I received this question from an aspiring children’s book illustrator…

Question : I was wondering if you could post some information about finding a mentor. It would be great to have someone to contact when a question comes to mind or when you need support and motivation.

Answer :  I don’t really know of any one place to get in contact with artists who mentor, but I think you’ve already done the best thing I could suggest…  email other artists and ask them questions about their experiences! Since college I’ve continued to “meet” other artists online by commenting on their blogs and keeping in touch with those who I’ve hit it off with. Of course not everyone has the time to reply, but it doesn’t hurt to drop an email to artists you admire and see who writes back! If you’re interested in just simple critique of your work, you can always post your images up on forums (such as the How Design Forum.)

I received an email from another aspiring children’s book illustrator with a bunch of great questions…

Question : How do you find publishers?
Answer : I look at the back of books that I like and note the name of the publishers, often there is a website listed there so I’ll go visit it to see what their submission guidelines are. But my “secret” resource is an online publisher catalogue I blogged about here.

Question : Do you use a contract or a non-disclosure agrrement (so they won’t use your work without pay you…I have heard horror stories from other artists…)
Answer : Yes, I always use a contract, I actually just recently wrote a post about children’s book contracts here.

Question : Do get get some pay up front?
Answer : Yes, as a rule of thumb I  ask for 50% up front when working with authors. Publishers normally have a set amount they pay in advance on your work.

Question : Usually low long it takes for all your part of the work to be done?
Answer : Before becoming a full-time mum it used to take me about 3 months from first contact to artwork / artfiles delivered to the publisher. You could easily add on another month or two if you’ve done the graphic design and are working directly with the printer. But now that I am illustrating part-time it takes me 3-6 months to complete illustrations for a children’s book.

Question : How long it takes to get the book published?
Answer : The books I’ve worked on seem to take at least a year from first contact with the publisher to when I receive the printed books in my hand. But that’s not counting the time BEFORE I am involved when the author and publisher are working together editing the manuscript, not to mention the author’s initial pen to paper with their ideas!

Question :  How long does it take to get “finally” paid?
Answer : When the work is done! In the final invoice I note at the bottom that payment is due 30 days from the date on the invoice… but it’s good to keep in mind that when working with publishers / major companies that 90 days is normal.

Question :  Do you use Photoshop?
Answer : I use Photoshop for touching up my illustrations (I’m an old-school illustrator so like to do the majority of the work by hand, and just use PS for stitching together scans and adjusting the colour for the printer.) But it’s a wonderful tool, there are many talented digital artists (like Jason MacKay!) who do things with Photoshop I can only dream about!

Question : It would be great if you had an e-book with all the details (how-tos) and sell them…to people like us.. I would love to see step-by step samples of work - drawing, color and photoshop in your e-book.
Answer : That’s a lovely idea, kind of you to think I’ve enough tips to share! At the moment I’m enjoying sharing my experiences (free!) through my blog, I keep the Tips for Illustrators page updated with a list of all my new tips :

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions, eh:)

Another good question from a children’s book illustrator…
Question : I have set up my artwork at the size of 17″ x 22″ so the artwork will be read as one whole illustration as each page is turned. I hope I am clear in explaining myself.  I am wondering if this is ok for submission when it comes time to print the book?

Answer : Yes, it’s ok to do illustrations that go across both pages (this is called a spread.) Many of my books have been made up of two-page spread illustrations (The Little Boy’s Smile.) Just make sure to consider the seam (gutter) when you’re working on your composition, you don’t want anything important getting folded in half or lost in the gutter!

I just sent this email off to a fellow greeting card artist who had a few questions… thought I’d share!

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Q: Is it acceptable to just work digitally or does the original have to be done in traditional paints (or what have you) and then scanned?

A: You can illustrate with whatever medium you want, digital or traditional, whatever is your style! (See FAQ: What Medium Should I Use?)
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Q: I read your bit about resolution size for cards.  8.5 x 11′ with an inch at least of bleed over… but what about for other illustrations? Will this be specified by the client?  Also scans should be done at 300dpi correct?

A: Yes, sizes will often be specified by the client. The letterhead size recommendation illustrations is only for ease of scanning, don’t feel limited by it if you’d prefer to work to different sizes. And 300dpi is high resolution, perfect for scanning illustrations. Often I scan at 300dpi and 125% just so that I have a little flexibility with the final size. (See also FAQ : What Size Should I Illustrate Greeting Cards?)
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Q: I’m wondering how lucrative or not  the greeting card industry is? It must also be very competitive like the rest of the business.  Is it very difficult to land a gig and is that done using an agent as well?

A: Greeting card work is seasonal, so there are certainly dry periods. The industry is a bit slow at the moment. Landing gigs isn’t difficult when it’s in a busy season, simply getting your work in front of the art director’s eyes by sending samples is the best way to make contacts… no need for an agent to do this for you.

