My newest book:
My "Summer Intensive" Class at SVA
My class at SVA is about to start up again. In June I am teaching a 4 week summer class. Enrollment is almost full so we just decided to add a 4 week July class as well. Both are a shortened, more intense version of my regular 12 week class - perfect for the summer! Here is the link at sva.edu for more info.
I always tell my students at SVA to join SCBWI - The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators . It's a great organization bringing together children's book people throughout the US (and internationally) - and I really think it is the #1 source of information and resources for people who are immersing themselves in the field. So recently at the annual spring conference that takes place at the Society of Illustrators I was very happy to bump into a whole bunch of former SVA students who have taken my class at one time or another. And then I was especially proud that one former student, Jennifer Merz, was one of the speakers at the conference! She was on the panel of "newly known" illustrators who each talked about how they got their first lucky break and about their process of working on their first books. They all had in common that they had shown their portfolios at this conference and their work had been spotted by editors.
Jenn talked about how her creative journey started a long time ago with childhood memories. She showed a picture she drew in 6th grade of a playground scene which was very connected to her book "Playground Day" that she wrote and illustrated all these years later! (click here for the blog interview I did with her) And she showed some of the illustrations that were in her portfolio that helped get her her first book, and they were all pieces that she had done in my class - wow, did I feel proud!
Also on the panel was Jacqueline Cohen . We are friends going way back, from art school at University of Michigan. Jackie is a painter who also together with her husband has a pottery business in High Falls, NY. Over the years people responded to the narrative qualities in her pictures on clay and paper, and she was encouraged (including by me!) to think about doing children's books. Then when she showed her portfolio at the SCBWI conference, she was first offered a book jacket, and then a picture book manuscript which became her first book.
The third person on the panel, Patricia Keeler , also did a great job. Inspirational and happy stories from all three. Frieda Gates who organizes the conference every year gets a lot of credit for a great conference. It is quite a process getting a first book published but classes and conferences and workshops really can help!