This issue of the Chronicle will focus on 3 kinds of Clicks, including Website and Photo Reference Use Tips
Read MoreIssue Five: Crumbs—Little Bits of This and That (Copy) →
chronicle Issue Five
little bits of This and That
This issue of the Chronicle will be a collection of bits and bobs, and may be a little bit messy. That’s because right now my life is ALL the things at once, and it’s a little bit messy too. I feel like a ball circling round and round inside a barrel rolling down a hill. But I kind of like that feeling. Is that okay to say? There is a certain rush with being so busy. I know it’s not sustainable. But for now, I’ll take it.
Here is this month’s little trail of crumbs.
Crumb 1: All the Things at Once
The last few weeks I’ve been working on many things—multiple picture books due to the publishers this coming fall, some small illustration projects, the writing of a new book—and I do have a full-time day job. My life outside of illustration and work has been equally full and varied.
Spring has come and so has the care of outdoor spaces, as I was reminded one morning at 7:00 a.m. when a truck dropped off a load of mulch and topsoil in my driveway. Allergy season is with me now—a large lumbering beast that will hover over me for the next few weeks. I don’t get the sniffles and the coughing so much, I do get vertigo, brain fog and tired achy feelings. Sometimes I think that sniffles and coughing might be nicer, but nah, probably not.
I’ve been interviewing house painters for the exterior painting of my home, a project that I’ve been putting off because it’s so disruptive and so expensive. As the painters circled the outside of my house to size up the work for estimates, my dogs lost their doggie minds—barking at the painters from window to window inside my home. You dog people know what I’m talking about.
The month tumbled along—tax returns were due, I had a meeting with my new writing critique group (Crumb 2—The Day the Story Came), I had meetings regarding a mentorship program that I’m volunteering for this summer (Crumb 3—Mentorship-ing), and I watched some amazing Zoom interviews with picture book makers (Crumb 4—Hero-worshiping). On the more personal side of life I went on a quick trip to Appalachia to reconnect with loved ones which was necessary and vital, my son had surgery at the Walter Reed Medical Center and stayed with me for a few days to recover (he’s fine), and one of my dogs had surgery on both elbows to fix elbow dysplasia (the theory now is that she has “jump down syndrome, which is a better prognosis). Hopefully it worked and her chronic lameness and pain will be solved.
Since my last newsletter I’ve been wearing all the hats—maintenance worker, project manager, nurse, therapist, volunteer, teacher, creator, cook, accountant…so many hats. Many nights we’ve had take-away and pizza for dinner. And I’ve been employing all of my time saver tools (Issue 4) to help me get by, including strict limits on social media time. There is even more “life” happening, but these are the highlights, and it was/is plenty. How was your life the last few weeks? I hope you found time to be creative and to refuel.
Crumb 2: “The Day the Story Came”
Just the tip of the family photo iceberg that I am the caretaker of. These ancestors “spoke to me” and one day a story was born.
In early April I was fortunate enough to find and be invited to join a small writing critique group of published picture book authors. I have never been in a writing group before and as I walked up the lawn to my first meeting, I truly felt like an imposter. You see I feel pretty confident about my illustration work, but my writing—not so much. My agent had urged me to find such a group. She felt that a story I had written would benefit from the feedback of seasoned wordsmiths, and that my story was worth this uncomfortable, for me, pursuit of its refinement.
This story came to me in one afternoon. In about an hour it was written.
The words literally were typed as my mind formed them. You know that “It came out of nowhere” phrase? Well now I can say that I’ve had that experience. Joining a critique group with this story made me nervous. I believed that because I did not “suffer” to make this story that maybe it was nothing. Just wispy clouds of empty words. But the story made the hair on my arms stand up and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
On the day the story came I had decided to tinker with an problem that I had been pondering for years and years. I had a bunch of disconnected and scattered crumbs (ha-ha!) in front of me—a huge collection of family photos from the late 1800s, snippets of family history and recipes—and I wondered how I could combine them all to make something. I originally thought I was going to write a kind of family history, cookbook, colonial history mashup thing. But I really had no idea what it would be. So I sat down to bullet point some ideas. But instead, a picture book story came to me that combined all those crumbs. How marvelous and mysterious!
My new critique group was lovely, kind and welcoming in our first meeting, and they loved my story. Their comments while simple, were very helpful. They validated to me that my story was not thin air after all. Now I’m polishing that story, like a beautiful red apple, and the hairs on my arms are still standing up. I can’t share it with you yet, but one day maybe it will be printed and bound into a book, and then I will share all of it with you.
Crumb 3: Mentorship-ing
My fellow 2023 PB Rising Star Mentors.
I added volunteering back to my plate. I was a longtime volunteer addict (the tiny picture below is a pack of post-it-notes that my family gave me). Volunteering was always a big, big part of my life, but I tabled it to devote more time to becoming an illustrator and picture book maker. Now, even though I still have much to learn, I do know some things and want to share them with others. I want to help someone the way that so many have helped me.
I will be one of 25 talented picture book creators who will be mentors this summer to newbie creators with PB Rising Stars. Check out the website to learn more about the program, and to learn more about the rock star founders Kailei Pew and Ebony Lynn Mudd. Those two had a vision and made it happen. They have been added to my hero list. I’m so honored and thrilled to be part of this effort and I can’t wait to meet my mentee/s for the summer. If you are a published picture book creator, you might consider applying next year to be a mentor. If you are a newbie who’d love help getting started (and the application deadline is still open), please consider applying.
Crumb 4: Hero-worshiping
Not only are the PB Rising Stars founders my heroes, but so are the many picture book creators that Orange Beak Studio brings into our homes during their live Zoom events and workshops. These past few weeks I’ve gotten to hear and ask questions of illustrator Victoria Semykina, Senior Art Director Jane Buckley and illustrator Felicita Sala in a personal interview and discussion style format. I’ve signed up for more to come, including a workshop. Wow. Having that kind of access for just a few dollars is simply amazing. If you don’t know about this, please check them out, they are such a lovely resource.
One of the last slides shared by the profoundly talented and generous Felicita Sala in her presentation for Orange Beak Studio. I love these questions so much and I’m so thankful for the reminder. They are important ones to ask as we go about our work creating for young children.
