Bits & Bobs

BITS:

This weekend was a little "BIT" of fun... the Stumptown Comics Fest was going on! Here's Herm blending in:

The Stumptown fest did not reach NEARLY the levels of crowds or general zaniness of the New York Comic Con- but you know what? That's alright by me, because there was more of a focus on the creators here, a sort of DIY celebration. Less about the big corporations and more about the artists. Of course, there were also some big names attending, like Jeff Smith (creater of BONE) and Craig Thompson. And that wasn't the only thing "big" going on at Stumptown...

Take a look at that library card! The library posted a flickr set of people posing with the giant card. We told them they should have had one of those giant read-aloud books to pretend check-out. (*side note- please forgive the 100% fleece outfit. I ran a 10k race beforehand, ok?!)

I'm the Incredible Growing Woman! First I'm dwarfed by a library card, now I'm stomping on trees!

But seriously folks, a giant library card is just what I need. My wallet is currently, and always is, so stuffed to the brim that it will not velcro shut anymore (velcro wallet= classy). Part of the reason why? I feel the need to carry with me, AT ALL TIMES, the library cards from every city I've lived in. (clockwise from top left: Pinellas County (Florida), Brooklyn, Sydney (Australia), Portland, and Montreal).

You know how James Bond keeps like a collection of passports and foreign currency so he can dash off to any country on a moment's notice? I'm like the James Bond of libraries- I'm ready to check out The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants in any country in the entire world* (* ok, the US, Canada, and Australia).

And finally, the BOBS section of this post:

I was "on location" yesterday and today, and here are the results from a) the park, and 2) the art museum. Again, real locations, imagined kids.

Inspiration and lots of sketches

Wow. It is a strange and wonderful experience to re-visit books I loved as a kid, but haven't seen in years and years. I had completely forgotten about these books, and inexplicably, the illustrations came flooding back to me while I was running through the park last week. Some frantic googling when I got home ("Japanese" "children's book illustrator" "highly detailed"- that was literally all I remembered about these books), plus one phone call to my mother, and the truth was revealed: Gyo Fujikawa.

How could I have forgotten? I pored over these books as a kid. I loved the details, and reading the story in the pictures. 

Those last two made a particular impression. I loved the kid sitting under the table, the girl sitting next to her kitten, looking at all the food on the table. The above illustration inspired me to pack my sketchbook & pencils, and go back to the park that afternoon:

Blatant rip-off, you say? No, in art it's called an "homage". (BTW, please excuse the crude reproductions of my sketches. The movers broke our scanner/slash/printer. AND our futon. But no bitterness).

The forest is real; all of the kids are imagined. I really enjoyed this excercise of drawing the setting first, and once I had the landscape in place, adding the kids. I hiked over to the playground this afternoon to repeat the process:

...and did the same thing in my kitchen. Yes, I actually set the table, like a sad pretend tea party for one.

...and just a random kid sketch. And I will only say this once, so that everyone doesn't hate me, but... It is SO NICE to not have a day job. In all sincerity, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to be able to, say, go to the playground in the middle of the day to draw. When I had a day job, I loved to come home and paint all evening, but it was... different. More focus on producing, I guess, and less time for rumination and letting my mind wander. This window of opportunity (no day job, no kids, etc etc) won't last forever, I know- so I am intent on utilizing (and loving) every minute of it.

Cleansing the palette

One of the "treats" I allowed myself in our move out west was throwing away my old paint palette. It was a tupperware lid, and I kept the container filled with an inch or so of water to keep the acrylics wet. It got pret-ty scary looking, to say the least. My new, real palette looked so pretty I just had to take a picture of it:

Which leads me to a question I often wonder about-- Which colors do you fellow illustrators lay down on your palette? For me, I work with white; 2 reds, a warm and a cool (cadmium light and alizarin); a warm and cool yellow (cadmium light and lemon); a warm and cool blue (cerulean and ultramarine); black; and Naples yellow, a very pale warm yellow, which I remember a RISD teacher telling us she often used in place of white, to keep the colors warmer. For this illustration, I also added burnt sienna and yellow ochre (on the right-hand side), which I usually keep to the under painting. But these colors got a little more play since I wanted to give the thank-you notes an old-timey feeling, like an old photograph:

From sketch:

... to finish!

