Bird Meets Worm

Monday, November 21, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving from Super Jane

Friday, November 11, 2016

Super Jane & Chloe Zoe Support Kids Against Bullying

On Friday children’s illustrators were called to share a free image for educators to post in their schools in support of all children and to send a message that bullying is not acceptable by fellow author/illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Originally, a safety pin was used as a symbol to convey this support, however, because symbols are often loaded with multiple meanings, we’ve been asked to pivot our message to #hugsfromkidlit. A hug is for every child! In support of children and educators during this difficult time in our nation's history, I am offering this free mini poster of Chloe Zoe and her friends to the public to download and print and share with your students, your children and your friends. XO

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Super Star Interviews: Sarah Walsh

Welcome to my monthly interview feature! I’m so excited to be interviewing all the fabulous artists, illustrators and designers I’ve meet over the years (both personally and virtually!) and sharing their artwork and experiences here on Bird Meets Worm. Look for a new interview on the first Tuesday of every month.

This month pleased as punch to be chatting it up with rockstar Illustrator, Sarah Walsh! I’ve been a big fan for a longtime and it was a treat getting to dish with Sarah about all things themed “illustration life.” Sarah received her BFA in graphic design from St. Rose in Albany, NY, where she grew up. Her love of mid century design, typography and vintage children's book illustration become the foundation for entering into the exciting art world. She landed a job at Hallmark Cards as in-house Designer and Illustrator. After several years she decided to branch off on her own and joined the Lilla Rogers agency. Sarah has worked on coloring books for all ages, children's board books, activity books, toy product, home decor, apparel and greeting cards. She currently lives in Kansas City with her fellow Illustrator husband, Colin Walsh, their son, a scrappy pup and chubby cat. You can view more of her artwork here!

Gorgeous chickie! Fabulous styling!

Q: What is a typical workday in the studio like for you? Set the scene (workspace, materials, accessories) and describe your creative flow (rituals, inspiration, process).

A: Coffee first! Then some morning snuggles with my toddler, and a laugh or two with my husband, fellow Illustrator, Colin Walsh. Then I drop off my little one to daycare and it's off to the races. I look at my planner to make sure there's nothing urgent and bring a second cup of joe downstairs to the art cave. I've been trying to delve right into a personal piece even if it's just for 15 minutes in my sketchbook. Everyday seems to be so different, but on average, no matter what, I use procrastination as a tool to do personal work! When I begin a project, I always like to do research on Pinterest, look at my book collection, take a walk, go out and about to shops that might carry product in the vein of what my project is. In the afternoon, when energy starts to run low and I need to hear a human voice, I switch up the music and go to Podcasts. I really love Andy J Miller's “Create A Peptalk” and The Jealous C urators “Art for Your Ears.” Found is really good, too!

You know you totally want to color these guys!!

Q: Often a woman’s identity as an artist and her identity as a mama feeds and conflicts with each other. Dish with us a bit about your experiences as an Artist Mama.

A: This is really tough. When I quit my full-time gig as a Designer/Illustrator at Hallmark cards, I became a mom to a newborn, but I also had a coloring book due every month of his first 3-4 months of life. It was very, very stressful. I didn't really get a maternity leave when I really think about it! That said, I love the organic schedule of freelance, because I can spend more time with our little guy. He's in daycare 3 days a week so I work then and at night. My workday seems to fly by and there is never enough time to do all the things I want to do. Sometimes I wish I had more time to focus on my craft, but he's only going to be little once! It's such a magical time and I'm so grateful I can be there to witness it.

Gather your woodland critters around! What sound does a moose make?

Q: Give us the scoop on your MOST favorite illustration projects: one from your past and one from your present.

A: I designed a holiday collection, and two paper mache' animal heads (tiger and moose) for Land of Nod that's out right now and I'm really excited about all of it. Designing the animals in 3-d form was fun.

The "I Like" book by Compendium is a book I'm really proud of. It's an activity book for kids, but it could also pose as a time capsule for their life. Using creative prompts and illustrations, it helps them explore their interests and what's important to them. The writing is very quirky so it's bound to bring out the personality in a child.

The other fave project is the coloring books I mentioned. Quarry approached me to do 3 "adult" coloring books. The themes were Circus, Carnivale and Day Of The Dead. This was 2013 and the adult coloring book scene had not exploded yet. They gave me a lot of creative freedom, and although it was a stressful pace, because I was taking care of a newborn with no daycare, it became my "me" time and I could just doodle away and get lost in my own imagination.

