Transcript: 8/26/10

TOPIC: How important is an art degree for success in illustration? What is your own background in art?

This chat evolved into one of those community-building conversations Twitter does best: a group of people with a common interest sharing opinions and experiences.
There was no way to extract one or two comments that would sum up, so here's a sampling:

@melindabeavers: "As a freelancer—I don't think anyone cares [if you have an art degree]. They judge by your portfolio and your professionalism.

@angelamatteson: "[I'm] always grateful for college, but learning never stops."

@DiandraMae: "It seems the only way to learn the business is to try to be IN it."

@JohansenNewman: "Art school does not teach you tenacity. But it may begin to toughen your skin if it's too thin."

@WendyMartinArt: "I think traditional draftsmanship is a lost art."

@johnlechner: "Another thing art school can't teach you: how to discover your style. That sometimes takes a lifetime."

@JannieHo: "I had a great time in art school, so I would recommend it. Especially all the connections I've made."

@kellylight: "I'd do art school all over again! As my current self, though . . . not that namby-pamby I used to be."

@drawntobewild: "Art school is definitely wasted on the young!"

Full transcript below—enjoy!

#kidlitart 8-26-10

8/19/10: Guest chat with Elizabeth Dulemba

TOPIC: Author/illustrator Elizabeth O. Dulemba (@dulemba) answers questions about picture book apps.

Note: What follows is a condensed version of the chat, set up in Q&A format: text blocks in bold are questions and comments from various chat participants. Elizabeth's answers are in italics.

Before we start, here's a link to Elizabeth's app:
http://dulemba.com/ActivityPage-Lula.html

Would you like to tell us about how Lula came about?
Like so many, I thought the idea of a PB app was cool! Something about the whole app thing just screamed "Pay attention - this is gonna be big..." But most of my stories were tied up in rights. So I chose a dummy that had won some awards, but never got published. It was short, funny, the drawings were mostly done.

Only clincher, it was a Halloween theme and that was a month away! I got the finals done in two weeks. I was up very late for those two weeks, but it was fun, too. Since the art was so small (4x the iPhone screen size), it flew.

I went with a local developer and did the voice too since there wasn't any time to hire
somebody! (Btw, no eating Indian food or dairy before doing a voice recording. Learned that one the hard way…)

Rhodesoft (Reading Rhino) was my developer. Very smart people. :-)

How did you link up with RhodeSoft?
I was talking to a friend at the Decatur Book Festival about what I wanted to do and she told me about Toni [Rhodes].

Did you license it yourself?
It was actually easier with an unpublished story - no rights issues!

What is the size of the artwork?
Not very big. About 1024x768 pixels - which is the iPad's dimensions thank goodness. I didn't have to redo anything for that!

Did they tell you what size it needed to be to work?

I came up with the 4x thing. For iPad, dulemba: I'd probably work at least 2x. It's still MUCH smaller than normal for me.

Do you know of any vanity or P.O.D E book or App publishers?
I've started gathering resources. You can see at
http://www.dulemba.com/index_techread.html

How many "screen shots" for an average story--or is there an average?
My original dummy for Lula was a standard PB, so it stayed within that range.

How did you get in with the resellers?
Well, the reseller is Apple. And honestly, other than Toni requesting, I have no idea how Lula
ended up in their featured section.

Are you concerned about shrinking artists and writers royalties as we move closer to e books and apps?
I am VERY concerned about the "standards" being quoted for eBooks. I don't think it's right
yet.

What standards are you referring to?
Right now a lot of publishers are contacting their authors asking them to sign "Updated"
contracts promising 25% of eBook royalties.

The only difference between print and e books is the printed book. All the other
expenses are the same right?
Not sure exactly what you mean, but an eBook is quite different in that there's no
warehousing, overhead, etc.

Development and marketing . . .
Development and Marketing are still pretty different. There are some hiccups with eBooks. No
affiliate programs. No ISBN #s - it's hard to connect to them other than with a link to the app on iTunes. Not ideal from a marketing standpoint.


Do you think the same thing will happen to lit as with music: digital is easy to copy/share = less sales?
No, I think lit is more like the movie industry than music. Videos didn't kill theatres - we just
have more options now.

Did you have any upfront costs? Other than your time/materials for art?
That's different with every developer. In the beginning it was an experiment and some were willing to split royalties. Now I think more are charging for the set-up and upload to Apple. So, for me, no upfront cost - just a lot of labor.

So distribution awareness is kind of a problem...
Distribution awareness is THE BIGGEST PROBLEM with apps. It is SO Hard to be found!!! If you aren't featured in the app store, it's very hard for anyone to find your product.

Are you working on other apps?
I'm currently trying to get my rights back on one of my earlier PBs that's just recently gone
OP. It would do well as an app.

What do you think the future of libraries and school visits is with so many ebooks
and apps?
I think our world will look very different 5 yrs from now, but I think/hope libraries will be a part of that. The need for libraries is still too strong. Tech stuff isn't for everybody.

Maybe they will have digital libraries in the future, like netflicks for video rental stores.
I think libraries are starting to put together something like that.

