Illustration Workshop Review and Feedback

With two small suitcases loaded with picture books and reference books, notes and handouts, hand drawn posters and blue tack I arrived at the Gold Coast Art School fully prepared to indulge in the passion that is children's picture books and their illustration. When I looked at the amount I had prepared, I wondered whether we would get through half of it. But with two decades of teaching experience I know how to pace a lesson and not allow myself to be side-tracked.

Luckily for me I had a group of intelligent and passionate artists and writers. Together we looked at the genre and its mediums, themes, qualities and messages. The day was broken into topics like: Narrative and Visual Structure, Visual Narrative, Page Layouts, Characterisation, Storyboarding, Dummy books and Submission to a publisher.

We studied carefully the elements above in relation to the following books: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham, The Important Things by Peter Carnavas, Amy and Louis by Libby Gleeson, illustrated by Freya Blackwood, and Mutt Dog by Stephen Michael King.

The participants were given an exercise in analysis of one of the books where they looked at colour, space, movement, composition, perspective and pacing. Later in the day they storyboarded the text to one of my picture book manuscripts. Interestingly their page breaks were almost identical to mine.

I forgot my camera. I can't believe it. I had so wanted to post some photos of my workshop at the Gold Coast Art School. Instead I thought I'd include some of the feedback I received at the end of a very busy day.

"I have attended many workshops and classes on creative writing, but yours was 'spot on' in addressing children's picture books. Your storyboard workshop was particularly helpful."

"The workshop was informative and professional. Angela was happy to share her personal journey in illustrating so we could avoid the pitfalls. Having self-published, I would have loved to have this info prior to my experiences."

"What an amazing amount of info, but easily understood. Well presented and explained to a complete novice - maybe this is a new direction for me!"

It was such a fun day for me also and I would happily re-pack those suitcases and present this workshop again tomorrow. Any takers?

Workshop on Illustrating Children's Books

Ever wondered how to go about illustrating a children’s picture book?

During this one day workshop at the Gold Coast Art School I will take you through the process step by step as you learn to develop a visual narrative to a supplied text (or you may bring your own).

From sketching preliminary roughs, developing characters, storyboarding, page layouts, creating a dummy book to preparing artwork for submission, all areas will be covered, including how to approach a publisher. This workshop may also be suitable for the children’s writer who would like to improve their writing with a greater understanding of the picture book genre and the approach illustrators take when deciding on page breaks, sub-plots etc. It is not necessary to be able to draw for this workshop.


Workshop presenter:
Angela Sunde
Children’s Author and Illustrator
• Pond Magic, an Aussie Chomp, Penguin Australia, 2010.
• 3rd Place Award Picture Book Illustration, Children’s and Young Adult Conference 2009 http://www.cyaconference.com/


Workshop Date:
Sunday 18th July
9.30am – 4pm


Workshop Venue:
The Gold Coast Art School
http://www.artschool.com.au/
57 Nerang Street
Southport

See more here: Chee Chee and Mia

Lights Out

Today I am guest blogger on The Soup Blog's 'Lights Out' series of posts by children's writers and illustrators, telling what they used to read as children after they were sent to bed. Find out what my brother used to do to scare me after lights out...

The Soup Blog lets you know what’s going on behind the scenes of Alphabet Soup magazine, an Australian magazine for children aged 6 to 12 who love books and creative writing. The Lights Out series of posts is to celebrate their new Undercover Readers Club for kids. Check it out.

Pond Magic is on facebook

Pond Magic now has its own facebook page and my main character, Lily, is in charge of posting comments on the wall.

If you pop in, you can say hello to her and get to know her better. She's not too pleased to be there. Like any 'tween' Lily would rather be chatting to her friends on msn.

However, she has to stay put until the Pond Magic page reaches 1,000 fans. Today we reached 50, and Lily is starting to panic. Can you help her to escape?

'Pond Magic' Book Cover - World Exclusive

My book, Pond Magic, an Aussie Chomp, will be published by Penguin Australia on the 30th August 2010 and will be available in bookshops from that date on. If you would like a copy, it is just a matter of asking your bookseller to order one (or heaps) in.

I'm very excited. The last edit has been sent back to the publisher, and this very minute Pond Magic is being marketed to booksellers around Australia. After months of editing and re-writing, a perfectly formed book is winding its way to a bookshelf near you. Aren't you just a bit excited too?

For a sneak peek at what it's all about, here is the back cover blurb:

Twelve-year-old Lily Padd's name is the least of her problems: she can't stop burping, her skin seems to be going green and now she has webbing growing between her toes! Can she really be turning into a frog? As if that isn't bad enough, an exchange student from France has come to stay and Lily's best friend, Maureen, thinks he's gorgeous. Why has Lily's life become so confusing, and will things ever be normal again?


