When Your Neighbor / Aunt / Dentist’s Sister-In-Law Wants You To Illustrate Their Children’s Book

Today’s post is inspired by a question I get pretty regularly, so I thought it would be good to cover it on the blog. Many illustrators have aspiring writers in their community, whether it’s a family member or someone in your town that hears about your talent through the grapevine.  

There are 2 scenarios to consider.

Scenario 1: “I’m writing a children’s book to send around to publishers. Can you illustrate it?”

First of all, if someone says this exact sentence to you, what they have really just said in 10 seconds is I have no idea how this children’s book thing works.  Why? Because publishers buy text for children’s books without the art.   It is the Art Director of a company that researches and reviews all the art submissions they get, and they will want control over which illustrator is paired up with a purchased text.  It’s like when a screenwriter goes to Hollywood to sell their script- they just have to sell the script, not make the film because the studio handles casting, finding a director, financing, marketing, etc. Therefore, authors don’t need to stress over the whole art issue- let them know they can submit their text/story without illustrations to publishers (Most publishers have submission policies on their website. You can also reference the book Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market. There is one printed every year with up-to-date info on each publisher's contact information and what they are looking for).

Now, Obviously I’m sure there are examples of an author/illustrator team who have submitted their work together and it was bought- it’s just rare, or usually there is someone of importance or notoriety involved (For instance, I know an artist who is illustrating a children’s book for someone else and they are pitching it with success, but that “someone else” is a pretty well-know TV actor). 

Also, illustrators who also write are welcome to submit text with art. Usually this is done with a rough B+W example of a book called a dummy, which shows the layout and sketches of the pages and a copy of one or two examples of completed illustrations to show what it looks like 100% done. Anyway, this post is more about authors coming to you as an illustrator. so let’s get back to that.

Scenario 2: “I’m self-publishing a children’s book. Can you illustrate it?”

Most of the time this author is doing a small-run for family or they plan to sell it themselves. They may try to convince you with lines like “it’ll be good exposure” or  “ You’ll get some portfolio pieces out of it”.  If they can pay you, it’s usually not very much, or at least not a lot considering the amount of work you are about to commit to such a project. Sadly, it’s not uncommon for these projects to fizzle out because of “life issues”, a lack of commitment from the author after they realize how much work it is, or other assorted problems down the road (you get fed up with the 835^th revision or  maybe the author has changed the story 20 times while you’ve been working on illustrations).

Now, I have to admit that I approached some friends recently to do an album cover for free, but there were definitely benefits to this decision beyond “I got a portfolio piece out of it”. Plus I had complete control and it took a lot less time than a whole children’s book. But in the end I understand that you may still be interested in such a task because of the other person involved, or maybe you really just need a personal project, too. So let’s get into some points you should remember if you decide to do this.

Remember that many people who request this are doing a book as a side project.

They have jobs and other responsibilities that can transform a collaboration like this into a very lengthy project. Children’s books take roughly 8-12 months, and that’s with a publisher and art director who are both in it 24/7, full speed, so you can imagine how long something like this may take when it’s not someone’s main focus or job in life.

Make sure you have answers to basic questions before you begin.

I knew someone once who was working on a children’s book for a man’s grandchildren. By the time I was introduced to this artist, it had been almost two years since the project started. She wanted my advice, and to familiarize myself with where she was I asked for some information:  How many pages/illustrations will be in the book? What are the page dimensions? How much are you going to get paid? Do you have a rough due date in place? Her face went blank as I realized she could not answer these questions after almost two years. It’s no surprise that within a couple of months the man and artist decided to go their separate ways.

Also, It’s important to realize that if someone is self-publishing, different routes of manufacturing have different options. A place that can make your book from scratch may be able to do any amount of pages you want, although some page runs may be cheaper. Page sizes can be custom made at a printer, but once again standard pages sizes will be cheaper than some random funky page size that is selected. If the author is making books through a website like lulu.com or blurb.com, there are set page dimensions and page amounts you must pick from, so that decision should come early in the process.

Really consider a fair price for your time and effort.

