Sketching My Way Into 2013

As we enter the new year, I begin with creating loose drawings in my sketchbook. Sure, I have stories to write, stories to revise and edit, and stories to send out on submission but my goals also include getting back to a time in my life when drawing was easy.

I used to draw all the time. Bold black lines. I sketched everything and journaled about anything that moved my spirit. I was a professional toy designer and created nearly a hundred sketches a week with more than a dozen renderings due every Friday morning for a meeting where I presented my ideas to corporate management.

I injured my left arm in 1996 and drawing became impossible. A goal that was unatainable. After months of physical and occupational therapy, weeks of "pain plus therapy", and years of rarely drawing, I was presented with an opportunity to illustrate a story for a picture book that I had written and already signed with a publisher. I grabbed the opportunity before it flew by me and held tight. I was in pain every day for 10 weeks. I could barely move my arm at night and had to use my right arm for most other tasks throughout the days. I illustrated FLAP! and it released in Nov 2012. I'm happy with how it turned out.

Since finishing the art for FLAP!, I have been drawing in an effort to build my illustrator portfolio. My style is cartoony and loose. I do not labor over each drawing. I can't. I participated in SkADaMo (started by Linda Silvestri) in November of 2012 and it was wonderful. I created quick sketches and drawing became fun again. Now, here we are in 2013 and I've made a promise to myself that I will not accept projects that cause me pain. I want to illustrate another of my stories but I will insist on a longer timeline than 10 weeks for a 32 page picture book or I simply can not accept the project.

Below are sketches that I created both yesterday and today. Drawings that are both loose and fun. Drawings that do not take a lot of time and do not require a level of motor control that causes a silly amount of pain. Welcome to my 2013.

 

 

 

 

 

My 2012: A Look Back

2012 has beens my year for challenges and acronyms. I participated in Julie Hedlund's 12x12 all year, Paula Yoo's NaPiBoWriWee in May, Tara Lazar's PiBoIdMo in November, and Linda Silvestri's SkADaMo in November. In addition to all of these, my debut picture released November 15th. It was a lot of challenges and a lot of work. In case you don't know what these acronyms stand for, here are some quick definitions:

12x12 - Write 12 picture book drafts in 12 months. I did it. Thank you Julie Hedlund.

NaPiBoWriWee - National Picture Book Writing Week, Write 7 picture book manuscripts in 7 days. I did it and with 12x12, I wrote 18 manuscripts this year. Thank you Paula Yoo.

PiBoIdMo - Picture Book Idea Month, Come up with a concept for a picture book storyline every day of the month of November. I completed this challenge this year and last year. I used many of last year's ideas to create drafts for the first two challenges on this list. Thank you Tara Lazar.

SkADaMo - Sketch a Day Month, Create a sketch every day in November and post them on your blog. I posted 23 sketches on this blog. I actually created one every day but could not post some because they are part of a picture book dummy for a NaPiBoWriWee story I wrote in the 2011 challenge. This was my first year doing  this challenge and it was a lot of fun. Can't think too long when you have to produce a sketch and post it that day. Thank you Linda Silvestri (who also created the 12x12 badge you see at the top of this post.

As if November wasn't busy enough with writing a draft for 12x12, coming up with an idea for a story everyday for PiBoIdMo, and creating a sketch everyday for SkADaMo - a picture book that I wrote and illustrated launched on November 15th. FLAP! is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, and my website (if you want an autographed copy). See image of FLAP! cover on the sidebar.

Now that I have thanked the four talented women who led these challenges, I need to thank the other writers and illustrators who participated in these challenges with me. Thank you. I read many of your pitches, critiqued many of your stories, reviewed many of your sketches. You are all very talented and supportive and I appreciate the communities created within these writing groups.

But wait! There's more! Because of exposure through 12x12, I was invited to join a group of writer's who had books coming out in 2012 and share marketing advice and efforts. Thank you Picture Book Pluggers. I also created a business called AH Designs in which I create swag for authors and other professionals - including bookmarks, business cards, postcards, coloring pages, book formating, etc... Thank you Susanna Hill for helping to get this ball rolling.

One More Thing! Through the connections I made in 12x12, I also started an online picture book critique group called Flowing Words with several talented writers and illustrators. Thank you to those writers for sharing your manuscripts with me and for helping me polish my writing.

Whew, now I can breathe for a couple of weeks until 12x12 in 2013 begins this January. Are you with me? There is nothing more motivating that a group of writers struggling along with you and telling you that YOU CAN DO IT.

SkADaMo & PiBoIdMo 2012

In 2011, I participated in PiBoIdMo - Picture Book Idea Month during the month of November while the better known NaNoWriMo was going on. NaNo challenges writers to complete 50,000 words in a month. Since this isn't really applicable to those of us who write picture books, chapter books, or even mid-grade novels, Tara Lazar created a challenge geared toward us. PiBo challenges writers and illustrators to come up with 30 book ideas in 30 days. We aren't expected to write it (can work on some of them during Paula Yoo's NaPiBoWriWee in May) but we do write a line, an outline, a concept, a pitch, or illustrate a scene - whatever wraps up a picture book concept for that individual.

When I come up with concepts, I often doodle my idea so that I don't lose the visual of the story idea. Yesterday, I learned about SkADaMo which is Sketch a Day Month - also happening in November. It lines up very nicely with PiBoIdMo and since I often create a doodle anyway, this year I am attempting both challenges at the same time.

Today is day 6 so here are my first 6 sketches:

SkADaMo 6 - Ant Boat

 

SkADaMo 5 - Meeting Mike

 

SkADaMo 4 - After T&Ting

 

 

 

 

 

SkADaMo 3 - Dog Wash

 

SkADaMo 2 - The Storm

 

 

SkADaMo 1 - Swinging Trapeze