More Catching up: Student successes: Sarita Rich!

I'm trying to catch up with a few of the accomplishments of students from the RISD-CE Children's Book Illustration certificate program. Although the program is being discontinued, the students who went through the program are out there doing fantastic work.

Sarita Rich is one of those students. Her book, Hypnosis Harry, came out February 28, 2016, written by Catherine Bailey, published by Sky Pony Press. In the meantime, Sarita is busy working on more books and raising two daughters.

Hypnosis Harry, Illustrated by Sarita Rich

Want to read about how she got an agent?

Read the 7/11/16 blog interview ​
Author/Illustrator Sarita Rich travels the road of Persistence and Luck in acquiring a Picture Book Agent.
 
http://www.moniritchie.com/book-nook/sarita-rich-books-an-agent

Interior spread of Hypnosis Harry, Illustrated by Sarita Rich

Another blog about her first book, Hypnosis Harry:

https://taralazar.com/tag/sarita-rich/

Catching Up and Student Successes: Lesley Breen Withrow, Meg Sodano, Melanie Linden Chan

It's been a long time since anyone posted, but that doesn't mean that nothing's happened.

The biggest event was the the Children's Book Illustration certificate at RISD-CE was discontinued. We are finishing up with students who were already "in the pipeline," and those amazing students will be graduating this year and next.

Great children's book illustration classes continue to be offered.

And the grads and students who went through the program continue to do us proud. Here are a few of the folks who are out there creating amazing books for children!

One of our earlier graduates, Lesley Breen Withrow, had TWO children's books come on the market this year.

"Bunny Bus," illustrated by Lesley Breen Withrow

Here's what PW has to say:  

Bunny Bus
Ammi-Joan Paquette, illus. by Lesley Breen Withrow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
Public transit gets a springtime makeover as Paquette (Ghost in the House) and Withrow (You’re My Boo) introduce the Bunny Bus, an anthropomorphized conveyance with a fluffy tail, two large ears, and a bucktoothed grin. Dapperly dressed owls, cats, and other animals clamber aboard: “Room for more? Of course! Pile on!/ The Bunny Bus rolls on and on.” Withrow’s scraggly pencils, lined-paper backdrops, and splashes of color and pattern create an exuberant atmosphere that’s only briefly interrupted when the overloaded bus temporarily breaks down, sending carrots and painted eggs flying. It’s a novel spin on familiar Easter themes. Ages 2–4. Author’s agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Chris Tugeau, Christina A. Tugeau Artist Agency. 

Interior spread from "Bunny Bus," written by Ammi-Joan Paquette, illustrated by Lesley Breen Withrow

And "You're my Boo," written by Kate Dopirak, published by Beach Lane Books (S&S). 

"You're my Boo," by Kate Dopirak, illustrated by Lesley Breen Withrow.

Meg Sodano, who has two certificates... one in natural science illustration and the other in children's book, has been combining her talents perfectly. Not only did she take an amazing trip to the Galapagos, teaching natural science drawing, but she has a new picture book out! 

 

Meg Sodono's illustrations grace "Lila's Harbor"

 To see more of Meg's amazing work, go to her website: 

https://msodanoillustration.com/

Melanie Linden Chan had quite a year. 

She signed a contract to illustrate a non-fiction children's pickturebook for Tilburyhouse. 

In the meantime, she built and moved into a house, and she and her husband created a beautiful, amazing, perfect baby boy!!!

I will post some more catch-up posts asap. Congratulations to our talented illustrators!!!

Student Success: Brook Gideon

CBI program graduate Brook Gideon illustrated the middle grade Azalea, Unschooled by Liza Kleinman, recently published by Islandport Press.

The book has been attracting attention, and was recently awarded a Gold Medal by the 2015 Moonbeam Children's Book Award, for Best First Chapter Book.

Congratulations Brook Gideon and Liza Kleinman! 

Student Successes: Robert Martin

As our children's book illustration certificate students head out into the "real world" to pursue their dreams, news of successes have been coming my way. I need to crow a bit about their accomplishments, so here is one story. More will follow. 

