Julie Olson Books - Author/Illustrator: 2010

Two Down, lots more to go

I'm working on a book right now with a crazy deadline. I just finished the first two illustrations and I'm pleased with the result. This is going to be a little girl's dream book...princesses all the w...

I was worried that no one would show up for story time and my book launch for "Tickle, Tickle! Itch, Twitch!" but it all turned out great. Some good friends and family showed up for support and a lot of unfamiliar faces as well. There were slow times during the signing, but overall it was great. I had fun reading the book to the kids with my daughter's over-enthusiastic help and appreciated the friendliness...

Book Launch for my first book as an AUTHOR!

Come to an awesome storytime and book launch party at Border's Books (4801 N. University Ave., Suite 910, Provo, UT (801) 224-2720) in Provo Utah tomorrow for my new book, "Tickle, Tickle! Itch, Twitch!" authored AND illustrated by me. I'll be making a total goof of myself using puppets and encouraging crowd participation as we read the story aloud. Then I'll read one or two other books and stay for a signing until 2pm. See a preview of the book here...

Book Pick

One of the books I illustrated, "Chihuahua Chase", was on a local TV morning show on December 3, 2010 as a book pick (at the 2 minute mark). Check it out...Buy the book HERE.UPDATE 1/10/2011I'm in good company here. My book is sitting next to the 2011 Caldecott Winner "A Sick Day for Amos McGee" by Philip Stead illustrated by Erin Stead, a young husband and wife team...both authors, both illustrators. Check their blogs out and check out the TV spot at the 1 minute mark on the vi...

Come on by "The King's English Bookshop" tonight, December 2nd, in Salt Lake City, for their annual holiday book party. I'll be signing books there with a bunch of other authors. What a great place to get your Christmas shopping do...

...to be busy...Holiday shopping, decorating, baking, rushing...who isn't busy this time of year. Well I certainly am more busy than ever, with all of those things plus raising 4 kids PLUS illustrating. I signed a picture book deal with a large publisher and I have just 2 months to complete an entire book. I'm working like a mad woman.But in-between all that, I am also trying to find time to give...

My husband came and helped me out at the Book Festival in St. George last weekend. It was great fun. I presented to a room of about 30 adults and children. I was surprised that many actually got out of bed at 9am on a Saturday morning. I hope they weren't disappointed. I always have fun, though, talking about what I love to do...illustrate. Here are some photos my husband took.The Community Arts Building...

Video of School Visit

Check out a few clips from one of my school presentations to a small group of 5th graders at Red Mountain Elementary. (I presented 5 times...to 1st through 5th gra...

I had the great opportunity to do several presentations at Red Mountain Elementary School in Southern Utah today. The teachers and students were absolutely wonderful and well-prepared for my visit. I couldn't have asked for more from them. They welcomed me with this sign signed by all the 2nd through 5th graders.I shared with them all about how I became an illustrator and what it takes to illustrate...

COMING SOON! "Tickle, Tickle! Itch, Twitch!"

The first book I wrote AND illustrated is due to hit shelves November 1, 2010. Gus the Groundhog It's a really fun page-turning, read-aloud picture book that ends up teaching about friendship, judging by appearances, and even some language development skills along the way. Watch the trailer below. You can buy/pre-order the book on my website under the BOOKS tab...www.jujubeeillustrations....

So for my firefly (see last post) I needed a design on her thorax...something that reminded me of jewelry designs/etchings. So I went into Adobe Illustrator and created a design with swirls and strokes. Here's what it looked like. Then I simply selected the object in Adobe Illustrator, hit Command C (copy), and then in Photoshop I hit Command N (for a new file), Yes, and then Command V (paste). It...

Boy, having a newborn really throws your routine off. ("Duh!" you may be saying) But I'm starting little by little to work back into things.I'm currently working on a personal project, a book I wrote and am working on illustrations for. It's about a little firefly who thinks she's "all that." So here are my character sketches of her and then of her 3 supporting characters, baby bumblebee, fly, and...

If anyone would like to get books in the hands of underprivileged children AND learn more about breaking into the children's publishing industry, then this is the event for you. Rock Canyon Writing for Charity is sponsoring a one-day event designed to get books into the hands of kids who need them most. It's on August 21st in Sandy, UT at the Waterford School.Our goal is to give books to all of the...