Crumb 5: Remembering
Soon it will be Mother’s Day here in the states. A holiday that often brings a feeling of sadness since I lost my mother 13 years ago. As I go about my life, I often find physical reminders of her. Things that she gave me linger in my life—a beautiful plate, the bird bath in my garden and her collection of cookbooks. Some are used and loved daily, and some are hidden only to resurface after cleaning out a drawer. A few weeks ago, I found a card she had sent me while I struggled with postpartum depression and guilt after the birth of my daughter. I would weep in my car on the way to my job—it was a hard, hard time. This card, while it couldn’t change the heartache I was feeling, showed me that I was seen, understood, and supported, and that was such a huge comfort.
To the moms out there who feel the guilt of being a working parent, I gift these kind words sent to me by my mother some 25 odd years ago. I hope you have a lovely Mother’s Day.
Crumb 6: Making room for more green
Yes, it is spring and the world around me is getting greener and greener. It’s the perfect time to bring some of that green indoors. How about a terrarium? You can make one, I did. And it wasn’t that hard. Here is my illustrated how-to list. You could make one with a little person in your life, I know they would love it and love spending time with you too.
Stay Curious.
Cheers, Cynthia
Issue Four: Curating Time and Space to be Your Most Creative Self →
chronicle Issue Four
CURATING Time and Space
to be Your Most Creative Self
The time when you create and the space where you create are components of your
art-making practice that can be as important as the materials you use.
Figuring out how to make the most of them is one ingredient in your recipe
for becoming your most creative self.
My Big Red Chair
Finding Your Creative Space
A panoramic image of two walls in my little 8’x8’ studio. It is my cozy creative cocoon.
To some artists, creative “space” may mean creative “head space” and not the literal space where you work. Many beginners and professionals alike don’t have a designated studio or office space, so they make art in the common areas of their homes—a kitchen table or a desk in the corner of a bedroom. Or maybe in the car while waiting in the school pick up line, or on a train while commuting to work. In those cases, the ability to be in your own creative head space is especially important. (See Issue Three to learn more finding creative head space.)
I don’t have any images of me creating in my big red chair, but I do have this image of me “trying” to create. Yes, that is one of my dogs standing on me. He thinks he’s a lap dog.
My Big Red Chair: When I first started drawing, I didn’t have a designated creative room for art making, so my creative place was a big red chair in the corner of my family room. I’d sit in that chair with a sketchbook in my lap, or with a tray straddled across the arm rests for painting. I made all my art at night after my day job sitting in that chair. I was among my family and my dogs, they were all around me, but I was in my own creative head space.
I discovered my artistic voice and style while sitting in that big red chair.
If you are fortunate, you may have a literal space for making art like I do now. Three years ago, I took over a tiny spare bedroom and turned that into my little art room. I set up the room to not only contain a desk and drawing table, but to hold all the creative vibes I could shoehorn into the 8’x8’ squareness of it. While sitting at my desk I can look up at the wall in front of me to see a collage of pictures, postcards, inspirational quotes, and my compass words (see Issue One to find out more about those). Around the room I have talismans from travels and nature lining the windowsills. Plants, gifts from friends, and handmade love from my children are carefully placed on stacked wall shelves that climb up to the ceiling. Behind me are two long metal ledges that hold original art, prints and picture books from my art heroes that I change from time to time. A flat file takes up a whole corner, on top I keep my ever-growing sketchbook pile, and in another corner and along one wall are bookshelves that house my resource books and picture book collection.
When you identify your own creative room or corner be deliberate about setting it up. Layer it with things that help put you in a creative head space. Things that inspire and nurture you. My little room is full up to the brim, in every corner there is something special and meaningful to me. In this room I feel ready for storytelling, and it is where I make my serious paid artwork. It is my cozy creative cocoon. But I’ll always remember that big red chair. Still, in the evenings I’ll often sit in it and create my personal work, headphones on listening to podcasts or music. It’s cozy and I can be in the presence of loved ones, relaxed and ready to make the kooky personal art that I’m known for.
Finding Your Creative Time
Most of us have limited time to create because we may have young children, elderly parents to care for, a job or two, community responsibilities or maybe even all those things! Finding time to create is incredibly difficult. To be honest, this has always been my greatest challenge. Currently this summer—I have a day job running a small business, am working on two picture books due to publishers this September, have other small illustration projects, am working on two manuscripts, and I will be mentoring a new picture book maker. And, oh yeah, I have a family, home, and animals to care for and am in two critique groups. So, yes, I totally understand the time squeeze.
When I first started to make art in 2016, I knew that to get better I had to put in a LOT of time. I had to make art time a priority. I understood that my growth as an artist was consummate to the amount of time I was able to put in. We all get the same 24 hours, and I was not going to magically get any additional time. I had to carve it out of the 24 hours I had. My day job and the care of my family were parts of my life that I was not willing to sacrifice. But there were some parts that I was willing to let go—like my volunteer work, time spent relaxing and reading in the evening, some of the time I spent on the care of my home and yard, and sadly some of the time spent with friends. I identified the things I was willing to sacrifice to get the art making time I needed.
What I didn’t sacrifice in addition to my day job and the care of my family, was my own self-care including the making of home-cooked meals, time spent refueling through exercising and being outside, and getting at least 6 hours of sleep. To me all these things were also important to being my most creative self. All the cuts I made gave me 4-6 hours a day and some time on the weekend to work on art making. The bulk of this time occurs between 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 am. nightly. I’ve been operating this way for almost 5 years, and it works for me.
Only you can decide where your cuts can come from and how you can make that work for you. Do you need to pull your family into this discussion and ask them for help, do you need a mother’s helper or some childcare, do you need to simplify your meal prep and home care duties, do you need to give up or cut back on a hobby, club, or an unessential responsibility? Can you combine your art making with an evening with friends or as part of your childcare routine? Think hard and creatively to find the time you need. And be ready to accept that it is the best you can do no matter how little time you can claw out for yourself.
Maybe you can only gather tiny moments. Being satisfied with tiny moments of creative time is hard, I know, but it can work, and you can be incredibly productive during these creative bursts. I once heard a picture book writer describe how she was only able to write while sitting at stoplights and cobbled together a whole book that way. Award winning author Jeff Zentner wrote the draft for his first novel on his phone as he commuted to work every day. I also heard about an illustrator who could only work while she waited for her kids when they were at practices or team sport activities.
