A morning of sketching at Barton Springs

Met up with some fellow illustrators to sketch today at the amazing Barton Springs pool (so cold and refreshing!). Threw together the above scrappy-looking sketchbook this morning. Below is a close-up of some pool folks.

This couple had semi-matching tattoos, but left before I was able to catch the design on paper.

A friend's daughter sketching away (she drew an awesome red peacock)

This guy had the best madras shorts and red hair, but I'd already packed up my watercolors.

How to avoid a mind melt: Q&A with Audrey Lopata

It's with great excitement that I return to this blog after a summer hiatus to share a recent interview with illustrator Audrey Lopata. I met Audrey a year and a half ago at a local SCBWI conference and was immediately impressed by her personal style (she was sporting an uber-cool layering of woven garments and illustrated galoshes!). And this interest in textiles and layering is woven right into her art, along with some amazing linework and sense of fairy tale. Not to mention that she's equally comfortable creating her characters on paper or with fabric. You can check out her work on her site and blog. So, without further rambling on my part, here is Audrey in her own words (and images):

1. How would you describe your illustration style in one sentence?

Whimsical children’s book style art…I think that’s a fragment….

2. Where did you go to art school and what was the most important thing you learned there with respect to your illustration career?

I got my Illustration degree from Northern Illinois University. And I’m sure this isn’t what you meant, but I feel like pointing out that it wasn’t an “art school” per say, just a plain ol’ state school. It was an important distinction for me when I was picking out where to attend college. I wanted to go somewhere that had a good illustration program, but also somewhere that I could take some other subjects as well. I loved studying anthropology, linguistics, film, astronomy, and racket ball. I also learned how to be less antisocial, which was actually good for my art as well. I love to draw people, and it seems much easier to be inspired by people and their stories when I could actually talk to them. As far as my illustration career, I probably learned something but it didn’t seem so much about “career” in those days as just a crazy passion for drawing and trying to do my best and actually get good grades.

3. What do you feel is the most important thing you've learned actually working as an artist/illustrator?

As you might have guessed from my last answer and the “not really thinking about my career in those days” the transition from college to the real world was a bit of a doozy. I had to learn, and am still learning all sorts of things about business and scheduling and actually making money.
Then at the end of the day I’m learning to still love the art and the craft of it all in spite of how annoying and time consuming the technicalities can be. Always remember why you loved art in the first place, and why you still care now. I may have learned that from the movie “Kiki’s delivery service,” but it feels extra true today so I’ll claim it as my post college lessonJ.

4. What does a typical day in the studio look like for you?

I normally start off with some business investigation on the computer: reading my e-mail, checking my etsy account, filling out a form for an art festival etc. Then I get organized with whatever my current project is, gather my supplies and get started. If I'm working on something a bit more "mindless" like inking in pencil drawings, I'll listen to an audio book. This helps my mind not melt from boredom, and keeps me in touch with children's literature. I actually gone through a crazy amount of books this way, so I'm always scouring the libraries for a new one :)
Just in case you're looking for a recommendation some of my recent favorites have been:
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Gideon Trilogy by Linda Buckley
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

5. Who would you most love to work with (publisher/AD/artist)?

I feel like this answer may be cheating, but I'd say Pixar! I'm a storyteller at heart, and that tends to lend itself to book illustration, but I think I'd also enjoy concept art or storyboarding for a company as absolutely brilliant as Pixar.

6. What children's book character would you most want to have over for tea (or other beverage of choice)?

Tough choice! I think this may be cheating again, but I’m going to have to say one of the Harry Potter characters, though *SPOILER ALERT* I’d want to meet them when they’re older, in the epilogue of book 7. I love the idea that they went through the whole adventure and then went on to have happy, vaguely normal, lives where they all stayed friends. I’d probably choose to meet with Hermione since she seems like she’s actually enjoy a tea time, and I get the idea that even when she was living out her “normal life” she was doing epic things and learning a lot about her world and how to change it for the best. She just seems like that type of character.

7. If you had to choose a theme song to accompany your work, what would it be?

Only one? I really love musicals, and so I like to imagine my work and life with all kinds of different songs. Though recently, since I'm in the middle of a move, and I've got a couple new projects going, ”The start of something new" from High School Musical might be my song. I know, it's so cheesy, but I can't help but love it!



Okay, now I am totally adding some audiobooks to my library list. And for the rest of the round robin interviews, check out Audrey's Q&A with illustrator Dallion McGregor here. And Dallion's interview with Ellen Murray. Ellen's interview with Marsha Riti. And Marsha's chat with Tiffanny Varga.

A quick sketch

Trying to get back in the swing of painting again, and here's a warm-up based on a photo above my desk (Butchart Gardens in Victoria). Ah, to be walking through an autumnal garden...but I'd just be just as happy weather-wise to be here.

I may like the color orange

I have been such a neglectful blogger these past couple of months as my life has been taken over by house stuff, but now things have slowed down to a manageable level. Which means I have time to take photos and blog and draw and read my rss feed. I'm easing back into it with some photos of orange items in my house and yard, inspired by a grapefruit-scented candle I bought for the house (currently on the market). Next up: back to my studio and paintbrushes.

Apes and Monkeys

More SA Zoo stuff. Top: fast-moving white cheeked gibbons don't keep still for sketches; Lower: White-faced sakis (only males have white sideburns). The zoo greeter stopped by while we were sketching to tell us the difference between apes and monkeys: tails.

A sketch day at the zoo

Had a lovely little illustrator field trip to the San Antonio Zoo on Wednesday.

