Katia Wish Sketchblog

Figures 5-15 min

2012-02-06T14:36:00.001-08:00

Masters' Copies to Experiment with Acrylic Gouache

2011-12-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

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After seeing and critiquing students' work at reviews at MassArt (where I teach), especially juniors and seniors, I was inspired to get back to experimentation and look for ways to enhance my painting technique. I usually use watercolor and gouache, but I always felt that there are several issues I wasn't completely satisfied with this media. I knew that the window of opportunity to experiment uninterrupted was short, between upcoming working on the finishes for one of the jobs and preparing for classes for next semester. Instead of recuperating from the semester, I jumped right into the experimentation stage.
This time I decided to do some copies of the masters, to focus solely on painting technique. I didn't care about staying too close to the colors, I wanted to have them a little brighter, more suitable for children's book illustration. I experimented with acrylic gouache and I love it. It can look like watercolor (transparent approach) or it can look like gouache (more opaque approach). Overall, it just seems very steady, very reliable and pleasant to work with. I combined different materials through trial and error and came up with some unexpected and excitedly surprising results. I tried different supports, but I kept coming back to Arches 140lbs cold-press watercolor paper. It seemed to be pretty much the best choice for me regardless of the technique I used.

This was my first study. I used Holbein Acrylic Gouache in a opaque fashion on watercolor board. I didn't figure out the best way to blend color except for dry brush techniques. I didn't quite find watercolor board that good to work on. My experiments continued.

In this study I used Holbein Acrylic Gouache in a opaque fashion on Arches 140lbs cold-press watercolor paper. I also used a little bit of Winsor & Newton Watercolor Blending Medium. Afterwords, I applied Liquitex Gloss Medium diluted with water on top of the painting. The colors became a little brighter and the brushstrokes seemed to visually blend better.

I used Prismacolor brown pencil for the drawing on Arches 140lbs cold-press watercolor paper. Then I used Holbein Acrylic Gouache the same way I would use watercolor. The washes where very smooth and flat. I could work on the face in as many transparent layers as I pleased without disturbing the layers underneath (they become permanent and cannot be reactivated with water).

In this study I decided to use Holbein Acrylic Gouache in a semi-opaque fashion and blend it while it was wet. The support was Arches 140lbs cold-press watercolor paper. I used a lot of Winsor & Newton Watercolor Blending Medium. It turned out to be a really great stuff. Even though I didn't use watercolor, but who cares, it worked. The paint stayed wet for a while and I could blend as much as I needed. Extremely happy with this discovery. Afterwords, I applied Liquitex Gloss Medium dilluted with water on top of the painting. The colors became a little brighter and the brushstrokes seemed to visually blend better. I really don't see any of the gouache perceived "chalkiness" in this study.

1st, 2nd and 3rd Commisions for Educational Publishers

2011-12-18T22:02:00.000-08:00

Reference photos for illustrations

Deadlines are called that for a reason. I feel quite dead after couple of months of meeting deadlines and teaching on top of that. I just finished 13 paintings in 8 days! The first educational job came (McGraw Hill), then the 2nd one (McGraw Hill) and then the 3rd (Cengage/National Geographic)! Go figure, no jobs for months and months and months and now everything together and life is crazy busy.
Anyways, because of such short deadlines, I did learn to make decisions and work much faster.
While I can’t really share my final paintings for a while, I thought it would be fun to share the reference photos for one of the jobs starring me and my husband Ben. Even though he is not an illustrator, he knows exactly what needs to be done for reference shots and we just do it fast and fun.

Two Finished Illustrations from a New Dummy Book

2011-11-15T05:06:00.000-08:00

The 22nd Annual Children's Book Illustration Exhibition

2011-11-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

November 6, 2011 - January 15, 2012
The 22nd Annual Children's Book Illustration Exhibition
R. Michelson Galleries
132 Main Street, Northampton, MA

The exhibit is very inspirational and has a variety of styles and media represented. It's a must see exhibit for anyone interested in illustration and children's books and just plain good craft.

My pals: Kelly Light, Casey Girard and Kathy Blackmore.

Illustration gossip

Kadir Nelson

Barry Moser

Alice Provensen and E.B.Lewis

Zachary Pullen

Jules Feiffer

Busy Teaching + Finishig Up a Dummy Book

2011-10-07T06:15:00.000-07:00

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Long time, no see! I abandoned my blog for a while and here's why:
I'm teaching Media Techniques to Illustration Sophomores at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and Story Illustration to 4th and 5th graders at Danforth Museum and School of Art.
Also, I spent countless hours working on a new dummy book.

I absolutely love teaching, especially Illustration at my Alma Mater. The energy I get from teaching is crazy. I was a student not too long ago, so I still remember a million questions that I had, frustration, desire to get better, etc. So I try to immerse students in all this knowledge and get them excited about painting and illustration. I drag tons of books with me, show the work of different painters and illustrators. Presentation of painting techniques to a group usually doesn't really work, but helping students individually and checking on their paintings several times during the class does work. It's extremely rewarding to see when something just clicks and a student gets it. I feel like a proud mama! I really hope my excitement transfers to my students and with some of them I think it already did. I already see a lot of improvement in my students since the beginning of the semester.

Also, I'm finishing up my new dummy book, so I can't really show any process. It's based on the characters I developed earlier (Musical Pig+Traveling Wolf). The amount of work that goes into working on the dummy book is incredible. Thanks to my agent Libby Ford and my fellow illustrators, I revised the storyboard several times. The story is so much better now! My mother-in-law Betsy Wish and my husband Ben Wish helped me with the writing. So now finally everything is coming together. Instead of doing pencil drawing for the dummy book, I decided to use ink. I'm a painter after all, not a drawer, so it's so much more fun to do sketching in ink. Hey, whatever works and looks presentable. I've done 16 spreads of those ink paintings, lots and lots of hours painting. Next step - one full color illustration and it's ready to be shown to publishers. Fingers crossed!

Boston Sketches

2011-08-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

Drawing done on location, color added at the studio inspired by unexpected
yellow-reddish light observed on my walk with a friend
from South Boston to Charlestown.

Drawing done on location, painting done in my studio yesterday
inspired by hurricane Irene outside of my window.

Drawing done on location, painting done in my studio.

Teaching Illustration at Danforth Museum and School of Art

2011-08-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

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Two weeks ago I had a chance to teach "Illustration Survey" at the Danforth Museum of Art. The school has many art classes for kids, teens and adults and it is an extremely pleasant and fun place to take art classes and teach.

This was not the first time I taught, but the first time I taught high school kids, at Danforth and a 5 day Intensive. Needless to say, I was very nervous about teaching, especially the fact that the students were high school kids. It turned out there was nothing to worry about. I had the best group of kids - all five of them (thank god for a small group!). Most of them knew each other from before, so the class started on a very good note and just kept getting better each day. The kids that take classes at Museum school are very hardworking, talented and are excited to learn new things.

I discovered that I really enjoy teaching, especially the older kids. I spend so much time in my studio working alone, it was really great to get out and share my knowledge and enthusiasm about illustration with the students. The kids were all so different, but they all were very hardworking. It was so fun to figure out different personalities by the second class and have a slightly different approach to each student - one needs encouragement, another one needs a little push, another needs to stop overthinking, loosen up, yet another needs a more challenging assignment. What I discovered after this intense week is that teaching is about sharing what you love and trying to get the students excited about it too, being sensitive to the needs of your students, always being on your toes, paying attention, adapting and changing the assignments slightly to benefit your students. No amount of preparation will make you completely in control; you always need to be open and pay attention.

Our assignments for the week included: Advertising Illustration, Children's Book Illustration, Editorial Illustration and Character Design. I was so excited to show the kids different types and uses of illustration. I brought different Illustration Annuals, books, sketchbooks, portfolio, etc. I think I might have given them too much, but I figured the more I show, the more would stay with them.

The kids really enjoyed the Character Design assignment and Children's Book Illustration. That said, it was really cool to see all the good ideas they had for Editorial assignment, even though they didn't want to deal with it initially. We got a lot of compliments from other kids and teachers at the school for that assignment. Another accomplishment - getting several of them excited about watercolor, even though they were not big fans of it at the beginning of the class.