A current favorite project, I think, is a children's book that I'm working on, but I can't talk about it very much!

Super fun! Let's draw, write, dream!

Q: How do you balance personal artwork with client artwork? Personal instincts with marketable trends?

A: Fortunately my client work is always usually a fun project that I would do on a personal level anyway. And a lot of the client work stems from a personal piece that I made! So it works out.

Personal instincts with marketable trends? I always love to see what the trends are, but I never force it. I usually let my inner compass guide me. I think the key is to always be curious about things. Observe things. People. The news. The shows that I'm into. Music I'm diggin'. These interests usually add a level to my ideas or give it a twist in some way. And like I mentioned before, sometimes procrastinating helps! I scratch the doodle itch even if I have an encroaching deadline, because doing a personal piece gives me an energy burst and enables me to finish the project strong with a renewed sense of excitement for the project. Which is always going to be good for the client.

Talk about stylish celebrations! Super star, indeed!

Q: You first began your illustration career at Hallmark. What lessons/skills did you learn/acquire there that have proven key in supporting you as a freelancer?

A: So many things! I learned how to hone my work ethic and strengthen the muscle of delivering the artwork on time. When you start off in the industry it's really scary and you think to yourself "Can I give them what they need in the time that they need it and also feel good about the artwork I'm delivering?" Yes! In doing that over and over again for several years that muscle become so strong that now that I'm in freelance, I never really doubt that I can finish it. I know it's going to get done on time, because my skills have been tested and proven through 13 years of experience.

I also learned how to communicate more professionally with AD's. It's so important to know how to explain your idea. It's also good to know when to stop trying to explain it and just show them.

Modern holiday cheer!

Q: Describe your most perfect Sunday.

A: Even though I love making things on the weekends, I try to reserve my time and focus for family, friends and fun times. Being outside in the fall months, stopping at a coffee shop, maybe going to a bookstore or finding some really cool treasure is my idea of an awesome Sunday. Maybe having dinner with friends later, ending with a cocktail and a good Netflix show with my hubs!

Thank you so much, Sarah, for catching up with us here at Bird Meets Worm! So totally fabulous!

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Happy Halloween from Super Jane

NEW Super Jane Smith Holiday Cards for Design Design

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Super Star Interviews: Amy Schimler-Safford

This month I’m thrilled to be chatting it up with the one, the only, THE Illustrator/Textile Designer, Amy Schimler-Safford! I had the distinct pleasure of working with Amy back in my art director days and have been a big fan of her artwork both before and since. Amy Schimler-Safford works predominantly in the children's market. She has sold and licensed her artwork for a variety of products including children's apparel, children's books, toys and puzzles, wall décor, and fabrics to name a few. Lately she has been focusing on children's books with a couple of exciting new projects on the horizon. You can view more of her artwork here!

So lovely!! A floral dreamscape!

Q: You are a master of pattern, having created numerous super fun fabric collections! Dish with us about how you approach creating a collection: inspiration to sketch to color artwork to repeat pattern.

A: Thank you so much. I have been doing pattern design for a very long time. I’ve created thousands of designs over the last dozen years. Because I have been doing it for so long and so consistently, much of the process is intuitive and flows naturally. It almost feels effortless at times.

If I was to break it down I would say my inspiration starts with color stories. I begin to see where the colors feel most natural and explore those themes. Once I have a theme I start developing a print, I play off of that idea. Usually a theme connects a collection, but a collection can also be connected by color and/or style.

Ideas come in spurts from many different sources. I walk every morning and usually take pictures as references for colors and subject matter. I see patterns pretty much everywhere I go. I think when you work that intensely at something your unconscious mind takes over. There is nothing better than playing with color all day. I don’t do repeats, but I do a layout that could easily be put into a repeat. I should also say that I mostly use Illustrator for my pattern designs. It makes it so easy to play with color and see immediately what works and what doesn’t work. I love fiddling with the placement of all the elements in the design until I find a layout that feels just right.

Hello Fishy, Fishy!! Where are you headed?

Q: What qualities make for the “perfect” art licensing client? And are there any key buzzwords to look for when negotiating or reviewing contracts?

A: It is always great when you have good communication with a client. My clients are usually very easy to work with. Understanding the client’s vision and what inspired them to contact you in the first place are key. The mission is to produce a great product on both ends, so you start with a common goal and a mutual interest.

