What’s Behind the Curtain?
Illoguild question #22
Hey there,
Welcome to this month's newsletter, where we invite you to join us behind the scenes as we delve into our creative processes - from daily sketching to crafting brushes for Procreate, optimizing our schedules for productivity, incorporating feedback, attending courses, and engaging in skill-building activities like painting Easter eggs, lettering, and pattern design - we're excited to share our journey of growth and exploration with you.
We have an Illoguild Live on 22 April discussing ‘The Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2024’. You can sign up for free here. (And you can catch the replays of all of our live discussions here). About half of the Illoguild members are attending the BCBF and they will share their reflections - good, bad and ugly.
We also had a Illoguild Live last month where we discussed Embracing Rejection. You can catch the replay here. We talked about our own experience with rejection and how to stay positive and motivated.
This month we shine a spotlight on the talented author and illustrator Kavita Rajput. She draws inspiration from the vibrant art and culture of India and dreams of sharing these colors, patterns, and stories with the world.
And lastly, the illoguild has so many amazing career highlights to celebrate this month!🎉 Don’t forget to read all the way to the ‘Announcements’ to see what they are and to see Rose Lihou’s ‘Draw this in your Style’ to celebrate the release of Tiny Dogs.
So here’s what members of the Illoguild do behind the scenes:
Rose has been super busy writing and illustrating Tiny Dogs, which is out THIS MONTH! Find out about it here. And check out her #tinydogsdtiys
Carla shares how she is using daily sketching to level up. Join her in her daily sketching adventure.
Chantelle highlights her time saving tips.
Damjana talks about making her own brushes and achieving a hand painted look in procreate.
Adam Ming talks about how he schedules his day to be most productive.
Tammy takes great care in curating her library, finding inspiration, and continuously improving her illustrations and submissions. Her dedication shines through in every aspect of her creative process.
Katie has been incredibly busy exploring her creativity this month, from designing patterns and lettering to painting eggs inspired by Easter, all while working on a non-fiction book about dogs. Additionally, she successfully completed a half marathon in Florence on April 7th - a remarkable achievement worth celebrating! Congratulations!!!
Brenda dives into the balancing act of work as a freelancer - it can feel like a circus act, juggling multiple roles like boss, project manager, and accountant.
Noreene shares insights into the self-publishing journey, highlighting the accessibility of platforms like Ingram Spark and Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing for authors of all genres.
Jen Gubicza likes to study her favourite picture books. She has created a ‘mix tape’ of picture books…
Announcements
Join the our Illoguild Live on 23 April: the illoguild goes Live to talk about experiences at this years Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Join the live event for free.
You can catch the replays here.
Adam chats to Rose about her journey of becoming an author illustrator ahead of the release of her debut book Tiny Dogs. You can watch the interview below.
We have a few things to celebrate!!! 🥳🎊
HUGE Congratulations to Rose LiHou whose book Tiny Dogs: Bea’s Secret Friends is out in April. We are so proud of you and have loved coming on this journey with you. Tiny dogs, big adventures! Follow the adventures of Bea and the tiny dogs as they become friends and work together to save the garden!
HUGE Congratulations to Brenda Harris whose book Fly with Mytai came out in March. Mytai is an F-22 fighter jet with a need for speed! It’s the day of a big training exercise, and to win this airborne game of tag, Mytai will need help from her aircraft friends. By working together and sharing their diverse talents, Mytai and her team accomplish the mission and demonstrate the power of teamwork!
Chantelle Holt Illustrated an Album cover for Rose Betts. Congrats on your first paid gig as an illustrator! You can have a listen here.
‘Down the Hole’ (Written by Scott Slater and Illustrated by Adam Ming) was shortlisted for The Chickadee Award and The Barnes & Noble Children's & YA Book Award Shortlist: Picture Books.
Illoguild Illustrator Spotlight
Kavita Rajput is a picture book illustrator and author based in New York City. She grew up in Mumbai, constantly surrounded by Indian art forms such as rangoli, henna, block printed fabrics, and the vibrant sets of Bollywood movies. As an only child, the illustrator often turned to sketching and painting during free time.
A graduate of the London Business School, She worked in finance for almost a decade until an after-work watercolor class reignited the childhood joy of art. Largely self-taught, Kavita dreams of sharing the colors, patterns, and stories of their native land with the world.
You can see more of her work on Instagram and her Website.
Thanks for reading illoguild! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our journey.
What question should we answer next?
Anything on your mind?
And we are really happy that you have supported us along the way!!! We hope it has been useful and inspiring for you. If you would like to help others be inspired- why not share this post.