My main message that I repeated over and over again was that it's all about practice, putting the hours in. You need to constantly draw, paint and pay attention to everything around you to get better at drawing and painting. There is no secret, just that.

The last thing I wanted to say is that humor might be the best teaching technique of all. It breaks the ice and makes everyone more relaxed and a little happier and a little more open to trying new things. We had so much fun and jokes and laughter, but kept a really strong level of work.

I was completely exhausted after a week of teaching, but it was one of the most rewarding weeks since I graduated two years ago. When you're a student you only worry about your own growth and development; when you are a teacher, you want every one of your students to improve and feel good about their work.

New York Plein Air Sketches

2011-07-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

Part 1 of this sketch - drawing done in NY

Part 2 of this sketch - painting done in the studio

There was obviously a lot of down time in between appointments. Even though it was awfully hot, I still wanted to sketch in NY as it has so much material. First I came to Central Park and started sketching horses and carriages. I was so fascinated with horses and lost track of time sketching. I wanted to sketch different scenes in NY, but got stuck with horses. Anyway how often do you have live horse model to sketch?

Then I only have a little time left to sketch several buildings. While I was sketching a building, two teenagers stopped by and I got a "compliment": Wow! it is so detailed! I mean really detailed. You are good. Can you draw me for twenty bucks?" I guess I should have used the opportunity to sketch, but it was so hot and I was exhausted and I just wanted to finish the drawing and go. Anyway, next time I'll do it.

Networking in New York with Children's Book Publishers

2011-07-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

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Last week I made another trip to New York to network. All the three days that I was there were oppressively hot, but it didn't dampen my enthusiasm and excitement. I mostly came for Networking Dinners with editors and agents organized by NJ SCBWI. The dinners were a fantastic opportunity to meet editors and agents personally and have a chance to make a connection and let them see the person behind the work.

I'm very grateful to Kathy Temean for all the events. She is truly the biggest advocate for emerging writers and illustrators and really cares about their success and careers.

While I was in NY for three days, I decided to really make an effort to show my portfolio around. I dread making cold calls to set up appointments as I know that most art directors are really busy these days and prefer not to see your portfolio, as they can see it online. I, however, think it's absolutely necessary to meet them personally and show your work, hear their valuable feedback, let them see how you think and talk about your work and make a personal connection with the art director. Mentioning the Tomie dePaola Award also gets some interest and I can't believe how much weight this award has.

Several art directors expressed sadness that portfolio reviews are thing of the past, as it always fun for them to see artists in person too. I noticed that people that I met before through networking or the ones that I had some ongoing conversation through new samples or emails were much more likely to set up an appointment or look at my website. Networking is crucial. Even if an art director couldn't see me personally, the phone call or email was very helpful as many did look at my website and got back to me with some comments.

Overall, my portfolio received a really good response, especially the new character studies. The piglet character was a hit. It's so good to see that my portfolio is so much stronger than it was last spring (I attribute it to my stubbornness and constant desire to get better) and that it gets a very different response this time around.

I'm so grateful to all the art directors or editors who took the time from their busy schedules to see me or answer my call or an email. It's so important to hear the feedback and encouragement and advice.

Plein Air Sketches

2011-07-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

The guy in suspenders made this painting. He was priceless. When I started painting the scene, he wasn't there, but then - boom, awesome. Just what I needed.

What I like about plein air sketching is the lack of control; your arm is hanging, the wrist is uncomfortable, the colors are getting a little muddy because you can't change the water too often, you don't have have a stable surface and you are trying to balance the sketchbook, paints and water on you lap. At the same time you are forced to be spontaneous, think fast, make decisions and just draw and paint without paying attention to details. You posture is uncomfortable, people are bugging you once in a while, and you just paint, trying to capture what you see or maybe even what you don't see, but it really doesn't matter. It's just exciting to sketch outside and a different kind of experience and you just go with it without worrying about final results.

Character Design - Musical Pig

2011-07-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

Figure Drawing

2011-07-11T17:28:00.000-07:00

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Most of the poses are 5-15 minutes. Even though I really like working in ink, I decided to step away from ink and use watercolor pencil. At this point it's more important for me to develop my drawing skills even further and try to accurately portray the figure. Ink is fun, but it's more for lose, gestural effects. It's good to notice that I draw much much faster than before and able to pay attention to the head, hands and feet. It's proof that it has nothing to do with talent, just the amount of time you put into drawing practice.

Commission: Interior Design Paintings

2011-07-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

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Several months ago I worked on paintings of rooms for the Interior Design firm My Interior Design Center. Check out their website! My paintings are in the Be Inspired section.
The client's website is up and running, and I'm happy to finally share the results of my work. Never in a million years did I think I would have this assignment, but I unexpectedly enjoyed working on it. The clients were a real pleasure to work with - nice and friendly and professional all at the same time. The drawings of the rooms were given to me (thank god! I do not enjoy perspective drawings) and I did what I love doing the most, painting in watercolor and gouache. It was kind of fun to be given all these swatches of fabrics and photos of the furniture and try to create the room with all those objects/textures/patterns. It was good to take a break from illustration and just paint without thinking of composition, color, concept and all that good stuff. My main concern was to show the color and texture of the fabric and furniture in the most accurate way and still make the room look warm and inviting.

Character Design - Adventurous Little Tailor

2011-06-29T12:36:00.001-07:00

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This character is inspired by brothers Grimm's Thumbling, a little guy who is a tailor's son. It's much easier for me to imagine the character and his personality when I know what he is up to. As soon as I start reading the text, I start doodling numerous images and scenes. Sometimes the scenes are not even in the text, but they seem to suit the character, so I draw them.
I'm pretty happy with the fact that I finally figured out the way to paint the faces in watercolor (without adding gouache) and get the right expressions and still stay lose and fresh. Plus, going to figure drawing on a consistent basis makes the drawing so much faster and easier. Many years of frustration with both drawing and painting, but I think it's finally paying off.

Snail Trainer

2011-06-23T13:18:00.001-07:00

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As I mentioned before, I recently attended the NJ SCBWI conference. As part of the Illustrator Intensive, we were given an assignment to illustrate a passage from one of the manuscripts. The manuscript that I chose was "When I Grow Up" by Al Yankovic and it was given by Martha Rago, Art Director of HarperCollins Children's Books. It was a real pleasure to meet her and be in several of her workshops. She truly has a passion for children's books and gave us very interesting insights into the publishing industry. I especially enjoyed her telling us of all the steps involved in selecting an illustrator and working with illustrator from character studies to sketches, to revisions, more revisions, final sketches, color comps and final images. Lots and lots of work goes into publishing a book.
The manuscript is actually a published book and is beautifully illustrated by Wes Hargis. He has one of the sharpest senses of humor I've seen in an illustrator. At the time we got the assignment, I didn't know that the book was already illustrated, and was not influenced by the existing illustration.
Anyway, the manuscript is simply the best. It so beautifully absurd, just my cup of tea. I hope that one day I will have a chance to work on such a hilarious and imaginative book.

Here's some of my process:

Danforth Museum of Art: Picture This! Juried Exhibition

2011-06-13T06:11:00.000-07:00

June 11 2011– August 7, 2011
Picture This! Juried Exhibition
Danforth Museum of Art
123 Union Avenue, Framingham, MA *

Download Picture This! Exhibition Catalog (PDF) to see all the good work that was in the exhibit.

It was an honor to be a part of the Juried Exhibition Picture This! at the Danforth Museum of Art. The exhibition is the first juried exhibition of local children's book illustrators held by the Danforth Museum of Art. The curator of the exhibit is Susan Sherman, Art Director of Charlesbridge Publishing, a very respected art director with many many years of experience in children's books who has worked with numerous well-known children's book illustrators and authors.

It was so nice to see Susan Sherman again and know that she appreciates the work that I submitted. For us illustrators, who work in a vacuum most of the time, these occasional compliments are something that keeps us motivated and enthusiastic to create new work and move forward. The level of work in the exhibit was high and this made the experience of being in the museum exhibit so much better. It was fun to meet illustrators I hadn't met before and reconnect with the ones I already knew.

