Photo courtesy of Priscilla Burris -

Session # 20 – Part AYour Place in the Marketplace

Shown above: the portfolios of children's book illustrators and aspiring illustrators on display at the the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Winter Conference in 2009.

They're to be looked through –- judged -– by SCBWI peers and art directors, editors, agents and art reps who may be there at the conference. There may be some snazzy computer generated images inside those portfolios. The ritual isn't too different than it must have been for painters in the 18th century Paris Salon.

Artists are putting out their wares to be enjoyed, yes but also to be evaluated against competitors.

We've reached the marketing session – perhaps the most psychologically difficult of the course.

SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles 2009 – Combing the portfolio tables, Photo courtesy Priscilla Burris, author-illustrator, SCBWI National Illustrator Coordinator

The subject is big and cuts deep, because it deals with rejection – and not just for artists and illustrators but anyone in business.

So we're going to ingest it in small bites to keep it underwhelming.

We'll talk about a lot of things before we're done:

• picture book dummies• proposals and samples• publishers' catalogs• library and other conferences, networking• copyright issues • agents and art reps • market directories and artist directories• psychology

In this Part A, we'll start with the web presences of established illustrators.

It's a way to cover the visual waterfront --Faster and more precise than looking at publishers' catalogs, or flipping through hundreds or thousands of books (which of course you'll want to do when you can.)

The web can be a shortcut to children's illustration literacy.And you want that. Seven or eight years ago booksellers, librarians reviewers and a few others in the book biz and maybe certain teachers had this literacy.

Now, we can all have it. We can look up illustrators and authors and find more than a card catalog entry or a listing in a directory, like Something About the Illustrator on the the library reference desk.

The web is not a substitute for immersion in a book – not yet. But thanks to it, we can see examples of an illustrator's art and style and craftsmanship. We can be inspired – and see who we're up against and who are illustrator colleaguesare.

Aspiring illustrators put up their work on sites so potential clients and collectors can find them.

Established children's illustrators do it, too --- but also and maybe mainly to keep up the connection with their readers. In that way their blogs are like an extension of their publishers.

“The Early Years...” part of Dav Pilkey's website. http://www.pilkey.com/meet-dav.php And it's just Part One.

And so let's look at some of the illustrators on the web.Some of the great ones – Maurice Sendak, Uri Shulevitz, Dennis Nolan, Peter Spier, James Stevenson, Ed Young and Allen Say don't have their own websites or blogs – though they generally have a presence somewhere on their publishers' websites.

But many famous illustrators do tend their own sites and blogs and seem to get a kick out of it. Some go all out with sound, flash animation and video on their pages.

What follows are links to the cyber-homes of some of the best illustrators working in children's books today.

Your homefun is to visit as many of these as you can. You'll see some of your old favorites and maybe you'll discover some new possible favorites. You'll be on the lookout, then for some of their books. And you might even meet one of them at a signing one day, because, well, life is like that so often.

So take your time on this surfing safari. Let me drive the jeep this first time. Don't be dismayed/discouraged by what you see. Just enjoy the fun and brilliance these illustrators contribute to our society, our classroms, libraries and homes.

Hit the control key and the plus key at the same time on your keyboard to enlarge the screen so you can see the images and book covers close-up and read the text more easily. To reduce the image back, hit the control and minus key at the same time – until the screen is back to normal.

No, I don't have every good illustrator here or even all my favorites.

There are a lot of the contemporary award winners here. Of course for every fine illustrator who has won an award or recognition there are thousands who haven't. But the awards give us a chance to see who the head-turners have been.

When you look at the sites of these illustrators and author-illustrators, don't just study their art and book covers.

See how they present themselves.

What do they include or leave out? How do they say things?

Do they invite you to follow their blogs or tweets, or “like” them on Facebook?

OK, buckle your seat belts. Do jungle jeeps even have seat belts? Well ,at least put your pith helmet on.And get out and visit the sites when we stop.

http://www.chrisvanallsburg.com/flash.htmlChris Van AllsburgHe majored in sculpture in another life

http://kristenbalouch.com/Kristen BalouchSensational artist/designer whose digital art looks like papercutout cartoons.Delicious website.

http://www.mollybang.com/main.htmlMolly BangPicture This:How Pictures Work

http://www.hollyberrydesign.com/Holly BerryPrintmaker

http://bhberger.com/Barbara Helen BergerAnimalia, Grandfather Twilight

http://www.hollyberrydesign.com/Holly BerryPrintmakerhttp://www.cherylharness.com/http://www.cherylharness.com/biography.htm

http://www.quentinblake.com/Quentin BlakeA tradition still going strong.

