Today, I’m so happy to have the talented illustrator, Alison Davis Lyne, visit my blog. She has illustrated picture books and has an art column in the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) newsletter.  

Just WHAT Does An Illustrator  DO?? 

When an illustrator is chosen to illustrate an author's PB manuscript, it's the beginning of a working partnership between the publisher, writer and illustrator. Most of the time the writer has already done the work of writing the manuscript and any revisions that the publisher suggests. When the publisher is satisfied with the manuscript, the Art Director and Editor will chose an illustrator that fits the tone of the manuscript and the publishing house's “look.” 

When I get a manuscript, I immediately begin reading and planning how I think the picture book ought to look. Every illustrator has a different work flow, but I usually start out by laying out the text of the manuscript on a 32 page “book chart.” I continually change it up as I also start very rough sketches, or thumbnails. You can see an example of how I work this below. 

 

The thumbnails take but a moment to change so it's easy to try out different ideas, and discard them just as easily if they don't work out. Very much like writers make up a outline of how they want the story to flow.....and can change it quickly with each plot change. 

Here are some of the books Alison has illustrated:

Halloween Alphabet

Thanksgiving Day Alphabet

Easter Day Alphabet

Kudzu Chaos

G is for Grits

Little Things Aren’t Little When You’re Little 
 

Alison is making a return visit next week. She will explain an exercise that writers can do to improve the action and flow of their picture books.  

Call for submissions for young writers: 

KidSpirit Online is a free teen magazine and website for kids that
empowers youth everywhere to tackle life’s big questions. KidSpirit
provides a creative internet publishing outlet for teens around the
globe to share original essays, poetry and artwork.

Submission guidelines at http://kidspiritonline.com/welcome-mission/

Call for submissions for adult writers:

Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine is an online publication for ages 13 and up. It publishes 2 pieces each month—story and/or poem. Authors receive a $25 gift certificate.

Details at http://www.fairytalemagazine.com/2011/12/new-guidelines-for-ec.html 

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/

Illustration Notes in Picture Book Manuscripts, part II/Calls for Submissions

Today’s blog is part II of a series.

Illustrators are creative artists who are trained to interpret text. They don’t need nor expect a great deal of detail in manuscripts. Editors, too, can visualize a story and do not expect illustration notes to accompany text.

Opinions vary on illustration notes in manuscripts. Some editors don’t want any notes at all; others accept them if the notes are absolutely necessary. At a conference I attended, an editor said a well-known illustrator refused an assignment to work on a story because the manuscript contained illustration notes. When an illustration note is critical to understanding the story, a note or two may be okay, but I usually try to avoid using them.

If the story is historical fiction or nonfiction, visual references can be helpful to the illustrator. Example: a photo of a Minie ball, a civil war bullet, could be attached or the photo source noted. Visual references aren’t used for art direction purposes; instead, they are merely a source for information.

To use illustrator notes or not, that is the question. The answer depends upon the text. My advice: use them sparingly, if at all.

Next week, I’ll discuss first draft revision.

Call for submissions for adult writers:

Kasma is a digital science fiction magazine that is currently open to submissions. The magazine prefers stories 1,000 to 5,000 words, and is not closed to longer. Fantasy and other genres are not published often, but submissions of these stories are considered.

Kasma looks for “fiction that is intelligent, with well-thought out plots and characters. Beyond this, exactly what happens in your world with your characters is up to you. We enjoy a broad range and don't want to stifle author creativity by having elaborate expectations. Often enough, the best stories come as a surprise.”

Email stories in the body of the email to editors@kasmamagazine. com.

Submission details at www.kasmamagazine.com


Call for submissions for young writers:

Cuckoo Quarterly. An online literary publication of poetry, short fiction, rants, reviews, interviews, and more. Open to submissions from youth under 19 years, with no restrictions on genre or format. The theme for issue 6 is “Power”

For the themed section we will accept writing of any form (poetry/non-fiction/script/illustration etc) relating to the chosen subject. Interesting or unusual angles on this subject are encouraged! Please mention in the accompanying email that the work is intended for the themed section.

Deadline for issue 6 is 15 March 2013

Submission guidelines at http://www.cuckooquarterly.com/?page_id=114

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/