Lyne Linkup

Let us introduce ourselves. We are SCBWI Mid-South members who either have or very much want to illustrate children's literature. By definition the illustration business is a solitary one, but one that is very rewarding. We, as freelance illustrators, need varying amounts of networking time. Some of us do just fine with emails and phone calls. Others enjoy more, the various group meetings, conferences and get togethers that an organizaiton like SCBWI can arrange. If you would like to suggest an event you can contact the SCBWI Midsouth regional advisor, Tracy Barrett.

This web page is intended to be one way for the SCBWI Mid-South illustrator members who live and work in Tennessee and Kentucky to connect. To start this "LINK-UP" off, we are going to introduce ourselves to you, our readers. A proper introduction (for an artist) should consist of your name, a short bio, and a sample of your work. If our networking is to grow into a conversation, then a sample of our work seems a great place to start.

If you would like to "introduce" yourself, just send me either an email or snail mail with a short bio. You can either send me a small .jpg image of your work, or a photo that I can scan into my computer to insert beside your information. Susan Eaddy's picture came from a self promo, which was digitally photographed by my husband, then cropped for insertion into this page. My picture came from a scan of a completed page for an upcoming picture book published by Pelican Publishing Company. If you send us some information, please do include your email or website, so we can make a link.

As with many other websites, this will be a "work in progress". We plan to update this page whenever we get some new member information. Since this idea came from talks with SCBWI members, we are asking for bio and picture to post on this page, only from SCBWI members. But even if you aren't currently a member, we would like to hear from you. This is all about connecting. We would also like to invite any of you SCBWI members, to submit a short article on the trials and tribulations of the illustrator's life. We think that you can say more in a short article posted here, about your ideas, life, career goals etc. than on a post to a artist's forum, but not be as formal as a published article, for a newsletter. This is meant to be a site to link up illustration professionals (and thoses who are about to be) who physically live many miles apart, but who share an interest in our common career paths.

Visual ART Techniques and ArtViews

(note: My previous verbal version of Art Tips now appears as a bi-monthly column in the SCBWI Bulletin, for and by members of SCBWI. If you are a SCBWI member and would like to submit an Art Tip to the SCBWI Bulletin, please email arttips@scbwi.org)

This portion of the page consists of links, one to my VISUAL Version of ART TIPS, where I highlight different art techniques, using both words and pictures. If you would like to submit an Visual Art Technique tip, please contact me at alison@lyneart.com

I am also starting a new section called ArtViews, an occasional posting of children's picture book reviews, but from the artist's view. Most picture book reviews have six sentences about the writing, and maybe one portion of a sentence about the illustrations. Well.....I want to reverse that and have an in depth review of the artwork,and style, and techniques used in the illustrations. I would also welcome submissions about picture books you just LOVE for their artwork, visual wit or puns, or you just plain LOVE the colours. If you would like to submit an ArtView, just let me know at alison@lyneart.com

Frank, has also started a Carving Tip page with a introduction to holding blocks and vises necessary to securing wood for sculpting

This year's conference was on two days this year, September 15th and 16th. This year is a first for the Midsouth having a second half-day of conference time.

We arrived at eight-ish or so, to find a wonderful crowd of old and new friends milling about, just before opening remarks. After checking in, Frank and I went into the auditorium to listen to Lin Oliver's keynote address. Ms.Oliver talked about all the neat tips/tricks/advice she's heard over the years at numerous SCBWI conferences. She also gave a quick history of SCBWI, ...........and she should know, since she is the co-founder, and executive director. She said that of the many good things that SCBWI tries to represent, one of the best is the feeling of friendship and sense of belonging that comes with communication with others that create....or in her words...." Those of us that celebrate our own special brand of weirdness".