I’ve had to learn to say “no” and align myself with understanding and supportive people. I’ve had to learn to make art-making a priority and give myself permission to make art and the time to do it. And not feel guilty about all of that. It took a lot of time to get there, and you can do it too. I know you can.
The “You Can Only do Two Things Well” Rule and Ikigai
Just to wrap up are a couple of principles or philosophies that I wanted to share with you that are related to living a creative and fulfilling life as well as understanding time management.
The “You Can Only do Two Things Well” at one time rule: In the early part of my business career (I call this BA or “before art”) when I was a young graphic designer, I was offered a partnership in a small but influential design business. My perspective business partner and I took part in a series of meetings with a mediator to make sure that our goals were aligned and to negotiate our partnership agreements. Our mediator was a young MBA graduate and I’m certain that he learned his techniques from his time spent getting degrees from ivy league universities.
He prompted us to discuss how we wanted to live our lives, what our goals were for the business, what we expected the business to give us and what we expected from each other. One thing he said that I’ll never forget is that you can only do two big things in your life well at any one time. For example, maybe the two big things in your life are your job and your family and you feel that you can do both of those things well. You’ve achieved a sort of balance. But as soon as you add that third big thing, like perhaps taking care of a sick parent, one of the now three big things in your life, or maybe all of them, are compromised. Your time, energy and mental capacity are diminished, and something suffers.
I thought about this when I first started making time for art. I knew that by adding this third big thing to my life I would not be able to do the other two main things in my life—my job and my family/home care—as well or spend the same amount of time on them as I was used to, and I had to be okay with that. As a side note that young mediator went on to become the CEO of a fortune 500 company.
Ikigai: When I stumbled upon this recently, I shouted out loud “why have I never heard of this before!?” and you will too. It is the Japanese “Secret to Living a Joyful Life” philosophy and a fairly new book. The internet says of ikigai “The Japanese word “ikigai” means a “life purpose” or “raison d'être.” Ikigai refers to defining your personal meaning of life in relation to your talents, passions, and profession, as well as what you can give to the wider world.” I love this so much. Look at the graphic I plucked from one of the websites I’ve listed below and read up. I think you’ll find it helpful in defining your own art-making time and space.
https://www.japan.go.jp/kizuna/2022/03/ikigai_japanese_secret_to_a_joyful_life.html
https://www.betterup.com/blog/what-is-ikigai
https://savvytokyo.com/ikigai-japanese-concept-finding-purpose-life/
My 100 Favorite Things to Draw List
Okay everyone, I keep hearing that we creative people should make this list. All of us. And that by making this list we will find out what kinds of things we would like to be paid to create. I recently heard at the SCBWI Conference in NY that I should make this list. And at a recent picture book workshop I again heard that I should make this list. And so, I did. Of course, in about 15 minutes I listed over 130 things. I guess I just want to draw everything. But first maybe a quilted bison and Emily Dickinson. Maybe you will want to give this a try? BTW it does not have to be illustrated the way that I did, you can just type up a list, that’s perfectly fine. I “gifted” myself two nights to illustrate my list. Remember to gift things to yourself.
Coffee anyone?
As many of you know I occasionally create illustrations to be used on products. For me this work is always fun to make and relaxing too. I can bring lots of myself to projects of this kind. To land this puzzle illustration job I participated in a competition through the They Draw community. Anyone who wanted to participate needed to brainstorm up an idea/s (you could submit as many as you liked) that fit the TrueSouth brand and would be of interest to their audience. The ideas were submitted in the form of a small mood board with a sample of the illustration style, color ideas and a verbal pitch. I submitted three pitches. Below you will see the final coffee puzzle box and art, and the three pitches I submitted (which are my copy-righted property). The World Coffee Tour was of interest to the client and I was one of a handful of artists to be offered a contract with TrueSouth. Hurrah!
After awarded the project, I had around one month to make the art for the puzzle. In order to fit this project into my busy schedule I divided up the work into many tiny chunks on my calendar. Each night for about a month I knew that I had to research and create 2-3 little squares in order to make the deadline. Coffee also played a role in getting this design done on time.
Until next month!
Stay Curious.
Cheers, Cynthia
Issue Three: Cultivating Your Most Creative Self →
chronicle Issue Three
CULTIVATNG Your Most CREATIVE Self Through Routines, Rituals, and Creative Aids
The art that I make is often deeply personal and elicits strong emotions like sadness or regret, and at other times wonder and joy. When I’m at either end of the emotional spectrum, the pieces I produce are the most satisfying and interesting. It’s the art that I make when I’m mentally in the middle that is often, well, in the middle—mediocre and empty, without an emotional core. Sometimes I find myself in this middle ground because I’m just not all in, I’m distracted and am not at my most creative.
My goal when making art for children is to be on the wonder and joy end of the spectrum. Being relaxed and ready to play is when I make my best art for little people. But feeling relaxed and joyful is often the most difficult mental state to achieve especially if you are on a deadline. Stress can be a creative killer, but for some people it can also be a tool, more on that later.
It’s not just deadline stress that kills your creative mojo, there is the stress of everyday life—children to take care of, healthy meals to prepare in less than 30 minutes, sick parents to attend to, a ginormous and worrying credit card bill, and the cat just threw up on your sweater. With all of that going on we don’t feel very relaxed and ready to be our most creative self.
How do we get ourselves in the right head space to make art while amid the tangle of life? It’s an important question.
If you don’t employ routines or rituals into your art making practice, this might be the thing that is keeping you from being
your most creative self and your art is regulated to that unsatisfying middle ground.
NURTURING YOUR CREATIVE HEAD SPACE
As illustrators we make art for a purpose and a client. Being an illustrator is a job, and just like any job there are deadlines. We must make art “on-demand” and the art we make on-demand must fulfill our client’s needs and hopefully satisfying for us too. The most successful illustrators are those who figure out how to do this on-demand thing well. They have cultivated a creative head space so when they “clock in” to create they are ready and able to produce.
The approach to nurturing your most creative self is different for everyone and you will have to experiment to find a method that works for you. I’ve quired some creative friends and professionals about how they do it, and of course I’ve made you a list! I’ve found that this list consists largely of having routines and rituals that help put you in the mental state to create. Hopefully you will find something that works for you. Experiment and have fun!