School visits really rely on having that tangible, large amazing book to connect with the kids.
Apps are difficult in crowds, although with projectors, they could do well.

Will you promote your apps or ebooks as you would hard copy books?
Promoting apps is more online obviously. But a bit easier in person with the iPad. Showing
an app on an iPhone was like..."Isn't that nice..." Doesn't work well with a crowd!

Wondering if anyone knows a good program to use to create an app?

Adobe has a walk through for InDesign, but that's for an eBook rather than an App.
http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/epub/howto/

Any plans to publish Lula's Brew traditionally (print)?
I'd love to pub LULA traditionally! My agent and I are waiting for the app sales #s to get high
enough to knock their socks off.

I love turning real pages but I'm also excited about the interactivity and animation part of it.
The interactivity is amazing. Jack and the Beanstalk kept me busy for an hour. And I'm an adult! (Sort of.) I don't think print will go away. Although I do think paperbacks are truly threatened by eReaders. Makes sense really.

Computers didn't fry our little brains! If anything, I feel like they freed us up! You'll never talk me out of wanting the print book experience. But the apps are fun TOO. I really do think it's like movies. There are some I must see on the big screen, while othersare fine on cable... I DO think apps are an opportunity. And I'm a geek, so I'm very excited by the possibilities.Just don't take my books from me!

I wonder if pubs will start preferring illus who can do print and e? (if art isn't digital already)
I don't think there will be a difference in illustrators doing print vs. e. Although the digital skills
definitely help. It doesn't matter how the art starts out, just what it looks like on the device. So no brush orstylus debate...For books that is. The drawing programs on the iPad are a completely different story!!!

I haven't tried drawing programs on the iPhone yet.

I'd wait a little bit for a good drawing program. SketchPro is good, but the resolution is still low and we need a stylus!

Would love a stylus for the iPad, or it could work like a Cintiq?

That's what I keep hoping for!! I'm betting we'll have a true digital sketch pad in 2-3 years. Yay!

One issue in adapting existing books is screen size. You can't just shrink a picture book without losing clarity/readability. For better or worse, many books won't transfer easily to screen - they'll need new layout/typesetting.
Absolutely! There is adaptation that needs to happen. Room in the art for large text. I zoomed in on most of my images for LULA. The large shapes really do work well. Too much tiny text, itty bitty detailed illustrations... I don't think they work as well.

Sometimes shrinking art can tighten it up. But that doesn't mean that's the best way to present it. It depends on the style. Simple shapes colors would shrink okay; complex details, not so much.

Wouldn't you just scan the art into a file the same way?
You could scan the art like you would for anything. But it's still a different presentation that a book and should be designed.

*Comment from @RhodeSoft: One thing to keep in mind - Apple requires that your app can be viewed both horizontally & vertically.

When changing the orientation, do you just crop from the center out?
Yup - that sounds right.

We just ended up adding black space to the negative areas. Otherwise I would have had to redo the art.

What's legible and readable for a PB is very diff on a tiny screen.
Indeed. I went much larger on my text. I think it was about 18pts for the iPhone.

If all books become e-books they will all have to fit into whatever the device's size is.

It's a good point. Although that's unique to kids books. There are some pretty common standards for adult books.

I think kids will be much more comfortable w/ digital devices than we are & may not be as attached to traditional print.
My 3 and 5-year-old cousins go right past my PB collection and to my iPad these days. They
are really good on it.

What do you think of simple ebooks or pdf's? Do you think creators should stick to more interactive apps?
I think a simple PB presentation works VERY WELL on the iPad. And I've seen kids go for both.

What are benefits of app over ebook?

ePub and Apps are completely different. They don't have the same functionality. So, they
really can't be handled the same way.

I do love technology, I think there's lots of room for both!
I agree - I think there's room for both too. The question is, is there enough income to support both.

I think the $ factor is what's concerning everyone. Where will it stop will determine who's willing to play w/it. I think the worry is that as the price drops, so will the $ to the content creators. Less royalties?
Yes, they're less expensive, but they also can potentially sell in higher numbers. Potentially.
If they can be found. The $$$ thing is a concern, but it's really the same issues as in print. How to be found. How to go viral. the potential is more of the royalty going to the creator - so it could balance out. Cheaper app, but more %.

Kind of like the .99 iTunes?

Yes, exactly like iTunes. Cut out the middle men and more of the profits go to the creators. I hope publishers find a way to adapt to this new tech and still support creators in a fair way.
They have much to contribute.

Bands can actually bypass record companies and offer music free, they're more in control.

But again - how to get found. There are lots of bands figuring it out. We will too. it would be nice if we could avoid the mistakes of other industries. I think it takes smarts, flexibility and... the willingness to JUMP!

When bands do that, more of a connection to fans, more shows, $$ in long run? Could authors/illustrators be the same way?
I think it's already happening. That's why an author's platform has become so important.

It's a brave new world... for the brave. What an interesting time to be a creative.


APP DEVELOPERS ON TWITTER

(Please feel free to add to this list in the comments section.)