Lin Oliver is co-founder and Executive Director of the SCBWI. She is the co-author, with Henry Winkler, of the New York Times bestselling book series, Hank Zipzer: World’s Greatest Under-Achiever (Grosset & Dunlap), which has sold over two million copies. Her new book series, Who Shrunk Daniel Funk?, will be out from Simon and Schuster in the fall of 2008. Also a film and television writer-producer, Lin Oliver is Executive Producer of Louis Sachar’s “Wayside School” series, an animated show currently running on Nickelodeon. She has produced Emmy-Award winning films for Showtime, as well as a feature film based on E.B. White’s classic novel, The Trumpet of the Swan.

After the keynote address, we all dispersed to our respective breakout sessions. My first was with the Henry Holt Associate Art Director Laurent Linn. This session was "How publishers work and why". Mr. Linn gave a bit of his work background, some information about his publisher, and showed samples of Henry Holt's extensive list. Mr. Linn then went on to discuss the "behind the scenes" of the making of a children's picture book. He talked about the back and forth, during the book production process, between the publisher, author, designer, illustrator and marketing department. The more sets of eyes looking on during the creative process, the better the finished book will be. He said that he gets approximately 150 individual art samples a month. Laid out on a huge table, the stack looks quite formidable. Mr. Linn said he works a good bit with illustrators he's worked with before, but also tries to add in different illustrators, to keep the artwork for Henry Holt looking fresh and new, for each season.

Laurent Linn, Associate Art Director for Henry Holt Books, began his career as a puppet designer in Jim Henson’s Muppet Workshop. With the Muppets for 11 years, he became the Creative Director for Sesame Street, winning an Emmy Award. Laurent illustrates; reviews over one hundred books a year as a member of the Children’s Book Awards Committee at Bank Street College; and collaborates with noted editors, authors, and illustrators on picture books, middle-grade books, and teen novels at Holt.

My next session was a lively talk by Lin Oliver, on creating a series. This session was mostly for writers, but the information also could apply to graphic novel storytelling. I listened avidly as Ms. Oliver described the usual definition of a series, and it's components (Likable characters, it's "hook" or premise, and the individual stories of the series itself). She said that series are usually driven by sales to the children themselves, and in a proposal for a series, the writer should indicate their target market. Ms. Linn's extensive TV background, gave this talk a very "now" feeling.

Feeling a bit whim-shawed, but very energized, after trying to absorb such a variety of new information (and relying on a couple of pages of notes), we went to lunch, in Scarritt's "Harry Potter" dining hall. Each time we eat there, I expect the snowy owl of the movies, to come flying down the aisle.

After lunch, it was back up to the lobby to have our "Critique Group". The Illustrators' group, works more like a "show and tell" with each illustrator showing off a bit of their work,and talk about their current projects. Both published and pre-published gain a lot by just interacting. We all work a lot of the time in solitude, and just seeing another friendly, and more importantly understanding, face can do wonders for a feeling of isolation. And then we have such great discussions. I know I always learn so very much, each time I sit in on a session. We discuss the tools of the trade...."You mean Photoshop will do THAT?"....and how our projects are going...and possibly get advice on ones that might have stalled.

The time just flew....and it was off to my third session with Jennifer Wingertzahn, editor at Clarion Books. Her topic was on "Finding the right match for your manuscript". It was mostly geared for writers, but one nice piece of information she related was that a lot of editors have a say in who illustrates a manuscript the publisher has acquired, and thus do indeed look at illustration promo pieces that are sent their way. Ms. Wingertzahn said that you want your editor to be joyful about manuscripts that are accepted, since that same editor in effect becomes your cheerleader within a publishing house. You really want someone who loves your work....and is willing to get it thru all the hurdles of getting a book to print. If an editor rejects your manuscript...(or your artwork)...then it mostly means that it really "isn't right for their publishing house"...just like a rejection note says. So when you get a rejection notice, or don't get a call for an illustration job.....just turn around and send your work elsewhere. You never know when a "match made in publishing heaven" will happen.