Creativity in all forms

Here's what I've been working on recently...a true endeavor in creation. We welcomed our new son into the world just one week ago. (Hence the lack of posts recently).Photos taken by his daddy, Rhett Olson Photogra...

Working on Two Illustrations at Once

www.ustream.tv/recorded/8131937See how I often work on two illustrations at once...more, going back and forth between them. While a background dries on one, I move to the other. Enj...

This will make no sense to many of you, but after you check out THIS BLOG, you'll understand a bit more. I've included a little video of part of the painting process I did for this one...all digital in Corel PAINTER 11. (Click on the lick at the very bottom of this post to see the video) Now, before any Twilight fans are offended, this is all in jest. In the spirit of "Team Edward" vs. "Team Jacob"...

So, if any of you have viewed the second and third recordings of my paintings on Ustream, you saw me working on the following illustration. Well, I thought I'd post the final result for those viewers. This is for the upcoming book, "The Littlest Emperor of Antarctica," published by Marshall Cavendish, 2011. I post this here to show the little bits of digital manipulation I do after the painting stage....

See the Illustration Process LIVE

Today June 28th at 2pm Mountain Time, I will be broadcasting live from my studio...painting illustrations for "The Littlest Emperor of Antarctica." So click on the video stream at the top of the blog at 2pm for the live show. UPDATE: unfortunately the record button did not get pushed correctly (by me) so this part 2 of the live broadcast will not be available for later viewing. Sorry! But I did broadcast another one right after to show the beginning process of another illustration for the penguin...

Book Launch!

This Saturday, June 26, 2010 from 5pm-7pm The King's English Bookshop in downtown Salt Lake City will be holding a huge book launch party and signing for "The Chihuahua Chase" by A.E. Cannon, illustrated by me, Julie Olson. But starting at 4pm and going til 8pm, they will be holding their summer reading program's block party as well. So come join the fun! And enjoy this little book trailer to get you ramped ...

Well all this week I am helping out with the Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers conference in Sandy, UT. I fortunately get to assist in Kevin Hawkes' illustration workshop every morning and then attend workshops in the afternoon put on by amazing writers, illustrators, agents, editors...it's awesome! The best part is hanging out with people who are passionate about what I love...children's...

I, along with AMAZING authors and illustrators, will be presenting at this year's Library Book Festival in Provo, UT. Don't miss out. Every kid gets a free book and the chance to meet and hear from some great authors and illustrators. Hope to see you there!CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THEIR WEBPAGE WITH ALL THE DETAILSThe Provo Children's Book Festival celebrates the world and wonder of children's books....

I turned in all the sketches for the penguin book I'm working on for Marshall Cavendish. They sure are cute little critters. Now I need to paint them one full spread of one of the interiors so they get an idea of my color and style for this bo...

I haven't posted to IF for a while. But here's one for the theme "linked."It's an illustration for the upcoming book, "Chihuahua Chase" by A.E. Cannon, release date, June 2010 published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.And check out my post below about an awesome conference coming ...

I'd like to announce a little fun give-away drawing I'm doing. For anyone who blogs about, tweets about, or posts a facebook message about the upcoming Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference, with the link to the conference website in their post, will be put in a drawing to receive an autographed copy of "Hip, Hip Hooray for Annie McRae!" and another drawing for an autographed copy...

I just wanted to make you all aware of a GREAT conference for you or anyone you know who is interested in writing or illustrating for the Young Adult or Picture Book Market. This conference has traditionally been held at BYU for years and years. However, because of the growing nature of the conference, it had to be moved to another facility. It's still run by the same great organizers and still has an amazing list of presenters.Here's the information on the conference. I just want to encourage...

Local School Presentation

I just thought I'd let you all know, I'll be presenting at Timberline Middle School in Alpine, UT tomorrow morning along with author Brandon Sanderson. I definitely don't have the following that this amazing fantasy author has, but I'm happy to share my knowledge about picture books at the school's writing conference. I love going to schools and sharing my love of books and illustration with the kids. Hopefully I can inspire some future writers and illustrators. Someday, I'll post a video of my...

I was asked to give an interview to our local newspaper by journalist, Marilyn Nielson. Here's what she wrote up about me. It's all about my job, how I got started, and what I do now. The photo was actually taken by my husband, photographer Rhett Olson (see his website) at a book signing. Click on the image to see it full size and read the artic...

