What's On My Desk? PBJ Postcards!

What's heading out my door to publishers everywhere? These oversized postcards featuring work from all five of the Picture Book Junkies! I'm excited to roll these out along with our new branding. I'm lucky to know Roz Fulcher, Alicia Padrón, Kathy Weller and Deb Melmon. You'd be lucky to work with any of them. OK, me (Gina Perry) too. This is a self-promo after all!

About Me

It's always a good day when you get new postcards in the mail, right? I think I'm extra-excited about these. The girl and scene are from my latest picture book dummy. I started writing the story in a waiting room a few years ago. It started out about ME, about being small. It is called, simply enough: I Am Small. More on this later...

Right before I picked these up off the front porch I updated a bit of my website. I rewrote my biography to reflect ME a bit more. I even included a favorite picture of myself - not the posed picture I used in a recent interview - something more ME. I updated the splash page to reflect art that is more ME lately - a newer style that combines sketchiness and controlled gouache painting.

I posted this over at my personal blog too. I don't usually cross-post, but given the nature of things, it felt right.

Postcard

© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012

(front)

This is a promotional postcard I recently sent out to publishing houses. Don't ask me why I thought of this scene because I have no idea... hee!

© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012

(back)

I really have a soft spot for that little penguin, he is a very determined little fellow. :o)

What I'm Working On

I'm doing that 'thing' where I'm juggling lots of little things at once:

A few spot illustrations for a dummy
Postcard ideas
An IF sketch
Thumbnails for a new picture book dummy
Editing manuscripts

When I'm feeling a little scattered, I think this is the best way for me to be productive. I'm not committing
100% to any one thing, but making progress and good use of my time.

Also, I'm completely in love with the mouth/nose shapes on the blue guy in the top right. Swoon! Admit it, we're all selfishly, egotistically, in LOVE with our work from time to time. It makes up for the copious self-loathing we all do.

P.S. Have you seen the new, much improved Illustration Friday website? No? Go now.

Summer Postcard Week!

© Alicia Padrón 2010

This image popped in my head while walking one morning. I was going to use another illustration that I thought would fit the theme very well but when I saw these two in my head I just had to start working on them as soon as I got home.

I adore Daddy and me and Mommy and me type of books. I'd love to get to illustrate one of them. There is something so special about that relationship. I don't know if it's because my kids are growing too fast but I just want to hold on to those moments. :o)

Someone on twitter asked us if we would share our process sometime so here is little about how I created this piece:

I sketched it my sketchbook at a smaller size. I tend to work small. Then thanks to the magic of photoshop I scan my sketch and make it the size I want. I also make sure to turn up the contrast a lot on the sketch so it prints dark, then it is easier to trace that way. I then print it and trace it on to my paper. In this case I used 140 lb hot pressed Arches watercolor paper.

When I am tracing on my light box I like to redraw rather than trace. That is why I usually leave my initial sketches very loose and I don't like to rework them. Just because I think something valuable is lost if reworking them too much.

Once the drawing is transfered, I first start painting the background. In this case the sky and water went on first. I used the wet on wet technique for this. I then painted the bears and the grass was the last thing. When the painting is completely dry I then shade with a graphite pencil on the areas needed.

After, I scan the art and add effects in photoshop. In this piece the effects in the water, little flowers and the dragonfly are all digital. I also tweak the color and saturation a little bit if the piece asks for it.

And there you go! Hope you and hopefully the publishers like it too. :o)

Marketing Tales

Currently, promotional postcards are my biggest marketing tool. The above was my third card last year since I started sending them, but the first to get me book and magazine illustration work! Even though I felt like I was taking a big risk by NOT showing kids (or even animals) it felt uniquely me in both the humor and content. The idea came to me probably 6 months earlier, and sat as a scribble on a sticky-note on my desk until I decided I just HAD to work on it. At the end of the day, you are selling your unique style and point of view - and that can be the key to getting noticed!