Shawna J.C. Tenney's Blog, page 2

My Amazing CTNx Experience

I had a most amazing time going to CTNx (Creative Talent Network Animation Expo) in Burbank this past weekend. Here are a couple highlights from my trip.
The day before the Expo, we got together with people from the Oatley Academy. We had breakfast together and then we went to the Getty Museum. It was amazing to be with wonderful people who I have taken classes with at the Oatley Academy who have become some of my best friends. 
After looking around the museum, we had "OA family time." Chris Oatley, Lora Innes, and Justin Copeland gave us some great talks on what to expect at CTN, longevity of careers in art, and not quenching our passions because of what other people think.

Here's a picture of some of my favorite people. Some of the group that took Painting Drama 2 this last year. 

After the Getty, we went to the Center Stage Gallery to see the Lovely Ladies of Animation exhibit. It was awesome to see their original artwork in person! Here is a picture of us gathered after to eat and visit. We ended up in a circle of drawing awesomeness.
The Expo itself was amazing. I met so many people that I knew from school, from Utah, and from the internet. I met new amazing artists. I got to talk with artists who I really admire in person. Glen Keane's opening speech almost had me in tears. I took many amazing workshops. I bought far too many books. I laughed until I almost fell over, and I got lots of giant hugs. 
Helping out at the Oatley Academy Booth.
With Peter De Seve.
With Pascal Campion.
Hanging with friends. The Muppet Crowd of Awesomeness!
Now you might be wondering what a children's illustrator is doing going to an animation expo. Well let me tell you. I have learned so much from the animation industry over the last couple years. I had a very good education from BYU, where I got my degree. But character design, and story boarding were not really part of what I was required to learn. I think these are important skills for anyone wanting to make children's books. After all, making a children's book is almost like making your very own personal movie (without the animation part). Having well designed characters is going to be a big part of the appeal of your picture books! 
Also, a lot of people in animation are also into the children's illustration world as well. I picked up a few picture books while I was there! I thought I would feel silly saying I was an illustrator (not a character designer or visual development artist), but it turned out that many of the people there exhibiting are illustrators just like me.
While I was at CTN, I got the chance to see so much good good art. The expo floor is like a giant Comic Con, but all the art is actually really really good (no crappy fan art). There was so much inspiration there. Some amazing character designers there that gave me some good advice for my character designs. I also went to a few workshops that were really inspiring and helpful to any artist.
Also, being at CTN was like a giant family reunion where so many of my friends were gathered. I loved going so much, and I hope I can go again in future years. I hope to see some of you there in future years!

Going to CTN and Other Updates!

I was going through some old photos and found this little gem. This is me 11 years ago, 2003, my senior year in the Illustration department at BYU. We went on a trip to L.A. where we visited museums and some studios. I remember when I visited the studio, they were working on The Incredibles, and they had in the works and planning stages, a Rapunzel movie...which wouldn't come out for quite some time! This was also at the very end of most of the 2D animation. Brother Bear just was about to come out. Fun to look back on this trip!

I have never been interested in working for a big studio, mostly because my most important job is to be a mom. Which is why I chose the path of being a freelance illustrator. In fact, at the time this photo was taken, I was 6 week pregnant with my first baby. Sometimes it is really hard to be both a full time mom and a full time illustrator, but I am really glad I can do both!

Despite never really wanting to be part of a big studio, I have learned so much from the animation world! And although the studio route is not for me, I have thought it would be fun to try out some freelance character designing and such. Because of these things (and also to meet up with some good friends), I will be going to the CTN animation Expo next month in Burbank California! I am very excited!

Also, a little update on what I have in the works. Things have been a bit slow, as I have had a bunch of freelance work going on. But I am working on a very exciting project that I hope will be beneficial to all of you, dear readers!  There will be more details soon, and I hope to start posting this super secret project at the beginning of the year in January! Until then, hopefully I will find sometime to post some art work and maybe some more industry tips soon!

Happy October everyone, and keep drawing!

Picture Book Writing Retreat with Literary Agent, Jodell Sadler at Beautiful Sundance Aug 30!!