This exhibit was something unexpected, but it brought new opportunities that I wasn't even hoping for. While dropping off the work for the exhibit, I got to know people who work at the museum. The result: teaching illustration to middle grade kids at their Museum School. Unexpected and exciting! It's time to share my knowledge with others and get inspired by the work kids do.

Runner Up for 2011 NJ SCBWI Annual Conference Juried Art Show

2011-06-13T06:03:00.000-07:00

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NJ SCBWI conference is honestly the best conference I've been to so far. Thank you, Kathy Temean and Leeza Hernandez for persuading me to attend it. In addition to all the informative and interesting workshops and presentations that the conference offered, it was really the best conference so far for networking. We illustrators and writers really had a chance to get to know editors, art directors and agents on a personal level. I think in the age of complete information overload it's great to have an opportunity to introduce yourself to the clients and for them to see your enthusiasm and desire to work.

The highlight of the conference for me was a portfolio review with Patti Ann Harris, art director of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. So much enthusiasm and encouragement! Thank you!

It's absolutely amazing for me to think how far I've come in terms of producing new work, promoting myself, winning awards and yes, networking, two years after graduation. I remember my instructors stressing the importance of networking after graduation. The word sounded so strange and foreign and unappealing. For anybody who is naturally shy and introverted and prefers a small groups of close friends to any big scary gatherings of people they don't know, networking made me cringe a little. I didn't quite understand how to do it. The first few events I went to were painfully difficult, and I felt uneasy most of the time. However, the more I went to the events,connected to people, kept in touch with them on Facebook, went to more events, conferences,participated in workshops, exhibits, judging, traveled to New York on a pretty consistent bases, the more the word started to take shape and meaning. It wasn't full rooms of people that I didn't know anymore; it was people that I met before, who introduced me to more people. All of a sudden I was not an outsider looking in, but was part of this awesome community of artists and people who are in love with the art of children's books and art in general. We had so much in common.

I'm not the kind of person who likes to talk a lot with the people I barely know, but I'm a person who will talk to anybody who is willing to listen when on fire about a topic. For me that topic is art and illustration, and children's book illustration in particular.

So, yes NJ SCBWI is good for networking. It also has a very warm, inviting atmosphere. I did love being there.

Oh yes, I was a Runner up for 2011 NJ SCBWI Annual Conference Juried Art Show.

Other winners:
Winner: Lisa Falkenstern
Other Runner Up: Kelly Light
Honorable Mention: Kim Wood

You can see other artists who participated in the Art Show.

One of the criteria the judges took very seriously was the marketability of the work. I'm glad to learn that I indeed finally became marketable. I know that a lot of people love doing art for art's sake and are unwilling to listen to suggestions about how to change their work. I had my moment of after-art-school-crisis, but I realized that I love doing work for an audience. Kids do love brighter colors and funny, simpler, more straightforward scenes (I noticed that in my presentations to elementary school kids). I respond to that; I make conscious efforts to improve my work. My job as an illustrator is to respond to the text and enhance the words with my artwork.

Mentioned on Tomie dePaola's Blog: Can This Award Get Any Better?

2011-06-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

http://tomiesblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/katia-wish.html

Exhibit: Town Hall Walls

2011-06-09T05:48:00.000-07:00

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May 1 2011 – July 31 2011
Selectmen's Hearing Room, 6th floor
Brookline Town Hall
333 Washington Street, Brooline, MA

Opening Reception June 10 from 5 - 7pm

Where is everybody???

The Town Hall Walls Exhibit Opening was small but sweet. I knew it would not be an extremely well-attended reception because of the nature of the venue. It's an official building, not a gallery where people expect to see artwork on the walls. At the same time, I had a chance to really talk and get to know people in the community and feel like a truly local artist. Plus, the exhibit is in the Selectmen's Hearing Room where most of the town meetings are held. I was told that people really appreciate and enjoy seeing artwork on the walls of the Town Hall. It's a nice way to take a little break from serious topics and discussions.

Meeting Tomie dePaola at 2011 NE SCBWI Conference

2011-05-31T04:18:00.000-07:00

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The highlight of the 2011 NE SCBWI Conference for me was meeting Tomie dePaola, one of the greatest children's book illustrators and one that I admire. Tomie dePaola awarded me the 2011 Tomie dePaola Award this January. It was so exciting to finally meet him and have a chance to talk to him. Tomie was so generous with giving his advice and encouragement. He really made me feel that I'm on the right track and that the hard work that I put into my work will soon pay off. Moments like this make you slow down, take a moment and appreciate what you have accomplished. Plus, Tomie has a quirky sense of humor that I love in people. His hilarious stories made me and my fellow illustrators roar with laughter. It was a fun fun time at the conference. Thank you, Tomie!

Featured Interview in Local Newspaper

2011-05-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

Wicked Local Brookline - Digital Version

Thank you Steve Annear!

Character Design - Serious Explorer

2011-05-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

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Process - first doodles and scribbles both in English and in Russian.

Character Design - Mischievous Fox

2011-05-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

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Process - first doodles and scribbles both in English and in Russian.

Work Selected for 22nd Annual Children's Illustration Show at R.Michelson Galleries

2011-05-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

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I'm very honored that my new work was selected at the NE SCBWI conference to be in the 22nd Annual Children's Illustration Show at R. Michelon Galleries. The annual exhibit showcases the works of renowned children's book illustrators. For an emerging illustrator, such as myself, it is truly a big deal to be exhibited alongside established illustrators and get a chance to meet them all and get inspired and encouraged.

My process in creating the illustration:

Face Studies

2011-05-10T14:12:00.001-07:00

Featured in Talking Writing: A Literary Magazine

2011-05-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

*http://talkingwriting.com/?p=17960

http://talkingwriting.com/?p=18009

Four of my works have been recently featured in Talking Writing: A Literary Magazine. It's an online magazine with great articles for writers about writing.

"Talking Writing is an online monthly literary magazine that supports writers and those interested in literature by encouraging creative discussion of the writing process.

Talking Writing features the work of poets, fiction and creative nonfiction writers, visual artists, and photographers. TW includes long reviews and personal essays, pieces that are often hard to place in print. We are committed to a new kind of magazine, one that’s dynamic, talky, inspiring, and not too dusty."

Face Studies

2011-04-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

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The studies are done by using reference photos from an extremely helpful book "Facial Expression Babies to Teens: A Visual Reference for Artists" by Mark Simon. I need to really make it my goal to use this book regularly and paint the faces and capture all these expressions.

Character Design - Traveling Musician

2011-04-14T17:34:00.000-07:00

Junk Yard Sculpture

2011-03-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

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I spent the last three weeks in my studio drawing and painting for countless hours. It was important for me to complete these three illustrations for a fellowship that I applied for.

These illustrations are based on the idea that I had a year earlier. You can see my earlier five sequential images here . Those first images were criticized as overpainted, muddy, and too complicated. The narrative wasn't extremely exciting either. I did love the melancholic quality of that series, but unfortunately, that's not what children's book publishers are looking for.

The idea of rusty animals was pretty interesting though, so I decided to give it another shot. I'm constantly trying to simplify my work and painting technique, as advised by many art directors. I especially try to simplify the backgrounds, and I actually think it works better this way. It allows the viewer to spend more time looking at the main characters.

I made the main character a little younger than in my character studies.

A deadline is the best inspiration for sure. You make decisions fast and leave the doubts for later, when you are already done with the project.

Character Design

2011-03-17T19:54:00.001-07:00

Commission: Shedding Light on Books

2011-03-06T18:54:00.000-08:00

Client: Gerri Fegan, President of Massachusetts School Library Association, librarian at High Plain Elementary School in Andover, MA.

Thank you so much Gerri for this commission! Trying to show the light was a challenge, but I'm glad I was able to figure it out.

Several week ago Gerri invited me to the judging of the MSLA Bookmark Contest. You can see the winning entries here 2011 Bookmark Contest Winners . The kids are good!

