This newsletter was originally published on Substack.
Illustration
Visual Texture!
I’m working on the final color art for Lilibet Makes a Friend (written by Kersten Hamilton). Every book I work on teaches me something new about the artist I want to become, and THIS book is telling me to play up the TEXTURE! (Yeah, books speak to me. That’s normal, right?)
So, I’ll follow the lead and give extra love and attention to gritty pencil marks, painterly brush strokes, and stacks on stacks of layered color :)
The right amount of textural touches gives art that … “chef’s kiss.” Your eye moves around it, and it delights you at every angle. Sometimes fast. Sometimes slow. What’s the “right” amount of texture you ask? Beats me! For now, I have to rely on my taste and intuition because I can’t quite articulate/measure it. When I’ve gone too far and over-complicated an image, I get a feeling of overwhelm. The “right” amount of visual busyness is exhilarating yet manageable to take in.
I’m especially drawn to Brian Biggs’ work right now. In my opinion, he’s a texture expert! He appears to have loads of fun doing his work, too. Brian has made over 75 books, but honestly, he’s just now truly on my radar. His art is distinctive and playful yet educated and calculated. The guy knows what he’s doing. He’s honed his craft for years and pivoted when things felt stale (which I learned from this podcast).
From afar, Brian Biggs inspires me to keep going and keep learning. Hey, it might take me 75 books to make my mark in this industry and figure out who I am exactly. If so, I’m 7 books in, 68 to go.
Kids Meet Authors (replay and next event)
Jannie Ho, Bethanie Murguia, and I had a lovely time answering real kids’ questions about reading and creating graphic novels. Enjoy the replay below!
The next event is on November 1st, all about STEM stories! Sign up to join live or to get a replay link.
2 Events for Kids THIS Saturday in person!
I’ll be doing two kids’ events at Alpharetta Public Library this Saturday, Oct. 26th ! Books will be available for purchase/signing after each session.
- 11 am – 12 pm, I’m presenting about Rad Robots, reading my STEM-friendly picture book, DOLL-E 1.0, and teaching kids to draw the robot from the story!
- 2 – 3 pm, I’m presenting Words + Pictures = MAGIC, reading my STEM-friendly picture book, DOLL-E 1.0, and teaching kids to draw like an illustrator!
The Sketchy Stage – when I feel most like an author and illustrator
My January-March was packed full of racing to finish up final art for SMASH, CRASH, TOPPLE, ROLL (a book about Rube Goldberg, written by Catherine Thimmesh) and 12 school visits in three states! I got to visit the wide-open rolling hills of northeast Missouri and several little new-to-me towns in Georgia and South Carolina.
Ben (husband) can work anywhere, so he goes with me when it’s more than just a day trip. It’s great. He drives :) And our girls and pup get to live it up with my mom (Didi) who is much cooler than me.
Now I’m back home … April begins … it’s a little calmer, and it’s time to start a new book project… Anything is possible at this stage. It’s when I feel most like an author and illustrator.
I spend some mornings at Barrel House Coffee shop sketching thumbnails (small loose images) of the whole book, LILIBET MAKES A FRIEND, by Kersten Hamilton. And while I make decisions about which words should fall on which pages and what the images on those pages might look like, I also listen…
A group of men gather at a table next to me, talk about the best way to make hummus, and how one of them renders some sort of building plans at no charge for fun. They talk a little about politics and new things coming to our little town, even though they are “not at liberty to say”.
Another group forms around another table. They’re local real estate agents and insurance people. They brainstorm ways they can work together to navigate the tough market. And it occurs to me that we’re ALL just trying our very best to make it in this world, battling imposter syndrome or interest rates.
I love working at the coffee shop. It reminds me that I’m a part of a community and I’m an author-illustrator in that community. I’m not alone in the struggle of life and work and trying to be something. Many things feel possible. I am creative, fluid, and imperfectly lovely … just like my sketches.
I Talk About My Mistake on The Lil’ Leaders Podcast
After my last post about making a big, embarrassing art mistake in Little Red and the Big Bad Editor, I was invited to talk about it on The Lil’ Leaders Podcast!
T-Bone the Drone Update
Publisher Little, Brown recently informed me that my book, T-Bone the Drone, is sold out in the warehouse but, unfortunately, they are not going to print more. Soon, T-Bone will only be available as an e-book. So snag a physical copy before they’re all gone! Amazon, BN.com, and Read It Again still have a few.
I’ll always love my little drone book and how excited kids get when they discover Charlotte, Doll-E, and Blutooth (from DOLL-E 1.0) are a part of this story too!
Pencil Pusher schedule changes…
I’m elated that so many classrooms and families are enjoying the Pencil Pusher newspaper for kids! This newspaper is a project of my heart and I want to continue to make it the best it can be. So I’m changing up the sending schedule a bit to fit us all better. Starting now, schools/classrooms/libraries will receive 2 issues per year (Fall & Spring) and individuals/families will receive 3 issues per year (Fall, Spring, AND a summer edition with surprise stickers)!
Just a schedule change. There’s no need to do anything. But if you’re not already signed up, you can do that at the link above, or if you need to change your subscription for any reason, email me at theshanda@yahoo.com.
Friends with New Books!
Shelli Johannes co-wrote and recently released the Farm Friends series! (Think STEM + agriculture, early readers).
Bethanie Merguia’s Wagnificent (a young middle-grade graphic novel about Sage and her dog, Thunder, who juggles with being a perfect pet and a wild animal from wolf ancestry) comes out in July! Preorder and get a cool set of stickers too.
Vicky Fang’s 3rd in her Best Buddies series just dropped! This series is a favorite of my cousin, Paisley (age 7)!