Come join me and my literary agent, Jodell Sadler at Sundance Lodge Writing Retreats where she will be doing picture book critiques on August 30th!
 The cost for the whole day (including 3 gourmet meals) is $150. If you need lodging for Friday and Saturday night, cost is another $100. Contact Mette Ivie Harrison (mette@argonautfilms.com) to get signed up and get more information. 
Other speakers will be Julie Olson (Discovering America), Kristyn Crow (Zombelina), Sharlee Glenn, and me, Shawna Tenney!
 Great views, great company, the best food, a chance to meet casually with other writers, new and more experienced, along with the chance to talk one-on-one with an agent--it's a chance that's hard to beat. In addition to the critique, you'll have a chance to talk casually with all of the presenters and with Jodell, and to ask all the questions your inquiring heart desires.

Picture Book Writing Retreat with Literary Agent, Jodell Sadler at Beautiful Sundance!!

Come join me and my literary agent, Jodell Sadler at Sundance Lodge Writing Retreats where she will be doing picture book critiques on August 30th!
 The cost for the whole day (including 3 gourmet meals) is $150. If you need lodging for Friday and Saturday night, cost is another $100. Contact Mette Ivie Harrison (mette@argonautfilms.com) to get signed up and get more information. 
Other speakers will be Julie Olson (Discovering America), Kristyn Crow (Zombelina), Sharlee Glenn, and me, Shawna Tenney!
 Great views, great company, the best food, a chance to meet casually with other writers, new and more experienced, along with the chance to talk one-on-one with an agent--it's a chance that's hard to beat. In addition to the critique, you'll have a chance to talk casually with all of the presenters and with Jodell, and to ask all the questions your inquiring heart desires.

Questions To Ask Potential Illustration Clients

In this video blog post, I talk about questions you should ask a potential client for book illustration jobs, whether they be working at a publishing house, or a self publishing author. It is important to have good communication to weed out potentially bad jobs, and to know exactly what the client is expecting.

Here is my affiliate link to the book I mention in the video, Business and Legal Forms for Illustrators by Tad Crawford.

Make Your Single Layered Sketch into a Multi-layered Illustration in Photoshop

In this Youtube Video, I share the technique I use to make my one layered sketch into a multi-layered illustration in Photoshop. Please "like" and share if this is helpful to you!

Character Design Sketches

Here are a few character sketches from a new personal book project I am working on! This represents only a very small portion of the pages and pages of character sketches that I have drawn, and I am sure there will be many many more to come.

 Something I am really trying to think about is varying the shapes and sizes and proportions in each character. I am also trying to give them unique silhouettes. This is something I didn't think about much before I started learning from artists in the animation industry. These are principles I think every children's illustrator should think about when designing characters for books.

Another great tip I learned from my friend, and concept artist at Disney Infinity in Salt Lake, Nasan Hardcastle is to start out really small and loose. Draw your character first in very small and simple shapes- almost like drawing a letter. Work loosely. Get the main general shapes first and then work up to a bigger size and work in the details.

Blog Tour: Writing Process

Greetings Illustrator Amigos! Today I am part of a blog tour!
 I was invited by the super talented illustrator and banjo player, Russ Cox! Before I begin, let me introduce you to Russ! 

Russ Cox was raised by a pack of crazed hillbillies in the back woods of Tennessee. Without much in the way of modern conveniences, like a television set or running water, he spent his time drawing and whittling away the hours. All of that drawing paid off. He has illustrated the Freddy the Frogcaster series written by Janice Dean (Regnery Kids). Major Manner Nite Nite Soldier, by Beth and Mike Hofner (Outhouse Ink). A Merry Moosey Christmas by Lynn Plourde (Islandport Press Fall 2014) and his first book that he wrote and illustrated, Faraway Friends, will be released in April 2015 by Sky Pony. 

You can find out more about Russ and see his work at his website, www.smilingotis.com and his blog, www.smilingotis.blogspot.com.



Now on to the questions. This blog tour topic is Writing Process. Here is a little bit about my writing process! 
1. What am I working on? 

I am working on a new picture book- title to be revealed soon- that I have written and am now illustrating. The characters in the book are all sheep and goats set in an ancient (yet strangely modern) middle eastern style royal court. Right now I'm working on character design- it has been a struggle at times, but mostly a blast! Character design sketches to be posted here soon!


