Three Tips For Those Interested In Illustrating Children's Picture Books

I took this photo during the SCBWI Portfolio Showcase

From time to time, I answer a question on Quora about children's book illustration. I do this partly because I like to pay it forward but also because I find it a good writing exercise.

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Q: "How do you become an illustrator or artist for children's books?"

My answer on Quora:

As the others who have answered this question so far have pointed out, there is no one right route to becoming a children’s book illustrator.

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Free picture book templates, how-to guides and other resources

Over the years, I've been accumulating all the "How <title> Was Created" guides for young writers and illustrators, advice from children's book creators I've interviewwed, plus a few tips for not-so-young book creators. Feel free to browse all this info as well as my free picture book thumbnail templates at my CREATING PICTURE BOOKS resource.

Happy New Year! And a doodle challenge for you all (even non-artists)

Happy New Year! Here's a fun doodle challenge for artists (and non-artists) of all ages: download and print my blank "2018" page and decorate however you'd like (art, inspiration quotes, random doodling) with what whatever media (crayons, pens, pencils, paints) you'd like.

2018 will be the year I climb a mountain. EB. #2018doodle #IamDSISD #rsewhy pic.twitter.com/MOvltxC2jN

— Thinkers and Tinkers (@TandT3rdGrade) January 4, 2018

Maybe draw what you're hoping to see or do in 2018, or write some goals, draw characters from your most recent or upcoming book....or WHATEVER YOU'D LIKE.

We read Big Plans by Bob Shea and then made 2018 Goal Pictures using Debi Ridpath Ohi’s art to start with. Now let’s get to achieving these! #3rdGradeMD pic.twitter.com/pfG8Vbtsgq

— Janelle Stigall 📚 (@JanelleStigall) January 5, 2018

If you choose to share in social media, feel free to post the link in the comments below or tag me on social media so I can see. If posting on social media, I encourage you to use the hashtag #2018doodle for others to see.

Also, don't despair if 2017 wasn't what you hoped for. Take a deep breath, focus ahead. 

2018 will be YOUR year.

And congrats to Anika Denise, whose RT was randomly picked (via Tweetdraw on the Competition Agency website) to win the hand-drawn doodle above!

Teachers! I'd love to see what your students draw with broken crayons

You never know what will come out of a broken crayon.

Those of you who follow my Twitter and Instagram accounts will have seen my Broken Crayon series, now up to #35. To teachers: I'd love to see what your students draw with broken crayons! If you send me a link to an online gallery (private or public), I'd love to see. Here is some broken crayon art from 5th-graders in Grande Cache, Alberta, Canada:

Suggestions on where to post a gallery: Padlet, Flickr, Facebook album....if you know of other student-safe gallery venues (all of the ones I've mentioned can be made private if desired), please let me know (you can also tag me on social media) and I'll add it to the list.

A Compilation Of Advice For Young Writers & Illustrators From Children's Book Creators

Thanks to all the children's book writers and illustrators who have contributed advice for young writers and illustrators in their Inkygirl.com interviews over the years! I'm gradually going through my archives as well as my interviews with authors of books I've illustrated and compiling a list of advice takeaways.

If you click on the author's name beside each piece of advice, you can read the full interview.

Here is the list of advice for young writers and artists from published children's book creators.

Turning a coffee stain into art: responses from artists to my #CoffeeStainChallenge + an art giveaway

As some of you already know, I am fond of doodling with coffee stains. I was first inspired by (lo and behold) an accidental coffee stain, whose shape spurred me to turn what was initially a random event into art. I recently posted about purposely creating a bunch of coffee stains as doodlefodder, and my friend Joyce Grant suggested I post one of them and challenge people to doodle with it. Here's the original coffee stain:

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PAY ATTENTION! Everything and everyone can be a source of wonder and inspiration.

It's been four years since my first children's book came out. One thing I've learned since then: to pay more attention to the people and things around me.

EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE can be a source of wonder and inspiration: a snippet of conversation, a secret smile, even someone's shoes. Ask yourself questions about the people and things you see around you, invent reasons why people look or act the way they do, what happened to them, why they chose to wear that particular piece of clothing today.

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Free creative brainstorming templates for picture book writers and illustrators

Reminder: For those of you who are writing and/or illustrating children's picture books: Feel free to download and use my picture book thumbnail templates during your early brainstorming.

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Creativity tip: Take the time to look at the world a different way

Tip for writers and illustrators: Every so often, take the time to look at things around you differently than you normally would. Doing so can help you solve creative problems in your work. Here's why and how...