Book Illustration Critique Forum

2011-02-15T12:50:00.000-08:00

Front page image by Mark Eberhardt (www.markeberhardt.com)

Mark Eberhardt (www.markeberhardt.com), Katia Wish (www.katiawish.com) and Sarah Alfarhan (sarahalfarhan.carbonmade.com) started a closed Illustration Critique Forum. Our main focus is book illustration. If you are very determined in getting better at picture making and are looking for an illustration critique forum, please contact Katia Wish at katia@katiawish.com

Writing and Illustrating: Illustrator Saturday - Katia Wish

2011-02-11T21:46:00.000-08:00

I've been featured in Writing and Illustrating Blog (Sharing Children's Writing and Illustrating Information)
www. kathytemean.wordpress.com

Illustrator Saturday -- Katia Wish

I met Kathy Temean at the SCBWI Winter Conference a few weeks ago. I'm very grateful to be featured on the Writing and Illustrating Blog. It has such a wealth of information for writers and illustrators and I'm excited to be a part of it.

Thank you, Kathy!

12th Annual SCBWI Winter Conference

2011-02-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

receiving the Tomie dePaola award

The 12th Annual SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Winter Conference was conveniently jammed between two snow storms. Traveling to New York from Boston was quite a challenge, but I didn’t want to hear anything about it.

I had a meeting with a very important art director in one of the publishing houses in New York and I was not going to miss it. The trains to New York were canceled until further notice, the buses only ran after 10AM, and I was already late. I got on the bus anyway; the bus broke down an hour away from New York. At this point the hope of making the appointment started to evaporate. Half an hour later a miraculously half full bus to New York stopped and picked some of us up. I took the last seat on the bus. At this point in time every minute counted; if we got stuck in traffic, I wasn’t going to make it. Long story short, I was at the publishing house at 4:15, had a very helpful meeting with an art director who thought my work was strong and encouraged me to continue working and put my efforts into character studies, to make my characters more unique and consistent. The kindness and understanding of this art director, in spite of me being two hours late for the appointment made it a perfect start to the conference.

SCBWI Conference covered a lot of different issues, but those are the ones that stood out for me:

1. Apps for Children’s Books.

A variety of speakers Virginia Duncan (Greenwillow Books), Colin Hosten (Disney Publishing Worldwide), Rubin Pfeffer (East West Literary Agency) and John Carlin (Funny Garbage) did a really nice job of demystifying Apps. I had very little knowledge about the apps. It’s not just scanning pages and having them on the iPad screen. Apps need to have elements of interactivity (you can click on the particular spot of the image, some object will move, pop, jump, fall, make sound, text could be read to you, etc.). It all seemed exciting, but it also raised a lot of questions. Right now there seem to be thousands of app developers, so how would a parent ever be able to figure out what is worth buying and what is not? How can you make sure that you’ll be able to make any money with apps? You invest months and months of your time into something that is still very questionable. It could be a really good fit for someone who loves working digitally and fast and loves to experiment with technology, though. It might not be for me at this point in time. I really love books and I really love traditional media. Drawing and painting, especially painting, is one of the most enjoyable things for me in the illustration process.

2. Creating and Recreating the Picture Book with Patricia Lee Gauch (Philomel Books), Jane Yolen (author) And Mark Teague (author-illustrator).

The speakers shared their expertise on creating picture books. The common thread was emphasis on a “child centeredness,” even if a child is not the main character. The main character could be an animal, train, the wind, etc., but the story still has to be about and for a child, his/her needs, feelings, fears, etc. The story has to come from the heart, not from the head. You should look into your memories, your life experience and do not overthink when you come up with the story. It’s important to have a compelling, memorable character and that the story has a hook, good beginning, middle, climax that will make you catch your breath and release at the end of the story.

The illustrator’s job is not to decorate the text, but to expand it, and to bring a different perspective to the text.

3. The Creative Process and its Challenges.

Very emotional speeches by Sara Zarr (author) and Linda Sue Park (author) described the process of writing and challenges of being a creative person, of working alone, of doubt and fear in your abilities. I absolutely loved both speeches as they were so close to home.

Linda Sue Park said because writing/illustrating is something you want to do, with that comes fear and pressure to do it well. She said you don’t have to believe in yourself, you have to believe in the story, in your craft. Each day assign a small manageable task to complete in that day and keep moving forward. Believe in hard work and attention to the details and you don’t have to believe in yourself. I found this concept extremely refreshing and authentic.

Sara Zarr described the challenges of working alone and adopting bad habits of not exercising, procrastinating, spending too much time facebooking, blogging, etc. She also talked about developing healthy habits for a creative life. It has to be sustainable, and fulfilling both financially and emotionally. Process should be emphasized and enjoyed, not the book deals and prizes. You need to take breaks and switch from thinking about yourself and your work and allow your friends and family to spend time with you and recharge your creativity.

4. What Makes your Work Publishable.

There were extremely informative sessions led by art directors and editors: Alessandra Balzer (Balzer & Bray), Jen Besser (G.P. Putnam's Sons), Alexandra Cooper (Simon & Schuster), Jeannette Larson (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Lisa Sandell (Scholastic), Ginger Clark (Curtis Brown, Ltd.), Dan Lazar Writer's House), Jim McCarthy (Dystel Goderich Literary Management), Denise Cronin (Penguin YR Group), Lucy Cummins (Simon & Schuster) and Patti Ann Harris (Little Brown). Very detailed transcripts of most of the panels and speeches could be found on SCBWI conference blog at http://scbwiconference.blogspot.com/

In conclusion, the Tomie dePaola award helped me to put my work out there in front of art directors and make a lot of valuable connections. I will forever be grateful to Tomie and SCBWI for the award and the opportunities it will bring.

Petite Prodigy Piglet Persistently Pedaled his Panting Parents to the Picnic

2011-01-18T16:49:00.000-08:00

Process:

Winner of the 2011 Tomie dePaola Award from SCBWI!!!

2011-01-06T10:56:00.000-08:00

When I received a call from the head offices of the Society of Childrens' Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), I knew that something special was about to happen. SCBWI's Executive Director, Lin Oliver, told me that I was the winner of the 2011 Tomie dePaola award, an international illustration competition. I was so excited, overwhelmed, and honored that Tomie dePaola recognized my work. He is one of the most renowned and beloved illustrators, and for a young illustrator it is a tremendous boost of confidence to know that he appreciates your work.

Tomie dePaola had some very kind words to say about my piece:

"The composition of Katia's piece is very striking, as is the point of view," said Tomie. "I like her painting style and the figure of Heidi is full of life. I also like the way she placed Heidi's face against the black skirt of the adult figure. The vertical shape of the illustration gives the viewer a real sense of the mountains and I love the way Heidi is being 'pulled' into the picture."

Here is SCBWI's announcement of the award:

"SCBWI received more than 150 entries from illustrators for the 2011 Tomie dePaola Award. This year's contest asked illustrators to create an original piece interpreting the opening of Johanna Spyri’s HEIDI. 'I want to see an image, a style, a vision that I’ve never seen before!" Tomie said. 'I want to be surprised, excited and--VERY jealous that I didn’t think of that way to illustrate it.'

The winner, chosen by Tomie dePaola himself, is Katia Wish. Katia wins a $1,000 gift certificate for art supplies, plus full tuition, transportation and accommodations to the SCBWI Annual Winter Conference. Her winning piece will be featured at the exhibition in New York."

Thank you so much, Tomie and SCBWI! It's the greatest inspiration an illustrator can have!

Petite Prodigy Piglet Persuaded his Petrified Parents to Parachute from a Plane

2010-12-30T05:49:00.001-08:00

Sketches from National Geographic : Excelent source of sketching material

2010-12-27T16:36:00.000-08:00

Quick Figure Drawings

2010-12-03T11:54:00.001-08:00

Exhibit "Objects": Galatea Fine Art Gallery

2010-11-30T16:16:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited to be part of the group show "Objects" at the Galatea Fine Art Gallery, which is located in the South End, in the heart of one of the Boston's gallery districts. It's nice to take a break from children's illustration and plunge into the gallery scene and exhibit one of my more conceptual pieces.

