A Little Kick Start

Hi guys!

I'm just writing up a little post over here on the blog to help promote my Kickstarter project in it's last two weeks! 

I mentioned a while ago that I was toying with the idea of printing a collection of my sketchbooks... and I can't even believe it, but thanks to so many generous folks, it's happening! There is still time to order one if you're interested...for just $15! 

Some details:

• 52 page perfect bound booklet
• Full color cover / black and white interior, with color pages mixed in!
• Size: 6.625" x 10.25" (standard comic size)
• Paper: 100lb. Silk Matte
• Ships in December of this year

And to those of you who have already backed the project...I, along with all my cats, hippos, pigs, cows, and bears thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

PROJECT LINK: www.kickstarter.com/projects/reneekurilla/so-many-sketchbooks

Cheers!

~Renee

Process Post: Keep Calm! My Stress-Busting Tips

In my last post, I declared that one of my New Years Resolutions was to be more observant. Another resolution of mine is to document more projects and the process involved. Luckily, I had this in mind early on in 2013 when I began work on Cloverleaf Books for Millbrook Press! 

My first book in the Healthy Habits series is Keep Calm! My Stress Busting Tips, written by Gina Bellisario (who happens to be in my kidlit family at Andrea Brown Literary Agency)! I also had the privilege of working with Laura Waxman (Editor) and Emily Harris (Designer) from Lerner Publishing. At the time I had signed on for three books and didn't know that I would continue on to work with Emily on FIVE books throughout the year. It was truly a blessing.

The beginnings of bookmaking are usually for my eyes only. I spend an afternoon ordering pages, making doodles, and sketching characters that most likely nobody else but me can understand. It looks like this:

From there, I keep sketching, but I go bigger and more detailed. These will be sketches the client will see. The next round of sketches will usually go through one more pass before I start coloring, but I will show some of them here side by side.

The first thing I do is decide on a main character. This is Anna. I read through the manuscript and develop her personality based on the text. She has a little "Stress Monster" that follows her around. I decided to keep him cute.

She is really stressed out! So much to do: homework, chores, and soccer practice! 

Her parents are a little stressed, too. Their mornings are just a little bit hectic. This is what my mornings look like when I wake up late. Please click on the images to make them larger!

I often overdo it when I'm sketching, it helps me to figure out the world the characters live in. I delete a lot of the details that get in the way and make room for text. You can see this in the soccer game spread top left. 

I always add details that I'm familiar with. At the time, I had just organized my colored pencils into canning jars, which made it into Anna's room, and I was thinking of my high school when I added he cougar paws to the bulletin board. Go cougars. (Haha!)

This is just a sweet little moment that I am fond of, but in the final art they have opposite emotions because Anna is starting to learn how to manage her stress. 

This book and the others in the series will be available in April 2014 on Amazon, at Barnes and Noble, and other retailers! Look for a process post video demo soon over on my other blog, Simply Messing About!

Cheers!

~Renee

A Little Update.

I know people say this all the time, but I have been SO busy, you guys. It's kind of been an unbelievable summer. I've completed 2 books for Lerner Publishing's Cloverleaf series and am right in the middle of coloring the 3rd. I've also been sketching away for another book project about some adorable, hairy primates (news about this to come soon)!

What my drawing table looks like.

I find that regardless of how busy I get, it's still really important to keep drawing in my sketchbook. It's still a good escape for me, and then I get to share them all with you here! It's kind of interesting how you can tell if I took the picture in the daytime or at night. There's no perfect time of day, it's just when the idea hits:

Before a trip to the New England Aquarium.

The last page of a sketchbook!

Practicing fur.

"Still life."

The first page of a new book!

Inspired by Kemosabe the talking porcupine!

I can't wait until I can share more about my projects with you, but I hope Kemosabe makes up for the void! Thanks for visiting my little internet corner!

Cheers!

~Renee

Ride That (Creative) Wave!

Riding a creative wave is comparable to swimming in the New England ocean. I can't even count the times my friends and I floated in the Atlantic at Nantasket Beach waiting to hop on the perfect wave. I guess you're just looking for that sensation of weightlessness, when your stomach flips a little. For that one moment you don't have a care in the world.

It's a different kind of "happy" than we normally feel.

The beaches I frequent in New England don't have the fiercest waves, so it takes time and patience to wait for the right one. The in between waves are enjoyable enough, but when the right one comes, you have to act smart and fast or you'll miss it. Position your body the wrong way and you miss that perfectly synchronized moment that lets you coast to the shoreline. Being an artist is kind if like that, in relation to both projects and... feelings. 

I find that when I'm busiest, it's comparable to riding that long, bubbling wave. I'm working on a book right now, (I haven't worked on a new book in over a year) and I am loving every second of it. I'm currently riding a wave, and here's what it feels like:

-The panic I feel staring at my barrage of sketches waiting to be colored. Here it comes, will I catch this next wave?

-The joy of seeing the pages and characters finally starting to take shape. I'm at the top of the wave now with my eyes closed, all smiles, elation, adrenaline. 

-The tension of the tedious, small tweaks and finessing of details. Preparing for crash landing.

-Inevitably, the relief of accomplishment and the simultaneous regret that maybe it could have been even better. BOOM! Sand in your bathing suit hopefully not in your face, legs over your head, your arms all floppy.

The wave leaves you abandoned on shore, bidding farewell to the characters you've spent so much time bringing to life. But one day they'll come back to you in the form of a nicely bound book. And so, you get up, brush the sand off and run flailing mad back into the ocean to wait for another wave so you can feel that high again. 


That's making books.


I should note that the little ounce of regret is what makes you level up as an artist. It's crucial to growth. And whether you miss the wave, ride it for a little while and fall, or float on to the coast, you always end up back in the same place: Waiting for a new wave to roll in from the salty, ocean abyss.

Because if you are in books, you love books, and you'll have that patience it takes to wait --and the readiness to ride that wave when it comes rolling in. 

I'm currently riding two waves in tandem. Not only am I working on a contract job, but I am also writing and storyboarding my very first picture book. I have always loved writing, it's another whole wave in itself. If only I were stretching my muscles more instead of my brain, trying to stay afloat is very tiring! :) Nonetheless, it's exhilarating too, and I can't wait to share more!

Cheers!
~Renee