Illustrator SurveyIn our effort to provide advice for illustrators breaking into the world of children's books, we asked six LEE & LOW illustrators questions about their experiences and received a wide array of responses. We hope you find these words of wisdom from the field helpful as you hone the art of being a children's book illustrator. Good luck!  (from left: Christy Hale, Patricia Keeler, Betsy Lewin, Ted Lewin, Don Tate, and Jesse Joshua Watson) |
| How did you get started in the field of children's book illustration? |
| Christy Hale: I studied illustration at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. When I graduated I began working as a design assistant at a children's book publisher. I worked my way up through the design chain to art director at various children's book publishers. I learned so much about how books are created and how illustrators work. I also met many wonderful editors along the way. One of these editors kept encouraging me and she gave me my first three picture books to illustrate. |
| Patricia Keeler: I was always drawn to children’s books at my local library. I used to check out all they would let me have and read them at night before going to sleep. |
| Betsy Lewin: I was doing all kinds of illustration from greeting cards to spot drawings for magazines. A children's book editor saw a poem I wrote and illustrated for a children's magazine and asked me to expand it into a book. I knew then that picture books was what I wanted to do. |
| Ted Lewin: I started doing YA book jackets and lots of illustrations for children's magazines. Finally I was offered a picture book and loved doing it. |
| Don Tate: I began my career working at an advertising agency, and was very unhappy with the work. When I discovered an opening at a children's educational publisher, I practically begged the art director for the position. Thankfully, I was hired. While working there, I had the opportunity to work with many very talented illustrators, I learned from them and then started volunteering to take on some of the illustration work. Soon, my employer started giving me freelance illustration work on the side—and paying me! |
| Jesse Joshua Watson: I have been part of the children's book world for a long time, though indirectly until recently. My father has been a children's book author and illustrator for many years and I had the opportunity to observe the process. I saw the pros and cons growing up and apparently the cons were not substantial enough to dissuade me. One of the aspects of the job that I liked then and love even more now that I am a part of it is that this lifestyle of being an illustrator allows me to schedule my life around what is most important to me—my family. I can take walks during the day, even go surfing all afternoon and then when the kids are in bed, get back to work through the night. It is as if I have taken my weekends and broken them up into lots of small pieces I get to enjoy throughout the week. |
What should new illustrators be aware of or avoid when submitting their work to publishers? What training/people/events/organizations were/are particularly helpful in getting your work noticed by art directors and editors? |
| CH: Illustrators should not send work that needs to be returned, never original art. They should do the research and find out what type of books the publisher sells. Editors often select illustrators. They need to be able to imagine a particular style for both character and settings. When I was an art director for Macmillan I remember receiving samples of beautifully rendered bananas. An editor would never pick this artist. If the sample utilized the same gorgeous style but demonstrated the ability to draw a child in a setting, then it would have been an easy sell. If you have the idea for a story, show an editor a whole sketch dummy. It is very helpful for them to see your ability to show interactions between characters, maintain the consistency of a character over a whole book, and develop different interesting compositions in interior and exterior environments. Show them that you are a VISUAL STORYTELLER. Think narratively! |
| PK: Too many different styles of art. Most universities and art schools teach variety, and reward the ability to work in many mediums. This is great for college, but when you promote yourself it’s almost the opposite. Art buyers want to know what your one or two unique styles are. And the artist wants the art buyer to remember this style, so when a job comes up six months later, the art buyer will be able to remember what their style is. |
| BL and TL: No more than ten or twelve pieces in a portfolio that show a consistency of style, characterization, and storytelling. Don't confuse the publisher with a dozen different styles. You should be very comfortable with the style you work in. SCBWI can be very helpful. Being accepted into the Original Art exhibit at the Society of Illustrators is helpful. |
| DT: I've been working with children's publishers for about twenty-five years now, and I've never had any serious problems. I would, however, warn new illustrators about certain art agents. Art agents are a great thing to have, necessary in my opinion. But do your research first. Some agents are downright shady. Talk to a few of the artists represented by the agent you are considering. Early in my career, I was approached by an art agent I met at a reading conference. At the time, I was doing some work for another publisher, so I asked the art buyer about the agent's reputation. She told me to avoid that agency at all costs. But I was too excited about having an agent, so I didn't listen. And it didn't work out at all. The art buyer gave me a list of reputable agents, and I had much more success going that route. |