@RhodeSoft

@meegenius

@Touchoo

@MobiStories

@StoryPlease

@PicPocketBooks

@OceanhouseMedia

@TumbleBooks

@OkenkoBooks

@RuckusMedia

Full transcript below:

#kidlitart 8-19-10

Transcript: 8/12/10

TOPIC: What's the one how-to book you couldn't live without?

BOOKS & LINKS RECOMMENDED:

How-to/reference

PERSPECTIVE

Perspective for Comic Book Artists: How to Achieve a Professional Look in Your Artwork, by David Chelsea

Perspective, by William F. Powell

Perspective Drawing Handbook, by Joseph D'Amelio

Creative Layout: Perspective for Artists, by Thomas Denmark and Leandro Ng Budiono

BACKGROUNDS

Prepare to Board! Creating Story and Characters for Animated Features and Shorts, by Nancy Beiman

http://animationbackgrounds.blogspot.com/

FIGURE DRAWING/ANATOMY

Drawing People: How to Portray the Clothed Figure, by Barbara Bradley

Figure Drawing For All It's Worth, by Andrew Loomis

People and Poses, by Buddy Scalera

Figure Drawing Without a Model, by Ron Tiner

Creating Characters with Personality: For Film, TV, Animation, Video games and Graphic Novels, by Tom Bancroft

The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation, by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas

How to Draw Animals, by Jack Hamm

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures Volumes 1 & 2, by Walt Stanchfield and Don Hahn

Dynamic Figure Drawing, by Burne Hogarth

Anatomy books by George Bridgman

GENERAL

Creative Illustration, by Andrew Loomis

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, by Stan Lee and John Buscema

Paint Watercolors That Dance With Light, by Elizabeth Kincaid

DeviantArt

TECHNICAL/BUSINESS

Photoshop 7 for Dummies (newer editions available for later editions of Photoshop)

Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market, 2011 edition now available

Lynda.com (software training online)


PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATION/WRITING/STORYTELLING WITH ART

Writing with Pictures: How to Write and Illustrate Children's Books, by Uri Shulevitz

Understanding Comics; Making Comics; Reinventing Comics; series by Scott McCloud

Children's Book Illustration: Step by Step Techniques: A Unique Guide from the Masters, by Jill Bossert

Illustrating Children's Books: Creating Pictures for Publication, by Martin Salisbury

Picture This: How Pictures Work, by Molly Bang

How to Animate Film Cartoons, by Preston Blair

Writing and Illustrating Children's Books for Publication: Two Perspectives, by Berthe Amoss and Eric Suben

Writing Picture Books: A Hands-On Guide from Story Creation to Publication, by Ann Whitford Paul

The Making of Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers (video)

WORKS OF OTHER ARTISTS

Tim Biskup

Jim Flora

Taschen Books (publisher)

Victor Ambrus

Alphonse Mucha

Inspiration

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield

Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom, ed. by Leonard S. Marcus

The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It For Life, by Twyla Tharp

Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking, by David Bayles and Ted Orland

Suggestions for Improving as an Artist, by John Clapp (text of class handout)


Full transcript below:


#kidlitart 8-12-10

Transcript: 8/5/10

TOPIC: Spec art: pros and cons?

Consensus:
Spec art is marginally acceptable, and only in special cases:
for a beginning artist, to build a portfolio
character sketches requested from a publisher (never finished art)

Clients will judge your worth by what you charge; clients who get work for nothing don't appreciate the value, and are never satisfied

Licensing is a different case: works differently from publishing in that the product is created first, then sold--so spec work may be the norm.

Red flags to look for when approached by client: "good exposure" and "potentially lucrative"

Crowd-sourcing: a unanimous "no"

Contests in general must be scrutinized carefully; only respond to trusted organizers, such as HOW and Print

WFH: not always bad. Educational publishers work this way; also, art for book covers is usually WFH; there's a difference between WFH and flat fee (artist may not retain copyright under a WFH contract)

Stock illustrations: may or may not offer royalty

Pro bono work is a plus--but be careful of assuming all nonprofits make good clients.
Causes with a good track record for illustrators:
Ripple
Robert's Snow
The Totoro Forest Project

Alternatives to spec work for artists just starting out:
Community projects
Group blogs
Small publishers
Personal web site
Portfolio
Postcard promos

Links:
http://www.no-spec.com/archives/i-wish-i-had-written-this/

http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2010/08/moonrats-rundown-of-publishing-options.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2a8TRSgzZY

Books:
Holly DeWolf's Breaking into Freelance Illustration

Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing and Ethical Guidelines
Comment about PEG: fees listed are slightly higher than the average illustrator can command--perhaps because only most successful artists are willing to share fee history

Tweet(s) of the night:

This topic brought out the the pithy:

@vvjonez: If I don't want to get paid, I might as well work on my own stuff.

and the funny:

@WendyMartinArt: You can die from exposure.

@DiandraMae: I always feel like they're offering a flesh-eating virus to me when they say "you'll get great exposure!"

@WendyMartinArt: In fact, if I expose too much I can be arrested.

@NVCrittenden: Spec art is only okay when your client is an optometrist!

Full transcript below:


#kidlitart 8-5-10