Clocking into Creative Time
TREAT IT LIKE A JOB
because making illustrations for clients is a job
1. Designated Work Time. Shut the door to your non-art life and enter your “art office” space at the same time every day. This routine makes your work time feel more formal and thus more valuable.
2. Commute to Work. If you work at home, take a walk first before you start creating. This walk can signal your transition from you family life to your work life. I do this every day. I use the walk time to think about the projects on my list for the day, to puzzle over a problem, to even work out a story. It doesn’t even have to be a long walk. Whatever you can manage.
3. Use a Calendar. I organize my creative work for the week based on when I’m at my best for certain tasks and I have it scheduled on my calendar. This is especially important when working on big projects that are filled with many small deadlines. I do my best brainstorming and deep thinking in the morning, so I schedule those tasks at the start of my day. In the afternoons I might work on thumbnails and final sketches as I’m very warmed up. In the evening I paint because I find it so relaxing. Fridays are often slower workdays for my clients, so that’s when I schedule my writing as there are less distractions. You might also find that you are better at different tasks at certain times of the day. Using a calendar to schedule your work time helps to set up a creative routine and it also signals to others that your time is booked.
USE YOUR TIME WISELY
1. Be a Juggler. Some days you just might not feel like working on the thing that’s in front of you, but you still have deadlines and must keep moving forward. Be prepared to switch projects around and work on the things that you do feel like doing first. Spend the time on research, billing, reading about your industry, or just looking at artwork to get the juices flowing. But do something related to your work and your craft. When I juggle my projects a bit, I’m still working and getting things done, and in the end, I still make the deadlines.
2. Create in Small Bursts. Break up your creative time into tiny bite-sized moments. Sometimes limiting your time adds the pressure you need to be creative and get things accomplished. Sometimes you truly only have a few moments to work. Think about what you can do in those few moments. It could be a thumbnail for a project, a quick brainstorming idea list, or research. All these things can be done in just a few minutes.
3. Avoid Getting Paralyzed. I could write a whole blog on just this. It’s such a common problem. When I talk to college students this is often their number one concern. They have so many projects and due dates that they feel overwhelmed and just shut down. It all feels impossible. I’ve been there. Overwhelmed is my middle name at times. You might feel this way as a new art maker too. You don’t know what to make, you don’t have time, you feel stressed and uncreative which all leads to shutting down and doing nothing. As a professional maker I know that feeling overwhelmed can lead to procrastination. And if I’ve put things off, then I end up doing everything at the last minute and it’s not my best work.
Whether a newbie artist or long-time pro, we must figure out a way to keep moving forward and beat down those overwhelmed feelings. If you are new to art making this might mean just sketching something you are familiar with to warm up, don’t worry if it’s “bad” that’s not the point. As a pro it might mean getting organized and writing your battle plan for your many projects.
The way that I keep from feeling overwhelmed is to break up big tasks into many small tasks and take on the small tasks one by one. I dive into each small task and try not to think too much about the big picture. In my head I say, “today I’m going to make 20 quick thumbnails” and try not to think about the 100 I need to be making. I know that by working on 20 today, and 20 tomorrow and the next day, and on and on, that I’ll be able to get all 100 done on time. It’s like I’m hopping from one steppingstone to another across a deep pond. If I keep hopping forward, I’ll make it across to the other side. And the beauty of breaking it all up into small bits is that once you finish one tiny bit you feel accomplished, and you start to build momentum. Once that momentum gets started it’s hard to stop and before you know it, you’ve reached the other side.
FEED YOUR CREATIVE SOUL
1. Visit Your Heroes: Sometimes before I start working, I’ll spend time looking at artists’ work who inspire me. When I’m not feeling that creative myself this hero worship time works for me every time. I get that fire in my belly when I look at fabulous illustration and I think “I want to do this too!” The walls in my workspace are filled with artwork that inspires me.
2. Listen to Podcasts: There are several podcasts that I listen to which enable me to learn and grow while I’m working. They are inspiring and eye opening and connect me to the outside creative world. Those include: Three Point Perspective—The Illustration Podcast; The Illustration Department; Windowsill Chats; The Lisa Congdon Sessions; The Handsome Frank Illustration Podcast; SCBWI Conversations; and Creative Pep Talk, to name just a few. Sometimes I’ll even search for my art heroes on YouTube and just load up a bunch of interviews and presentations they’ve done which I listen to while I work.
3. Find Your Creative Tribe. Finding like-minded creative people that you trust is important to your success as a maker. Search for those people. Join a critique group, find a critique buddy or an art friend who you can rely on for support. Join a creative club or organization that offers networking, gatherings and learning experiences. Consider a mentorship. Much of our art making is done alone, and I find it’s important for my growth as an artist and for my creative health to be part of a creative village.
4. Take a Field Trip. It goes without saying that visits to local, regional, and national art exhibits is a huge way to nourish your creative soul. You know this already, but it’s easy to forget about it when we are down in the trenches of everyday life and deadlines.
CONSIDER RITUALS
Rituals are generally small acts or a series of acts that we do right before we are ready to create. They are signals that help us separate our non-work time from our art time. These rituals are in essence like opening a door to our inner creative self. I don’t really have any rituals per se unless you count the ½ hour I spend looking at my email and social media before I put my phone away. In my early career as a designer, I had an art director who would do 5-minutes of tai chi every morning beside his desk before he sat down, his very own creative ritual before he started his day. Here are some rituals that you might try:
lighting a candle
brewing a cup of a special tea that they only drink when making art
putting on a lucky charm
listening to a special piece of music as an entrée to creative head space—a bit like having your very own theme song
reciting a creative mantra
doing a little bit of yoga or a meditation before starting your work time
JUMP STARTERS AND CREATIVE AIDS
1. Use a play list. I rely heavily on music and sound to put me in the mood to create. I’ve built several different play lists that I use depending on the work I’ve got to do. If I’m brainstorming ideas, creating interesting characters or building a world then I chose instrumental music that makes me feel like I’m in a magical place, but does not have words to distract me. I find that movies scores are great for this, especially movies that have a magical quality. If I’m painting, then I can listen to music with words, but the music must have a vibe related to the work I’m doing, that’s an important distinction for me. And if I’m writing, total silence is all that will do. I’ve cherry picked from my eclectic playlists for Eeboo Toy Company at their request. It’s not up yet, but it should be soon.