| JJW: When I started out I wanted a simple answer, a quick fix and easy money. None of which exist in this market. You can market yourself like a pro but if your skills have not been developed then you are wasting your time. You should always work very hard to improve your style, hone your skills and allow your art to speak for you. There are lots of quick wits and witty tongues out there but it is impossible to deny a masterful work of art. And that is, in my opinion, the most important thing you can ever do to get ahead in this field. Good work will promote itself. Another thing that really helps once you are sure of your work is to gather lots of other working professionals around yourself. Whether it is through the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, through conferences or critique groups, whatever it takes to tap in to the collective experience of others who are paying their bills with their artwork. Instead of inventing the wheel all over again, just learn how these pros do things, and sometimes more importantly, don't do things. It will ensure that your efforts are furthering you as an artist and not running you in circles or even hindering your chances. |
| What are the most challenging aspects of creating images for a picture book? What are the greatest rewards of working in children's books? |
| CH: The hardest thing to do is please oneself! I don't look at the process in any kind of negative light. I LOVE the research that is often necessary, love the sketching/composing, and love immersing myself in the actual color stage. |
| PK: The most challenging aspect of creating images for picture books is to keep your main characters looking consistent. Too many times the main character in a children’s book begins to look older or gains weight over the pages, not to mention their faces change. The greatest reward comes when a group of pictures are consistent with characters and environments. Then multiple pages of illustrations begin to emerge as a whole—a section of time. |
| BL and TL: Being able to sustain interest and excitement in a project over a period of months. Research can be a challenge. Doing school visits and seeing what happens when the books are put into the hands of children. Their excitement and enthusiasm is inspiring. You know you've done something meaningful. |
| DT: For me, the most challenging aspect of illustrating a children's book can be the tight, sometimes unrealistic deadlines. Creating art is not magic. I can't wave a wand and produce a 32-page picture book in one month—though I know that some illustrators can. I am honest with myself and my publishers about what I can and cannot accomplish in a determined amount of time. And if I can't do it, regretfully, I turn the work down. My greatest rewards come from children, my fans. One time, I was signing books at a literary festival. A little boy walked up with his parents and wanted to purchase ">Black All Around! a book that features an African American girl on the cover. The kid was white, and his parents were very uncomfortable with his choice. They tried to persuade him to pick out another book, pointing to a few other authors at the festival. But this kid was insistent, he wanted Black All Around! because "The illustrations are cool." He was so excited and asked me many questions. He said that he wanted to be a cartoonist when he grew up. That experience was very rewarding. |
| JJW: With all apologies to the writers (and to the writer in myself) the art is the thing that most often sells a book. Or at least gets somebody to pick it up off the shelves stacked with other books. So you have an instant do or die challenge. If the art is mediocre, many hands will go to the book next to it that might be a dreadful story with a little better art. But, when you see somebody spending more than just glance-through-time, really affected by the book and feeling the words deeply because of the art, that is the pay off for the hard work and pressure. There is a self satisfaction when you know the book could not be better than it is, and that is really hard to come by for an artist. |
What are the most important things to be aware of when sketching and developing compositions for a picture book? |
| CH: Illustrations should add to the text, not just parallel it. An illustrator should ask themselves the question, what can a visual storyteller show that a verbal storyteller hasn't said, but adds to the overall story? This might be details about the environment, additional characters, pets, other people interacting. It might be humor or a hint of something to come. Think of a picture book like stereo speakers. The same sound doesn't come out of each speaker, but together they create the whole full sound. When composing the scene, an illustrator needs to consider the placement of type, and avoid positioning important elements (hands, faces) in the gutter (center where the book is sewn). The scenes should have visual variety. It's helpful to think like a film director—some close-ups, some long-shots. |
| BL and TL: Flow of pictures, pacing, storytelling, view point, lighting, moving in and out of the picture plane. |
| DT: Be yourself. Don't try to be another illustrator. Sometimes (and I'm embarrassed to admit) I have been guilty of doing just that, trying to be another Kadir Nelson or Mark Teague or James Ransome. And each time I do that, I fail big-time. I can't be Kadir, but I can be the best Don Tate I possibly can. No one else can do quite what you can do, so take pride in your art. |
| JJW: I tell myself all the time not to get stuck in some rut of my own creation. Go the extra mile and really strive to get the best image. The best perspective— not some typical angle that may have been cool the first hundred times it was done, but that which best serves your text. The best characters—not characters that merely fit the description. Even if the publisher likes a certain sketch you may have submitted, you want this art, at whatever level the book may be, to be the best that you can do. If it means spending more time on it even if you will not see any additional money for that work, it is still in your best interest. We do not want to regret work we have done. |
| How do you make sure your characters are consistently portrayed over several spreads? |
