This is my journey in creating concepts, writing, illustrating, finding a literary agent, and becoming a published children's book author and illustrator for the picture book genre.

Friday, October 4, 2013

The illustrator card...

Oh my, the woes of the illustrator card weigh heavily on me. It is your calling card. It is like a mini portfolio that you hand out like candy at Halloween. I ordered 100 and hope that will be fine. I will also have copies of my illustrations with labels on the back in my portfolio as well. So much to do to prepare and I don't know if I am any closer to being ready. I received advice from a few people on how to best be ready for an event like this. An illustrator who is well published advised me on the importance of the card. "Get the best you can afford," he said. So, I did. They are double sided glossy and 130 lb cardstock. I paid for the express shipping, too. My previous ones were cheaper. There was an error on the address. It was my first set and definitely looked it, but they were still nice. But these were not well suited for my adventure to Alabama. I am so nervous and excited. I know there is plenty to learn. I look forward to the info to make me a better author/ illustrator. I am also hoping that this will afford me to meet agents and publishers. I love what I do. Although I am my own worst critic, I love the art I produce. It is true to me and to my love for childhood imagination. Children remind us to play. They remind us to smile and be young at heart with them. Playing in a child's world can relieve so much stress. I anticipate the weekend so my boys and I can have time just being together. My biggest fans are my boys. After every illustration, my boys tell me what they see. Creating the Super Brothers Adventure Club has given them more cause for adventure seeking. I use my boys' reactions and input as a guide to make sure my illustration is conveying a story to them. They are my focus group. Illustrating allows me to have the imagination of a child. It is a gift to be able to bring color and dreams to paper and still convey the same magic that exists in their minds. Below is a sample of my new cards. I am very excited for them to arrive!