2. Warm up and timed sketching. This is a sure-fire way to get my work time started. 10 or 15 minutes is all I need to help me limber up.
3. Don’t think too much—follow your muse. This works for the newbies that don’t have a deadline and are searching for a topic. Let your mind wander and see what happens. Stare out the window and draw what you see. Draw what you hear while sitting in your back garden. Doodle faces. Illustrate a word. Draw some squiggles and see what you can make out of them. Try working with limited colors. Redo an old piece in your new improved way. Ask the question “what if?” and see where that takes you. One thing that I did a few years ago was to write on slips of paper things that I wanted to draw some time in my life—an art bucket list. I put the scrapes of paper in a jar. If I get stuck thinking of an idea, I just pull an idea out of this jar.
4. Challenge yourself. Social Media art challenges are a fun way to solve a creative problem. There are so very many and it should be easy to find one that speaks to you. Typically, they revolve around a theme that includes a series of words (Folk Tale Week and Advent Challenge), a color theme (Esté Macleod’s Coloricombo challenge), or a collection of disparate words (Carson Ellis’ Transmundane Tuesday). I’ve used many art challenges as a warmup for my day. For me they are brain games that help keep my creative instincts sharp, and I’ve generated pieces during challenges that end up in my portfolio.
5. Use Carrots. I will often reward myself when I finish something that is particularly hard, or that I’m having trouble staying focused on. I know, I know, it sounds silly, but hey it works. Don’t judge until you’ve tried this for yourself. I promise myself a small treasure or the time to do something fun after I finish the hard thing. Sometimes the treat for doing the hard work first is to reward myself with the work I like to do afterwards. This carrot method of managing your workflow just goes to show you that we are all still small children at heart.
6. Lean into the Stress. Some people need the stress of deadlines to activate their creative self. This does not work for me at all and never has. I avoid deadlines by beating them, often turning in my work early. The fight or flight response that I feel when using stress as a motivator is not heathy for me. I feel powerless and not in control of my destiny, but maybe the stress of deadlines will work for you. I personally think that there are better motivators, but you know yourself and what your body can handle.
7. Make Connections. Connect yourself mentally to the work, dig deep and find yourself in it, do research to immerse yourself in the topic.
8. Use Compass Words and Mood Boards. These verbal and visual aids can help you get yourself mentally ready to work. Take a look at my article on Compass Words from my December newsletter. I have my words above my workspace along with quotes that inspire me. I look to them as reminders for why I’m sitting here in front of a blank piece of paper. One of my favorite quotes that constantly inspires me is “…in the particular is contained the universal” – James Joyce. Just think about that before you decide on what subject matter to draw.
9. Eliminate distractions. Get that chore done first if it keeps creeping into your head space. Put your devices away—I keep my phone on another level of my home when I’m working. Let your voice mail do its job. Tell your family that you are working and close the door.
10. Take care of yourself. Eat well, sleep well, and exercise. We all know these things are important for living our best life, but they are also important for living our most creative life.
Turning the Page
I do hope you’ve found something here that you’ve never thought about or maybe had forgotten, and that one of these things will help you in your creative endeavors. Also, if you have something that works for you but is not on my list, I’d love to hear about it!
Since this month I’ve discussed how to care for and nurture our internal creative space, next month I’ll be talking about physical time and space. I hope you to see you next month!
Stay Curious.
Cheers, Cynthia
Issue Two: Critiques and Checklists
chronicle Issue Two
What I learned from the yeti with no pants and other portfolio mishaps
This is the yeti illustration that I had in my portfolio in 2018 for my critique with Pat Cummings. (I collaged the pants on for this article.) It’s not a great illustration, but at the time I was very new to art making and was still figuring out everything. Because I included it in my portfolio review, Pat used it as a teaching tool and I learned a lot from my short 15 minutes with her. She was the third critique I’d ever had. I would go on to have many more.
This issue of the Chronicle will focus on what I consider another important tool to use when figuring out your voice and art style and that tool is having your work critiqued.
I’ve found the many portfolio critiques that I’ve had over the past 5 years to be enormously helpful. And I’ve learned a few things about how to get ready for a critique of your work, many because of the mistakes I’ve made. This is an article that I wrote for the winter 2023 issue of Highlighter for my Mid-Atlantic SCBWI chapter. I hope you find it helpful as you prepare for any upcoming critiques.
I had my first portfolio critique in the fall of 2017 at my very first SCBWI conference, and to say that I was not prepared is an understatement. I’d just learned about SCBWI a month before, and had only been drawing for about a year before that. I was truly and utterly green—a tiny illustrator seedling.
That first 15 minute critique was with an art director from Penguin Random House. This was the very first time anyone, apart from my family, had ever seen my art work. I was beyond nervous, and I wasn’t yet sure that I even belonged in the kid lit world. But, I reasoned, there was only one way to find out.
The first SCBWI conference I attended was in 2017 where I had my very first critique and also won the illustrated folder competition. At that conference I knew that I’d found my people. After that conference I began focusing on children’s book illustration.
James Ransome and myself at the 2020 SCBWI Winter Conference portfolio showcase. It was my privilege to have my second ever critique in 2018 with Mr. Ranscome. I met him again at the 2020 conference and he remembered me!
Talk Less, Listen More
The week before my first critique I bought a modest portfolio. I didn’t have much kid-lit friendly art in those days, so I selected pieces that included some degree of visual story-telling. I was proud of my work because I knew how far I’d come in my few short months of art-making—which was basically from nothing. Naively, I had no idea how very far I still needed to go.
I spent time preparing for the critique by rehearsing what I’d say about myself. I felt it was important the art director know about my modest art-making history for context. But, what I didn’t consider is how very short 15 minutes is, and to use up a big chunk of that time by talking about myself meant that I didn’t get a full critique. It was an opportunity lost in some ways, but I did learn how to approach my next critique—talk less and listen more.
Portfolio Layout and Pacing
My next critique took place a few months later in the spring of 2018 at another SCBWI conference. This critique was with James Ransome. Yes, that’s right, the multiple award winning illustrator James Ransome. I was ready to listen. My portfolio was still woefully lacking, and I was again nervous, but because I was listening, I did walk away with valuable feedback.
