What is an Art Director Really Looking For? with Sarah Davis

Art Director of Walker Books, Sarah Davis, shared her wisdom in a very captivating way. Not only an amazing artist but a true storyteller (check out Sarah’s amazing art, here.) Sarah shared the key things an Art Director is looking for in a meaningful way, particularly for those of us who are still not sure of the difference between an illustrator and an artist. The answer?

“AN ILLUSTRATOR IS AN ARTIST WHO FOCUSES ON STORY TELLING”
Art Director Sarah Davis’ break out session for illustrators

Art Director Sarah Davis’ break out session for illustrators

What is an Art Director looking for?

Illustrators who are talented, professional and have the x-factor.

Sarah’s 7 key topics:

1 - TECHNICAL SKILLS

  • Become confident in your use of technique and mediums.

  • You need to be able to draw - observational, expressive

  • Understand the formal elements of art - light, tone, form, structure, mark-making etc.

  • Remember a beautiful artwork is not the same as a successful illustration.

  • Ask, how can I develop my Technical skills?

  • Lots of learning and doing

  • Lots of observational drawing

  • Take classes

  • Experiment with different media

  • Research other artists work. What works? What do you like? What don’t you like?

2 - FEELING TOWARDS THE CHARACTER

  • Can you help the reader connect and empathise with the characters?

  • Can you show mood or emotion?

  • Do your poses show expression?

  • Show interaction between characters - establishing clear relationships

  • Interesting personalities

  • Character consistency

  • How can I become better at creating a feeling towards the characters?

  • Lots of practice.

  • Observe and collect - draw lots of people in your life and around you

  • Learn from yourself - pose!

  • Be prepared to draw and redraw and redraw until you know your characters - once is not enough

3 - NARRATIVE

  • Remember you must tell a good story, that has clarity and continuity

  • Can you create emotional punch?

  • Can you make the reader curious - What just happened? What might happen next? What’s at stake?

4 - RESEARCH THE MARKET

  • Make sure your work is appropriate for the genre, age group and publisher you are submitting to

  • Look at your competition. What makes you special/different/better?

  • Visit libraries, bookshops, publisher’s websites. Take note of the publisher on the imprint pages of books you love. Who is a good fit for your style?

  • Look at other artists on the internet eg: Behance, Pinterest, Instagram and look at the hashtags that they use. Try #australianillustrator and many others

5 - INTERESTING VOICE

  • Does your work have an energy, ideas, freshness?

  • Do you have an interesting use of media?

  • Maybe you show unusual concepts?

  • Is it expressive?

  • How can I create my own interesting voice?

  • Sometimes finding your voice can be tricky. Before we become lost in how to make art, focus on storytelling first - can you tell a good visual story?

  • Then work out what your other passion is and improve your skills in that area… eg:

  • Line and form?

  • Light?

  • Colour?

  • Pattern?

  • Media?

  • Character?

  • Setting?

6 - BE NICE

  • Same as any other profession.

  • Can you deliver on time and to specifications?

  • Can you follow a brief?

  • Be professional and collaborative. Open and dependable and flexible.

7 - HAVE A KILLER PORTFOLIO

  • Only show your strongest work

  • Does it show the above 6 topics? Does it show the depth of your capabilty?

WHAT IS THE X-FACTOR?

There is no cookie cutter answer - we’ll know it when we see it!

Watch the above video for the main takeaway moments of this session.

I really appreciated Sarah’s insightful break down into topics that we could focus on. I also really appreciated the encouragement Sarah gave to us all - one of them being this wonderful statement ….

“YOU ARE A CO-AUTHOR”

I love this. It elevates us from just making pictures. It lifts our gaze. It calls us to focus on story.

And the other statement…

…there is room for everyone.

This is so true. Just look at all the different art styles that shine in loved books all over the world.

As a fellow visual storyteller, growing, learning, trying to improve… I hope this report helps you grow and I wish you all the best!

Make the art that moves you

then make the visual stories

that move us all.

by Giuseppe Poli

#SCBWISyd

SCBWI Success Story - Lois Bury

Big shoes to fill after Pamela Rushby’s piece in last month’s newsletter, I was there for her pitch and loved it, how exciting that it has now accepted now for publication!

My story goes back to 2010 when I was nursing in the area of Diabetes Education, a sad time as my brother was then diagnosed with mesothelioma (asbestos related lung cancer) and I said to myself. …...’what would I REALLY like to be doing in life?’  Well, I wanted to be an artist, not knowing what form that would take or which direction to go in, I stopped work and started drawing birds!  As we had visited Bruny Island many times, it seemed possible to sell work on Bruny at a gallery in Dennes Point.  A passing comment about illustrating caught my attention (it is amazing how one listens out for conversations and opportunities) and it was ‘game on’ from then on.  I attended the 2012 Sydney Conference with no idea what I was doing, taking a portfolio of horses, goats, ducks, dogs, all very arty and well-drawn but not what is necessarily needed in publishing!  It was a steep learning curve and even though I didn’t get many points for character development, narrative and visual quality, I was hooked.

Attending SCBWI meetings in Melbourne, Adelaide, Maldon and Sydney, putting my name down for assessments and hogging the only chair in the children’s literature section of Fullers Bookshop in Hobart (I am classed as a senior) I fell completely in love with this world.

I have finished illustrating two books now, and about 8 months after the 2014 Sydney meeting I was phoned by Brian Cook, a literary agent and asked if I would like to join his stable of illustrators.  Well, I am amongst some esteemed company and although I have had discussions with NLA and Penguin, I am waiting for my third book to jump out at me.  Getting your work out there and going to as much as possible is still vital, the hard work doesn’t and hasn’t stopped. So, I am now working on a new portfolio for a meeting in Melbourne in May with KidLitVic…….no horses, goats, ducks or dogs...well not as many.

Thank you to SCBWI for making my world so much fun!  I love the support, friendships gained and the professionalism of all involved.

http://www.loisburyart.com.au