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Q: Guess it’s not necessary to watermark?

A: It’s always a safe idea to watermark any illustrations that you send via email or post online as it helps to protect from theft.

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Question : Do publishers really look at unsolicited (illustration) samples? Or do they have interns to do it?

Answer : YES, publishers and art directors really do look at unsolicited illustration samples! When I worked as Art Director for Northern Cards, I used to receive samples and sketched ideas via email, snail mail, and even fax. Was fun seeing all the new artwork and styles cross my desk! Many artists would work on spec (not at my request!) and send finished artwork samples, but we often purchased designs from artists who sent their ideas as black and white mock-ups. I would review the artwork… at a glance I’d have a good idea whether the style, caliber, and subject matter of the work would suit our product lines. Sometimes the timing of the samples would just be off (i.e. receiving Easter submissions when we’re looking for Christmas…), but we’d keep files of the artists samples to call on when it would suit.

Larger design firms may have interns sort through digital and printed samples, or even source illustrators via the internet or source books. As long as you are actively marketing your illustrations and keeping your work landing on their desk you’ve got a better chance of being remembered for a suitable project.

Question: Is it ok to send rough sketches or designs to publishers instead of finished illustrations?

Answer: Yes! Art directors don’t mind receiving roughed out ideas, be it sketches or digital mockups. Some art directors even prefer this, as if your design is picked up, they can have you illustrate the final artwork to their greeting card specifications and/or even make any minor adjustments to the design before you start on the finals. Sending roughs* is also good for you as the illustrator, in that you avoid working on spec, spending time illustrating artwork with only a chance it will be purchased. To protect your ideas when submitting to various companies, just be sure to include a © Your Name on your designs.

*When I say “roughs,” I don’t mean scribbled on the back of a dirty napkin… try to keep them neat, descriptive, easy to make out the idea you’re trying to portray.
I’ve posted more tips on sending samples to greeting card publishers here.

Question : Is there a preferred size to illustrate children’s books?

Answer : I’ve found is that size varies from publisher to publisher. Happily, if your manuscript is picked up by a publisher, they will let you know what sizes are available to you. This goes the same for self-publishers, who are able to give a good rate to authors for printing books because they have a standard cookie-cutter size they work with.

A very helpful editor over at Omnibus Books gave the advice at a children’s book writing seminar that it is very unusual to receive finished illustrations with a manuscript. She went on to say that it is even discouraged because of the uncomfortable situation that can arise when the story is literary genious and the illustrations are scribble, or the illustrations are masterpieces and the story is dribble!

With that advice in mind, if you wish to submit a manuscript with illustrations, I would lean towards only sending in sketches and perhaps one finished illustration (as a sample) with your manuscript to a publisher.

That being said, there are many talented aspiring writer/illustrators out there… and to you I would give the advice to just illustrate larger than you hope the book will be, and paint extra bleed (trim) around the illustration. That way if your story is picked up by a pubisher, there is flexibility to scale down and trim the illustrations as needed.

You can find more tips on how to illustrate a children’s book here. And if you have any questions about children’s book illustration or publishing, feel free to post your questions in the comment section.

Question : What medium should I use to illustrate greeting cards? Is it ok to use different mediums and surfaces, such as acrylic on canvas?

Answer : There aren’t any restrictions on what mediums you use to illustrate your greeting card designs. Whether you illustrate with watercolour on paper or oils on canvas, what will be the deciding factor is how awesome your illustration looks. Just consider how easy it will be to digitize your illustration (whether it be by scanning or photographing) before you delve in. Other than that, the sky’s the limit!
You can find more tips on illustrating for greeting cards here.

This is one of the most common questions I get regarding greeting card illustration. Fortunately the answer is an easy one… you can illustrate for greeting cards in almost any size! Card companies tend to vary their card dimensions between card lines so as long as you keep in mind these guidelines, there is a lot of flexibility as to what size you can illustrate your greeting card designs to :

• • Whatever size the publisher tells you : keep it simple, if you’ve been given a size to work with, stick with it.
• • Allow for bleed : paint/draw extra illustration around your main design (0.5 - 1 inch) to allow for some shifting for where the bleed will be trimmed off.
• • Use portrait format : Landscape format cards don’t sell as well as A) they don’t display well on card racks, and B) they don’t tend to sit well on a table. The main times landscape illustrations are used in greeting cards are when they are used on z-fold or u-fold designs.
• • Make it easy to scan : Illustrating larger than the size needed is always preferable. However, if your original artwork is small enough to fit on a scanning bed (i.e. 8.5 x 11 inches or smaller), it will save whoever is digitizing your artwork the trouble of either photographing your work or scanning it in pieces and stitching it together in Photoshop.

Other than those points to consider, you can illustrate to any size you’d like. You can find more tips on illustrating for greeting cards here.