Another great way to promote yourself is to enter contests. Today I just submitted my entries for the 3x3 Children’s Show Here's a little description from their website..."The 3x3 Children’s Show is the only truly international competition for illustration. No other show is as completely international as ours. While many shows showcase the work of their own country’s illustrators, 3x3 features the...

DAY SIXTEEN: WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING A PICTURE BOOK

THE END or THE BEGINNING? So after reading all that or DOING all that (which of course usually can't be done well in only 15 days), you have to decide for yourself whether or not this is the thing for you. It's a tough road but it's so exciting too. You won't become rich or necessarily famous by doing picture books...they are probably the least appreciated form of literature out there. But you can gain a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from creating wholesome, fun, inspiring...

DAY FIFTEEN: WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING A PICTURE BOOK

PHASE FOUR: Step 4 4. BEGIN AGAIN, WHILE YOU WAIT: during those months of waiting and possible rejection, get started on another book. Then you won't be obsessed and frustrated with the long process. Just know, most of the time, a picture book takes YEARS to create, to get to a publisher, to get through a publisher, and out on shelves. It's usually at the least a 3 year process (and that's fas...

DAY FOURTEEN: WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING A PICTURE BOOK

PHASE FOUR: Step 3 3. WAIT AND WAIT AND WAIT: Give the editor at least 3 months to respond. After that, it is fine to call and ask them what they thought of your submission. They are VERY busy people...overworked and underpaid. But they love what they do and want to find good work. Just respect them and their time. If they have feedback for you, that is REALLY positive. Take it and make your work better. If they don't, that means they didn't even like it enough to try to help make it work. That...

DAY THIRTEEN: WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING A PICTURE BOOK

PHASE FOUR: Step 2 2. SEND OUT THE DUMMY BOOK: If you have an agent, great. They will do this for you. However, if you don't, the work is up to you. Find a list of publishers who publish books in the same genre and send it to their head editor and assistant editors. The lists can be gathered through joining the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (www.SCBWI.org) or checking out CBC.org online or by researching in "Writers Market Place" (however that publication is often out of date)....

DAY TWELVE: WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING A PICTURE BOOK

PHASE FOUR: Step 11. HAVE A WEBSITE OR BLOG: Make sure before you begin submissions, you have a professional website or blog the editor can refer to if they want to find out more about you or your work. If you are an artist have your portfolio out there. If you are a writer, have some other samples. Think of it as your online resume. Best foot forward.You can set up a blog at www.blogger.com or various other sites. You can also download website templates for free online or pay for a more professional...

DAY ELEVEN: WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING A PICTURE BOOK

PHASE THREE: Step 44. CRITIQUES: This time you need critiques especially from other illustrators. You've had writers critique the words, now have illustrators critique your book. Be ready to make changes. ALWAYS be ready to make chang...

PHASE THREE: Step 33. CREATE A DUMMY BOOK: this is a book in sketch format. I scan in all my sketches to the computer and type in the words on each scene...knowing full well that the designer at the publisher will put it all in place in the end. It's just there to hold space and show there is space for the text...and to read the story along with the sketches. I also mock up a cover, a title page and...

PHASE THREE: Step 22. FULL SIZE SKETCHES: After I've worked out any design flaws in the thumbnail stage (as many as I notice), I begin drawing each scene full-scale. Some illustrators do a mid-size drawing, however, I put a lot of detail into my thumbnails so I can skip the mid-size stage. It's important you draw these to scale. Note that a standard vertical picture book is about 9 inches wide by...

PHASE THREE: Step 1 1. THUMBNAILS (STORYBOARDING): After you feel like you've done all you can do for the writing, the real fun begins...the actual illustrating. However, this first stage is the most difficult and thought intensive for me. It's where all the hard work happens in illustrating. All the problems and questions have to be solved in regards to art in this stage. Even though you try, some...

DAY SEVEN: WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING A PICTURE BOOK

PHASE TWO: Steps 4 and 5 4. DEVELOP A THICK SKIN: You'll need it from here on out...when you start showing your work to others in the industry. ;-) 5. CRITIQUES: once you've done all you can do for the words and developed a few rough idea sketches of the character and a scene or two, show your story to other writers and illustrators for feedback. Be ready to change things and take the criticism for what it is...it's there to help your story, not hurt your feelings. You don't have to do EVERYTHING...

