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Children's Book Layouts-Self and Separate Ended OnceUponASketch is a Children’s Market Blog.
Norman Grock and Wilson Williams, Jr
have come together to give insight, education and news about the many
facets of the Children’s Illustration Market. From Children’s Books to
Character Design, Storyboarding, Toys and Lic. Products. Find articles,
interviews and resources to help fuel your education and growth. Jump on
to learn more about the varied industries and what it takes to become
successful and make it in them.

Whether you are creating a dummy, just got an assignment or are a writer testing out your page breaks, it's a good idea to be familiar with how picture books are structured and layed out.
Now, most of you know that a
What to put in a Children's Book Portfolio!!
Our guest post today comes from established Children's Book Artist Donald Wu.  Don is a San Francisco Bay resident with a huge portfolio of success under his arm that includes more than ten published books to date. If anyone can tell you what it takes to be successful and stay successful it's him! So please join us as Donald helps to walk you through putting together the most important  tool you'll need to establish yourself and start getting work, your portfolio!

Every now and again, I get asked the question, "What should I put in my portfolio?".  So, I wanted to take a moment and share some tips and suggestions you might consider when putting together an illustration portfolio. Specifically, a po
Download Free Children's Book Templates OnceUponASketch is a Children’s Market Blog.
Norman Grock and Wilson Williams, Jr
have come together to give insight, education and news about the many
facets of the Children’s Illustration Market. From Children’s Books to
Character Design, Storyboarding, Toys and Lic. Products. Find articles,
interviews and resources to help fuel your education and growth. Jump on
to learn more about the varied industries and what it takes to become
successful and make it in them.
There are versions of these types of templates all over the web.  Ours was far from the first! So I was surprised when folks were asking if they could get .PDF's of the ones we showed in a previous post. Awesome!
I personally use these when I am laying out my Children's Books and doing my thumbnails. Whether digitally or traditionally.  
Teach your clients to commission an IllustrationA great question we get from readers who enjoyed our past post regarding, The Ten Questions you should ask before you Say "Yes" to illustrating someone's children's book is, "What resource can we direct them to if they aren't sure how to answer some of the ten questions?".
Luckily we found an AMAZING free resource that you can direct them to.  Randy Gallegos is dropping in to share this great resource that will inform any potential client of the information they need to come up with a price, understand what rights to ask for, and explains many aspects of the publishing and art creation process and how to approach an artist correctly.
So please download the
So You Want to Self-Publish?
So you want to self publish, and you're not quite sure what you're about to get into. Or, perhaps you do, but you're not sure where to begin researching the things you need to know. If either describes you, then this document is for you. Self-publishing is easy with *merrak!
My aim is to produce a fairly comprehensive list of considerations. Like a Wikipedia article, it's meant to be a place to begin research, not a one-stop guide.
First, an important note. I'm a mathematician, not a publisher. Publishing is a hobby of mine. It's a hobby I take seriously, and as such, I've done the best research I can do. But I make my living teaching people how to put two and two together, and not helping them publish stories about funny things their cats do. Hence, this is a living document. Feel free to share your own thoughts and experiences. In fact, please do! Although I have things to share, I'm here to learn.
Now, let's begin!
0.
First and foremost, let's crash th
10 things to ask before you draw a Children's Book
Artwork copyright © Wilson Williams, Jr.
With the growth in popularity of the e-book many authors are seeing a glimmer of hope and realizing that they can get their work out there without having to break into the velvet roped publishing house exclusive party. This means that you will begin to get even more solicitations from those authors looking for artists to bring visuals to their words.
If you have a website or have done any degree of online advertising of your artwork, you have probably gotten an e-mail with a similar message as the title. If not, you will at some point. It's best to be prepared now. For those who have gotten it, nine times out of ten you aren’t sure how to respond to it, what should you ask, how do you respond?
I was tired of retyping essentially the same letter over and over again.  I finally saved a template of the letter I use in this situation
Art Dir. gives advice for Children's Book Artists OnceUponASketch is a Children’s Market Blog.
Norman Grock and Wilson Williams, Jr
have come together to give insight, education and news about the many
facets of the Children’s Illustration Market. From Children’s Books to
Character Design, Storyboarding, Toys and Lic. Products. Find articles,
interviews and resources to help fuel your education and growth. Jump on
to learn more about the varied industries and what it takes to become
successful and make it in them.

