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3:48 PM , , ,

If you are a scatter-brain like me, your brain sprouts an idea every 35 seconds.

This makes me jumpy and quirky, and it takes a life-time of discipline to organize these thoughts methodologically to ensure the truly good ideas do not slip through my fingers.

Visual cues trigger my memory the fastest, which is why I like using transparent folders. (They cost $1.50 for 10 folders at my local Daiso.) Other simple tools include small post-its and paper clips.


In my previous post How I Study Picture Books, I shared my method of using rough thumbnails to understand picture books. When I write stories, I use the same method. The only difference is that I use post-its to brainstorm, for the process requires switching scenes' order constantly.

I name this section "Concepts".

Sometimes the story comes first; other times, characters come first. The process is organic. I create a section called "Sketches" and place all my early drawings here.


The "Sketches" section.

With both "Concepts" and "Sketches", I will create a dummy, translating rough thumbnails into legible contents. I send a PDF dummy to my agent and print a copy for my reference.

A section called "Dummy v.1" for my reference.

If my agent likes the story, we work on it together to make it better. When the story is ready, my agent will send the dummy to publishers. And if the story finds an editor, the story editing and revision process truly begins.

At this stage, the story gets an "upgrade" – The packet will move from a flimsy transparent folder to a rigid transparent folder, for it holds more contents.

More developed ideas get a folder "upgrade".

Transparent folders organized vertically for easy access.

I hope you find my process helpful. How do you organize your ideas, sketches, and artwork? I would love to learn from you too. :)


~ Maple Lam

Illustrator of Two Girls Want a Puppy by Evie & Ryan Cordell, Published by HarperCollins, June 2015.
Author/Illustrator of My Little Sister and Me, Pubished by HarperCollins, Summer 2016.
www.maplelam.com
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7:07 PM , , ,

I don't know a single colleague who does not read picture books voraciously. "Read. Read. Read." is the very basic key to all aspiring picture book author-illustrators. The other basic key is "Practice. Practice. Practice." Just like everything else in life, the rules are simple but hard to follow. Perseverance is the key; there is no short cut. :)

Today, I would like to share how I study picture books.

First, I pick a bunch of picture books and read them just to enjoy them. I don't want to see myself analyzing anything at this point, at least not intentionally. 


Then, I pick out the ones I loved. Yes, it is a subjective selection, based purely on my own picture book tastes. It's okay though. The important thing is that these books resonate with ME.

On a 8.5x11 paper, I copy the entire book as rough thumbnails. 

My study of David Ezra Stein's wonderful book 
published by Nancy Paulsen Books, 2013.

This process is helpful because I now have the benefit to step in that artist's shoes and absorb the composition skills. I don't copy the details, but the process forces me to truly see and absorb. 

I also write down the key words of each page. I like to then go back and circle what sentence structures or story structures are repeated. How many repetitions were there? How did they affect and enhance the story? 

My study of "Lucky Ducklings",
written by Eva Moore,
illustrated by Nancy Carpenter,
published by Orchard Books, 2013.

The copying process also helps me understand the story arc at-a-glance. Where did the author-illustrator put in clues to the ending's twist? How are page-turns executed? How was the problem-solution arc tackled? 

I find this exercise very helpful. The more I do it, the more I develop a good sense of what makes a great picture book. The best ones look some effortless! What a great art-form!

I encourage you to do the same too. Maybe there is only time for one study per week. That's okay. Like I mentioned earlier: perseverance is the key.


How do you study picture books? I would love to hear from you and learn from your methods! :)


~ Maple Lam

Illustrator of Two Girls Want a Puppy by Evie and Ryan Cordell (coming June 2015)
Author/Illustrator of My Little Sister and Me (coming Summer 2016)
www.maplelam.com

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9:18 PM ,
Goal: Be very prepared for #LA14SCBWI

Goal established.  But what defines "very prepared"?  I deduce this to five categories.

Read.  Draw.  Write.  Promote.  Connect.

That's a lot of goals to hit!  The good news: Time is on our side.