A different painting medium

So, this is what I would love to be painting, with watercolors.

But in getting the house ready to sell, I'm working in latex housepaint instead, with an eggshell sheen. It's definitely satisfying to see the end result, but my illustration and blogging life are on hold for the next couple of weeks.

Before (the only dark color in the house):

The scary middle bit:

After:

Coffee Monkeys

A quick sketch from last night. These guys showed up in my sketchbook once before a few years ago for the IF prompt 'buzz'.

A new banner for spring

Wanted to update my blog to reflect the season, and the fact that blooming trees are everywhere in Austin right now. I love the clouds of pink-ish purple that engulf the redbuds before they leaf out.

Definitely lost a lot of the detail in shrinking it down, but hopefully it still reads okay. Usually I work a lot closer to true size for something like this. Rascally squirrel!

Picked the first freesia yesterday from bulbs I planted last fall, and it smells amazing! Ooh, I love me some spring!

Zilker Park Kite Festival

Just a perfect day...rode bikes down to the kite festival where it was blazingly gorgeous (cool in the shade, warm in the sun). Tried to draw some kids, but they were all hopped up on popsicles and joy; so I only captured a handful of half sketches of faces and gestures. Much easier to draw lazy adults.

Lots of tutus and sneakers, which makes me wish I were 6 again because I'd be all over that trend.

Some of the kids were glam with face paint. I love this girl's commitment to cat power, from her leopard print cuffs and Uggs to her pink tiger mask.


My dog's long lost twin! Or should I say dogppelganger...

Thoughts on the Austin SCBWI conference

A little over a week has passed since the Austin SCBWI conference, enough time for me to mull it all over, and I'd like to share a few thoughts. First off, a shout-out to my friend and conference buddy, Marsha Riti, who won the top prize for her portfolio. She is one of the most talented and hard-working illustrators I know, with a style that's fresh while it has the warmth and charm of vintage children's books. And you can read about her take on the conference here. Congratulations again, Marsha!

Okay, my highlights from the conference:

• Friday night, after some socializing, we gathered for some book readings. My favorite was Carolyn Coman's performance of her story The Memory Bank, accompanied by wonderful rough drawings that brought this alternate world to life.


• Saturday morning, Arthur Levine and Julian Hector discussed the author/illustrator relationship for Monday is One Day. Since they had only met in person the night before, there were discoveries made LIVE, right on stage. Kind of exciting and made for some funny banter. And, despite Levine being such a huge name in the industry as an editor, he was as heartwarmed as any first-time author upon seeing his work in print. Plus, it seems like he went out of his way not to have on his editor's hat in this process. Julian Hector showed his sketches and the transition of the book from the dreamy story of one father and son to the story of several diverse family groups.


• David Diaz (he of the Caldecott for Smoky Night) presented a series of handmade books he has made over the years as promos. In this age of quick email links and easily ordered postcards, making something "precious" that an Art Director won't be able to bring him or herself to throw away is genius. Diaz' books are handbound collections of his xeroxed illustrations, found paper, lines of text, and whatever else might work and be cost-efficient; but they are visually and texturally appealing gems. So, do make something handmade or unique in your style that catches the eye of an AD; don't forget that this is marketing, so find ways to keep the cost in your budget.


• Saturday afternoon, Julian Hector spent an hour showing his drawings and projects to a small but packed room of illustrators. Some were children's book related, like the behind-the-scenes on a book that's currently in progress. Interesting to see editor and fact checker notes on visual consistency and the like. He also showed us some of his grown-up work, insect and rodent characters not too unlike his children's characters, but less sweet (the bugs are definitely less huggable). And the story lines have a good dose of dark humor (think Gorey). It was quite a treat for us to look into the sketchbooks of such a talented and productive illustrator!

The SCBWI organizers did a great job on the conference, and St. Edward's University was a pretty awesome venue. Thanks!

Now, what I took away from the conference. I have been to my fair share of SCBWI conferences since I started trying my hand at illustration in 2006: a couple of local ones, a couple of LA summer ones, and a couple of winter NYC ones. I've been asked before if the cost is worth it for an illustrator, especially for the national conferences. And it all depends on what you expect to get out of the experience. If you expect to walk away recognized by all the big guns for your work, illustration contract in hand, well, the chances aren't so great for that (a gal can still dream...). But if you want to be inspired by the work of colleagues and by industry leaders, if you want to learn valuable information on the business of children's book illustration (understanding this is crucial to success), if you want feedback on your work, then these conferences are gold. And it can take a few to really absorb it all.

Now I feel like I have gotten a good feel for the industry and some positive feedback on my work. So, my post-conference focus is marketing: website, postcards, handmade something-or-others. Because sometimes you just have to be proactive and go after the work you want.

Things I'm into right now: Sriracha

I'm not sure why, but a week ago I started adding sriracha, the vinegar-y hot sauce, to almost everything. Homemade vegetable soup and a ham & cheese brioche from Upper Crust Bakery (actual proportion compared to hot sauce) are just two things that have gotten this special treatment lately. Not shown: mac & cheese, panko-crusted salmon filet (this recipe), bean/potato/avocado breakfast taco.

Parallel pets

So, my cat and dog seem so in tune here, always looking in the same direction. And united in taking up the entire bed in the guest room (guests: I promise these are not the sheets I use for you). But here's the truth:


My cat is a tiny vampire, and if my dog looks directly at her, this is what happens. She goes for the jugular or the achilles tendon while he looks at me with sad eyes. Pretty much everyday.

Miss Lena caught mid-yawn.