On Thursday February 21, 2013 from 3-4 pm EST Giuseppe Castellano gave an impromptu Question/Answer hour on Twitter.
Giuseppe Castellano is an
Oscar Winner Shaun Tan advises new IllustratorsShaun Tan is an acclaimed Children's Book writer, Illustrator and ACADEMY AWARD winner for Best Animated Short for his film, The Lost Thing.  He has also been a concept artist for films like Horton Hears a Who and Wall-E.

With such an enormous talent and many prestigious awards under his belt I take great pleasure in presenting some of his words of wisdom for new Illustrators here on our site for your enjoyment and fuel for your creativity and drive to succeed in this industry.  Keep learning and getting better everyday!!

You can check out the full Animated Short of the Academy Award winning, The Lost Thing in our
The Joy of Crit: G-ratedThe Joy of Crit: The G-rated version

Please indulge me in a thought experiment.  Imagine that you drank some herbal tea that you found in the kitchen cupboard, not realizing that it would make you unable to tell a lie.  Now, what if later that evening you were planning to attend your high school prom with someone you would be dating for the first time?  You spend hours in the bathroom getting ready.  Finally you meet up with your date and he or she asks, "so, how do I look?"

If your date looks wonderful, this question is easy to answer.  A few superlatives, and maybe a comment about somethin
Your characters aren't real.One of the most popular discussions among writers on any website has got to be some variation of 'what's your relationship with your characters like?' And especially on a site like here where a lot of people are coming from an RP background, people start in on these long conversations about how their characters run around and do things and would love to tear 'em one for that scene where they lose their whole family.
And you know what?
I can't participate in this conversation because I don't see characters like that and I'm so jealous I'm going to rant about it now
Okay, I was just guessing how you'd feel after reading this rant. I swear I have a serious point to make, though.
First things first. It confuses me when you talk like your characters are people. I just don't get it. There are a couple of reasons for this:
I start with the plot and setting and then come up with characters, so anything I make is tied to the story.How can I create an independent existence f
Literature Previews, DDs, and YouIntroducing a new policy regarding Literature Gallery DD features.
While not everyone uses preview images and they're not technically part of the work, we're going to require that preview images be properly credited for future features. This does include preview images you've customized that use texture or other such resources.
An important note: Not all images are stock. If an image isn't stock and you want to use it as your preview, please make sure that you've obtained explicit permission from the artist. We will also accept previewed stories that were done for a picture-based prompt if the prompter asked permission to use those images. Of course, you'll need to link to the prompt in your comments.
**Also, if you are using credited stock but the stock terms say it's not to be used like that, someone—okay, it's me—is going to tell the stock creator. Please respect people who put up these resources and read their own rules before using. I've seen a few that w
Karen Lee shares her Photoshop techniqueOnceUponASketch is a Children’s Market Blog.
Norman Grock and Wilson Williams, Jr
have come together to give insight, education and news about the many
facets of the Children’s Illustration Market. From Children’s Books to
Character Design, Storyboarding, Toys and Lic. Products. Find articles,
interviews and resources to help fuel your education and growth. Jump on
to learn more about the varied industries and what it takes to become
successful and make it in them.

Come to our website, OnceUponASketch, for the full post!
Karen Lee is a divine Illustrator. She holds the honor of being a consistent contributor to Highlights magazine as well as having a number of trade Children's Books under he
Submitting to Lit JournalsRough Guide to Submitting Poetry to Literary Journals (by Email)

First thing you need is your poems, naturally; these must be fully redrafted to your satisfaction to have much of a chance of getting anywhere in the world of self-respecting mags. Try out some workshops (there are a tonne on the internet, and plenty in the real world too), ask your friends, but most of all just mull them over for yourself until you're happy.

Do not pad your submission with bad poems, thinking the worse ones might get through thanks to your stronger work. This will just result in the whole bunch being rejected, in all probability.

Next we need to scope out a
How to Add Your Unpaid Writing or Art to a Resume>>
Writing Lesson: Character TraitsIt's come to my attention as of late that there are a few traits that people give their characters for no other reason than making their character unique. I thought I would just ignore it, but then they started popping up everywhere. I mean everywhere. I looked through the deviations in a group yesterday and saw reoccurring "traits" that make me want to tear my hair out. So this handy guide is here to tell you what's been done to death and when (if ever) it's still okay to use it. I am by no means a professional, but I certainly hope you'll take some of this to heart.
Please keep in mind that these are all just opinions, really. I am not telling you that you can't do these things! (Not that I have the authority to do that anyway). More than anything, these are just things to take into consideration when creating a character for a novel.
Physical Traits
Heterochromia. This is the condition where one's eyes are two different colors.
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December 30, 2012
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Coming Up With A Price for Your Illustration!

