myself a little more.

You can see the finalists here: http://www.scbwi.org/2014-tomie-depaola-semi-finalists/

My Creative Process

I'm an artist/writer living in The Woodlands, TX with my husband and two dogs and two cats. My two children are grown and I recently stopped teaching to focus on my writing and art full time. This is a dream job, and even though I spend long hours creating, it never feels like work.

My Creative Process

"Creativity takes courage."-Henri Matisse

 

What am I working on?

I am presently working on illustrations for “Hound Dawg!”, a children's book written by Patricia Vermillion to by published by TCU Press. I'm also working on some mixed media pieces for a commission for a neighborhood bank as well as two picture book dummies of my own.

How does my work differ from other genres?

Illustrating and writing seem to go hand-in-hand for me. I like for my illustrations to tell a story and when I write a story it often begins with a series of pictures. I'm a big fan of Melissa Sweet and Susan Roth because of their use of collage and unconventional materials used in their artwork. When it comes to composition and color, I'm inspired by John Singer Sargent, Charles Russell, and Frederic Remington. When I need an idea for the gesture or expression of a character, I can always count on Norman Rockwell.

Why do I write (create) what I do?

I like to write and create art that children and adults can appreciate. I also like to use a sense of humor in everything I produce. I want my love for art and life to show through everything I create. Mainly, I create because I'm too cranky if I don't. It makes me happy.

How does my writing (creating) process work?

I don't work in the traditional way that most artists probably do. I like using a variety of materials in my artwork. I never met a piece of paper I didn't like. I often use newspapers, paper sacks, pages from phone books (yes, they do serve a purpose!), tissue paper, greeting cards, and catalogs. Sometimes I use other nontraditional materials such as fabric, yarn, salt, buttons, game pieces, and other discarded tidbits around the house or in the garage. My studio is a little bit of a mess at times with paints, papers, inks, charcoal, etc. Thankfully, my studio is a little room off of the garage that no one else has to see. My house is very neat and minimalist, but you would never know that from looking at my studio space. “A true Gemini” my mother likes to say.

When I am working on a piece of art, sketching out ideas, or working on a story, I need a large block of uninterrupted time to play and experiment. It's very important that my inner critic is shut out at this time so I can create without fear of failure. Once I'm ready, I have two critique groups and family members who are always ready to give truthful criticism. I also attend life drawing groups for practice with my drawing skills. There's one thing about an artist (and I guess everything else in this world): there's always more to learn.

My art studio.

  Work-in-progress: 

I start with a sketch, but will play around with the composition by adding

and taking away pieces and rearranging before gluing anything down.