Galatea Fine Art Gallery
460 Harrison Ave # B6
Boston, MA
Exhibit "Objects"
December 2 - December 30 2010
Opening reception Friday December 3, from 6 to 8pm. I hope to see you there!

MassArt Holiday Sale: Buy Gifts here!

2010-11-30T16:02:00.000-08:00

Three of my prints were selected to be at the MassArt Holiday Sale, which is a good place to buy holiday gifts created by MassArt students and alumni.

December 6-11, 2010, 10am-7pm in the lobby of the Tower Building

A Little Bit of Fun

2010-11-26T18:53:00.001-08:00

Before

After: My sixteen year old nephew gave me a few suggestions here and there to make it a little more contemporary. Too bad he lives far away, in Belarus. He seems to have some fun ideas.

Childhood Drawings : Age 4 or 5

2010-11-14T18:03:00.000-08:00

I just came back from visiting my family in Belarus and brought my childhood drawings with me. The only drawings that didn't vanish are the ones that I did when I was 4 or 5 years old. Interesting subject matter I would say, probably the normal drawings of a Soviet child. Too bad I don't have my drawings from my school years. It would be interesting to see what I was up to at that time.

Exhibit: The Architecture Show

2010-10-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

"The Architecture Show"

Architecture Show was mentioned in BrooklinePatch on November 4, 2010 http://brookline.patch.com/articles/with-third-show-access-gallery-gains-focus

October 6, 2010 - January 7, 2011
Access Gallery @ Brookline Access Television
46 Tappan Street, Brookline, MA

I'm participating in a group show organized by Brookline Access Television. The theme of the exhibit is "Architecture" and all the interpretations of it.

Once again, I managed to miss an opening reception as I was flying back from Belarus where I visited my big crazy family. Well, hopefully next time I will be next to my artwork at the opening reception.

Long Way Up

2010-09-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

Cute Boy?

2010-09-29T19:36:00.001-07:00

The inspiration for this painting literally hit me on the street (on the streets of New York to be exact, on one of my recent trips there). My friend and I saw a woman with a baby carriage and instead of a baby – there was a dog in the carriage. We had a good laugh about it, and I made a note to myself to at least do a little sketch about it.
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to develop it into an illustration. I’ve done some more thinking, added a few elements, made the characters much more exciting then they were on the streets of NY, and here you go – a fun piece about the things I notice around me.

A little note about my reference photos: they are taken as a point of departure. In this illustration I wasn’t going for realistic figures, but a little help with the gestures of the figures, facial expressions and hands are always a plus.

As I get better at drawing and I simplify and stylize my figures, I will be able to draw faster and more accurately, accurately not in the sense of having a perfect, realistic drawing, but accurately in the sense that a drawing is believable and exists its own right.

Recognition form Creative Quarterly Magazine: Creative Quarterly 21 Runner Up

2010-09-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

Creative Quarterly just announced the winners and runners up for its competition. I'm very excited to find out that I'm one of the runners up for Illustration. It is very encouraging to be recognized by your peers. I'm so happy and so ready to work even harder.

Two Major Exhibits Featuring Outstanding Illustrators not to be Missed!

2010-09-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

"An Exquisite Vision: The Art of Lisbeth Zwerger" at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA
June 29, 2010 - September 26, 2010

"BLOW UP: Hanuka, Shimizu, Weber" at the Society of Illustrators in NY, NY

September 1 - October 16, 2010

Cixi, the Dragon Empress, Surrounded by Eunuchs

2010-08-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

Process:

I just finished this new illustration. Even though historic and cultural themes are not topics I usually work on, I really enjoyed working on this project. Being a little bit on the geeky side, I think it's great fun to go to the library and go through many books trying to find information and reference images. Even though there is so much information online now, I still prefer and trust libraries. Acting out different characters for reference photos was fun too. I hope you like the final result.

Quebec City: Travel Sketches

2010-08-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

Street musician Claude Berger

Château Frontenac

Street musician David Ogalde

The Parliament Building

Sveta and Sylvain

People watching a street performer

Château Frontenac with authentic Quebec rain drops on the painting

Université Laval

I fell in love with Quebec City all over again: the architectural details, the small winding streets, spacious avenues, and the overall European feel. The last time I visited Quebec City was three years ago. On the first visit, I took pictures of every window and every corner of every building (I was so fascinated with the architecture and atmosphere of the city). During this visit, though, I sketched and sketched, a few moments here and there, quickly, furiously, while doing the usual touristy routine (stroll, eat, museum, shop, stroll, eat, stroll, eat). My husband Ben and I were also lucky enough to have the non-touristy side of Quebec City shown to us by my friend Sveta and her husband Sylvain, who live in the area.

The more I sketched, the more I felt a part of the city. Most tourists happily put me in the category of a native, a local attaction of sorts. I never saw that much interest in a person sketching (though I never tried to sketch in Belarus).
After many more or less successful fast drawings, I decided to do the unthinkable and wake up before 6am and dedicate a few solid hours to sketching. I am not a morning person and for me being outside at 6am is a rare and fascinating expreince. Life just seems so different and fresh and simple and very strange. Peopleless Quebec City is an experience in itself, which I shared with a few more people an hour later. It's interestng to sketch so early in the morning; you are half awake and you are just drawing without thinking. People at this hour also seem more friendly, open and part of a sort of morning team.

I met a few nice people while I sketched and became the sidekick of a street performer trumpet player. He played. I drew.

Well, I liked that morning adventure so much that I decided to do it one more time before leaving Quebec City. This time wasn't quite as smooth. It rained a few times while I was traying to sketch the Chateau Frontenac, which in a way helped to keep the sketch loose and watery. Then I spent some time running after a harp player, whom I noticed a few days ago and I thought that he had a really interesting face and he plays a beautiful instrument. I found him, and I have two sketches to prove it.

This whole sketching experience was quite unexpected. Even though I brought a lot of sketching materials, my ink pens ran out of ink, my two sketch books quickly filled up, and I lost my favorite brush pen. I was definitely not prepared for that amount of drawing. I honestly wish I could travel more and sketch on location more and experience the city, the vibe, the community in that way.

First Annual Nuts and Bolts Conference

2010-07-13T19:36:00.001-07:00

The speakers: Marsall Arisman, Chris Buzelli, Marcos Chin, Charles Hively, Paul Hoppe, Nora Krug, Aaron Meshon, Steven Tabbutt, Sean Qualls.

The Nuts and Bolts Conference was simply right on. It was inspiring, it gave a lot of new ideas, it made me sing. It was held at the Society (Society of Illustrators in NYC) which is simply a shrine to anyone who is in love with illustration. Charles Hively and his team did an amazing job organizing the event. After attending the Illustration Academy last summer where we had a whole lecture week with 4-5 speakers each day I thought there would probably be not that much more new to hear. I was wrong. The speakers were young, but successful with very personal and different stories to tell. Not a single one of them had a very easy and straightford way to where his or her career is today. When we work at home or look for jobs, all we see is the success that these guys have, the annuals, the articles, etc. But it is so important to know the struggles, the beginning. Every single one had doubts, obstacles, fears and failures, but they are stubborn and they just kept going.

We also made a trip to the Pencil Factory, which has studios of many young illustrators. I was so excited to see the studios because I heard so much about them and I finally had a chance to see them. I hope we didn’t disrupt the artists’ work too much.

Since the Illustration Academy last summer this conference was the most inspirational and educational atmosphere I was in. It’s a beautiful thing to be surrounded by the people who are as passionate and obsessed with illustration as you are.

I am looking forward to more events like that.

The Pencil Factory:

Exhibit: Emerging Artists in Massachusetts

2010-07-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

I am participating in the exhibit "Emerging Artists in Massachusetts" organized by New England Art Education Conference.

July 12 - September 3, 2010
Massachusetts State Transportation Building
2nd Floor Balcony Gallery
10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116
Artist Reception July 9, Friday, 5-8 pm

The exhibit will feature the work of recent graduates and current students of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. It sounds like a really fun exhibit and brings recent MassArt graduates together.

Unfortunately, I will miss the Artist Reception, as I will be in New York for the Illustration Conference - Nuts and Bolts Conference - sponsored by 3x3 magazine. I'm really excited about this event and all the people I'm going to meet and all that valuable information I'm going to hear. One more trip to New York!