Obviously most self-publishing authors can’t afford to pay what publishers do (anywhere from $7,000- $14,000 depending on the project, sometimes even more if you are a hot shot). Usually when people come to me with this question, someone has offered them $300-$500. This is INSANELY low when you consider how many illustrations are being made, any layout work, and revisions. For example, if there are 30 illustrations to make, you would be getting paid roughly $10-$16 PER IMAGE. Consider what you want to get per illustration, than multiply by how many images you need to get a ballpark amount (don’t forget the cover!). Most artists would give a discount to friends and family, sure, but just make sure you are taking care of yourself. Don’t get underpaid because you want to “be nice”.

Most importantly… do not “depend” on the situation in any way.

 If you’ll humor me with a tangent, my mother and I were once watching day time court TV (because we’re classy like that), and a person was going after another family member for a loan (of course). My mom turned to me and said “if you ever loan money to family, make sure you’re OK with never getting it back. Just think of it as a gift”. Now, she didn’t say this because my family is compiled of jerks and cheapskates. She was telling me if I ever made that decision, my emotional sanity would be healthier if I was at peace with whatever outcome may happen (and probably the relationship with said family member). Naturally, another point is don’t give away anything you absolutely need later, because you may not get it back and things will get ugly.

I feel like deciding to illustrate someone’s children’s book needs the same outlook, because you ARE giving your time, energy, and probably some money when it comes to supplies or resources (or forfeiting paid jobs to take on the project). Do not depend on the book being seen by the right person and being your “big break”. Do not depend on the book when it comes to paying your rent or bills. If you can honestly say that this is a fun labor of love and you’ll be ok if it fizzles out and you’re left with just a handful of illustrations, then you have the right mentality. Like I mentioned before, some benefits are beyond just dollar signs, and its up to you to decide if the risk or adventure of such a project is worth it.

When I decided to do my friends’ album art, this was the decision-making process behind it:

1)   I have a full-time design job and did not depend on any financial outcome from the project, nor did I   expect one.

 2)  I was looking for a pet project to try some new techniques, but I wanted it to be “real” so I would commit myself 100%.

      3)  Although these friends were given the invitation to provide input from the beginning, I had complete control over the final art and what I wanted to illustrate. They did not art direct me.

4) The collaboration with these friends has resulted in specific opportunities coming my way which would not be possible through other avenues of marketing- it was a highly specialized type of networking I was doing within the music community.

 5)   I did not have a strict deadline. Therefore, I could stop any time to work on paying jobs that popped up from clients.

Make a contract, OR at the very least “write up a summary”.

If you are working with someone who you know on a very personal level, I understand how the word “contract” might hurt your ears. Obviously, you do not want to offend family or friends with such a professional word that makes it sound like the two of you can’t trust each other. That’s why I say you should at least “write up a summary”, just to make sure everyone’s on the same page. With everything. Time. How many illustrations you’re doing. Important dates. Any money and how it will be paid. You and the author should sign it. If it’s a close family member, give a copy to another trusted person in your circle so that they can be a mediator in case any problems come up.  I can’t guarantee it will fix all problems, but it should help prevent and sort out any confusion that comes along during your journey.

Whatever you decide to do in such a scenario, I hope some of these points listed above help you navigate the process. Cheers!

Out right now is the 2013 Tennessee State Fair poster I did back in May. So much fun! Scroll down to see the two sketches. I pretty much knew I wanted to do the version with allllll the characters, but I tried one that was less complicated with just the one girl. I might have to do her another time just for fun (I'm kinda fond of those very content racing pigs).

Lilla Rogers' Make Art That Sells Part A

As promised, I wanted to share my experience taking the first 5 week semester of Lilla Rogers' new online e-course, Make Art That Sells (MATS). It is a class that provides in-depth knowledge of the licensing industry complete with interviews, reading materials, and assignments that really challenge yourself and the way you work. I definitely recommend it. Here are some additional thoughts if you're considering it:

Although you will naturally get out of your comfort zone, there's a difference between trying something new and setting yourself up for disaster by reaching too far beyond your capabilities.  For instance, if you've never touched a computer and you decide to work all digital for this class,  you are missing out on a great opportunity by distracting yourself with huge technical hurdles when you should be concentrating on the more important things at hand Lilla wants you to learn.  The same can be said for several scenarios, not just going digital. Actually, let's mention right now that the class description says this is not a class for people wanting to learn basic digital techniques or how to use software, and it's true. Save that for another class- there are plenty out there that focus on learning Photoshop and Illustrator. After all, this is more of a professional practice class then a techniques and methods class.