http://burrisdraw.blogspot.com/Priscilla BurrisSupremely talented, exquisite children and adult characters, faces, expressions. Uncanny how she does children.

http://jean-cassels.com/Jean CasselsAnimals abounding

http://chodos-irvine.com/index.cfmMargaret Chodos-Irvine Color her site gorgeous

http://www.gas-art.com/biography.htmlR. Gregory ChristieHip grownup design for children

http://www.wilclay.com/Wil ClayIllustrator as back porch raconteur

http://www.bryancollier.com/Bryan Collier

http://www.patcummings.com/http://patcummings.com/menu.htmlPat Cummings, author-illustrator has received the Coretta Scott King, the Orbis Pictus and the Boston Globe-Horn Book awards. Her Talking With Artists book series features entertaining – sometimes hilarious – interviews with prominent children's book illustrators.

http://www.dayhere.com/http://www.dayhere.com/books.htmlLarry DayCoolest ever American history illustrations.

http://www.diterlizzi.com/Tony DiTerlizzi Spiderwick Chronicle covers and more

http://www.oliviathepiglet.com/Ian Falconer The man behind Simon and Schuster's favorite pig

http://lisafalkenstern.com/Lisa Falkensternyummy book covers, yummy site

http://www.brianfloca.com/Brian FlocaMoonshot, LightshipTwo-time ALA Sibert Honor author-illustrator

http://www.marlafrazee.com/Marla FrazeeMasterful children's illustration. Lucky Charms on her website..

http://www.mordicaigerstein.com/Mordicai GersteinCaledcott winner – The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

http://www.pondergoembel.com/Ponder Goembel

http://www.larrygonick.com/Larry GonickThe Cartoon Guide to Statistics

http://emilygravett.com/Emily GravettEnglish picture book superstarHer breakout book Wolves was a college art class project.

She's won two Kate Greenaway Medals (England's equivalent to the Caldecott Medal, because librarians award it each yeat to the children's book with the most distinguished illustrations. She's also won the Macmillan Prize for Illustration and the Nestle children's book prize.

http://www.dianedegroat.com/Diane de GroatAdorable charming animal and children characters.What kind of animal is her series character Gilbert? Why, he's child possum, of course!

http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/James Gurney – A superbly instructive blog for illustrators, artists and animators. Gurney is a giant of exquisite fantasy illustration.

http://www.cherylharness.com/http://www.cherylharness.com/biography.htmCheryl HarnessHer freelance designing for greeting cards and Kleenex boxes turned to illustrating her own nonfiction stories of American history

http://www.kevinhawkes.com/home.htmKevin HawkesSets a high standard for humor and craft in picture book illustration. Read a PDF bio of him herehttp://www.kevinhawkes.com/Docs/kevinbio.pdf

http://www.erickingraham.com/Erick Ingraham

http://www.kathrynjacobi.com/main.htmlKathy Jacobifine-artist

http://www.susanjeffers-art.com/Susan JeffersVery cool horses and children in a frosty though gentle style

http://www.stevejenkinsbooks.com/makingbooks.htmlSteve Jenkinsscience and animals

http://www.williamjoyce.com/William Joyce

http://www.bethkrommes.com/Beth Krommes2009 Caledcott Medal artistFine arts Wood engraver turned scratchboard children's book illustrator turned Caldecott Medal winner (2009)

http://www.scbwi-illinois.org/Lerner.htmlCarol Lerner

http://www.betsylewin.com/Betsy LewinFree wheeling critters like blue footed boobies and yes, cows.

http://www.tedlewin.com/Ted Lewin, photorealistic watercolor excellenceI was a Teenage Professional Wrestler

http://www.eblewis.com/illustration/eblewis.htmlE.B. LewisOne of the finest watercolor artists working today

Tom Lichtenheldhttp://www.tomlichtenheld.com/childrens_books/index.htmlMade the best seller lists with an anthropomorphised shark and an anthropomorphised train in the picture book Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton

http://www.lorenlong.com/Loren LongEdward Hopper meets Grant Wood meets Thomas Hart Benton. The result is beautiful illustration.