One of the biggest take-aways from this critique was about how to set up a portfolio to best show off the work. James pointed out these considerations: keep all art facing the same way (I had some pieces turned on their side so he had to keep turning the portfolio around); coordinate the art on the spreads so the pages relate to, or play off of one another; and mix up larger pieces and smaller pieces to create a more visually appealing pacing of the work.
Consider Content and Context
The third critique that I’ll share before I dive into a handy check list, was with the incomparable picture book maker Pat Cummings. By this time I was about two years into my art-making journey. I was still learning about materials, working on drawing skills and style development. I was also trying to educate myself about the kid-lit market, and was aware of its complexities and feeling overwhelmed by them. My knowledge of kid-lit makers was still pretty minute, so I had no real idea who Pat was. Only later did I realize I’d had spent time with one of the greats. If only I had understood her place in the industry, I might have generated some questions specific to her background.
Pat was blunt with her critique of my work, and I’ve since learned that this is her style. She brilliantly gets straight to the heart of things, which is perfect especially when you only have 15 minutes. I’ll never forget one of her comments—her tone stern, like a parent scolding a misbehaving child, “Why didn’t you put pants on the yeti? You can’t have half-dressed anthropomorphized characters!”
Yes, I had drawn a yeti wearing only a shirt and no pants. Now, you can disagree that yeti’s need pants when wearing a shirt because, you know, Donald Duck and Winnie the Pooh dress that way (but I wager that in today’s market, poor Donald and Winnie’s attire choice probably wouldn’t make the cut). Whether you agree or not, what I got from this comment is to always carefully consider your art before putting together your portfolio. Even the tiny details.
In hindsight, another lesson is not to take a critique personally. I didn’t take Pat’s comments personally, but I can see how someone might. Keep in mind that the people critiquing your work are genuinely doing it because they want to help you. Every portfolio reviewer will have a different style and the reviews are often tightly timed, so blunt, while it can seem harsh, it is often a wonderful time-saver.
THE CRITIQUE PREP CHECKLIST
Since those first memorable portfolio critiques, I’ve had many more. Most of them of the 15 minute SCBWI “speed” critique variety. I’ve also paid big money for longer portfolio critiques outside of SCBWI with art directors and agents, and I’ve had critiques as part of workshops and peer groups. All of them have offered me something valuable when I’ve come prepared and ready to listen. I credit the critiques I’ve had as one of the important tools I’ve used to build my style, find my voice and to a generate a kid-lit ready portfolio.
Today, even though I have an agent and am working on books, I still need and value feedback, and so I’ve signed up for a critique at the upcoming 2023 winter SCBWI conference, and I’ll be ready to listen. Now, here’s that list.
1. Select your best work.
Since this article is not about the contents of your portfolio, please take a look at what other people have to say. Here is a link to the SCBWI website that also includes links to portfolio showcase winners’ tips. https://www.scbwi.org/portfolio-tips-from-scbwi-mentorship-winners/
If you are new and don’t necessarily have a lot of kid-lit appropriate work, put in your best work and explain (briefly) that you are new to the field. Your reviewer will totally understand.
Need help deciding? Ask a trusted friend, a peer in the kid-lit world or your critique group. It can be difficult to evaluate your own pieces, and just because you worked really hard on something does not necessarily mean it has earned a place in your portfolio. Don’t make judgements based on blood, sweat and tears. Base it on kid-lit appropriateness and other attributes as seen in the above link I’ve provided.
2. Organize your work. Once you’ve selected your work play around with the arrangement. Start with and end with your strongest pieces. Then, figure out what goes in between. Play the pieces off one another and use a bit of your “story telling” inclinations when ordering the pieces. Mix larger full page pieces up with smaller vignettes. And remember, have all pieces facing the same way so that the reviewer does not have to flip your portfolio around to view them.
3. Do your homework. If you have a choice in who critiques your work (often at conferences you do), select someone who fits where you are and what kind of work you want to do. Are you looking for an agent? Choose an agent. If you are into YA cover art, then choose a YA cover art director. If you are a new artist, then perhaps an illustrator could offer the best advice. After you make your selection, read up on them. That way, you can better target your questions to their knowledge base and expertise.
4. Talk less, listen more. Yes, do have a little intro about your background for context ready to go. This can be brief—you don’t need to take up a big chunk of your critique time this way. If you are new, say so. If you’ve never had art lessons, that’s important to know. If you’ve been doing this a long time but don’t feel like you are getting anywhere, share that too.
5. Have some questions ready. Be aware that the reviewer might start by asking you what you want to get out of the critique. This is your time and as much as possible you can direct the critique to make it work best for you. Think about what you want from the critique. Is it something specific like “what do you think about my character style?” Or is it something general “overall, what do you think I need to work on?” For the standard 15 minute conference critique I’d prepare 3 or so questions. Ask the most important one first.
6. Go with the flow. Critiques can sometimes take on a life of their own. You are excited and maybe the reviewer is too and this can lead you down many tangents. Just go with it. I guarantee you’ll still walk away with some valuable tips.
7. Don’t take it personally. Say this to yourself. Now. Out loud. We all work hard and often the pieces are very personal to us. So, hearing something that we perceive as negative can feel a little hurtful. But, to be in this business you must be ready to take criticism. Making picture books is a collaborative process and even when you land that first book, you will be getting “feedback” on everything you do during that whole process. Critiques don’t end when you start making books.
8. Take notes. You might not be able to do this during the critique, but have some paper ready to jot things down if you can without taking time away from the critique. After you exit the critique, as soon as you can, write/type up your notes. I keep a running list on my computer and can go back and review it later.
9. Show respect. Manners matter. Always. First impressions are a real thing. Say “thank you” and you’ll feel good and they will too.
10. Now what? You should walk away with something, even if it’s just one thing. Think about the feedback and examine it later. Talk it over with a critique buddy. Sometimes you might disagree because there is a ton of subjectiveness about illustration. But, after you’ve had a few critiques and you keep hearing the same comments, then it’s a thing and you need to address it.