2. How does my work differ from others of this genre? 

I have always loved fairy tales and spoofs on fairy tales. My stories usually don't take place in the every day life of a child like many picture books do. I do like to write books that are character driven, but my stories often take place in fantasy or fairy tale- like settings. 

Also a lot of children's illustrations use very flat and stylized and local color , whereas in my illustrations, although stylized, I like to use light and shadow and atmosphere.


3. Why do I write what I do? 

For a long time, I tried to write and illustrate things I thought would work well in the market- what I thought everyone else would want to read. 

But I was not writing what really resonated with me and with who I was.

 So I decided to write and illustrate something that I would want to read, and that's when I really started feeling happy and successful about my work.


4. How does my writing process work? 

When I write my story, I am already thinking of where I can show things with pictures instead of words. I usually write a few drafts of my story before I take it to my critique groups, and then revise it again a few times.  

Then I design the characters and do some other visual development for the book. This takes a while, because I want to get the characters just right for the story. Some of this takes place later in my process- every thing is ongoing. 

Next, I make a pacing book which is 8 pieces of paper, folded in half and stapled together. I tape the words of my story into the book and then turn the pages, and rearrange them until I like the pacing.

After that, I make a storyboard and revise that a few times. At this point I will show the story to my agent and critique group, and do a few more revisions. 

Then I make my dummy book/ more polished sketches, which will also go through a few revisions. 

In other words, write, revise, write, revise, draw, revise, draw, revise, draw again, revise, rewrite, redraw....that's my process!



So now that you know a little bit about my process, I hope you will join my friends next week (July 3rd) to find out about their writing processes. Hopefully hearing from all these amazing talented artist illustrators will give you some good ideas about what you can do to improve your writing craft. 

So without further delay, I would like to introduce you to some of my writer/illustrator friends!



First up, we have Mr. John Nez! I will let him introduce himself. Take it away, John!

I've illustrated over 50 books of every sort, from toddler board books to historical non-fiction. I'm now also writing and illustrating my own picture books and interactive e-book apps, which is a lot of fun.

I draw mostly in a whimsical style with the goal of conveying lots of feeling in my pictures... happy, sad, sneaky, mad, hopeful, afraid... whatever. I'd guess that's about the main point of any illustration.

 I work in Photoshop and Illustrator, which greatly expand the illustrator's toolbox. The combination of traditional and digital mediums allows for amazing new possiblities... and lots of fun.

You can find more about John by visting his website at www.johnnez.com and his blog at johnnez.blogspot.com.




Next up is my food friend, Manelle Oliphant. Here's a little about Manelle:

Manelle Oliphant graduated from BYU-Idaho with her illustration degree. She loves illustrating historical stories and fairytales. She lives with her husband in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

You can see her work and download free coloring pages on her website at www.manelleoliphant.com. 





And last but not least is another great friend of mine, Sherry Meidell. Here's a little bit about Sherry:

Sherry Meidell loves to tell stories with paint. She is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society, Utah Watercolor Society, and  Western Federation of Watercolor Societies.  She has received numerous awards and is a member and illustrator coordinator for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She keeps her paint brushes busy painting watercolors and illustrating children’s picture books. You can find out more about her by visiting her web site www.sherrymeidell.com and blog sherrymeidell.wordpress.com.

Picture Book Dummy Part 3- Sending the Dummy Book to Agents and Publishers

Welcome to Part Three of my Dummy Book Series! If you missed it:
PART 1: Making the Dummy BookPART 2: Preparing the Dummy Book to Send to Publishers

Today in Part 3, I will talk about what to submit to Editors and Agents, sending your dummy book out into the world, waiting, dealing with rejections and celebrating successes.

What to Put in Your Package for Editors and AgentsWhat to put in your package may vary from publisher to publisher. Many editors and agents want you to send everything via email, and others want you to send everything via snail mail. 
How will you know what each Publisher or Agency wants? 

Research Publishers and AgentsYou can find a list of Publisher who are accepting unsolicited manuscripts, and Literary Agents in either the Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market book or in  The Book , a publication that is only available to SCBWI members. There are not very many publishers who are accepting unsolicited (unagented) manuscripts anymore, so if you plan to write and illustrate a lot of your own books, it may be better to find an literary agent first.
When looking for a publisher or agent, always go look at their website. Make sure your work will be a good fit with their agency.
 I found that many of the agents listed didn't even have a website. A good agency will have a nice website and be involved in social media. It is an essential part of being successful in this business nowadays.