(cropped more like this, though):

I like to draw

That may seem like a pretty obvious statement from an illustrator. But with all the shuffling around, moving and unpacking, it's been a long time since I've been able to really sit down and draw. But my studio is finally (mostly) set up! Behold: 

And what is this view out the window?! Just... Tree. I love it.

So I was finally able the other night to sit down at my old drawing table, and I actually felt giddy. Maybe it was a sugar rush from the vegan Whoopie Pie I just ate (yes, vegan- I do live in Portland now)- but I doubt it. I ALSO doubt it because... can vegans even eat sugar? Maybe it was a steevia rush.

Up first on my drawing board? Thank you notes! Yes, 2 months after the wedding- WWMT?* (*What Would Martha Think?). I think Ms. Stewart would appaud the DIY effort, though.

(to complement the invitations, of course):

I've also been sketching some kids around town, and I want to do some more kid illustrations:

Now with pic-a-tures!

Yay! Our stuff finally came out of storage! Meaning, I now have the download cord for the camera, and can now share the gems that have just been sitting there, like this one:

(Me eating my first Voodoo Donut, the Cap'n Crunch covered one. No, I haven't had the Maple Bacon one yet).

Or this one of Sharon, letting it all hang out. You'd think SHE was the one eating donuts.

But seriously, folks, let's cut the nonsense, because I have some REAL pictures to show you. I got my first copies of Bea Rocks the Flock today!!

With a real title page!

And a real dedication/copyright! Don't you love that eye-popping end paper? I love it!

And speaking of real, this made it really hit home. My first real REVIEW! From Kirkus! And I'm happy to say, it's really good! Thank you, Kirkus!

BEA ROCKS THE FLOCK

Tired of the repression inherent in the Rule of Sheepdom, "Sheep are not unique," Bea does as she likes. But she can only stand the flock's disapproval for so long before she decides to start a new life in the city. Although the city's distinctive inhabitants impress her at first, Bea has trouble finding a place that is just right for her, until she wins the "Most Unique" award at a dog show. Recognizing that the Rule of Sheepdom might be wrong, she enthusiastically returns to the flock to encourage them to pursue their own one-of-a-kind talents. Jamieson's message to "BEEEEEEEEEEEE yourself" is lightened by her riotously funny tongue-in-cheek acrylic illustrations. Bea's backpack contents will have readers chuckling, as will her attempts at fitting in in the Big Apple. A bright spring palette makes the white sheep pop off the pages...even more so when they decide to show their true colors. Paired with the recent Sylvie by Jennifer Sattler, this neatly addresses the issue of expressing yourself in the face of peer pressure. Who knew sheep had a wild side?"-Kirkus Reviews

Isn't that nice? I'm especially grateful for the "riotously funny" comment, so the next time someone tries to tell me one of my jokes isn't funny, I can just say, "Oh really? Because Kirkus Reviews finds me riotously funny. And what is your name, again?"

Yay!

Pretty nerdy of me, but I'm excited that Powell's & Amazon now have a jacket image of Bea online!

Also, my lovely editor recently informed me that Bea will be translated into the Chinese! Double-yay!

Aloha!

It's been quite a few weeks here at Victoria Jamieson Illustration! Not only did the entire East Coast branch (me, Herm, Sharon) up and relocate to Portland, Oregon, we also had a trip to Hawaii to get ready for! (cue sympathetic music).

Part romantic honeymoon:

...and part work!:

That's right- it exists: the legendary Honolulu chapter of SCBWI, and I was fortunate and honored (as I always am) to be invited to speak! Along with Greenwillow editor & friend Martha Mihalick (who also has a wonderful blog). This was an updated version of a talk I've given once before- updated because this time I was addressing both writers and illustrators, and I wanted to make sure it was relevant to both groups. I showed this beaut of a slide (below), as I kind of see this schematic as the cornerstone of making picture books. Kind of like the Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmatic of teaching, or the Location, Location, Location of real estate, or any other "first thing" you commit to memory in any chosen profession.