Also, Lilla stresses several times in the class description before you sign up that not everyone will get individual feedback. If you are use to a critique setting where you have experience learning from the observations made about others' work (oh, 8-hour critiques... thank you for breaking me in), then you'll do fine. However, if you feel like you are at a stage where you absolutely need individual feedback, then this class should perhaps be down the road after you acquire other critique experiences under your belt. Apparently, Lilla is working on spreading the feedback love during the weekly critiques for the next round of MATS part B, but with 400+ students, you have to expect that several people will still not have their work discussed.  I'd like to add, though, that learning to develop your skills and business savvy without feedback is a normal and valuable experience for illustrators and artists. If you contact a client and never hear back, you must learn from that experience and carefully examine yourself and your work (or your marketing technique), without feedback. If an agent rejects you, you usually must move to Plan B without feedback, and so on. If you are waiting for someone to tell you every step of the way what you are doing right or wrong, your journey is going to be a slow one. MATS is a class, yes, but a good perspective to have is to think of it like a lecture class of 100 rather than a cozy workshop of 10. Prepare to listen and take notes while Lilla is talking, and you will learn a lot.

Let me finish this post by saying Lilla's structure for the assignments led to great discoveries. I actually was playing with my art again, and the fact that we had mini-assignments before we knew the actual assignment meant that I couldn't over think anything or get too far ahead of myself. It allowed for a very organic process for my art, and I really needed that after all these years. I left the class feeling energized, in love with my work again, and ready for Part B all the way! The second semester starts October 7 and I. AM. PUMPED.

Tomato Fest 2013

This was my painting for this year's Tomato Art Fest at Art & Invention Gallery. It was another amazing show put on by Meg, featuring artists from all over the country! It's up until mid September if you are in the Nashville area.

About C.R. Gibson

A fun side project at C.R. Gibson that I got to do was update our "about" page (and in my style, too!) It was a monster of an infographic (especially when it had to read on a scrolling computer screen and not as a single illustration- won't even get into all the design obstacles there!). In the end, I had a good time coming up with all the product doodles in the background and what my co-worker and I fondly nicknamed "Johnny G" at the bottom of the infographic. Check it out on CRG's website.

In other news, I hope to soon post all the work I did in Lilla Rogers' online class Make Art That Sells. I start Part B in October and CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

Birthday Painting (may even be better than Birthday Lunch)

In April my boyfriend (now fiancé!) celebrated another birthday, and this means he got a new painting from me to celebrate. Ever since we met I started saying "My Hero!" whenever he took care of things, whether it was saving me from a flat tire or simply getting me a glass of water. I want to have the saying engraved on the inside of his wedding band (don't worry, I'm not spoiling anything. He already knows that!).  

Happy National Donut Day!

Did you know it's National Donut Day?? C.R. Gibson asked me to doodle this up real quick in order to celebrate! Check out the Donut Day post and other C.R. Gibson Markings Journal entries on our Instagram page. Nom nom nom...

Poster for POLY

I'm happy to say that I have several projects to share in the upcoming weeks- this first one is artwork that I made for a future poster to be used by Nashville's POLY, a very whimsical and cute trio of musicians that make whimsical and cute songs. They were kind enough to let me run with some inspiration and create some artwork for them (without having any idea what I would make in the end). Below is the final painting and some images documenting the process.

Pug-Uh-Muh-Shirt

About...goodness...two years ago I illustrated two dogs that are the adorable mascots of Gulu-Gulu Cafe in Salem, Massachusetts, and are famous enough to have several shirts featuring them executed by different artists. I was happy to add to Gulu-Gulu's store with my takes on Jack (Boston Terrier) and Charlie (Pug). Jack's shirt came out pretty much right away, with Charlie being left for a later date. At the end of 2012, Charlie Shirt came to be! Steve, the owner, actually sold out of them, but he was awesome enough to make another small run so my boyfriend and I could have one. There are a few left- you can purchase one here.