An Important Reminder For All of UsLet me pause for a moment to remind you of something very important to remember. The process and timing of finding an agent or a publisher is going to be different for each of us. It may be a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
The process of being successful as an illustrator may take years, or it might happen right away. But more often than not, it will take time.  I have been working in the industry for nine years and I have still never illustrated a trade book, whereas I know other artists who successfully jumped right away into the trade industry. But those cases are rare. It more often takes more time and perseverance to be successful. Remember to be patient.

Submission GuidelinesAfter finding a good list of Publishers or Agents, and you've checked their website to make sure your work is a good fit, find their submission guidelines. They are usually pretty easy to find on each website. Read the submission guidelines carefully. Everyone wants you to send slightly different things in the email, or include different things in your cover letter.

When Sending a Manuscript Package in the Mail
When I am sending a package in the mail, along with a letter and a printed dummy book, I like to include a business card and a couple of nicely printed post cards. I get my post cards printed at gotprint.com. They do a very nice job, and they come highly recommended!
Just make sure everything looks clean and professional. If you send extras, only send a couple. Don't overwhelm the editor!

Cover LettersResearch how to write a query or cover letter. There are many online resources available. Here is an article that I found helpful:  Writing a Cover Letter
When you are submitting a picture book that is both written and illustrated by you, the story and pictures can do most of the talking. So in other words, keep your letter brief.
Remember to be courteous and professional. Make sure you proofread your query letter carefully.
Many publishers and agents like to know if you are submitting to other publisher or agencies at the same time, so make sure to tell them if it is a simultaneous submission.

Sending Your Work Out Into the World and Waiting...Respect the publishers or agents space. Remember they get hundreds of submissions every month (or maybe even every week), so give them time and space, and don't bother them.
After you hand your package over to the post office worker, or click the send button on the email, you are going to be doing a lot of waiting.
In the mean time, start another personal project. Keep working on your craft and doing what you love to do instead of focusing on the waiting. Sometimes, it may take a long time to hear back from anyone. And sometimes you may never hear back at all. Just keep doing what you love to do and focus on things that are going well.

Dealing with RejectionsWhen you get a personal reject, remember that is a good sign that your work is getting close to being a success.
There may be a good reason for a rejection. For example, I got a few rejections from agents. In the rejections the agents said I had a good story, and my artwork was great, but the story wasn't right for them. I was happy for their rejections, because I didn't wanted to be agented by someone who wasn't absolutely thrilled by my story, style of writing and artwork.
Try to take time to do something fun to celebrate your rejections. There was one week where I got three rejections in one week. I got really down and depressed and started thinking destructive things about my artwork and career. A better thing for me to do would have been to go on a fun family outing to celebrate the fact that I am actually being brave and getting my work out there.
Rejections are part of the process, so think of ways you can celebrate what you are doing instead of focusing on the negative.
Just remember that if you are working on your craft all the time- learning how to be a better illustrator and a better writer, taking good critiques to heart and improving, if you are persistent and you are working every day for that dream, you will be successful.
Remember it takes time. Don't forget the many famous people in history who took years to be successful. Take hope from their stories, and don't give up!

Celebrating SuccessesDon't forget to celebrate all your successes along the way- big or little, whether it be a break though in your writing or drawing, signing on with a new agent, or having your manuscript accepted by a publisher. Tell a friend, buy yourself an new art book, or go out for ice cream with your family!
Remember to look back at where you were 10 years ago, and see the progress you've made. 

For more great information on Children's Publishing, check out Harold Underdown's, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books.

Dummy Books Part 3- Sending the Dummy Book to Agents and Publishers

Welcome to Part Three of my Dummy Book Series! If you missed it:
PART 1: Making the Dummy BookPART 2: Preparing the Dummy Book to Send to Publishers

Today in Part 3, I will talk about what to submit to Editors and Agents, sending your dummy book out into the world, waiting, dealing with rejections and celebrating successes.