| CH: It's hard! Some illustrators work with models. I do not. I do get photo references for faces and gestures, and make sure to research characters that are the correct age. It helps to have your own child, but that might be a little tricky for some! It does provide a reference point for what kids look like at different stages. There's a wonderful old book by Andrew Loomis called Figure Drawing for All It's Worth. Loomis shows a comparative chart of the proportions of the figure and head for all different ages—from children to adults. |
| PK: I plan what elements each child will have—hair, clothes, body structure. I draw the construction of each child before I begin the book dummy. |
| BL: I make up my characters. I do lots of sketches, drawing them from every angle until I can draw them without thinking about it. |
| TL: For me, it's easy as I choose a model and photograph him acting out the story, doing a lot of my composing with the camera. |
| DT: For me, it has come with practice. Sometimes, I create a character study. I'll draw my character from various angles, and use the study as a guide for the entire book. But I rarely do that. |
| JJW: For my more realistic style, I always use models. That makes it easy for me to keep the likeness perfect in any possible scenario. Even if I stray from what my model looks like, I still come up with a final look of the character. So I know when it is looking a little iffy. If in doubt throw it out. Do it again. It is all about the power of the final presentation, so a little more work even if you feel like you never want to look at the book again, will pay off. |
Why did you choose the style and medium in which you usually work? Why do you think they are particularly effective for children's book illustration? |
| CH: I don't have one style or medium. Each book seems to ask for different treatment depending on the world of the book. My first book was a silly slap stick Puerto Rican folktale, Juan Bobo and the Pig retold. I work with vivid Caribbean color in flat, linoleum cut—pretty graphic. In the Elizabeti series, it was soft and intimate. I did lots of research about the area of Tanzania where this was set. I was initially disappointed that her environment was flat, open and featured lots of dirt. She lived in a mud hut. How was I going to make a book full of mud interesting? I was saved when the author sent me a beautiful kanga, a patterned cloth typical of Africa. This was my inspiration. I started setting the color patterns in the character's clothing off against the textured neutrals of the backgrounds. The treatment is mixed media/collage and watercolor. I was able to use this approach for the three books of the Elizabeti series, but I don't want to use this style and medium for all book projects. In Sky Dancers, a story about Native American high steel workers, and the building of the Empire State Building, I wanted to evoke the feeling of old art deco posters from the 1930s. I used gouache. |
| PK: I choose watercolor on rough board because I prefer children’s book art that is somewhat fluid. When the colors run into each, it’s almost as if the colors are interacting, and that helps to draw the image together. However, as printing techniques change, my methods need to change. This is because books are now printed from computer images as opposed to plates. Using the computer, printers sharpen the image. This turns fluid watercolor into individual pixels, giving it a grainy look, which I don’t like much. I am trying to counteract this by using smooth paper, as opposed to rough, and using tube watercolors as opposed to pan watercolors which start out dry and are naturally more grainy. |
| BL: My favorite way to work is with brush line and watercolor washes. I work very fast, and I love the freshness and animation of the brush drawings. I always do the drawing first, then add watercolor washes. |
| TL: I work in watercolor and am self taught. I started using it because it dries faster than oils, but it became my favorite medium as I learned more and more how to control it. I've been told that it reproduces a lot better than some other mediums. Also, I love its fluidity and vibrant colors and sense of light. |
| DT: I don't think kids really care one way or the other what medium an artist used for a book. They either like the illustrations or they don't. And they are very honest. For a long time, I worked in oil (alkyd, a faster-drying oil paint). Nothing else matches the luminosity of oil paint. I was terrified at the thought of using acrylics because they dried almost immediately. Since my deadlines were so tight, I decided to experiment with a medium that I could work fast in. Acrylics worked great! I like working wet over dry, so with acrylics I can paint and not have to wait for a layer to dry. Each time I begin a new book, I pull out my oil paints, but then I put them away and return to my acrylics. |
| JJW: Habit. At first, everything I did was just what I knew well and what was comfortable to me. Now I am realizing that every book may have its own needs as far as the media of the illustrations. I have started trusting myself as an artist to be able to do great work in all kinds of different media. I love to work in acrylic for my more realistic art, and have been enjoying ink through a homemade bamboo pen on watercolor paper, then washing color in with watercolors. And most recently I have been doing big ol' vine charcoal with prisma stix to punch the color. Very fun. Who knows what the next book will require? |
| Do you feel a Web site and/or an agent are necessary or useful to promote your work? Why? |
| CH: I think a Web site is very helpful. It allows an illustrator to have a portfolio available without lugging around a heavy case, and it is more and more the way people look for artists. I have an agent too that I enlisted for educational work. She is definitely helpful. There are ways around everything. The question is always how you want to spend your time. For more information about Christy Hale, visit: christyhale.com |