Goal = (Baby Steps + Perseverance) / Time

To hit the baby steps milestones, here's a measurable plan.

1. READ

• Study stories, characters, pace, layouts.  Think about why each book works.
• Goal: 2 picture books a week.  In 9 months, that's 72 picture books.

Tips: Classic Picture Books, from GoodReads:  http://bit.ly/1incKqO
Tips: Modern Picture Books, from GoodReads:  http://bit.ly/1eY93Ip

2. DRAW

• Sketch daily.  Think about the element of storytelling.
• Goal: 2 portfolio pieces per month.  In 9 months, that's 18 pieces.  Select 10 to 12 for portfolio.

3. WRITE

• Get a cheap spiral notebook and write.  Jot down ideas.
• Goal: Write at least 20 minutes per day.

Tips: PiBoldMo is now open! Quick!  Challenge yourself:  http://bit.ly/H4BY1h

4. PROMOTE

• Goal: Send postcard to publishers every 3 months.
• Use proud illustration created on Goal #2 (DRAW).

5. CONNECT

• Follow industry news via Twitter.  Meet new friends via virtual and actual reality.

Tips: Fellow mentee Debbie Ridpath Ohi has a great Twitter List:  http://bit.ly/10KWYjJ

Write this down on a calendar.  Track these baby steps and stick with the plan.

And may the KidLit Force be with you.


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1:00 AM , ,
One of my favorite "assignments" I give myself is to pick an animal and draw it repeatedly.

To kickstart, I copy tons of photos of that animal*.  Now, we learned in art school "copying photos' a big no-no."  Yes, I agree, 100%.  If you copy photos and have it as your final art, it risks (A) being static and dull, and (B) OH GOD all the copyright infringements**!! 

But this part of the exercise is to loosen up and study your subject matter.  They are foundations that will come in very handy in the future.


Most of the time, I just do it on scrap papers.  These are quick exercises, meant to be seen by no one.  But doing this repeatedly does magic – I now know how to do a giraffe!  It's in the memory of my creative muscles!

The next step is to translate the giraffe to how I want to interpret it.



And bringing it to a final piece.


Ideally, if time and money allow, I would go to a zoo as well to observe the real animal.  But doing such an exercise prior to sketching in real life brings great benefits: I can now fully concentrate on the gesture and motion of the moving animal, not just how it looks.  

It's fun, and it's helpful!  

* Either local library books or online images will do.  I like to go on EOL for references.

** Fellow KidLitArtist Jen Betton has an excellent blog-post series on copyrights:

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10:10 AM , ,
Once in a while, I pack up my "on-the-go" gears and work at a nearby coffee shop.  I like to pick and choose my tools, depending on what I will be working on.

The key is to travel light but still have all the things you need.  :)

The tech stuff:

•  I use a small Artograph lightbox
•  I save everything on the external drive and put it back in my desktop when I get back to the studio.

The idea stuff:

•  I like HB & 2B for pencils & Zebra Clip-On with 4 colors + mechanical

The watercolor stuff:

•  I bought the small water color containers at a Japanese dollar-store.
•  I use the lids as water containers.  Fill both lid-containers with water.  Use one to clean up the brush, and the other one should always have relatively clean water.  When the water gets murky, I pour it into the "dirty" container and refill the lid with clean water.  It saves me time running back and forth the coffee restroom to get clean water.
•  For watercolor pads, I switch between Canson and Arches.
•  I bought the spray bottle at a local Target.

The other useful stuff:

•  I bought my mini scissors in Hong Kong, but there are some really neat ones online, like this one.

The entire studio:
(I can fit them all in my backpack if needed.)


My "on-the-go" gears are an accumulation of trials-and-errors as well as observation of how others work. I am sure through time, you too will find your personal perfect "on-the-go" gears.  When you do, please drop us a line on the comments below.  We would love to learn from each other!

Note: If you only have room for two things, bring your sketchbook and a pen/pencil.  They are your best friends!

----------------------------
Maple Lam illustrates and writes for children's books.  You can check out more of her work at www.maplelam.com.

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