Jennifer Wingertzahn has worked in he children’s divisions of HarperCollins and Random House, and is now an Editor at Clarion Books where she publishes picture books, novels, and poetry for readers ages 0 to 18. Some of the recent books she’s edited are Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa by Niki Daly; The Wonderful Thing About Hiccups by Cece Meng, illustrated by Janet Pedersen; Small Sister by Jessica Meserve; and Where the Great Hawk Flies by Liza Ketchum. Other authors and illustrators she’s worked with include Julie Downing, Tiphanie Beeke, Stacey Schuett, Deborah Davis, and Susan Katz, and she also serves on the faculty of the New York University Certificate in Publishing Program.

Then at the end of an already eventful day, those of us with individual critiques went to "judgement". At least I think that "critique" sounds very foreboding, for what is really a chance for fifteen minutes with someone with a ton of experience at evaluating artwork. This year, for me, the critique session was a wonderful opportunity to find out "how an art director thinks" in that crucial 5 seconds or so when they look at a mail submission/promo cards/tear sheet that has come into their slush pile. It gave me a window into how my promotional items might be viewed at that house and at other houses. It so helps to know what might go into file thirteen, or those things that might actually make it into an actual filing cabinet....or if I'm really lucky onto a bulletin board on the door.It was wonderful to get feedback from a very busy art director, face to face. It's mostly the only time you can get this much attention, from someone who is actually "in the know". It will help immensely in planning my future mailouts.

After this it was back home for the day....decompress a tiny bit...then back at eight the next morning. My session the next day was again with Mr. Linn. This time it was a discussion of the process that creates a picture book...from raw manuscript to finished illustrations....in a book on bookstands. Mr. Linn took several of the newest titles from Henry Holt and highlighted the illustrations during the entire process. From pencil sketches, thru changes, through finished artwork. Then the approval process, and then to working with the design of the book with text styles, cover treatment and binding design. He talked about the printing process (CMYK and the use of the Macbeth room....ie. a room with color corrected lighting that is a standard in printing offices worldwide, to get the color "just right" no matter who or where it's being viewed)

After all this information, a few of the illustrators who were "brave" enough gathered together to have a "art screening" with the art director. We all put a couple of pieces of our artwork, (without our names/contact info) in a box, and pulled one out at a time in random order, and had Mr. Linn tell us his thoughts. Since the few of us there all knew each other's work....(just like writers remember someone else's story or "voice"), it quickly developed into a lovely round table discussion of just what would attract an art director's eye, what wouldn't and, most importantly, wonderful suggestions on tweaking to make our individual illustrations "POP".

Both the very informative talks by the speakers I had the opportunity to listen to,and the wonderful "face time" with the Associate Art Director Lauarent Linn made these two days something to savor in the weeks to come.

I was unable to attend (what I've learned was a very inspirational) set of talks by Jamie Adoff,

Jaime Adoff is the author of The Song Shoots Out of My Mouth: A Celebration of Music (Dutton Juvenile), which was a Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor book (2003), an IRA Notable book (2003), a New York Public Library book for the Teen Age (2003), a VOYA poetry pick (2002), and a CCB Best Book for 2002. The critically acclaimed Names Will Never Hurt Me (Dutton Juvenile) was his first young-adult novel and was named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age (2005). His latest novel, Jimi & Me (Jump At The Sun), was the recipient of the 2006 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award. He lives in his hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Ginger Clark is a literary agent at Curtis Brown, LTD since the fall of 2005. She
represents science fiction, fantasy, paranormal romance, paranormal chicklit, literary
horror, and young adult and middle grade novels. Previously, she worked at Writers House for six years as an Assistant Literary Agent. Her first job in publishing was as an editorial assistant at Tor Books. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College. She is the Secretary of the Contracts Committee of the AAR. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their pet chinchillas.

But I can only just say HUZZAH to Candie Moonshower, Genetta Adair, and Tracy Barrett, and their team of wonderful volunteers for a LOVELY weekend. It always seems just like Christmas eve, right before the conference.....and like Christmas day during. And the gifts just keep on giving (in a real business sense) all thru the year.