Not All Instruction Books are Created Equal: Improving Drawing Skills by Copying

2010-07-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

While there are many poor instruction books on how to draw, there are a few excellent ones that were published in the 1920s through 1960s. One of my older instructors liked to joke that people write instruction books to pay for their groceries and those books have no real value. The books that I find extremely useful are all the books by Andrew Loomis (thank you, Illustration Academy friends for introducing me to this instructor) and George Bridgman. While Bridgman's books have been reprinted since their original publication, Loomis's books are extremely hard to find. By copying every single drawing from these books, I try to learn to think how the authors did in order to improve my drawing skills. Both of these instructors pay a lot of attention to the structure and 3-dimensionality of the figure, and all the parts of the figure. This type of exercise doesn't require a lot of time, concentration, or inspiration. All it needs is 30 minutes here, 30 minutes there. All the same, this kind of copying is very helpful and one can learn a lot about movement, structure, shape, form, muscles, proportions, bones, gesture and just about everything else.

Sketches Only for Now: Working on a New Children's Book Story Idea

2010-06-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

I'll be posting mostly sketches and figure drawings for a while, not finished illustrations. I've started working on a new children's book story idea and that involves a lot of behind-the scenes work (storyboard, character development, pacing, color, sketches, etc), months or even half a year worth of work, depending what other projects might come up in the meantime.

The new idea is absolutely and undeniably something I want to illustrate. I've been thinking of a new story for a long long time. The problem is that I think in images, what I want to do, colors, objects, themes, places, but I have trouble with coming up with an exciting story that has all the components of a successful story: begining, middle, the end, twist, tension, resolution.

My husband Ben Wish decided it's time to try to help me out. While he is a really really good writer and he is already working on his second novel (for grown ups), I wasn't quite confident that he could come up with a children's story for me.

We decided to start with a long list of things that I like to illustrate. Then, he promised to come up with few stories for me. Well, he started writing this first story and read the beginning of it to me and I just was completely in awe. The story is so incrediblely unique and has a perfect amount of fantasy in it, something that is sooo important to me. So we started discussing the story, how it can unfold, how the conflicts could be resolved, the characters, the scenes. I think two of us came up with the perfect story for me, the one I can't wait to illustrate. The story literally made me bounce off the walls with excitement.

Well.... Now it's time for really hard work to make this story work and make the publishers fall in love with it.
To be continued...(in a year or two, who knows?)

Figure Drawing = Instant Gratification

2010-06-25T11:12:00.001-07:00

Above: 15-20 minute poses

Above: 2-5 minute poses

While the process of producing a finished illustration or working on a picture book story involves a lot of preparation, deliberation, determination and aggravation (when things go sour), a figure drawing session gives you instant gratification and confirmation that with every drawing it gets better and easier and all is good.

Prints Available for Sale!

2010-06-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

Two of people's favorite images are now available for sale.
They are both 16''x20'' giclée prints with an image size of 9.5''x14'', limited edition of 200 and signed by the artist.

You can buy them on my website www.katiawish.com in the Store section or at www.katiawish.bigcartel.com

New Portfolio Site - 3-D Work only

2010-06-02T05:50:00.001-07:00

KATIA WISH 3-DIMENSIONAL WORK
www.katiawish3d.blogspot.com

Recognition from Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators

2010-05-31T15:09:00.000-07:00

I feel very honored to receive an Honorable Mention for SCBWI's Don Freeman Grant. This is my first year out of school and being a member of SCBWI, and it means a lot to me to receive this recognition from society. It proves one more time that I am moving in the right direction by choosing to focus on children's book illustration.
Here's the letters that I received from SCBWI.

Five Works Sold! Goodbye my Darlings...

2010-05-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I sold five of my works. I think the way it happened was really cool.
I went to a doctor for a routine physical. He was nice enough to ask me what I do for a living, so I showed him my promotional postcards that I drag everywhere with me. Long story short, some time later he and his partner came to see the artwork in person. They are avid art collectors and they really appreciate art and respect the artists and their hard work.
Now my artwork is in the collection of Drs. Steve Williams and Michael Stillman, whose home is beautiful and has a few paintings or photographs on every wall. I never gave too much thought where my artwork would be and I suspected that it would probably be there to match a couch. In this case though, Steve and Michael enjoy and appreciate their collection and are proud to show it to their guests. I wish everyone treated artwork this way.
Even though I was a little sad to let two of my favorite original paintings go, I know that they will be displayed beautifully.

Petite Prodigy Piglet Played Piano for Proud Parents

The Fish was This Big!

Consumerland: Overexposure to Advertising

Consumerland: Overeating

Consumerland: Overmeticating

Malden Sketch Group Exhibit: Come visit

2010-05-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

The Malden Sketch Group that I go to for figure drawing is having a group exhibit that features work of the artists of the group.
The exhibit will take place at Commerce Place, 350 Main Street, Malden, MA. Come to the Artists' Reception on Friday, May 21st 6-8pm.

NYC: Visiting Children's Book Publishers and beyond

2010-05-13T04:00:00.001-07:00

In the last couple of weeks I visited NYC twice for several days at a time. The main goal of my trip was promotion, visiting childern's book publishers to show my portfolio personally or to do a portfolio drop off. I was able to get a few personal appointments and those were extremely helpful (it's really hard to get a meeting with an art director in this day and age), the rest were portfolio drop offs. I was also able to arrange one portfolio drop off with a Boston publisher.
Thank you to everyone involved in this process for taking the time to look at my portfolio and helping me along the way: art directors, designers, design assistants, receptionists and security guards. Planning these trips took about three weeks in advance, and still there were a lot of confusion and hustle and frustration in NYC. I'm really glad that I finally took the courage and made the trip and took charge of my career. Plus, it was exhilarating to get out of the studio and have a complete change of scenery and pace.
I learned so much just from seeing how different publishing houses operate, where they are located, who they are, how the whole process of dropping off portfolios really work and seeing actual people in their work environment. You can only get so much from talking to people on the phone, the rest you just observe and listen and process and make notes and meet all these nice design assistants/receptionists who share some valuable insights with you.
The trip gave me such a boost of confidence and encouragement. While my work might not be suitable for some publishers, I got the general idea that I am definitely moving in the right direction, that I can do sequential images for children's books and I just need to keep working on my skills. The main compliments were that paintings were very expressive, playful and fun, I had some dramatic compositions, good technical ability in using media and unique visual elements. Some of the most frequent criticisms were to brighten up colors a bit and keep working on my children and people characters (my animal characters are already appealing), experiment more with composition and refine the style. I feel really good about all the comments that I got, especially the ones from personal meetings. It's nice to know that I'm on the right track and I just need to keep working.

NYC: Beyond

2010-05-13T03:35:00.000-07:00

While in NYC on business, I had a lot of down time, so I visited my favorite places in NYC: Society of Illustrators, the American Watercolor Society and Animazing Gallery. Society of Illustrators had a Student Scholarship Exhibit which was really inspiring and sometimes I think those student exhibits are even better than professional shows.
Plus, visiting NYC is always a pleasure. I lived in Brooklyn five years ago for five years, so coming to NYC always feels like coming home, though I don't have to deal with the craziness of it all for too long. And I have so many Russian/Belarussian friends that still live in Brooklyn, so it's so much fun to see all of them again.
I have been curious for the longest time about "Jazz & Sketch" at the Society of Illustrators. It's a figure drawing sessions that happen every Tuesday and Thursday. The event was exactly what I expected it to be: the best figure drawing I went to. Live music (nice and easy), some people had wine while they drew and really good models that knew what they were doing. The atmosphere was very relaxed and friendly. The music helped you to just enjoy drawing and not to worry about the results (fresh concept). The worst enemy of figure drawing is trying too hard to make it work. That's when the drawing really falls apart. I know it too well. I remember just four and a half years ago when I was a freshman at MassArt, age 24, drawing from a model for the first time in my life. I was one of the worst students in the class and I knew it. I was desperately trying to figure out "the secret" to figure drawing. There had to be some perfect method of drawing, right? I was always so tense and determined to make the drawing work. I pressed on the conté crayon or charcoal so hard, but the results were pitiful.
Only after about three or even four years of figure drawing, taking classes with different instructors, reading books on figure drawing, listening, observing, making connections in my head, I realized that there is no "secret". You just need to draw a lot, try a million approaches, make a million mistakes. Only then something will start clicking in your head and you come up with the way you draw, make decisions, choose media that is going to be personal and unique.
Now and then I get some compliment on my figure drawings. It's very special and exciting to me to know that the way my drawing ability improved was only because I just kept trying and pushing myself even though a lot of times it feels that it'll never get better. That said, there is still soooo much to learn and improve.