And since we are on the subject of dogs, I can only say that at work I am happily working on some new pet-related products (although that's really all I can say. Working a year in advance means I can't talk about all the fun stuff I'm doing NOW). It's been a fun project to work on, and very close to my heart since I grew up with (several) dogs and volunteered at a shelter with my mom in Texas for a couple of years whenever possible.

Miss Penelope at Art & Invention Gallery

My newest painting! See it at Art & Invention Gallery in East Nashville.

Artists Tips: So you want to license your artwork?

I’ve been talking for a while about posting helpful advice for freelance illustrators and artists who are interested in submitting work for licensing at C.R. Gibson (and just in general). Read below to get some helpful tips and insights from an illustrator who’s behind-the-scenes in the licensing industry. Anyone who is interested can send a PDF file, mailer, or just a good old-fashion mailed portfolio to me at Lauren.minco@crgibson.com or…

C.R. Gibson

Attn: Lauren Minco

402 BNA Drive

 Bldg. 100, Suite 600

Nashville, TN 37217

TIPS FOR SENDING IN YOUR LICENSING PORTFOLIO:

Send your promotional materials to other art department members besides the Art Director.

This is something that I always heard from past teachers, and it’s so true! At C.R. Gibson, our art and marketing directors are so busy that they don’t always have the time to thoroughly look over the carefully constructed portfolio you send (or you get forgotten in the HUGE filing cabinet after a few months. Sorry). However, it’s not uncommon for a designer to pitch a new artist they discovered when certain jobs come up. For instance, every few months or so my team is asked to create a bunch of journals to pitch to a particular client. Sometimes we have a vague direction, but for the most part we are allowed to run wild and create whatever we want (whoopee!).  I end up creating my own artwork for some of these samples, but it’s also a great time for me to go though a folder I have of illustrators and see if there’s anyone I want to use.  

 Why not just make all the journals my personal designs? Well, mainly because that wouldn’t give the client as much variety to choose from. Another important factor is -and you’ll hear me talk a lot about this- time. My team usually only has about three days to churn these out (including time needed to make the mock-ups), so I’m more than happy to give an emerging illustrator a chance to score a cool opportunity (it’s just good karma, ya know?). Sometimes I contact artists I’ve found while cruising online, personal favorites, artists who have sent materials to us, former students, or even my own friends and colleagues who I think create amazing work. During the last batch my directors liked an old friend of mine from Providence and a local Nashville artist who I had the pleasure of discovering when I moved to my new city. How cool is that? And even if our client passes, we might end up using them again down the line on another project.

Research our products before you send artwork.

 You have to look at a company objectively and truly ask yourself if your artwork is appropriate for their products (Mind you, this advice applies to all markets, not just licensing and surface design). CRG does a lot of things, from colorful back-to-school notebooks to vintage-inspired home goods, so we do house a variety of styles and looks. BUT, if it’s pretty obvious your muscle-y comic book vampire women don’t fit in, don’t send it! Submitting stuff way out of a client’s focus just makes you look like you didn’t do your homework. Check out www.crgibsondealer.com to see the spectrum of items CRG makes.

You won’t see many figures in our work. 

 Oh, you’ll see them here and there, but for the most part our products feature patterns, great color combinations, and illustrations of things (like vegetables or teapots) before you’ll see figures. Think about it, having a blonde baby on a memory book when your friend’s new bundle of joy has red hair may sway you from buying it, so we use cute animals and sailboats instead. The same philosophy can apply to a variety of products. This doesn’t mean we don’t use people at all or that your portfolio should exclude them completely, but showing us a variety of subject matter will help us see more potential in using your work.

Make your work easy to use and know your programs.

Repeat business with a company can depend on how easy it is to work with your artwork.  Illustrators and artists working with traditional mediums should explore scanning their images and setting up layers in Photoshop. Obviously we have plenty of artists that simply scan their images and send them along, but we love, love, love our outside artists that know their programs and can set up things properly when needed. This makes turning last year’s note card into this year’s tote bag soooo much easier, which means faster production time and directors who are not stressing over deadlines. 

For instance, if you use Adobe Illustrator, have you outlined your text? Are your shapes all closed? Have you grouped things in a way that makes sense? If any of these questions make you go “huh?”, it may be wise to take a class or order a pizza and ask your digital-savvy friend to come over and show you the ropes. 