I was lucky enough to be invited to be on a panel discussionon Saturday Oct. 8th at the 2005 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, October 7-9, by the Humanities Tennessee organization. We got to our assigned room and found fellow panel members Carolyn Knoll and Alice Faye Duncan ready to go. We promptly set down, (in little people chairs, no less!) and got to talking. Carolyn Knoll gave a moving reading of her book Ista Cante (Eye of the Heart) which she wrote and illustrated. Then I talked about how a PB manuscript goes from the editor's desk to become a fully illustrated children's picture book. Then Alice Faye Duncan gave a "swinging" reading of her book Honey Baby Sugar Child, with her audience chiming in on the "refrain" Honey Baby Sugar Child. She went on to talk about some of her influences in writing both Honey Baby Sugar Child and her four other books, including the latest, Christmas Soup. After a book signing Frank and I ate lunch with Alice Duncan and some of her family, and had a great time talking.

After lunch, Frank and I caught up with the docents at the SCBWI Booth and got to say HI to Jennifer Lambe,Becky Young and Kristin Tubb. Then it was Donna Getzinger, Lynn Berry and my turn to "sit". Which we really had no chance to do, as we had a nice flurry of visitors. One of which was LA SCBWI member RA liaison/Tech Advisor Sally Crock, who was here to attend a wedding. Below, Frank got a shot of Donna Getzinger, me and Sally Crock, in front of our brand spanking new SCBWI banner.

The cool cloudy weather not with standing (weather persons had promised sunny and crisp...)we had a great crowd, and got to talk to TONS of people. Many thanks go out to Patricia Wiles, organizer extraordinaire for pulling things all together, and getting the docents organized. Also many thanks to Susan Vaught for organizing the meetings with Diane Hamilton of Onstage Publishing. I understand that all the SCBWI brochures were gone at the end of the festival on Sunday. So we can hope SCBWI Midsouth will have a LOT of new members. Even more new people to meet!

Debbie Baird

Debbie has been a papercutter since 1980, although she only became serious about it in 2001 when she joined the Guild of American Papercutters. Since that time she has attended workshops, shown in eight shows, including several in Lexington, Kentucky and the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. She also teaches workshops on papercutting. Debbie has completed the children's course with the Institute of Children's Literature, and enjoys writing for children. Her ultimate goal is to write and illustrate a book, either for adults or children. Debbie also works as a speech/language pathologist in the public schools, because she gets hungry.

Joshua Brunet

Joshua S. Brunet is a freelance illustrator out of Jackson, Tennessee. He earned his B.S. in Illustration from Indiana Wesleyan University in the spring of 2000, and soon after found himself working for such publishers as Focus on the Family and Moody Press. Joshua has also lended his talents to a variety of other creative careers including teaching and graphic design, but his true love is children's book illustration. In fact, he is currently seeking publication for a self promotional children's book entitled, "When Pig's Fly," written by aspiring author and SCBWI member, Christin Taylor. Joshua's unique sense of style and his passion for excellence make him an exciting addition to the world of children's book illustration. His email is jsbrunet@hotmail.com

Leigh B.Butler

Leigh B. Butler's favorite subjects for both her paintings and illustrations are children and animals. She has illustrated Sunday School and Preschool materials, notecards and stationery sets, as well as corporate promotional materials. One of her favorite projects was a commissioned life-sized portrait of two clowns, which they also used for all of their promotional materials. Leigh paints primarily in oils, but uses her digital skills to create many of her illustrations. She and her husband now live on a 100-acre farm in Lynchburg, TN, where the ideas for her whimsical illustrations come to life. You can reach Leigh at leigh@leighbbutler.com and see more of her work at http://www.leighbbutler.com .