The biggest buzzword is “copyright”. You always want to own your art if you are licensing it. It is also important to know what products you are licensing your art for and to be sure your contract reflects that. The only time I have had difficulty is when the client hasn’t clearly explained what they want which can result in more work on my part, but I have learned over the years to ask a lot of questions before starting a project.

Q: I absolutely LOVE your mixed media style! Give us the scoop on how you find/create your materials and on how you put them together, whether traditionally or digitally.

A: Thanks so much. I started out working mostly digitally, but I am more often off the computer lately. I almost always finish a piece digitally though. It is easier to edit and send to clients. I love working with a variety of materials, I love playing around to create new and unexpected textures. In terms of materials I use anything and everything – watercolor, gouache, crayons, chalk, tape, stick brushes that I make, ripped paper, frisket, and on and on. I recently began painting in oils and it has helped me open up my ideas about texture and slight variations in color. I try to keep my process as open and experimental as I can, I rarely plan it out. I also love the printmaking process. There are so many wonderful unexpected moments, beautiful textures and happy accidents. If I had more time I would love to explore screenprinting. I also love to incorporate papers and images intended for a different purpose. I used vintage wallpapers, old bus schedules, report cards, and dining receipt carbon copies recently in a children’s book I just finished illustrating. In some places they might be recognizable but I try to seamlessly incorporate them into my illustrations. My scanner is my best friend! I also approach my illustrations similarly to my pattern design in that I use color stories to inspire my work. I am not sure which comes first – concept or color, but I would bet they are equal in informing how I start an illustration. The most fun is combining all these elements to create something satisfying and new.

The birdies are so cute! Which one would you choose?

Q: Tell us all about your MOST favorite illustration project: one from your past and one from your present.

A: What a fun question! I think my favorite illustration from the past was for a board book I did for Little Simon titled “Splish Splash”. It was an illustration of minnows in a shallow river. It was a little bit of a turning point in my work, I started moving in another direction – a little more painterly. The piece just flowed as I worked on it and the colors came together so naturally. It was so much fun to work on.

A current illustration that I quite like is one I did for a book dummy I was shopping around. It is a picture of a woman looking in a pet shop window. It was based on a true story and I love this piece because it is more narrative and it encourages your imagination. And it is about relationships which is a favorite theme of mine that I hope to explore more in my artwork. I also love the way the colors worked in this piece.

These are two illustrations in which I wouldn’t necessarily want to change anything. I think that is when you know a piece is successful. It is hard to do that, I try to remind myself often that a lot of hard work does not necessarily yield work that you love, but there are always one or two pieces that have a lasting impact or a surprise nugget of something new that pushes your work forward.

Aren't little jellies the sweetest?!

Q: What advice would you give fellow artists looking to break into art licensing on the following topics: 1) business practices 2) self-promotion 3) daily habits.

A: I think that everyone works differently so it is hard to give individual advice. What works for me might not work for someone else. That said here are a couple of thoughts. Regarding business practices – the most important thing is to be respectful and maintain your professionalism, try to be the person an art director would want to work with again. Regarding self promotion – there are so many opportunities through social media. Just be sure you are showing your work to people who hire vs. only other artists. Take a risk and contact a dream client and introduce yourself and your work. Come up with some routine that is consistent, whether it is mailings or a newsletter that you email, try to stick to it. Personally, I just put my portfolio on a couple of community illustration websites and I haven’t done much marketing past that, except for children’s books where I do direct mailings. It still amazes me that people find me on the web solely through my online portfolios. Regarding daily habits – I think it is important to keep working on improving your artwork and updating your portfolio. I find the only way to do this is to do personal projects if you can find the time. I like to come up with a plan each day of what I hope to accomplish. Of course it doesn’t always work out that way, but doing that helps me make the best use of my time. It took me along time to refine my current style and yet I still feel like I am just getting started….so patience is key and giving yourself the necessary time to develop. That is the hardest part.

Cityscape fabulousness!!

Q: Describe your most perfect Sunday.

A: Ahhhhh… I love the idea of a perfect Sunday. It is a beautiful sunny breezy summer day and I take a long walk with my husband along the ocean. I go back to my studio and paint a bit. We get together with friends and family later that day for a big meal and some game playing. Lots of laughter and lots of chocolate are a must! Perfect.

Thank you so much, Amy, for catching up with us here at Bird Meets Worm!! We can’t wait to see what you create next! XO