Create some secondary art or a collection.

When selecting art and illustrations to license, it’s more enticing to see something being submitted with additional patterns and such, even if it’s just dots or stripes. One reason is that it helps envision a finished project for marketing and creative directors when they see it. The second reason is that when we license artwork, we can’t add even a simple pattern- it all has to somehow come from your art, so the more you give us from the beginning the more we can realistically use it on multiple products (and give you more money. Thumbs up!).  If we license a painting of your snowman and you have a candy cane in there, I can take that candy cane and make a fun little toss pattern to make additional art for a product we’re working together on, like the inside of a recipe book or the packaging for Christmas cards. However, this obviously takes up time, and sometimes there just aren’t enough elements to pull from an image (I was in a meeting where we picked our second favorite piece of art for a tableware collection simply because our favorite one had too little to work with).  Let me stress that this is not necessary, but it will improve your chances of getting a deal on a whole line of products rather than just one or two.

Also, if you can’t set up your paintings, collages, and other traditionally made images in Photoshop layers, making some additional secondary art/patterns is the other thing you can do to make your work more flexible for a variety of products.

Have a (real) website to send us to.

Not deviant art, not a blog… directors want to see a website with your work on it. It makes you look professional. It’s okay to have any of the above mentioned things in addition to a website, but you have too much competition out there to not look as professional and serious as possible. 

If we say “NO”, it doesn’t mean we don’t like your work.

Rejection is never a fun thing, and everyone hates that horrible feeling when you approach a potential client and they say “no thanks”, and you swear that you can feel your soul deflating ever so slightly like a sad balloon.  However, you should know that all the companies and publishers, etc, that you will contact have many reasons to say no, even if they love your work. Perhaps they already have another artist who has a similar style. Maybe your work doesn’t match the company’s focus. Maybe CRG just bought a bunch of safari children’s art and we don’t need any more cute monkeys and alligators at the moment, no matter how cute your animals are (and Lordy, do we have to pass on some cute ones! Too much cuteness!). Don’t take “no” personally, and don’t let it stop you form resubmitting down the line. My illustrator friends and I all have stories about courting clients for months, sometimes years, until they finally said “yes” and gave us a chance. Keep in touch and send a revised portfolio 6-8 months later, or even just a mailer notifying us of new work on your website.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the email address listed earlier in this post. It may take me a few days to respond, but I will get back to you. 

Cheers! 

Tomato Fest! Delicious!

My Nashville debut was this past Saturday at the awesome and highly acclaimed Art & Invention Gallery for their annual Tomato Fest Art Show. I was happy to have two paintings up amongst some very talented local artists.  A big HOLLA to Meg and her staff for organizing a great show!

C.R. Gibson Favorites

It's amazing to think that about a year ago I was applying for my current job at C.R. Gibson. So far I have worked on many different products and licensing lines for the company, and I thought I should share a few of my favorites. Behold, some of my must-haves from CRG:


1) IOTA 

The wonderful Iota ladies in Colorado create amazing patterns and palettes for their art that goes on everything from notecards to baby bibs. With contemporary colors and a modern feel, Iota products are very popular amongst our staff.




2) CID PEAR

Artist Tina Givens has created sweet watercolor illustrations and patterns for several CRG products , but Cid Pear brings her work to a whole new level when it comes to a product line featuring her whimsical imagery. A completely different look than Iota, I enjoy the handmade, high-end aesthetic and the use of feminine, delicate touches.

3) POCKET ORGANIZER

If you're like me, then you get scraps of paper, gift cards, and receipts everywhere. Crammed in your purse. Lost under your car seat. EVERYWHERE. My coupon keeper helps me keep everything straight, and it's probably my favorite item from an organizational viewpoint. Love it.

Month 7

How I am happy to show you new work! It truly has been a learning experience and an awakening here in Nashville as I get cozy in month seven at C.R. Gibson. My co-workers are amazing, the hail damage to my car annoying, and I have a special someone to make my new chapter even sweeter. Some of you who have been in contact with me know that I'm getting an amazing behind-the-scenes view of surface design, the market focused on art and illustration for products like gift wrap, kitchen goods, fabrics, and paper products (think journals and stationary). I hope to soon post some helpful tips for freelance illustrators looking to submit work for consideration.