Holli Conger

Holli Conger is a digital and dimensional illustrator who illustrates in a whimsical style for the children's market. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design & Advertising from O'More College of Design in Franklin, TN. She lives and works in Nashville, where her husband, Chad, their daughter, Walker, and their goofy basset hound, Do-Wop, give her plenty of inspiration. You can see more of her work at http://www.holliconger.com

Laura Lee Cundiff

Laura Lee Cundiff is a fine artist, illustrator and designer. In the 1980’s, after graduating from Pratt Institute, she freelanced illustration in NYC for several years, illustrating two young adult books for Ariel Books/Kipling Press: Geronimo by Russell Shorto, and Beatrix Potter by Peter Durwood; and illustrating or designing for Disney Company Licensees, Just 4 Kids, the Kentucky Horse Park, Lexmark International, the New York Daily News, Slosson Educational Publishing, the Village Voice, Warner Brothers Licensing Offices, and others. She currently works as a designer, and frequently illustrates fine letterpress books with wood engravings or line drawings: The Guesthouse, The Good Life, and Gardencourt by Frederick Smock; A Simple Human Motion, by Jeff Worley; and In the Country of Morning Calm, by Richard Taylor, all published by Larkspur Press. She also illustrated Amish Economy by Wendell Berry for Adela Press; and Divine Right’s Trip, by Gurney Norman, and Snakehunter, by Chuck Kinder, for Gnomon Press. She is working on writing and illustrating a couple of books at present. See her work at http://www.llcundiff.com

Susan Eaddy

Susan Eaddy has been illustrating pictures for children for over 15 years. During that time she has done covers & illustration for over 70 books in the educational market, & her artwork has appeared in magazines, greeting cards, CD covers, catalogs, & advertising. She worked as an art director in book publishing for 8 years, & has received international awards from the Society of 3-D Illustrators for her paper sculpture. She was Art Director at RCA records for seven years, where she was nominated for a Grammy Award in Album Art packaging for the "Los Super Seven" CD. She is currently illustrating full-time & her favorite medium is modeling clay.

Caleb Gray

Caleb Gray is a Nashville based artist and graphic designer. His illustrations have been featured on book covers, journals, gift bags and scrapbooking products. This variey keeps his styles diverse. A sampling of work can be seen on his website http://www.calebgraystudio.com.

Wanda Johnson

Wanda Collins Johnson is an artist and writer. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Tennessee. She paints primarily in watercolors and has exhibited her work in Tennessee and New Mexico galleries. Her goal is to do cover art for novels and to write and illustrate picture books. Her recent work as an illustrator included this painting, Joy. As a former dancer and current yoga enthusiast, she loves to paint the human figure in motion or in stillness. Current subject matter also includes animals, portraits, and landscapes done in a loose style with visible brushstrokes. You can see more of her work by visiting www.wandacollinsjohnson.com

Alison Lyne

Alison Davis Lyne has been a freelance illustrator since 1996. She has illustrated magazine covers, greeting cards, B/W spot illustrations for magazines, and most recently, two children's books for Pelican Publishing Company. Her first children's book was Evangeline for Children, a retelling of the Longfellow poem. Her second book was Easter Day Alphabet the third was Kudzu Chaos. Book numbers four and five ; Jacques et la Canne a Sucre and Halloween Alphabet are due out fall 2004. Alison Lyne works in a realistic style with glowing colors using an acrylic glazing technique. She specializes in historical illustration, with an interest in clothing and design from many periods. She worked most of her adult life in Nashville, before marrying Frank Lyne, (sculptor) and moving to his farm in south central Kentucky. You can see more of their work by visiting the rest of this website.

Sharon Matisoff

Sharon Matisoff is a professional artist who paints portraits and figurative works primarily in oils and pastels.She was raised in Southern California and now resides in Kentucky. She received classical training in life drawing and portraiture at a variety of local colleges, including the Art Center College of Design where, under the guidance of the late Richard Bunkall, she honed her oil painting skills. Sharon’s figure studies and portraits reflect her academic background, while her use of color and painterly style give her work a contemporary flair. When working in either pastel or oil, she pushes the contrasts of color and value, as well as warm and cool color. “I love to paint the human face and figure. Every person is unique and I consider it a personal challenge to try to capture the spirit of each of my subjects.