Kristen Tubb’s Fowl Play (middle-grade novel) will be hitting shelves in July!
Shannon Anderson’s newest picture book, B is for Belonging, comes out in August!
Jannie Ho has illustrated the second early graphic novel in the Fry Guys series! This “punny” book comes out in October!
McCall Hoyle’s middle-grade novel, Millie, just released! This book is the 3rd book in her beloved dog “series”.
Randi Sonenshine’s 3rd book in her Built Series, The Den that Octopus Built comes out in May!
High Schoolers Dig Author Visits Too!
| While they didn’t laugh (as much) at my cornball jokes or appreciate my robot-voice-changer as much as the elementary kids I typically visit do, we had a fantastic time anyway–making CHEESY COMICS at Union County High School! |
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| This 2-day writing/illustrating workshop began with cheese drawing lessons and students created their own “cheesy” character (a literal slice of cheese). This worked well because a slice of cheese is basically a square and is drawable at any skill level. Then, we interviewed our characters to find out their wants, fears, strengths, weaknesses, personality, best friend, etc. |
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| On the second day, we wrote a cheesy story (based loosely on 7-step storytelling) for our cheese character by putting them up against their greatest fears or biggest enemies! Last, we folded zines and filled them with our cheesy comic stories and shared them aloud :) |
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| I was impressed by many of the concepts that came thru in the students’ short comics. There were silly stories, love stories, and even tragedies (which circled back to funny because it was cheese :)I love how Jae (below) barely used any text at all and told her story mostly through pictures. |
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| Awww! |
| An Author’s Valentine…If you loved one of my books, would you pleeease write a short (seriously, it can be super short) review on Amazon? |
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Three Printable Activities to go along with reading Nubby by Dan Richards and Shanda McCloskey
Tags: art for kids, books and art, character drawing, children's book activities, coloring page, coloring sheet, Dan Richards, draw a character., draw a rabbit, drawing for kids, drawing lesson, How to draw, how-to-draw, illustrated book, kids can draw, kids draw, long ears, lovey, mad bunny, Nubby, picture book, rabbit book, Shanda McCloskey, stitching, stuffed animal, stuffed bunny, toy, worksheets
Peek into the art process for NUBBY
NUBBY (written by Dan Richards) is my next illustrated book! It comes out January 3, 2023. It’s about an under appreciated stuffed bunny who sets out on a long journey (just around the culdesac) to find a better life. It’s a sweet story about home and family (even though they can be maddening at times).
I related well to this story because my family (especially my kids) drive me insane half the time, but there’s really no where else I’d rather be! Truth be told, I drive them nuts too :) And I’m so grateful they take me back after I lose my marbles, over and over again.
or these illustrations, I drew the line art on Procreate on my iPad.
Then, I printed the line art onto watercolor paper and traditionally painted the values (lights and darks) using only black.
Last, I scanned in the black and white painting and brought it back into Procreate on my iPad to colorize the brush strokes using a “color” layer. Finishing touches were added in Photoshop.
I think this book might be my prettiest yet. I really enjoyed drawing and coloring digitally while still being able to do some traditional painting too. The lines seems sharper and the colors less “muddy” than some of my illustrations in previous books.
Tags: process
Wow, 10 years makes a difference!
It’s so true.
Yesterday, my husband (Ben) texted me the image (below left) and said “You’ve come a long way in 10 years”.
These postcard images were created by the same artist (me) and had the same theme (little red riding hood) with a frizzy red-haired character. The difference is 10 years.
That first image is odd, right? Not very kid friendly and extremely stiff. It humbles me to look back at this, because now I remember what a beginning beginner I was!
Sometimes I forget. But looking back at this reminds me how patient and kind other creators and industry professionals were with me at conferences or other bookish events. They didn’t dismiss me and say “you just don’t get it”. Thankfully, they found tidbits of good in my work and praised those things while also giving me gentle nudges to improve over and over and over again.
My dreams were never crushed, and I’m so grateful for that.
Just 2 weeks until Little Red hits shelves!
Preorder below!
Read It Again Bookstore (Suwanee, GA) Request a “signed by Shanda” copy in the order comments.
Little Shop of Stories (Decatur, GA) Order 2+ books for free shipping!
Book Depository (International)
I invite you and your family to join me at Read It Again Bookstore in Suwanee, GA on Oct 8, 2022, 12-2pm. This in-person event is perfect for Kindergarteners, 1st graders, 2nd graders, and their teachers. We’ll be reading, drawing, coloring, and writing a thank you letter just like Little Red!
Everyone will get a bookmark and stickers, and of course I’d love to sign a book for you or your class :)
Teachers: I’ll be giving away one FREE in-person writing workshop for students! All attending (K-5) teachers will be eligible.
Read It Again Bookstore
3630 peachtree pkwy, suite 314
Suwanee, GA 30024
Thanks so much for reading!
Love, Shanda
My Daughter Did Something Brave
| Today, my 12 year old opened her first online business with RedBubble to sell her art designs on various merch! She has one design so far, but buyers can get it on shirts, bags, pillows, phone cases, etc. She hopes the sales will help her to start saving for a car (which she will need in 5 years). But as any creative soul knows all too well, putting your art (aka your heart) out there in the world is a very vulnerable and brave thing to do. And the very first response she got from a friend this morning was, “why is everything so expensive?”. That little comment from a particularly close friend crushed her. She immediately felt dumb for even trying. Man, it flew all over me as a parent and an artist. No wonder living a creative life is so hard. You have to believe in yourself. Be near others that believe in you too. Hugs, my creative friends!Check out her store for yourself and feel free to comment and send some words of encouragement for her. I’ll read her every one! |
| Check out Harvey’s Store! |