On a personal note,  when I moved here I allowed myself a full year to get comfortable with my new city and job (and I'm glad I did). However, I'm slowly creating new personal work that is positively influenced by my new job as a designer at CRG. My color palettes are getting richer and more varied, while I feel comfortable doing subject matter that is more directed by my interests rather than client-driven. In the next 6 months there should be new work (both painted and digital) that should expand upon the world of Lauren. Until then, enjoy this new colorful creation!

art THROB Magazine

A while back I was featured in Salem's Art Throb Magazine again thanks to the awesome Lilly mcCrea, this time a part of my The Giant Fox painting being used to convey the comfiness of home. If you are a local artist near Salem, feel free to contribute to the publication! Another illustration can be seen in the recent ASK magazine again- that image will be posted soon when I get my copy. Big thanks to Pamela Bonesteel for that one.

In other news, things at CR Gibson are going swimmingly. Nashville is starting to slowly get into springish weather, and I'm starting to see my first creations come back from vendors (or as I like to call them, "my children"). My co-workers continue to be great, and the newest of us (one from Alabama, the other two from New York City) are having a good time discovering more of Music City every day.

I'm lame and haven't been posting in regular fashion, but I hope to pick up my blogging pace. Bare with me.

ASK Magazine

Guess what? I can finally show you something! Recently I was published in ASK magazine for kids. I illustrated an article about archeologists using the internet and local citizens to help them find the long lost burial site of Genghis Khan. I'm currently working on a new article for them, this one about a new discovery in space.

BIG NEWS!

Well! I have been very MIA lately because the last several weeks have been dedicated to a big development in both my artistic career and life. I am now a designer at CR Gibson, a company in the gift industry focusing on paper goods and products such as stationary, photo albums, and gift wrap, although we also tackle everything from decorative ipod cases and melamine dish ware to purses and aprons. My first week has been a wonderful learning experience when it comes to art licensing and the gift industry. I've had to move from Rhode Island to Nashville, Tennessee (spent some of my childhood in Nashville), and so far the area has been beautiful and full of wonderful experiences, plus family and old childhood friends.

In other news, I am working on a CD cover for children's music and a new children's product which I am not at liberty to talk about. It's wonderful that I can still pursue these freelance interests on the side when time allows.

Still settling into my room, which is pretty much boxes and more boxes. The two cats that share my house like to hang with me, which I think is funny since I'm more of a dog person (don't get me wrong, they're cool and I love them). They have proved to be everything from breakfast companions to fuzzy alarm clocks.

Looking forward to week number two! FYI, CR GIbson is still looking for about 3 new designers, so if you have some digital savvy and a love for Illustration and/or design, send in your resume!

I promise there is new work!

Whoooooa, summer has gone by so fast, mainly because the 6 week RISD Pre-College program takes over my life (in a good way). I haven't really shared anything lately, but I promise new work exists! In the last few weeks I've done some fun holiday stationary for Paper Culture, as well as a children's editorial about Genghis Khan (insert Kirk's famous "KHHHHAAAAAN!!") for ASK Magazine and a book cover for girls in the YA market.

The truth is, a lot of stuff I just can't show because it hasn't been printed yet. The sneak preview above is all you're gonna get for now, but I promise I will post things as they become available.

In other news, Williams-Sonoma bought five illustrations from me that may be used for spatulas this Halloween season (I say "may" because those companies buy tons of work and just throw it in their "art vault". They may use one of my illos this year, all of them, or none of them. Not sure). I'm hoping at least one got printed this season, because using something that you've illustrated is an awesome feeling.

July 4th

Happy 4th of July!

I'm busy working with two new clients- the wonderful Paper Culture and ASK Magazine through Carus Publishing. Hotdogs and fireworks for all.

Spread the Word

Looks like we're getting close to summer. I finished a job for Williams Sonoma and will be working on a book cover soon. This year I will also be teaching Illustration at RISD Pre-College, which I'm very excited about. This will be my fifth year- and I've loved teaching Design Foundations- but to teach the subject that I actually...you know, make a living with will be exciting. Plus it's just nice to have a change.

Surtex was great this year, and I left with a lot of inspiration and new ideas. There should be several things to post in the next few months!