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A list of children's book illustrators on Etsy

Looking for some kidlit illustrator love for the holiday season gifting? In addition to books, of course, here are some Etsy shops where you can find traditionally published children's book illustrators. If anyone knows of others, feel free to post in the comments section! Please note that I'm only listing shops that currently have items for sale (so have left out my own :-)). 

Also see Travis Jonker's Ultimate Children's Literature Illustrator Gift Guide, which includes non-Etsy places where you can buy children's illustrator stuff.

---- Last updated: December 11, 2014

Aino Anto is offering fine art originals, prints, hug pillows, stuffed toys. Etsy shop | Website

Jonathan Bean is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website

Kate Berube is offering prints, magazines, greeting cards. Etsy shop | Website

Sophie Black is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website

Brian Biggs is offering fine art originals and prints. Etsy shop | Website

Calef Brown is offering fine art originals and prints. Etsy shop | Website

Ruth Chan is offering prints and postcards. Etsy shop | Website

Rick Chrustowski is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website

Joan Charles is offering prints and  greeting cards. Etsy shop | Website

Arree Chung and other children's book illustrators are offering adorable wall decals. Etsy shop | Website

Christopher Denise is offering fine art originals and prints. Etsy shop | Website

Julia Denos is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website

Christina Forshay is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website

Molly Idle is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website

Grace Lin is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website

Salley Mavor is offering note cards, posters and books. Etsy shop | Website

Wendy Martin is offering fine art originals, prints, books, masks, clothing, more. Etsy shop | Website

Claudia McGehee is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website

Cindy Pon is offering note cards. Etsy shop | Website

Scott Nash is offering books and stickers. Etsy shop | Website

Greg Pizzoli is offering prints and buttons. Etsy shop | Website

Anna Raff is offering prints and photos. Etsy shop | Website

Birgitta Sif is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website

Matte Stephens is offering fine art originals and prints. Etsy shop | Website

Naoko Stoop is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website

Diana Sudyka is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website

Kristina Swarner is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website

Lee White is offering fine art originals and prints. Etsy shop | Website

Emily Winfield-Martin is offering fine art originals, books, prints, more. Etsy shop | Website

Taeeun Yoo is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website

Laura Zarrin is offering fine art originals and prints. Etsy shop | Website

Jaime Zollars is offering prints. Etsy shop | Website

If you know of other traditionally published children's book illustrators with Etsy shops that currently have items for sale, feel free to list them (ideally with the Etsy shop URL) below. In answer to the question "why only traditionally published? why only shops with items for sale?": I didn't have time to list ALL shops, sorry; if anyone out there is willing to take on that project, feel free to post your list below.

Books About Town, Narnia BookBench, and giving credit to Pauline Baynes

EDITED 9:49 AM: Books About Town just tweeted to me: "So pleased you like the concept of Books about Town. We’ve now added the credit to the bench page. Thanks for highlighting!" Wow, thanks to the organizers for their quick response! Do check out their website for more info about their public art event.

If I were able to visit London right now, I would SO be checking out as many BookBenches as I could find. Books About Town on display in London from July 2 - September 15, 2014. What a wonderful celebration of London's literary heritage and reading for enjoyment!

I was especially delighted to see a bench devoted to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (see above). I clearly remember receiving this book as a Christmas gift from my Aunt Agnes when I was nine years old. I LOVED this book and immediately read all the other books in the series. 

The illustrations were a big part of the story experience for me, as I’m sure it was for many other young readers.

Anyway, the Narnia BookBench had lovely art by Mandii Pope, but I do wish the BookBench description had also given credit to the illustrator of the original book edition, Pauline Baynes, since the BookBench art was clearly an homage to the original.

Above: Photo from the 2008 obituary for Ms. Baynes in The Independent.

Did you know that Pauline Baynes illustrated some of Tolkien’s early work, and that he had hoped she would illustrate The Lord Of The Rings? The project ended up being too huge to include illustrations, but she did create beautifully drawn and coloured versions of Tolkien’s maps for a later edition of LOTR.

C.S. Lewis was a friend of Tolkien’s, and Baynes became the illustrator of the Narnia books. I love her diary entry for one of only two meetings that she had with C.S. Lewis:

“Met C.S. Lewis. Came home. Made rock cakes."

You can read more about Pauline Baynes on Wikipedia and in The Independent obituary.

And you can find out more about Books About Town on their website, on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.