Recognition from the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles

2010-05-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that four of my works received Certificates of Merit from the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles in three categories: Institutional, Editorial and Student.

SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS OF LOS ANGELES - ILLUSTRATION WEST 48

ILLUSTRATION WEST 48 ACCEPTED ENTRANTS

Institutional Category: Image for NEAFA (New England Arts for Animals) 2010 calendar

Editorial Category: "Weekly Dig" cover, December 2008

Student Category: Consumerland- Overeating

Student Category: Consumerland- Overmedicating

Watercolor Figures

2010-05-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

I don't usually use watercolor for my figure drawing/painting. This week, though, I had a very strong desire to use watercolor. Yes, I know the proportion or the gesture could be quite off when using watercolor (due to difficulty of correcting mistakes), but the freshness, the liveliness you can get using watercolor... This medium fascinates me like no other due to its difficulty and unpredictability, sort of similar to my own personality. You never know what you are going to get with watercolor and it can either frustrate or fascinate you, or both at the same time. One day, I hope, I'll be able to master it, but for now I spend a lot of fun or furious times experimenting.

New Figure Drawings

2010-04-19T19:55:00.001-07:00

Trip down Memory Lane - 3D Illustration

2010-04-14T12:46:00.001-07:00

Consumerland: Overeating

Consumerland: Overexposure to Advertising

Consumerland: Overmedicating

"Weekly Dig" cover, December 2008

Happy Truancy Day

Happy Truancy Day

Happy Loner

Procrastination

Baba Yaga

I decided to post these 3-D illustrations that I did while a student at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. They were done during my sophomore, junior and senior years. I was very interested in experimenting with media at that time. The whole process was extremely time-consuming and laborious.

Even though my primary focus is paintings and I would rather do paintings for any illustration assignment, I still wouldn't mind doing sculptures once in a while. I love painting and it works better with illustration deadlines and budgets. That said, if there is any assignment that requires 3-D skills to make clay figures (such as character design or making sculptures to be used as sculptures, not as part of a 3D illustration) and gives me a generous deadline, I would be glad to switch gears and produce some clay figures.

Watercolor/Gouache Experiment

2010-04-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

Trying to loosen up with watercolor and gouache. I hope one day I will be able to bring the looseness of my sketches and experiments into the final pieces.

New Sketches: at the Museum, from Life and Books

2010-04-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

Ilustration Academy-style Figure Drawings

2010-03-25T16:27:00.001-07:00

This summer I attended the Illustration Academy, the best place for somebody coming right after school to really take your illustration skills on a whole new level and learn about the business side of illustration from accomplished illustrators.
The approach to figure drawing at the Academy is to pay really close attention to the silhouette of the figure. It's important not to get caught up in minor insignificant details and pay attention to larger shapes of the figure and the gesture of the figure. Two other points that were mentioned were not to overrender the figure and not to overstate the shadows.
The materials used in this approach are toned paper and Nupastels. Pastels are not my favorite medium, but for this approach it's essential to use them. I already see improvement even in those few weeks that I started drawing that way again since the summer.

Jack and the Beanstalk Redux. Process and Final Images.

2010-03-20T07:12:00.001-07:00

I'm very excited to finally finish these five sequential images. Below, I post some of the initial thumbnails, value studies, color studies, reference photos, and inspiration that were essential to create the final images. It takes a lot of preliminary work to get to the final result, and at times I started to get impatient. Hopefully, all the hard work is reflected in the illustrations.

Introducing New Website!

2010-03-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

www.katiawish.com

MSLA Bookmark Awards Ceremony and Rally for Massachusetts Libraries

2010-03-10T16:42:00.000-08:00

MSLA (Massachusetts School Library Association) Bookmark Awards Ceremony in the State House in Boston

The winners of the MSLA Bookmark Contest with their librarians

Inside of the State House

I participated in the Rally for Massachusetts Libraries in front of the State House against the cuts to the funding of the Massachusetts libraries (both school and public). It seems outrageous that the state wants to cut the libraries' budget by more than half of its current budget. I think the libraries are such a great resource for so many people and it's a key to having an intelligent, well-read and well-informed new generation.

I personally really love libraries. I use interlibrary loans almost obsessively, ordering 20 or more art books at a time. The libraries remember me really quickly. I also enjoy checking out different libraries in various towns I visit. A lot of towns are associated in my mind with their libraries. Many of those libraries are located in really beautiful and/or historic buildings.

NEW PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS! YAY!

2010-03-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

NEW SKETCHES

2010-03-03T16:25:00.001-08:00

I just discovered a new and fun way to sketch. I made a whole new sketchbook with different color toned paper in it. First I use my favorite sketching tool -- a brush pen (Kuretake Fountain Brush Pen) (with waterproof ink), then I paint with gouache, trying to leave the color of the toned paper as a middle tone (wasn't that successful so far).
I'm always looking for new ways to sketch and keep myself interested. Sure, I'd love to come up with beautiful, accurate and imaginative sketches just out of my head. To get there though, I need to pay attention to observational drawing. I figured out a way (for now) to combine those two approaches. I look through my numerous photography books and magazines that have a lot of photos of places, people, animals, etc, etc. I pick a photograph that catches my eye and try to figure out how I can sketch the subject, but put a little imaginative twist into it (observation+imagination). It could be combining some unrelated objects, or playing with silhouette, shape, color, light/dark, lost edges, and who knows what else. That keeps me interested and fulfills my goal at getting better at drawing and building my visual memory.
This type of sketching is enjoyable and stressless.

Sketchbook: Mama series

2010-02-21T19:13:00.000-08:00

Sketchbook

2010-02-21T19:11:00.001-08:00

MSLA Bookmark Contest

2010-02-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

On January 28, 2010, Gerri Fegan, President of Massachusetts School Library Association (MSLA), invited me to be one of the judges for the MSLA Bookmark Contest.

I felt very honored to attend this event and to be among the judges who were members of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC), as well as authors and illustrators of children’s books.

The judges were Ralph Masiello (author-Illustrator), Stephen Krensky (author-illustrator), Mary Newell DePalma (author-illustrator), Vicki Enright (illustrator), David Biedrzycki (author-Illustrator), Mary McDonough (Child at Heart Gallery), Tui Sutherland (author), Mitali Perkins (author), Em Claire Knowles (Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners/MBLC), Vicki Kaufman (MBLC), Carol Caro (MBLC).

The topic of the contest was “My School Librarian Teaches it ALL!” It was really fun to see how kids came up with solutions for their bookmarks. The kids are very creative and talented. I hope they will keep it up in the future and not stop drawing and painting when they grow up. You can see the winning entries at http://maschoolibraries.org/content/view/753/367/

It was a very exciting evening for me because I was in a group of people who care about art. The authors and illustrators that I met were so eager to talk to me about their profession and to give me their valuable advice.

The next step in this contest is actually attending the award ceremony for the contest at the State House in Boston. There will be a chance to meet the kids who created the bookmarks and congratulate them and give them some words of encouragement. I have never been to the State House even though I have lived in Massachusetts for almost five years. I’m excited to see the State House and meet the kids.

And some more sketches...

2010-01-27T19:08:00.000-08:00

My search for new drawing and painting materials continues. I am exploring different options to see what works. This time for figure drawing I decided to try combination of watercolor pencil Derwent Inktense Pencils and Pentel Aquash Waterbrush. Watercolor pencil can produce both soft lines and really dark ones if you need them. This gives more freedom to just draw, and not worry about the accuracy of the drawing, as you can correct the earlier softer lines with heavier lines later. Waterbrush brings the painterly quality into the drawing. It’s fun to experiment with different mixed media at figure drawing sessions. The model is the constant, but you and your interpretation of the model, and exploration of media could be different every time you draw.