Turning the Page
In parting I’ll leave you with another valuable nugget given to me by Pat Cummings during my critique by her. She delivered this to me in a shocked tone as if I’d left a door wide open on a blustery winter day. “Why are your characters often facing to the left? It doesn’t make sense to me. You want the story to progress to the right with the page turns, so your characters and action should mostly be facing right.” Indeed. Thank you Pat, for another lesson I’ll never forget.
Curiosity is the number one tool in my art-making toolbox. I’m curious about the world around me, the people, the creatures, the sights and sounds and smells. All of it. I’m always absorbing, looking and listening. It’s a process I use to gather ideas and find inspiration. Recently I began collecting one found item, sometime during the week on one of my daily walks. Once a week I use that found object to inspire a painting and a word for that day. So far since the beginning of 2023 I’ve made one painting a week. A warm-up before I start my work for the day. I made this painting after I plucked a branch from a Star Magnolia tree. I brought it home and placed it in water on my studio table. It had little buds on it, a very early sign of the spring to come.
As you go about your life this next month be looking and listening. Stand still and absorb the moment you are in and all that is around you. It’s hard to stop and take that moment. Believe me I know how hard that is to do. Life doesn’t stop and wait for you after all. But don’t fret, you can always rejoin it and I can assure you that you will not have missed much. Instead, you will have that moment to inspire you throughout your day.
LETS CONNECT!
Next month this curious girl will travel to New York for the 2023 SCBWI Winter Conference, my portfolio in hand. I will be in the portfolio showcase and I have scheduled a portfolio review with an art director as well. Hoping to gain some insights. You can be certain that I’ll be looking over my checklist to be well prepared.
If you are there, please seek me out! I’d love to meet you. I’ll be the one standing still and absorbing everything around me, trying not to feel overwhelmed. You can also DM me on Instagram @ceecliff_art.
Stay Curious.
Cheers, Cynthia
Issue One: Connecting, Career Plans & Compass Words
chronicle Issue One
CONNECTING, CAREER PLANS & COMPASS WORDS
Welcome! I’m so glad you decided to join me at the Chronicle.
My art-making life started not that long ago, so this all still feels new and fresh to me. I’m so glad you are here to join me in this newness. If you don’t know who I am, then look at the “About” page on my website. But please come back, we have some things to talk about.
Today I’ll share with you one of the many
strategies I used to help in developing my style and voice,
something I call Compass Words.
When I started making art back in 2016, I realized early on that I needed to make lots of art to learn and that this was called “practice.” But I also recognized that this practice needed to be practice with purpose. I developed some strategies to help me in my practice. In this issue of the Chronicle, I’ll share one of those strategies. Something simple and basic—what I call my “compass” words.
But first, let’s talk about the where and why of this newsletter and a bit about the career plan I wrote to help me become a working artist. While working on this plan I developed most of the strategies I would use to help me find my way and still use today. It is where I first came up with my compass word idea. If you want you can skip ahead to “Compass Words” but if you are curious about my plan and all of the other things, read on.
Apologies to those on the mail list. It looks like the main link in the email did not work!
But you did find the full issue! This is all new to me, so I'm not surprised I messed up something. The lesson is learned. Hopefully.
I’ve been wanting to create a newsletter for some time but finding the time to put it together was not so easy. Just like everyone, I live a busy life. I have a full time day job, care for hearth and home, family, and pets. I illustrate and make art in all the nooks and crannies, and I make those spaces as large as I can.
As each issue of the Chronicle is delivered, you will find out more about my travels as a working artist and how I got here—the bumps and peaks alike.
The choices I made to carve out my art life and develop my style and voice. Specifics about techniques, projects, and time management. And some fun things too because those are a big part of my art-making. My goal is to perhaps help and inspire. Maybe even make you feel better about your own journey because I made dumb mistakes and you’ll get to hear about them. Oh yay!
Why did I choose to spend my time making a newsletter? First, I love sharing and helping. It’s this first-born child’s mission in life. Next, I’ve been disenchanted with social media and was looking for a better way to connect with you. Social media was just not doing that connecting thing very well anymore.
Please use this connection I’m making with you to reach out and comment and ask questions. That would help this first-born child achieve her mission.
I made piles and piles of artwork to find my style and voice. I started with colored pencil and pastels on brown paper. The brown paper was not as scary to me as a blank white sheet of paper.
Better know as my “Action Plan”
The development of style, voice, mark-making techniques, material choices—all the things that make your art identifiable as your art, is a unique journey for each of us. Because I am a type-A list-maker and organized person, I decided to make my style development a serious and planned thing—a list and strategy thing. I’m sure this is not for everyone, but it was my way and worked for me.
I spent a lot of time working on my plan—writing, thinking, looking, and reading. If art making was going to become my new career—my new business, then just like for any career change, I needed to have a plan in place. This became my “Action Plan” which I penned back in 2017. I built this plan by gutting one of my day job client’s business plan (they were calling it an Action Plan and I liked that) and filling in my own text under their categories and sections. (You’ll hear more about this plan in future issues of the Chronicle.)
This all sounds a bit cold and calculating, doesn’t it? Art making after all is supposed to be the result of some sort of passion and emotion, and warm and fuzzy things. About fun and joy—freedom and expression. But let me tell you this, the reason why I made this Action Plan was because the art making was the thing I thought about each morning when I woke up (and still do). It was the thing that kept me up late at night painting. It was the thing that I wanted to do all the time, more than taking care of myself (I’m not saying this is a good thing). I was hooked and obsessed. So, I knew that I needed to make art my new career. And in my world that meant that I needed a plan in order to make that happen.
My Action Plan is pages and pages long and filled with all sorts of things that were/are meaningful and helpful to me. Today I’ll share with you one of the strategies from my plan. Something simple and basic—my compass word idea.
The idea for what I call my “compass words” came from being the mother of an athlete. My son was an athlete all through high school and college and believe it or not from his training I found a useful art-making strategy (several actually). His sport was individual based as opposed to team based, and thus it was more focused on mental fortitude. He had to search within himself to gather the energy, will and excellence to achieve in his sport.
During the eight years in his sport my son traveled all over the country to compete. He was trained by former Olympic athletes and sport psychologists. It was during this training that he was told about cue words. Have you heard about them? They are a little like magic.