What to Put in Your Package for Editors and AgentsWhat to put in your package may vary from publisher to publisher. Many editors and agents want you to send everything via email, and others want you to send everything via snail mail. 
How will you know what each Publisher or Agency wants? 

Research Publishers and AgentsYou can find a list of Publisher who are accepting unsolicited manuscripts, and Literary Agents in either the Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market book or in  The Book , a publication that is only available to SCBWI members. There are not very many publishers who are accepting unsolicited (unagented) manuscripts anymore, so if you plan to write and illustrate a lot of your own books, it may be better to find an literary agent first.
When looking for a publisher or agent, always go look at their website. Make sure your work will be a good fit with their agency.
 I found that many of the agents listed didn't even have a website. A good agency will have a nice website and be involved in social media. It is an essential part of being successful in this business nowadays.

An Important Reminder For All of UsLet me pause for a moment to remind you of something very important to remember. The process and timing of finding an agent or a publisher is going to be different for each of us. It may be a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
The process of being successful as an illustrator may take years, or it might happen right away. But more often than not, it will take time.  I have been working in the industry for nine years and I have still never illustrated a trade book, whereas I know other artists who successfully jumped right away into the trade industry. But those cases are rare. It more often takes more time and perseverance to be successful. Remember to be patient.

Submission GuidelinesAfter finding a good list of Publishers or Agents, and you've checked their website to make sure your work is a good fit, find their submission guidelines. They are usually pretty easy to find on each website. Read the submission guidelines carefully. Everyone wants you to send slightly different things in the email, or include different things in your cover letter.

When Sending a Manuscript Package in the Mail
When I am sending a package in the mail, along with a letter and a printed dummy book, I like to include a business card and a couple of nicely printed post cards. I get my post cards printed at gotprint.com. They do a very nice job, and they come highly recommended!
Just make sure everything looks clean and professional. If you send extras, only send a couple. Don't overwhelm the editor!

Cover LettersResearch how to write a query or cover letter. There are many online resources available. Here is an article that I found helpful:  Writing a Cover Letter
When you are submitting a picture book that is both written and illustrated by you, the story and pictures can do most of the talking. So in other words, keep your letter brief.
Remember to be courteous and professional. Make sure you proofread your query letter carefully.
Many publishers and agents like to know if you are submitting to other publisher or agencies at the same time, so make sure to tell them if it is a simultaneous submission.

Sending Your Work Out Into the World and Waiting...Respect the publishers or agents space. Remember they get hundreds of submissions every month (or maybe even every week), so give them time and space, and don't bother them.
After you hand your package over to the post office worker, or click the send button on the email, you are going to be doing a lot of waiting.
In the mean time, start another personal project. Keep working on your craft and doing what you love to do instead of focusing on the waiting. Sometimes, it may take a long time to hear back from anyone. And sometimes you may never hear back at all. Just keep doing what you love to do and focus on things that are going well.

Dealing with RejectionsWhen you get a personal reject, remember that is a good sign that your work is getting close to being a success.
There may be a good reason for a rejection. For example, I got a few rejections from agents. In the rejections the agents said I had a good story, and my artwork was great, but the story wasn't right for them. I was happy for their rejections, because I didn't wanted to be agented by someone who wasn't absolutely thrilled by my story, style of writing and artwork.
Try to take time to do something fun to celebrate your rejections. There was one week where I got three rejections in one week. I got really down and depressed and started thinking destructive things about my artwork and career. A better thing for me to do would have been to go on a fun family outing to celebrate the fact that I am actually being brave and getting my work out there.
Rejections are part of the process, so think of ways you can celebrate what you are doing instead of focusing on the negative.
Just remember that if you are working on your craft all the time- learning how to be a better illustrator and a better writer, taking good critiques to heart and improving, if you are persistent and you are working every day for that dream, you will be successful.
Remember it takes time. Don't forget the many famous people in history who took years to be successful. Take hope from their stories, and don't give up!

Celebrating SuccessesDon't forget to celebrate all your successes along the way- big or little, whether it be a break though in your writing or drawing, signing on with a new agent, or having your manuscript accepted by a publisher. Tell a friend, buy yourself an new art book, or go out for ice cream with your family!
Remember to look back at where you were 10 years ago, and see the progress you've made. 

For more great information on Children's Publishing, check out Harold Underdown's, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books.