http://www.davidmacaulay.com/David MacaulayCaldecott Medal, MacArthur “genius grant” recipient

http://www.petermccarty.net/Peter McCartyMellow monochrome

http://www.susemacdonald.com/Suse MacDonaldCaldecott honor illustrator

http://www.lmkbooks.com/Laura McGee Kvasnosky

http://laurenmillsart.com/Lauren MillsFine artist/sculptor/children's book illustrator

http://www.claremelinsky.co.uk/Clare MelinskyScottish artist who illustrates Shakespeare, Harry Potter and gardening tips in breathtakingly beautiful lino-cuts

http://www.yuyimorales.com/http://yuyimorales.blogspot.com/Yuyi MoralesA Mexican folklore spellbinder.

http://www.kadirnelson.com/Kadir NelsonPainter, illustrator, conceptual artist extraordinaire

http://www.tomie.com/http://www.tomie.com/main.htmlTomie dePaolo

http://www.johnparraart.com/John Parra2010 Golden Kite medal for picture book illustration for this book by Pat Mora.

http://www.pilkey.com/Dav PilkeyHe turned an ordinary elementary school principal into Captain Underpants and invented the dazzling interactive book feature Flip o'Rama!

http://www.brianpinkney.net/Brian Pinkney

http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/frameset.htmlJerry Pinkney – Caldecott Medal 2010

http://www.patriciapolacco.com/Patricia PolaccoA powerful a writer as well as an illustrator.

http://www.beckieprange.com/Becky Prange

http://classicillustrations.blogspot.com/Alice and Marin ProvensenIllustration inspired by ancient classical art

http://www.peggyrathmann.com/peggyrathmann.htmlPeggy RathmanOfficer Buckle (and his dog Gloria) lecture the children on safety...

Are you wearing your helmet?

http://www.robertsabuda.com/Robert SabudaDubbed “the Prince of Pop-up”

http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/index.htmBrian SelznickCaledcott Medal winner with a graphite graphic novel style influenced by the old silent movies.

http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/shannonVideo interview with David Shannon

http://www.jottodotcom.com/J. Otto SieboldSiebold is the computer artist behind Olive, the other reindeer. Olive is actually a dog .To see some of Siebold's intriguing little home videosClick the “News “link on his site.

http://www.jottodotcom.com/pages/OLmain.html

http://www.petersis.com/content/about.htmlPeter SisHe emerged from behind the Iron Curtain, back in the days when it was there.

http://www.lanesmithbooks.com/bio.htmLane SmithProvided all the aptly queasy imagery for Math Curseby Jon Scieszka – and while we're looking at websites, check out Scieszka's http://www.jsworldwide.com/

http://akisogabe.samsbiz.com/Aki SogabeTraditional Japanese paper cutting known as kirei, using origami paper and 19th century woodblock themes

http://www.dianestanley.com/Diane StanleyMasterful picture book biographies of mighty subjects like Shakespeare, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Joan of Arc, Peter the Great, most recently - MozartShe paints in gouache, except the Mozart bio, which is in egg tempera.

http://www.catherinestock.com/http://www.catherinestock.com/portraits/Catherine StockTeaches children's book workshops in France and takes commissions for children's portraits when she's not illustrating books in lovely watercolor. She mentions these sidelines on her illustration site.

http://www.laurenstringer.com/Lauren_Stringer/Home.htmlLauren StringerRead here about her experience painting sets and props for Circus Juventas

http://www.marysullivan.com/Mary SullivanShe has a weakness for pink polka dots

http://www.melissasweet.net/index2.phpMelissa Sweetexquisite site of an exquisite illustrator

http://www.dontate.com/http://devast.blogspot.com/Don Tate

Self taught professional in traditional and digital painting – and a popular long-time kid-lit, kid-art blogger.

http://richardjessewatson.blogspot.com/http://richardjessewatson.com/Richard Jesse Watson,Old School illustration, still fresh and kid-friendly

http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/wiesner/home.htmlDavid WiesnerWe've talked about him before. Watch out for frogs on lily pads

http://www.mowillems.com/http://mowillemsdoodles.blogspot.com/Mo WillemsA website right up there with Dav Pilkey's!

www.audreywood.com/mac_site/clubhouse/clubhouse_page/clubhouse.htmhttp://www.audreywood.com/mac_site/into_the_volcano/into_the_volcano_menu.htmlDon and Audrey Wood

http://www.hyewonyum.com/Hyewon YumYou'll think you've gone to linoleum block print heaven.

http://www.paulozelinsky.com/Paul O ZelinksyTurned that old song “the wheels on the bus go round and round” into a best-selling picture book.

Here's an animation with the song sung by the Bacon Brothers:http://www.paulozelinsky.com/wheelsQT.html

Homefun exercise #2

Look for some of the funny, awesome books illustrated by these artists. Let their inventiveness rub off on you and it will.

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