PHASE TWO: Step 33. CUT AND SLASH every word that doesn't move the plot forward. Watch out for too much dialogue or not enough action. Show don't tell. The descriptive words aren't usually necessary. When you use them, you confine the illustration. A picture book should need the pictures to tell the rest of the story. The words don't say it all. Keep your word count low. Picture books are for younger...

DAY FIVE: WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING A PICTURE BOOK

PHASE TWO: Step 22. WRITE AND REWRITE: Once I have some main ideas or scenes down, I really begin the writing process. This can be longer and slower for me because I consider myself an artist first and a writer second. But you can't give up. Picture books are some of the hardest books to write. Even though everyone thinks they can write a picture book, they don't realize how hard it is to condense a whole story into 500-750 words. EVERY WORD COUNTS. That's why I say write and rewri...

DAY FOUR: WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING A PICTURE BOOK

PHASE TWO: Step 11. SKETCH AND WRITE: this is a hard stage to describe if you are doing both the illustrating and writing of a book. Many times I'll sketch out ideas of scenes of the character trying to solve the problem before I've even written words. I'm a visual person as well as a verbal person, so a lot of times, I simply go back and forth between words and sketching. However, in this phase, there is often MORE writing than sketching going on overall. For the standard format picture book, you...

DAY THREE: WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING A PICTURE BOOK

PHASE ONE: Step 33. SOLVING THE PROBLEM: After I know who I'm writing about and what the problem to overcome is, I brainstorm ideas on how the character can solve the problem. Then I choose the 3 best or most interesting ideas. (Things seem to balance better in art or in literature in threes or odd multiples). These things will provide the framework for the sto...

PHASE ONE: Step 22. GET TO KNOW YOUR CHARACTER: Once I've settled on a problem and a character, I sketch and sketch that character in various moods and positions. I also try to write down everything I can about that character even if it won't show up in the story at all. I've got to get to know who the character is. So I write down habits, favorite color, favorite food, favorite toy or security item,...

DAY ONE: WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING A PICTURE BOOK

It's hard to put into one article all it takes to write and illustrate a picture book. So I'm not going to. I'm going to break it down and post a step each day for you to follow. By the end, maybe you'll have created your very own picture book.Now, keep in mind, everyone has their own process and we don't even follow our own process all the time. But I will outline my usual way to go about it.You may ask, "Why do I need to know this? I'm just a writer," or "What's the point? I'm just an illustrator,...

Edit to my speaking engagements

I had to edit my earlier post and delete the speaking engagement I had posted about the UVU Forum on Children's Literature that was supposed to happen in only two weeks.I'm very sad about this. I've worked on putting on this conference with some of my colleagues for nearly 10 years now never taking a dime for any of our work. We do it because we LOVE children's literature and we want to help the writers and illustrators in this community along. However, because of low registrations (due to various...

I thought I'd share with you a little sketch in preparation for a picture book I'm working on illustrating. It's all about Penguins. So I've been researching, watching documentaries, printing picture after picture...and I must say, I've fallen in love with these little guys. Their lives seem so lonely yet so intertwined with each other. They live in a freezing, dark, desolate place, yet seem to play...

I love presenting to wide-eyed excited kids (and parents) about illustrating picture books. It's so fun and easy to talk about what you love to do. I only hope when I'm done speaking, I've inspired SOMEONE to become a better artist, a writer, or just to read more books. Books are just a little gateway to a huge imagination. Here are some places I'll be speaking in the next couple of weeks...TONIGHT...WASATCH...

I heard today that the release for the picture book I WROTE and illustrated isn't until November 1, 2010. See...on the cover...there's my name as author AND illustrator. Cool! I was hoping for an earlier release date mostly because I'm so excited about having my own picture book out there in the world. It's exciting. Here's the pdf of the cover I received to approve. I approved. Marshall Cavendish...

Sorry for the long absence of posts. I was sick nearly all of the month of December. Not a nice way to spend the holidays, I know. I seriously was doing only "have-to-do" items and unfortunately, updating this blog wasn't one of those.But since the new year I've felt much better and am working on signing a new book deal along with doing some personal projects. Here is a portrait I just finished of...

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