For athletes cue words are words, phrases or even acronyms that help you stay focused and motivated during practice and competition. They can help if you get caught up in your emotions and can help you bounce back from adversity and failure. They can be the essence of what you want to achieve and where you need for your mind to be to do so. Cue words are unique to every athlete. You chose the word/s or phrases that are the most powerful for you.
What a brilliant idea! I liked this idea so much that I decided to use cue words for myself as a practice and style development strategy. I call my own cue words my “compass” words. When I first wrote my Action Plan, I listed all the things I wanted my art to be. It was a mix of words and phrases. At the beginning I choose four and now I have five. These cue or compass words are unique to my art, art practice and what I want others to see when they look at my art. (I’m not going to share my specific words with you, to maintain their power for me, I need to keep them to myself.)
Let’s explore what I mean by choosing words or phrases that work as cue or compass words for your art-making. Let’s say you want to be an illustrator of graphic novels and you want to choose words that will help you during your practicing and learning. You will choose the words that help you stay true to the style and vision you have for your artwork. So, you might want your words/phrases to be something like: clear line; expressive figures; Tintin-inspired; provocative, etc. Or maybe you want to be a surface designer and your words might be: calm and thoughtful; folk art and vintage inspired; muted color; new twist on grandma’s florals.
The words you choose are the ideas, style, emotion, feelings, and overall vibe you think about before you start working, and what you want others to think about when they see your work. You use them as a guide while making your art. You can even create a sort of mood board where you pair your words with visuals if that helps you.
Now, the words can be used for however long you need them. You might only need them while you are figuring out your style and voice. The words may evolve and change over time, and you may always be thinking about them. Or you may just refer to them when you are evaluating a piece of art that you feel is not working. Looking at your words may help you determine why. You may even find that looking at your words can inspire you when you are in a slump.
You could decide to only use a couple of words thus keeping your style development more open because you don’t want to feel boxed in. Your words could be very general like “Don’t be so fussy—just relax—stay loose” or more like a battle cry such as “Push through the mundane—think deeply—get off your lazy butt!” Ha-ha!
I found that when I first started making art I had no discernible style. I was all over the place, without direction and often feeling overwhelmed by all of the possibilities. When I identified my compass words, they really helped me focus and know where to start when I sat down to make art. I could look to my words for general guidance, the essence of what I was about to make or what I wanted to make.
This compass word thing might not be helpful to you. I get that. It’s just an idea that really worked for me and I wanted to share it with you. I wrote my words in a beautiful and quirky script that sits on the bulletin board right above my workspace, along with art from the artists that make my heart sing. It is my inspiration wall. My words are right in the middle.
Thank you SCBWI
I was gobsmacked to learn that I would be the featured illustrator for SCBWI for the month of December. It was so unexpected and I feel so honored to be selected. Anyone can submit their work to be considered. I did that a couple of months ago, but had no expectations to be chosen. But I was! You can watch the interview here. Thank you so much SCBWI!
Please draw from my curio cabinet and Share!
Since it is the holiday and winter magic time of the year, I will share a few of my treasured Christmas decorations.
Feel free to draw the whole collection, or individual pieces and share on Instagram and tag me.
I’d love to share and highlight your work! You can find me @ceecliff_art.
The vintage glass tree decorations belonged to my paternal grandparents. They are from the 1940-1950s. When I look at them, I can still see their Christmas tree covered thickly in silver tinsel and colored electric lights that looked like candles with liquid bubbling in them.
The tiny clay angel is from a manger scene made in Mexico that I bought over 20 years ago. I love the rustic and handmade chunkiness. And I love equally the shredded Mexican newspapers that it all came wrapped in and I still use to store them in today.
My clay Santa Moon and Star are from Italy. Goodness, can these be any more special? They were some of the first ornaments I bought for my very first Christmas tree when I had my very own home. They are both whimsical and magical at the same time. I have several of each and they seem to weather all of the animal mishaps that occur each year with our tree.
The ceramic C is one of many letters I have that represent family members. They are newish and so very lovely.
This is my warm and cozy place, the place where memories and food intertwine. The food from our childhoods is full of memory and meaning. And this applesauce cake is so loaded with both raisins and memories that it must be part of my Christmas every year. The recipe no doubt is decades old. My mother and many of her ancestors grew up in apple country, so recipes that featured apples were plentiful.
When my mother was a very young women in her early twenties, she had three tiny children and not much money. In our yard stood an old apple tree or two, remnants of a long ago orchard. And along a fence row was a line of wild black walnut trees. My creative mother used these gifts of nature to make her first applesauce cakes. We children picked the fruit and cracked all the nuts. I can still see our hands stained yellow from the black walnut hauls. Because we had worked so hard, this cake tasted all the sweeter.
It takes a long, long time to bake because it is a dense and heavy cake. It is lovely in the morning with coffee. Or in the evening with a glass of some not-so-sweet wine.
And as my mother says on her recipe card, if you have any trouble, just give me a call. See you next issue.
Applesauce Cake
1 cup shortening, butter, or vegan butter (your choice)
3 cups sugar (yes, it’s a lot of sugar, but it’s a big cake. I usually cut this to 2 ½ cups and use raw cane sugar for more flavor)
4 eggs
4 cups unbleached flour
2 tps. Baking powder
1 tps. Baking soda
1 tps. Cloves and 2 tps. Cinnamon (add the spices to your taste, I usually add a bit more of each)
½ tps. Salt
2 cups thick unsweetened applesauce
2 cups chopped raisins (I use a mix of black and white raisins)
1 cup chopped black walnuts
In a large bowl stir the shortening/butter/vegan butter to soften. My mother always used shortening, but I’ve made it with both butter and vegan butter with good results. Gradually add sugar and cream together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix well. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder and soda, salt and spices together until well blended. 3 times add to the creamed mixture alternately with applesauce. Beat after each addition until smooth. Fold in raisins and walnuts. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a tube pan, I use an angel food cake pan because I like the tall sides. Bake cake for about 1 ½ hours until a knife comes out clean. I usually bake it for longer. It really depends on your oven, so be sure to check it to make sure it is baked through. The cake is very heavy and dense, like an old fashioned fruit cake. Enjoy!
Happy Holidays to you and Yours.
Cheers, Cynthia
© Cynthia Cliff — Please do not use any part of this post without credit or permission.