RISD certificate grads attend NE-SCBWI Conference

One of the most active organizations that supports children's book writer's and illustrators is the  Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators, know as SCBWI.

Clare, Meg, Cheryl, Marcela and Anne 

I just returned from the New England chapter's annual conference in Springfield, MA, "Think Outside the Crayon Box." With over 600 participants, it's quite an event. I recognized two of our instructors and eleven students or grads of the certificate program while I was there.

Cindy, Brook, Jeanette

What do you get if you go to a SCBWI event?

For illustrators, there were various workshops.
There was an Illustrator's Challenge, designed as a portfolio building exercise and promotional opportunity. This year's challenge was to illustrate a single line of text for a double-page spread: "Don't worry-I fixed it."

Marcela's Illustrator's challenge

Ann with her Illustrator's challenge (and a corner view of Marcela's)

 Marcela with Sarita and Stella

Award Winners

There is a Portfolio Showcase, viewed by attending agents, art directors and editors, judged by professional art directors, with prizes awarded.  Recent grad Marcela Staudenmeier won the R. Michelson Gallery Award, and will be included in the annual CBI show there in November.

Recent grad Rong Yuan Ma (Roya) won the Ann Barrow Scholarship, which gives her free tuition to next year's conference. She attended the conference with her husband Luc, and their eight month old baby.

I couldn't be prouder of all of the attendees for putting themselves out there to be seen, to learn, and to network.

Roya and McKenzie with Illus 3 instructor, Emilie Boon

Roya, Luc and McKenzie

Brook and Lin

Instructor Marlo Garnsworthy (front rt.) with friends

 

 

 

 

 

 

Workshops, Speakers & Critiques

Many agents, editors and art directors attend, and  portfolio and manuscript reviews can be scheduled.

Illustration by Dan Santat

The keynote speaker was Dan Santat, author/illustrator of this years Caldecott Award, "The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend".

Josh Alves did a workshop on Planning, preparing, and Publishing an interactive app book, and Nicole Tadgell did a watercolor workshop, to name just a few of the workshops geared towards children's book illustrators, as well as author/illustrators.

Milanka with author Jane Yolen

One of the fun events was Pitchapalooza, an American Idol for books (only kinder and gentler). Twenty writers are selected at random to pitch their book in one minute—and only one minute!  A panel of experts critique the pitch. Winner gets introduction to agent or publisher. 


The conference is run almost entirely by volunteers, and is an amazing feat.

2012 NESCBWI Poster Contest

 

2012 NESCBWI Poster Contest - 1st Place unpublished by Milanka Reardon

Milanka and Marcela (3rd place poster contest winner and winner of the Ann Barrows scholarship)!

I was so honored and surprised to have my poster win in the 2012 NESCBWI poster contest! And especially happy for my friend Marcela! Last year when I attended my first New England conference I realized something really amazing. I am part of a group of RISD students, teachers and alumni who are probably the most supportive artist group around. Last year as I looked around at the large number of people attending the conference and then at our RISD group which numbered at least 8 or 9 people, I was amazed at how many times someone in our group got up to win a prize - Jeanette for 1st place poster contest, Lin for 2nd in People's choice and Caroline for 3rd place unpublished and Kristina for 3rd place published! Wow, how lucky was I to be a part of this group! Even though I didn't win, I was among a group of the most talented and hard working people I know. And if I keep learning with them and from them, someday my turn will come!

I learned so much at this conference but even more from our RISD class critiques and group critiques. It is essential to step back and look at your artwork with a different set of eyes. I don't know how many times I've listened to advice from my classmates or teachers and thought wow, that's great - how did I not see that. But all of this wonderful advice is always given in such a positive way that everyone benefits and learns. Thank you to all of the RISD teachers for not only giving us great critiques but for teaching us how to give a critique! And a complement - it goes such a long way when someone says something nice about our artwork. It may be the incentive needed not to give up on our art altogether. That is why an award or a kind word from our peer group means so much to all of us. It's what we need not to give up on the hope of being published someday soon!

My poster this year has so much meaning to me because it was the result of me finally returning to Yugoslavia (where I was born and which no longer exists) after more than 40 years. I was finally reunited with my Croatian cousins who survived the wars over there. On our quest to find where I was born (now the country of Montenegro) we drove through Bosnia and to this beautiful bridge in Mostar, Bosnia. I was amazed to learn that this bridge has been rebuilt since the war in the 1990's. It was blown up to keep the Muslims on one side and the Christians on the other. And while some buildings next to it are pristine, others still have hundreds of bullet holes in them and trees are growing through the middle of the houses. This image was haunting me until I put pencil to paper and in my story the dragons live on one side and people on the other. But really, the ordinary little ones just want to be friends.

MilankaReardon.com

Now Seeds, Start Growing!

"What's wrong with me? Why are all the other seedlings bigger than me? Am I ever going to grow that big? What if everyone else grows but me?"

Conferences are strange moments outside of everyday space and time. In artificially lit, air-conditioned hotel ballrooms you sit and take in more information than you can possibly absorb. You swing wildly between bored, exhilarated, overwhelmed, inspired, eager to get to work, and intimidated by those around you.

I just returned from my third New England Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators (NESCBWI) conference. I felt (and still feel) all of the above, and more.  Last year I had great success with my poster contest entry. This year I didn't manage to get my poster done on time, and my portfolio looked like it had been slapped together at midnight (which it had.) I've had a year of getting more and more frustrated with the work I am producing - when I manage to produce anything. I have many incomplete projects on my desk and desktop.

So I was in exactly the right place-outside-of-time to hear Sara Zarr's talk on living the creative life, interspersed with readings from Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel. She read "The Garden", a story in which Toad plants seeds and then yells "Now seeds, start growing!" at them. I had a flash of insight into my creative troubles.

Of course nothing I make will be as good as last year's poster, as long as what I am trying to make is "something as good as that poster." How dull is that as a goal? My work needs to change and grow organically and trying to force it to live up to something else is as damaging creatively as comparing my rate of progress to that of classmates, colleagues, or other conference-goers.

I'm not the same person I was when I made that poster - I've had all sorts of life experiences since then, including having a baby. I would never yell "Grow faster!" at my baby, so why am I doing it to myself?

My big take-home message from this year's conference is not how to produce an ebook or the best way to approach a book packager (which I learned.) It is to take a step back, trust that the seeds are there, and stop trying so hard. Have fun. Play with paint. And pencils, and old newspapers, and sticks. And whatever else inspires me at the moment. And just don't worry about how professional my portfolio looks or how marketable something is. 

Play. The seeds will grow. When? Soon, Toad, soon. 

Deep Breath...

Call it a leap of faith.  A daring do.  Being brave.  Just like in high school when you had that phys ed class that made you drop backwards into the (hopefully) waiting arms of friends - that is what this is like for me.
I wanted to post my NESCBWI poster (post my poster?) to my risd friends who may tell me gently that I've lost my mind.  For this illustration I walked on the wild side; not the predictable, marketing safe, typical Tina.  I went with my gut. Let me know what you think.
And thank you for catching me.  ;^)

© Kristina Hickman

     

NESCBWI Spring Conference: 2012 Poster Contest

If you are planning to attend the 2012 NESCBWI Conference, may be you are ready to participate in the 2012 Poster Contest!

The challenge: A Whole New World

How do you go about building an entire world in just one image? How do you use illustration to "keep it real"? Explore a new world in your poster.

The contest is open to all illustrators, and prizes will be awarded in the published, unpublished, and people's choice categories.

For more information and details visit the conference hub page at http://regonline.com/nescbwi12