Picture Book Finale!

I couldn’t have asked for a more satisfying ending to my story at Maine College of Art than the Picture Book course that just wrapped up last week. I wrote about the first half of the semester HERE, and the second half  really picked up speed. After a snowy spring break, I returned to class with props for a life drawing session meant to warm us all UP.

Students volunteered to model. Meet Queen Veronica.

Drawing with my students is better than spring! The sheer variety of results is a delight. This sketch is by Aric.

This one’s mine.

My teaching assistant Liz Long’s sketch in class became an illustration outside of class. Way to go!!

Everyone can use observational drawing practice, practice, practice. Sharp eyes, sharp pencils.

Book dummies were due. What a rich pile of stories in development!

Our Guest Critter, Wade Zahares, arrived to share his wisdom about picture books and pastels.

Senior illustration major Brittany Taylor with Wade Zahares

We broke into three crit groups to hear each student read their book and receive critical feedback on character design, composition, flow, and overall structure.

On April 4th, the class met in the Sam L. Cohen’s Children’s Library for an informative panel featuring Melissa Kim, author and editor at Islandport Press, Erin Murphy, owner of Erin Murphy Literary Agency, and Kirsten Cappy, kidlit connector at Curious City.

Melissa Kim told students about her path into children’s publishing.

Sketch by Jamie Hogan

She veered from an early interest in science to majoring in journalism, finding her way in jobs at Scholastic to Simon and Schuster to editing an educational magazine in London. Currently at Islandport Press, she emphasized, “I’m old school.” She likes to receive postcard samples in the mail, keeping the submissions in stuffed folders marked A, B, and C. She suggested students be good at writing e-mails, able to get their vision across, and their work must show characters with a range of emotions in sequential settings in a variety of black and white and color approaches.

Erin Murphy started her small business in Arizona, without any contacts in New York City, the center of publishing.

Sketch by Jamie Hogan

Now her company is located in Gorham, Maine with a team of four agents working to shape overall careers. She is a “guardian of contracts,” selling subsidiary rights, options in Hollywood, and guiding projects before they are sold. When choosing authors and illustrators to work with, she looks for point of view and signs of storytelling. About her clients, she said, “I’m the guard rails, they’re driving in the lane.”

Kirsten Cappy was an anthropology and women’s studies major. During college, she worked in the periodicals library, lining her dorm room with promotional posters from children’s books.

Sketch by Jamie Hogan

She worked at Barnes & Noble after graduating, settling into the children’s department where she learned that “picture books are a gallery you get to take home.” After years of hand-selling in bookstores, she established Curious City, “where kids and books meet.” She plans book events and marketing to find that magic match where a child engages with a book. What they see, hear, and play builds their brains. She discussed her advocacy of early childhood literacy with Raising Readers.

After the presentations, a Q & A followed. Students mingled among the stellar books.

The class returned to the MECA studio, where Liz and I circulated to see work in progress. For the final month, students were illustrating three scenes from their picture book.

This is Rachel’s sketch for her Spanish version of the Cinderella story, Cenicienta.

She had begun painting the watercolor.

Nearby, Jen had made a 3D version of her fancy pigeon, reference for her The Pigeon and the Pauper story.

A character from last semester had sparked Sarah’s book idea, I Swear I Asked An Astronaut, a collection of kids’ questions about space.

Cara Peslak was in the middle of her final watercolor for Matilda, her picture book version of Raoul Dahl’s story.

The following week we had a visit from Stephen Costanza, illustrator and former MECA instructor. He shared his techniques and numerous original illustrations.

He discussed the book he’s working on now, and his search for new methods. Plus, he brought a stash of books that inspire him.

And he circulated to offer feedback. Here he talked with Tyler.

The next week MECA IL alum Taylor Mirabito visited, talking about her recent picture book project with Think Equal.

She also brought in roughs and originals, talking about her materials before speaking to each student individually.

Aric’s thesis is The Fairy Reel, a visual adaptation of a Neil Gaiman poem.

Aric’s line art hung nearby while he digitally painted all the final illustrations.

Veronica’s Twelve Horses of Christmas was moving along, too. Bow down, Freesians!

For the final critique, award-winning author/illustrator Melissa Sweet joined the first half of class. How lucky can one class be? Students displayed final art on screen while sharing their book dummy.

We saw finals by Alice, Brittany, Cara, Carla, Emily, Fred, Hannah, Jacob, Jen, and Jeremy. Yes, it’s a large class.

Award-winning author/illustrator Kevin Hawkes was our Guest Critter for the second half of class! Yet more wisdom and critical feedback, plus plenty of encouragement. We looked at finals by Aric, Katie, Kolby, Rachel, Lauren, Michaela, Rob, Sarah, Tyler, and Veronica. Twenty picture books in all!

When all the work was done, Liz handed out handmade zines and I handed out blank sketchbooks.

Photo by Mary Anne Lloyd

Little did I know when I began as an adjunct in 2003 that I would be part of the Illustration MECA hive for this long. I decided last year that it was time to pass the torch.

I got weepy when a crew of juniors lined up for hugs. Honestly, MECA illo majors have been a parade of insights and inspirations that I will savor for years to come.

Just look at these…paintings, zines, and a sketchbook. Gifts of the best kind.

Top left and right by Liz Long, bottom L – R: Michaela Flint, a collective zine with cover by Cara Peslak, and sketchbook cover by Carla Nunez-Hernandez.

Thanks to Program Chair Mary Anne Lloyd for her passionate leadership and this final photo.

Thanks to all Illustration Program esteemed colleagues past and present, fave faculty peeps! I learned more than I taught, from them and from all the illo ninjas with whom I had the honor to share the classroom. Now I can put both feet back into my studio, and hope y’all visit.

This Friday is the Thesis Exhibition opening from 6 – 8 PM, FREE. Come see the wonderful work done by the Class of 2018. I’ll be there with bells on!