| PK: I think a Web site is important in getting work today. It’s just easier for an editor or art director to receive an art sample card in the mail and check the artist's Web site to see if he/she is interested in your style of art. I have an agent and feel she is necessary to get educational jobs and some books. Educational work, as from Scott Foresman, usually comes in multiple jobs with a very short time frame. The companies handling these jobs want to work with an agent because they can hire several artists from the agent at the same time. The hiring often is effected by the educational companies relationship with the agent, not necessarily with her/his artists. For more information about Patricia Keeler, visit: patriciakeeler.com |
| BL and TL: We feel a Web site can be very helpful not only in communicating, but having a showcase for your work. Editors, art directors, teachers and librarians, and children can access you and learn all about you. We don't know if an agent can be particularly helpful before you get your feet wet. You need to get a feel for the business personally. For more information about Betsy Lewin, visit: betsylewin.com For more information about Ted Lewin, visit: tedlewin.com |
| DT: These days, yes, a Web site is necessary. And there's really no excuse not to have one when so many are free. All you need is a scanner and a bit of time to upload your artwork. These days, art directors expect to be able to see your work online. Often times, when I receive a call from an art director, they need to make a decision immediately (not so much trade publishers, but educational publishers and others). They don't have time to wait for mailed samples. And online portfolios save money, too. I used to spend a lot on color copies, sending samples. But now, I simply say: "Check out my Flickr." It's a free Web site for art and photography. Having an agent is helpful, too. I'm an artist. Creating art is my strong-point, and I don't have time to research all of the possible publishing houses, editors, art directors, art buyers and so on. I've worked with several agents throughout my career, and they've gotten my foot into doors I'd wouldn't have known about otherwise. For more information about Don Tate, visit: dontate.com |
| JJW: If you don't have a Web site by now and you want to be working in the field, then you better be some kind of Da Vinci genius who turns everything to gold. Because a Web site is like a gigantic folding business card you give someone. They are not inconvenienced by some wad of printouts and they can, at their leisure, explore your art as far as they like. It is like a no pressure interview for them. They also don't have to try to find something good about your work because you are sitting right next to them. If they are not into it, they just go back to solitaire. But if they do like it they can have a little party in the office and invite the suits in to talk contracts. As far as agents go, I think that you would get a thousand answers from a thousand different artists. If you are a stay at home artist who rarely strays into public, you better be on the phone right now looking for agents. If you love the thrill of contract negotiation and can get to New York easily, maybe you are cool without one. For me the best promotion, regardless of the vehicle, is GREAT WORK. For more information about Jesse Joshua Watson, visit: jessewatson.com |
What tips would you give to illustrators just starting out in children's book illustration? |
| CH: Spend LOTS of time in the library, check out all different kinds of children's books, find out what appeals to you, analyze what makes them work, then keep at your own work. Don't give up your dream. Chip away. Keep sending out samples, links to your Web site, however you can get exposure. Go to conferences where you can show your portfolio. Join organizations for children's book illustrators. Get yourself in circulation. Artists are often too isolated. Support helps! |
| PK: Be sure your work represents children’s book art. Do not put beautifully rendered illustrations of jazz players or detailed mountain landscapes. Do not think an art director will see that you are talented based on this work and assume you can do children’ books. Make your art look like examples from children’s books. An editor or art director will believe you can illustrate a children’s book if your art looks like illustrations from children’s books. |
| BL and TL: Our best tip is, if you don't have that "fire in the belly" for this field, you should do something else. |
| DT: Practice and polish your craft. And know how to draw. That might seem obvious, but recently I judged a college illustration competition. The category I judged was "non-photo illustration." I interpreted that to mean non-photo illustration. Almost every entry involved the use of photographs manipulated on a computer. These kids didn't know how to draw, and they were entering an illustration competition! My advice: You must know how to draw, and I believe anyone can with practice. |
| JJW: The magic key to real success is . . . . (drumroll please) . . . . SINCERITY. Do what you love. If you hate those little bunnies, please, for the love of God, don't do them because you think a children's book illustrator is suppose to have them in their portfolio. The world does not need another copy of some well known artist or hyped out subject. There is way too much of that already. They need you. Your quirky, oddball, gorgeous, whatever-it-is-that-you-love-to-do. Ignore trends, make them. |
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...illustrated by Christy Hale Elizabeti's Doll Elizabeti's School Mama Elizabeti Sky Dancers ...written and illustrated by Patricia Keeler Drumbeat in Our Feet ...written and illustrated by Betsy and Ted Lewin Horse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia (Spring 2008) ...illustrated by Don Tate Black All Around! Summer Sun Risin' ...illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson Chess Rumble Want to know more about us? Please write us! general@leeandlow.com 
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