Sharon’s work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and juried exhibitions. She has won many awards for her work, most notably her portraits. She is a juried associate member of the Pastel Society of America and the Oil Painters of America. Her website is http://www.sharonmatisoff.com

Cheryl Mendenhall

Cheryl Mendenhall studied illustration at Washington University in St. Louis and Art Center in California. Her digital artwork has appeared in magazines, textbooks, and mass-market products, including the board book COWBOY BABY http://www.drmy.com/moveDance.htm To see more go to http://www.cornellandmccarthy.com/ and click on Color art. Cheryl lives in Nashville with her mad scientist husband and a manic cat.

Carol Spiller

Carol Spiller is both a writer and an illustrator. She has done finely-detailed colored pencil drawings since 1989, and has recently "discovered" watercolor. "I enjoy illustrating animals and people in a realistic way." she says ". However,I also take artistic liberties in making the characters come to life and enter the viewer's world." Her current project-a book about a pika and a grandmotherly hamster-introduces pikas to her readers. These seven-inch relatives of the rabbit live on rocky mountainsides in North America and Asia. They gather grass, leaves and flowers for winter food and store these harvested plants in hay piles under rocky overhangs.Active thoughout the winter, they build tunnels beneath the snow out to their food. In the illustration on the left, a young pika runs through a snow tunnel toward her den with food from one of her hay piles.

You can contact Carol at Cjspiller924@aol.com

Kristin Tubb

Kristin O’Donnell Tubb has crafted stories and illustrations for Spider, Guideposts for Kids, Wee Ones, eMagazine,Highlights for Children, and Cricket She has ghostwritten a number of children’s activity books for Dalmatian Press, crafting games and activities for licensed characters such as The Powerpuff Girls, Scooby-Doo, Strawberry Shortcake, and the Care Bears. For more samples of her work, please visit www.creativefreelancewriting.com.

Mary Uhles

Mary Reaves Uhles is a graduate of Ringling School of Art and Design with a BFA in illustration. Before becoming a freelance illustrator, she worked as a designer and animator of children’s educational software. Always a fan of children’s publishing, in March of 1997 she decided to make the leap to freelancing full time. Since then she has done work for clients such as Thomas Nelson, McGraw-Hill and Word Entertainment as well as numerous children’s magazines. Her illustrations were featured at the 10 year celebration of the Southern Festival of Books. Working primarily in watercolor her images are colorful and whimsical and her characters often inspired by those she knows. A particular recurring creature is a tan cat, modeled after her own Sam, who is a permanent fixture in her studio. Also inspired by music, Mary is currently working on a picture book version of One Piece at a Time, the Johnny Cash song about a fellow who builds his dream car in a slightly unorthodox way. A Tennessee native, Mary lives in Nashville with her husband. She has been an active member of SCBWI since 2003 You can see more of her work at http://www.maryuhles.com

Kristi Valiant

Kristi Valiant has illustrated 25 published children's books. She graduated magna cum laude from Columbus College of Art and Design with a BFA in Illustration. Kristi paints both digitally and traditionally. She has also done freelance work in greeting card illustration, fashion illustration, graphic design, and website design, but her passion has always been children's books. Currently, Kristi is working on refining her portfolio and submitting illustrations to children's book publishing houses. She enjoys telling stories through her artwork, but also with words. She would love to write more children's books and is pursuing that dream as well. For additional samples of Kristi Valiant's artwork, please see her website: www.kristivaliant.com

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Mid-South (SCBWI)

Illustrators' Link-up (Kentucky & Tennessee)

Visual ART Techniques and ArtViews