I’ve been in a local critique group with Julie Rowan-Zoch for nine years (Oh wow, has it been that long!) and have had the good fortune to learn a lot of from her. It’s always fascinating to see another creator’s process, especially illustration, since it’s foreign to me. Here’s a great post from Julie sharing … More Behind the Scenes: “Composition 101” by Julie Rowan-Zoch
If there ever was a dream team to share a Thai woman’s story with children, it’s Dow Phumiruk and Christina Soontornvat! Here we get to hear from Dow about the thought process of illustrating the story. GIVEAWAY! For a chance to win a copy of A LIFFE OF SERVICE, just leave a comment below! Behind … More Behind the Scenes: “Illustrating ‘A Life of Service: The Story of Senator Tammy Duckworth'” by Dow Phumiruk
As a child, I read a biography about Clara Barton. In those days bios were “MG” books with possibly a couple line drawings, but otherwise, no illustrations. Wow! have bios for children changed! Now we have incredible art to bring stories of people from the past to life. And the new bio of Clara Barton, TO … More Behind the Scenes: “Face to Face with Clara Barton” by Christopher Cyr
It’s truly special when I get to share a post from an illustrator who brought my words to life on the page. The illustration process is fascinating to me! I’m so grateful for Susan Reagan’s gorgeous work. And for her willingness to share a piece of her process here—the cover! The crucial cover! Think about how … More Behind the Scenes: “Designing the Cover” by Susan Reagan
Andrea Wang’s new picture book, WATERCRESS, has been all over the news recently. It’s an outstanding book in every way, a collaboration of skilled, sensitive, extraordinary book creators. I wish I’d had this book when I had a classroom full of English language learners from around the world with their myriad of experiences. Here Andrea … More Behind the Scenes: “Collaborating with an Illustrator” by Andrea Wang
Authors get advice from all sorts of people – their family, critique partners, agents, and editors. Sometimes it takes a while to nail down exactly what’s needed, and the path to publication can be long. Here, Gregory Barrington shares how he stayed the course and put the advice he received to good use, turning his idea into … More Behind the Scenes: “The Advice that Created a Story” by Gregory Barrington
What a special treat to feature one of my local critique partners, Julie Rowan-Zoch! She’s guided me from the start! Here she shares her process of creating illustrations for Tom Lichtenheld’s text for Louis. Such a perfect match of text and art has resulted in an irresistible book! AND…Julie’s offering a giveaway! A copy of … More Behind the Scenes: “Easy as Working with an AD” by Julie Rowan-Zoch
I loved the cover of SOAKED! from the moment I saw it! And now we get to hear the story behind it. It’s fascinating to see the effects of changes in expression, composition, and color. Thank you, Abi Cushman, for sharing the process of creating this fabulous cover! AND….ABI IS OFFERING A GIVEAWAY! JUST LEAVE A COMMENT … More Behind the Scenes: “Making the Cover of SOAKED!” by Abi Cushman
Today I welcome the amazing Dow Phumiruk to share what goes on “behind the scenes” for illustrators. Dow writes and illustrates multiple books each year. And this project presented several challenges – time -wise, emotionally, creatively. Thank you, Dow, for taking the time to share your experiences! The process of illustrating a picture book is … More Behind the Scenes: Illustrating Titan and the Wild Boars by Dow Phumiruk
Beth Anderson, Children's Writer 