I can't tell you how many little rectangles I have scribbled in my sketchbooks. Ok, I can tell you- lots.

I also looked at a few models of picture book narratives, and applied them to some of my faves (in this case, of course, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!)

Another new addition to this talk- I talked a bit about my own process in creating Bea Rocks the Flock, and brought in all of my dummies- numbers 1 through... 6 or 7? And those were just the ones I could find! I kept all of the comments in there- from friends & co-workers in number 1, through comments from my editors in number 7. I left these on a table in the back for people to peruse throughout the day- hopefully it was helpful!

There's lots to report on the Portland front: I got my Portland library card! My cat Sharon is now a famous plus-sized model! Unfortunately, both my camera download cord & my scanner are packed away in a warehouse in Jersey somewhere, and it is almost impossible for me to imagine writing a blog post with no pictures! I will try to use some creative problem-solving to get around this.

Ok, ok, twist my arm: here's Sharon's headshot:

One week in Portland and she's already a star! Take that, Big Apple.

Bittersweet

As the title implies, this blog post is not of the one-note sort. Instead, it carries the musical variety and emotional range of a High School Musical showstopper. So, I'll divide this post into 3 parts: The Bitter, The Sweet, and the So Sweet I Think I Might Be Sick.

The Bitter:

If you've been following the publishing market, you know it's as unsteady as Zac Efron's singing voice (yes, all of my analogies are going to be HSM-based). HarperCollins had a round of layoffs on Tuesday, and the ax fell on yours truly. Many others, much more talented in their jobs than I, also lost their jobs that day- and their absence really is a great loss. I have no doubt that everyone who was laid off will bounce back stronger than ever- but it was still a very difficult day around the office. Many, many talented people of course remain to keep producing great books, and I will certainly be watching the Greenwillow list in the years to come when looking for great books for my friends and, someday, family. So to everyone at the Greenwillow and HarperCollins families: it was an honor to work with you, and I will certainly miss everyone.

Pretty bitter, right? What could possibly taste sweet after this bitter pill?

The Sweet:

Believe it or not, I was heading in to work that very day to hand in my notice! My husband and I are packing our wagons and heading out west! We're moving from New York to Portland, Oregon! For a visual reasoning as to why we're moving, please see the following examples of our experiences:

NEW YORK:

OREGON:

Yes, we're pretty excited, and we've been planning this for about the past year and a half. And now it's only two weeks away!!! I will, of course, keep a running commentary on this blog, as we move into Ramona Quimby and Twilight territory.

And last but not least, the sweet pit of sweetness inside the already sweet Everlasting Gobstopper (new analogy):

The wedding was fantastic, and thanks to everyone for your warm wishes! Because really, jobs and location don't really feel all that important, when you have love and happiness in your life.

Another trip down Memory Lane!

The time: the early 2000s. I was a fresh RISD graduate, back in my parents' house in Florida, when I read the following ad in the Classifieds of the Tampa Tribune (that statement's a time capsule in itself): 

WANTED: Portrait Artist for Carnival Cruise Ships

Well, I had nothing else going on, I thought I'd give it a shot! After some training sessions with "the best portrait artist in the Walt Disney World complex", I was given my assignment aboard a ship (the...Destiny? Celebration?... hmmm) sailing from Miami to Jamaica, St. Croix, San Juan, & other exotic locales!

While the portraits themselves were rather cheesy (they were on velvet paper, after all), to this day I think it was an immensely valuable experience. I was drawing people! 8-12 hours a day, seven days a week! Mostly from photographs, but sometimes people wanted to sit for a live portrait, which was always a) fun, and 2) somewhat panic-inducing.

It WAS a cruise ship, I had to have some sort of celebrity portfolio! This was, if you can imagine, a time when Harry Potter was NOT a household name! The first movie hadn't been released yet, and when I dressed up as Harry for Halloween, barely anyone knew who I was.