Bob with his family at RISD CE graduation, 2014

Robert Martin teaches photography at Wheeler School in Providence, RI. He embarked on a personal project to turn the story of the school's founder, Mary C. Wheeler, into a children's book.

To bring this dream into reality, he took his manuscript to Marlo Garnsworthy's Writing for Children class at RISD-CE. Then he signed up for the children's book illustration certificate, and used the classes to hone his drawing, color, digital, and designing skills.

"Mary Wants to Draw" © Robert Martin

He took Book Dummy to do his prototype, during which he took a vacation to France where he tracked down and photographed some of the locations Mary visited in the late 1800's. While he did venture all the way to Germany to find the bridge connected to Mary's arrest on suspicion of espionage, he ended up using one of the stone bridges from our very own Roger William Park instead.

Bob used Final Projects to complete many of the illustrations. After he graduated from the program, he  continued work on his own, and Wheeler School published the completed book in 2015.

Illustrations of Mary Wheeler as a child © Robert Martin

Mary Wheeler was born in 1846 in Concord, Massachusetts, a neighbor of Ralph Waldo Emerson. It was a time when her dreams of becoming an artist were not supported by American society.

After traveling to Europe to study art, she returned to Providence RI and established Miss Wheeler's Studio, at 26 Cabot street.

Mary Wheeler studying art in France.

 In 1889, she turned the art school into a college preparatory school for young ladies. Wheeler school still provides a fine education in Providence, RI today.

Congratulations, Bob, for following your dream!   

Mary being arrested!

Writer's Block: RISD class inspired author Kate Sullivan's book

Kate Sullivan credited her RISD class with the inspiration for her children's book, On Linden Square, in this Fall River Herald News article:

Writer's Block: RISD class inspired author Kate Sullivan's book

Kate Sullivan's Book, "On Linden Square" to Debut in September

In 2010, Kate Sullivan brought her manuscript to The Book Dummy class at RISD-ce. She storyboarded and revised and did illustrations in watercolor, oil, acrylics, and pen & ink. Everyone in the class loved her quirky characters, humorous situations, and heart-warming story.

Kate left front with fellow 2010 Book Dummy students

But Kate didn't stop when the class ended. She opened The Children's Writers' Market agent section and started with the A's. Anna Olswanger of Liza Dawson Assoc. in NY responded.

Anna asked her to do revisions, and Kate spent six months working on them. Then the agent shopped the dummy around, found a buyer, and Kate was on to more revisions and finished art.

Now, three years later, the book is coming out, published by Sleeping Bear Press, and everyone can read about Stella Mae Culpepper, her mind-your-own-business city neighbors, and the blizzard that brings marvelous changes to
Linden Square.

Congratulations, Kate, for your talent AND perseverance.

To pre-order a copy from Amazon, click here. 

To see more of Kate's wide artistic repertoire, including music, painting, and acting, click here.

Kelly Murphy Visits Children's Book Illustration III

                        Kelly with artwork from "Creepy Monsters, Sleepy Monsters"

                                       
                                      Kelly and an original from "Secrets At Sea"

                                         Roya having her book signed by Kelly

Last week, Kelly Murphy, the wonderful children’s book illustrator, visited our class. Kelly illustrates picture books as well as middle grade novel covers and interiors. She graduated from RISD in 1999 and has published many books since then. Kelly now teaches at RISD in the Illustration department. In fact, her classroom is just down the hall from ours in the ISB building!

Kelly was very generous with her time and brought many samples of original artwork, from paintings to dummies and sketches. She works both in color and black and white. Her color work is done mostly in acrylics. She starts with a gesso or gel under painting mixed with a single color in oil paint. Then she begins to layer with washes of acrylic. Her under painting helps to unify the colors in her atmospheric art. Each paintings takes her about 40 hours to complete.

Even without color, Kelly manages to create a lot of atmosphere. Some of her most beautiful sketches were done in ballpoint pen on plain paper. Kelly says she likes to sketch with pen because it forces her to get it right and be bolder. She later recreates the sketches for the finals with a micron pen. Recently she has also published work created in graphite. A wonderful example of that is the interior art for “Secrets At Sea” by Richard Peck.

Kelly was an inspiration to all of us!