I try to stay pretty lose and fast with sketches. At this point, the main goal when I sketch is to not create a very complete and appealing drawing, but to build my visual memory of different faces and poses and develop the skills of drawing. The more I sketch, the easier and faster my final drawings go. It all sounds good on paper, but I struggle every time to be loose and just keep working and drawing.

Sketchbook: Mama series

2010-01-11T11:47:00.001-08:00

My mom is staying with us for the whole winter and she is keeping my sanity and productivity at the highest level.

New Sketches

2009-12-10T07:33:00.001-08:00

Meeting the Audience

2009-12-06T17:37:00.000-08:00

Some really cool kids' drawings for the assignment that we gave: "Snap, crackle and pop".

I have heard many times, mostly from adults, that my portfolio lends itself to children’s book illustration. I had never had an opportunity to show my illustrations to a bunch of children and ask their opinion, though. This week I finally met my audience. I visited an elementary school where my mother-in –law, Betsy Wish, works as an art teacher. We had 5 classes that day, 4^th grade, two 3^rd grades and two 1^st grades.

Honestly, I was a little nervous to meet the children, because it’s quite intimidating to be standing in front of so many kids that look at you with respect and need to hear something smart and funny from you. Luckily, I wasn’t alone and Betsy showed me a way to engage the kids in a discussion.

I showed them my illustrations, and then Betsy and I asked different questions such as: What do you see in the picture? Why is she/he doing that? Can you tell me what happened before/after of what you see in the picture? The kids absolutely loved it. They raised their hands even before I finished putting the artwork up and were already ready to answer questions before they even had a good look at the picture. That was really funny. Most of the time they guessed pretty soon what was happening in the pictures. They also came up with a lot of other explanations/scenarios that I didn’t have in mind when I was creating the illustrations. It was really enjoyable to see that my illustrations can generate that much enthusiasm and creative thinking. One little boy even told me in all seriousness that he will write a children’s book and hire me as an illustrator. I said, “I will be waiting.”

It was also very curious to see that all the kids, without exception, wanted to draw and didn’t care about the results too much. They simply enjoyed the activity. So at what point do they stop drawing and start being afraid of drawing? At what point does it become engrained in their minds that their drawing is not good enough and they might as well drop it? That makes me so sad. I too had that fear and didn’t do much drawing from the age of 10 until about 20.

At the end of each class I handed out my postcards and they asked me to autograph the back of the cards. For them I’m famous!

Don't Do That!

2009-11-21T19:56:00.001-08:00

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Don't Provoke a Porcupine!

Don't Kiss a Crocodile!

Don't Irritate an Elephant!

Finally finished these three new illustrations for my children’s book illustration class. The assignment was to create three illustrations with the same character in all of them (one full page illustration and two spot illustrations). The poem that I worked with was “My Uncle Looked me in the Eye”. The challenge is that the poem doesn’t really have any descriptions, only warnings not to annoy different animals. I decided to invent all the scenarios for the lines of the poem that I chose.

“Don’t provoke a porcupine”

“Don’t kiss a crocodile”

“Don’t irritate an elephant”

Even though it could be hard to come up with initial ideas, it also gives you all the freedom and opportunity to read between the lines and come up with some interesting solutions to engage the reader. This is what illustration is all about – a lot of thinking and a lot of drawing, painting, etc.

On Sketch Group and Working from Home

2009-10-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

These are some people from the sketch group. Sometimes it's much more interesting to draw them than a model. That wasn't true with these particular models, though. They were very good.

Since I started to keep a sketchbook, I discovered that I really enjoy ink, everything and anything associated with ink: pen and ink, brush pen, ink washes, waterproof ink, non water proof ink, etc, etc. It’s not something I use for my finished illustrations, but for my sketchbook and figure drawing it really feels right. Working with pen and ink and brush for figure drawing is still a foreign concept to me. I don’t have a slightest idea what to use, how to use it, which ink is good, which paper is good, what kind of lines different nibs produce/or not produce, how not to clog the pens. At the same time I really enjoy this spontaneous process. After spending years using only dry media for figure drawing and not enjoying it, it feels refreshing to lose control over media and just let things happen. Let’s face it, pen and ink is not something you can control or erase. When the line is there, it’s there and you have to figure out how to make it all work. This kind of drawing/painting will never produce the most accurate results, but who cares anyway. I’m learning human anatomy, I’m developing visual memory, I’m improving my lines and I’m enjoying it much more than I ever enjoyed charcoal or pastel.

Not only the models and set up is really good at this sketch group, but people are genuinely nice and friendly. They all know each other for years. Every Monday after figure drawing they go for a beer at a local restaurant. That was something that I didn’t expect and I was pleasantly surprised. Having some beer with good people is always a plus.

Going to figure drawing and spending time with these people brings a little bit of routine to my otherwise not that structured life. Monday night is figure drawing; Thursday night is Illustrating Children’s Books class, which I also enjoy. That’s about it for structure.

I always suspected that working from home could be difficult, but I never thought it would be THAT lonely and isolated. It’s been only about two months, but I found it really hard so far. I guess that’s the nature of the profession. I will figure out eventually, and maybe very soon, how to make it all work. For now I’m trying to take each day at a time and keep myself motivated and work towards my goals. Everything will fall into its place eventfully, it always did, it always will.

How philosophical of me! Ha-ha.

The Petite Prodigy Piglet Played the Piano for his Proud Parents.

2009-10-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

This is my first illustration for my children's book class. The assignment was to first write a sentence with alliteration for an alphabet book. Then, we needed to create an illustration of the sentence featuring animals.

New Sketches

2009-10-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

Watertown summer concert

Ben # 1

Ben #2

Malden Sketch Group

2009-09-23T13:56:00.001-07:00

Being out of school, I needed to find a figure drawing group. I found Malden Sketch Group that has figure drawing at the community building in Malden. To be honest, I didn’t have high expectation for the place. I imaged a bunch of amateur artists, who don’t know what they are doing. I thought for sure there will not be a special light directed on a model.

How wrong I was! The people are very serious, mostly about 20-30 years older than me, but well, who cares. They draw well and they organize different painting/drawing related events. And yes, there is a light directed on the model. Everything is so well organized and the place is much nicer than any art school painting studio. And it’s only 10 minutes from my home.

I’m determined to get way better in figure drawing and I think I already see improvement in the last few months. I always try to keep in mind what Jon Foster (Illustration Academy instructor) answered to my question whether his drawing ability improved after art school. He said something along the lines that he improved tons after he graduated. If a person has an interest in drawing/painting, they will constantly improve.

SketchCrawl Sketches

2009-09-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I attended the SketchCrawl session in Cambridge. SketchCrawl happens on the same day (once in 3 months or so) all over the world. It’s a pretty interesting event. I met some nice people and we had a fun time sketching at the cafes and bars, talking and laughing.

Our last destination was a bar in Cambridge. I was pleasantly surprised that people really respond and appreciate you doing your fast doodles. I was asked by some guys to sketch them and while doing that I met some more fun people who were curious to see me draw. We talked about drawing and painting, writing and all that artistic stuff.

Anyway, it was fun to see how excited people are to see you draw and I think my husband Ben and I made some new friends at that bar. How strange…

Illustration Academy figure drawings

2009-09-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

These are 15-20 minute poses done in Prismacolor NuPastel

2009-09-20T08:53:00.001-07:00

Insomnia

2009-09-20T08:52:00.004-07:00

Pope

2009-09-20T08:52:00.003-07:00

Head Scarf

2009-09-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Gold

2009-09-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

Black/White

2009-09-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

Biker. Portsmouth, NH

2009-09-20T08:47:00.002-07:00

2009-09-20T08:47:00.001-07:00

Chessplayers in the water

2009-09-20T08:43:00.001-07:00

Betsy

2009-09-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

Studies

2009-09-20T08:39:00.001-07:00