Highlights from 2012:
- Biggest highlight of the year: completion and release of Vulture Verses: Love Poems for the Unloved. My first professionally published book by Prospect Park Books in Pasadena.
- Book cover illustration for Be Little. My favorite manuscript out of all the books I've done so far. A great book about bullying.
- Went to my first book signing events with author, Diane Lang, and Terra her tarantula. She did a fantastic job sharing all her nature knowledge with the kids and keeping it interesting!
- Started working on Kobee Manatee: Heading Home to Florida, another educational picture book, which will be finished and released next year. Written and published by Robert Scott Thayer.
- Attended the SCBWI Summer Conference for the 2nd time and had my first portfolio critique by Art Director, Ms. Cecilia Yung from Penguin. Very informative and encouraging! She definitely gave me confidence but also some specific things to work on.
- Attended Illustrator's Day in L.A. and was critiqued by Art Director, Merideth Harte from Sterling Books, who showed interest in my work and gave some great, encouraging words.
- Went to the Chemers Gallery Children's Book Art Show and got to meet my most influential illustrator in person, Chris Sheban.
- Took a month-long trip to backpack Europe with my husband and got to experience some of the most beautiful masterpieces of all time! Incredible!
- Finish Dimplemeyer's Design and Kobee Manatee picture books. Dimplemeyer, although I love the story, has been a work-in-progress for a year and a half. It's about time to get it finished!
- Start and finish Cinder and Ashes, a picture book by Liza Ramirez. I'm excited to work on this book!
- On February 3rd, from 1-6pm, I will be having another Solo Art Show at CSUF. Please come and see some new art from the books I am working on.
- Read more books and have more balance in my life. I spent most of this last year working, and feel like I haven't been able to balance it out with personal time and simple rest. It's time to take a break and slow down. I want to read more children's books (I got Pinocchio for Christmas!), but also more books about art, and also some classic literature, like some Charles Dickens, for example. First book it ordered and I plan to start reading it as soon as it arrives: The Christian Imagination: The Practice of Faith in Literature and Writing. It includes reflections by C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, J. R. Tolkien, George MacDonald, Annie Dillard, T.S. Eliot, G.K. Chesterton....just to name a FEW. It's going to be inspiring, I know it.
- Write (yes I said write. It's a terrifying word) and illustrate my own children's picture book. I have a few story ideas tucked away and this is the year to bring them to life and send them out! I've put it off for far too long. Something I learned this last year at the SCBWI Conference: write the story that the 10 yr. old "you" would want to read. Aye, Aye Captain!
- Spend more time focusing on value and color before moving on to the final illustration. I do not feel confident in my color choices and application which makes me try to focus on it so much that I forget about value and it just all falls apart from there...at least that's how I feel. :)
- Sketch, practice drawing, sketch, and sketch...and practice drawing.
- Do 3-4 postcard mailings to publishers. This is not a change from last year, I was successful at accomplishing this, but I want to make sure I continue to do it, so I'm writing it on my blog, so I have to do it!
1 comment:
Great goals! Can't wait to follow you around on here all year while you accomplish them. This is such an inspiring blog, thank you Lauren!
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