When I first sent Pond Magic off into the world in its manuscript form, I was more than hopeful. This was a good story, and when finally accepted by my publisher, she described it as "delightfully funny".

But to ensure Pond Magic's success while it sat on publishers' slush piles, waiting to be read, I regularly visited my local bookstore and library and sought out the shelf with authors beginning with 'S'. Then, when I found my alphabetical spot between the 'St' and the 'Sv', I put my hand in between the books either side of where mine might one day sit and made room for Pond Magic, pushing the other books aside to create a gap.

Then I wished and imagined positive outcomes.

My writing buddy laughed one day when she saw me do this. But, hey, positive thinking works!

Now, I have been dying to show everyone the cover, illustrated by the talented artist Lisa Coutts. I am thrilled with Lisa’s interpretation of the main character, Lily, and her horror at turning green. It just makes me giggle.

And now, for the first time anywhere, I would like to proudly unveil Pond Magic to the world...

Taaa...Daaa...!

 

The cover artwork is copyright Lisa Coutts. The cover design is copyright Penguin Group Australia.

You will notice there is a distinctively 'French' feel to the front cover. The scrolly title reminds me of French wire garden furniture and the pink and black colour scheme has my imagination running riot when it comes to planning my launch. Ooh, la la!
 
And of course there are the French roses, the picture of the Eiffel Tower, bottles of 'Paris' and 'Chanel' style perfumes. Hmmm, a definite theme happening here, a certain, 'Je ne sais quoi.' Lisa has done such a great job, don't you think?
 
I love it!
 
 

Pond Magic's Release into the World

I am very proud to announce the release date of my first publication, Pond Magic (an Aussie Chomp).

It has just been posted on the Penguin Website as the 30th August 2010.

Now I can start organising some launches.

Champagne anyone?

The Important Things

It's Mother's Day today and time to consider the important things in your life. Family comes to mind first. My children and my husband are my most cherished blessings. I also cherish the other women in my family - my mother-in-law, my sister, my sister-in-laws, my close girl friends and I wish them a very Happy Mother's Day. Some of my friends have no children ,but they have 'mothered' and mentored so many young lives over the years that in my mind Mother's Day is for them also. The children of this world are a shared responsibility and everyone in society has a role to play.

But have you ever stopped to think about the other 'important things' in your life? Not people - things. You probably have an object in your home which you cherish because of the memory it brings or the person who owned it previously. I know I have many: my children's baby clothes, the toy my mother knitted for me when I was little, my wedding dress... A particularly important object of mine is my mother's first driver's licence from 1955. She was only 19 years old and no one in her family even owned a car, so it was quite an achievement.

You may never have stopped to wonder whether children also have 'things' they consider to be very important. I know my husband did. Tucked in the back of his bedside cupboard is a childhood tin of 'important things' from his childhood. Things like his scout badge and ribbons from athletics and swimming. There's even a small box with nothing in it but some old cotton wool, and I'm wondering whether this might have been the tooth fairy box.

There's a picture book in this, you're thinking.

Sorry, it's already been done by the author/illustrator who is a master of finding a story with heart and then telling it on more than one level. That person is Peter Carnavas and his latest picture book is called 'The Important Things', New Frontier Publishing.

The story tells the emotional journey of a boy and his mother as they come to terms with an absent father/husband and their individual ways of coping with this loss. Adults reading the story will enjoy the heartfelt emotions displayed so gently by Peter's words and pictures, and children reading the story will have fun discovering the 'important things' as they re-appear one by one. It just goes to prove, what is important to one person may not be to another. I highly recommend this lovely book with its reassuring warm colours and vibrant images.

So of course, when Peter Carnavas came to the Marks and Gardner Gallery yesterday for the book launch of 'The Important Things', I was there.

 Here are some pics taken on my phone. I hope you enjoy them.

Peter's publisher at New Frontier, Sophia Whitfield, talking about the book's journey to publication.

Peter Carnavas reading from 'The Important Things'

and showing us his sketch book where he played around with the characters

and his portfolio of roughs and finished artwork which is on display in the Marks and Gardner Gallery

Finally Peter does three sketches which he gives to children in the audience. This one is of the mother in the story, a wonderful mother who "did everything".

If you'd like to meet Peter Carnavas and see his work, Peter will be launching The Important Things at The Avid Reader bookshop in Westend, Brisbane at 10.30am on Sunday the 16th May (next weekend).

And the day before (Sat 15th May) he and Dr Virginia Lowe of Create a Kids' Book will be conducting a workshop in Brisbane for children's picture book writers and illustrators.

Guess where I'll be?