There is a funny article (to anyone actually in the children's book industry) on how to win the Caldecott in 3 easy steps posted on eHow. It made me laugh at the apparent simplicity of it. If it were actually that simple, it wouldn't be a great award, and everyone would have one. Read it here. I think eHow wanted to boost their readership by posting about a topic everyone wants the secret to,...
Book Signing's this Weekend!
By way of announcement, this Friday, March 2nd, and Saturday March 3rd, I will be signing "Dear Cinderella" at the Provo City Library's Annual Fairy Tea Party. I will be signing for a half hour before and after each tea party. However, if you were not able to obtain tickets to the party (they are sold out), the fairy store and my signing table will be just outside the event, so all are welcome to...
Closing in!
Well, I'm closing in on finishing a picture book I've been working on since September. 1 more illustration to go. The author is Kirt Hickman and the book is titled, "Purple." It's a sweet story about a little boy and his blankie, written in the same spirit as "The Giving Tree." Although, in this book, if I had personified the blankie like the tree in that book, it'd be a little monster blob and kind...
David Small is Inspiration
I've been thinking about LINE recently. I've been thinking about how much I love LINE, how much Line expresses, and how much BETTER I need to get with my own LINE in my drawings/illustrations. I started to sift back through some notes and posts and sketches. I came across one of my idols especially in regard to expressive LINE.
David Small.
Me and David Small at Dinner
Sarah Stewart and I with...
On-the-Go sketching
What do you sketch in when you are "on-the-go?" I have a few kids (4 to be exact) so I seem to be GOING a lot...especially in the hours between school and bedtime. So whether I'm sitting at the orthodontist, in the school car-pool lane, or at a lesson of one sort or another, I try to remember this little guy...my mini sketchbook. He fits in my pocket, in my stuffed diaper bag, in my bottomless purse,...
Practice What You Preach
To prove I am actually practicing what I preach (tips for better illustrating), I just thought I'd share one spread out of my mini sketchbook I doodled while hanging with my 18 month old yesterday.
Draw Ki...
Finishing up a book
I'm stepping away from the desk.
Finishing up the last few paintings of a book is always hard for me. By the time I get to that point, my mind is often on to the next idea and I've lost some of the creative steam I had as I began painting. It kind of happens in every stage actually.
Today I'm there...at the point where I kind of want to be done. Is that a bad thing to admit?
I thought about this...
10 tips for Illustrating Children's Books
The following list is in no particular order, just things to think about, incorporate and consider when you are illustrating a picture book.
1. Draw Kids...babies, toddlers, preschoolers, k-5: Even if you are someone who illustrates with animals rather than people, drawing children is a great way to then mimic childlike actions, behaviors, and positions in whatever characters you draw. This will in turn, help children identify with your characters better. If you don't have kids of your own to...
"Heart Attack" on Valentines Day
Warning: Post is unrelated to illustration except for the picture showing a shot of my studio.
Many of you have probably experienced this before, but it was my first time...
I received a MASSIVE heart attack this morning.
My alarm buzzed at 6:20 and I was so tempted to hit snooze. But instead, I stumbled out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom to get dressed and hit the treadmill. I shut the door...
Storytime in Iowa
So you put a bit of yourself into every book you make...especially one that you write and illustrate yourself. Then you take that part of yourself and you throw it out into the world with one wish...for someone to love it and take care of it. Because after all, it's a part of yourself you never get back. So when someone finds it, takes it in, loves it, and then shares it with others, you can't help...
Roxie Munro Highlight
I think I need to get out...or go on a vacation. I laughed as I started this post because I realized that yesterday I posted about a book where the character goes on a long bike ride and now today's post about Roxie Munro's A-MAZE-ing Vacation. Can you say "cabin fever" or "winter blues." So here I go, vicariously living again.
Roxie Munro is an author/illustrator whose work I've come to know recently through a facebook group we are in together. She has created some fun books but more recently,...
Frank Viva's "Along a Long Road"
Today I wish I were in Frank Viva's "Along a Long Road." I love this picture book. It does so many things well.
First of all, it's a simple but complete story...a journey of a boy on a bike...complete with ups and downs.
Second, it's visually stunning to me. The vintage yet modern, poster-style, graphic images make me feel an odd nostalgia. The simple, well-designed shapes give the whole setting...even...
Sketchbook
Here's a little sketch from my mini sketchbook. It's a little idea for a baby/toddler yoga book. My second son used to do yoga with me every day. It was adorable...
Writing For Charity 2012
Online registration is now open for the fourth annual WRITING FOR
CHARITY conference!
Have your writing critiqued by professional authors ON SITE! Fabulous
workshops! Very affordable! Lunch provided! A silent auction with
amazing things to bid on....all donated by the authors. Items include
advance copies of novels, lunch with authors, manuscript critiques, and
much more! Come schmooze with writers for a great cause--putting books in
the hands of underprivileged children. March 17, 2012 (that's...
"Dear Cinderella" Book Trailer
I've been working on this trailer for a little while now. I wanted to make it more than a slide show (like my others have been). So I asked my friend and master animator/illustrator, Jed Henry, to give me a tutorial on Adobe AfterEffects. So thanks to him, I was willing to brave an attempt at this robust software. My animations aren't near as smooth and beautiful as his, but I think it turned out pretty well for an amateur attempt. I especially was excited to make the movements "dance" with the...
"Dear Cinderella" Hits the Shelves
It's officially available (although I think you could purchase it a week ago). February 1, 2012 is the official release date of "Dear Cinderella." I was hoping to have the book trailer done by today to show you all, but I'm trying my hand at a video program called AfterEffects so it's taking me longer. In the meantime, I'll show you the catalog page from Scholastic on the book.
If you have a little...
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- Julie Olson
- I'm a freelance illustrator working in the children's book industry. I love kids and raising my own 4 children. They are the inspiration and the passion behind all I do in art and in life. See my website at JulieOlsonbooks.com