:iconwilsonwjr:

OnceUponASketch is a Children’s Market Blog.

Norman Grock and Wilson Williams, Jr
have come together to give insight, education and news about the many
facets of the Children’s Illustration Market. From Children’s Books to
Character Design, Storyboarding, Toys and Lic. Products. Find articles,
interviews and resources to help fuel your education and growth. Jump on
to learn more about the varied industries and what it takes to become
successful and make it in them.



How much should I charge is a constant question we hear from many.  It can be the worse part of getting a job offer.  Having to negotiate the price you place on a job in fear of charging too much or too little can be nerve wrecking.

We've put up a couple of posts about how to figure out what you should charge for work and even noted a free app that takes a number of factors into effect when coming up with an hourly rate for you individually. (We've even listed the book Will doesn't like in his video as an Essential Read!)  Will has a great new video up where he discusses how he goes about pricing and the number of factors that go into him making the choices he does.

He passes on a lot of wonderful advice and I hope you all listen and pay close attention.  He is always passing on wisdom and great info to his peers!



I've been wanting to make this video for quite sometime. I get asked all the time by students, people at conferences, and visitors to my blog - how should I price my work? In this video I share my opinions about figuring out exactly how much to charge and how it can vary depending on many factors that are happening in your life. I realize it's a bit lengthy but I didn't want to leave stones unturned. I wanted to have a detailed answer that I can email out whenever I get asked this question in the future.



If you've even wondered how much to ask for on an art project I hope my ideas help you.

For more great posts and info from Will be sure to visit his website or blog!</a>!
22 Comments
:iconwilsonwjr:
Veteran Children's Illustrator Will Terry drops in with a video that showcases his method for coming up prices for clients on illustration jobs. Check out the video to see his technique!
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:icongeorged:
*GeorgeD Jan 13, 2013  Professional Digital Artist
Very interesting insights!
Reply
:iconwilsonwjr:
*WilsonWJr Jan 14, 2013  Professional Digital Artist
How do you come up with your prices George? Also, will your cloud book be translated to English! I'd love to snag a copy!!!! ;)
Reply
:icongeorged:
*GeorgeD Jan 17, 2013  Professional Digital Artist
Hi, Wilson! Well, I usually start with a standard price for a full page (or spread) illustration and then I work my way up, depending on each project's specifications (time needed, difficulty, client's badget, etc.) I'm willing to offer better prices if the project includes a very large number of illustrations or if the contract includes two or more books. How do you come up eith your own prices? :)

I'm not sure if Cloudy Jr. is going abroad yet, but I'll check with my editor, that'd be really cool. Thanks!
Reply
:iconwilsonwjr:
*WilsonWJr Jan 21, 2013  Professional Digital Artist
I think I'm pretty similar. I do have a base price, but I like to figure in the scope of the project as well. I have gotten burned in a couple of instances for having underestimated the girth of a project! Ha! The base price can vary though depending on the industry. Educational work tends to be a much lower price point than traditional publishing. That can vary too though.

I hope Cloudy does, I really would love to check it out! I see it on the site, but it's all Greek to me. (Sorry I was trying to be funny there.) ;)

Your illustrations are gorgeous though. Puts me very much in the mind of Casper the friendly ghost!
Reply
:iconannpars:
~AnnPars Jan 6, 2013  Student Digital Artist
This was super awesome and helpful! I always have trouble pricing my art. I'll definitely follow this advice from now on :D
Reply
:iconwilsonwjr:
Mood: Joy *WilsonWJr Jan 7, 2013  Professional Digital Artist
Awesome!!! :)
Reply
:iconwingedsonar:
*WingedSonar Jan 4, 2013
29:50 I have to say is excellent advice, and not just to make oneself appear busy. If you say you have nothing on your plate, I hope you're prepared for Murphy's Law, because that's exactly when clients will start calling with deadlines. Suddenly, that three weeks of "plenty of time" became "I have to accept these other jobs and have no time because I gave this one job the idea that thing could be done at lightning speed!" So yes, very sound advice to make sure you leave plenty of time to work in case another job comes up so you don't lose multiple opportunities at once. That's not what he meant, but it's a heavy case to consider. It happens all the time, and I've kicked myself for having to get drowned in work because I didn't haggle a deadline.

Excellent video. Thanks for passing on the advice!
Reply
:iconwilsonwjr:
Mood: Joy *WilsonWJr Jan 4, 2013  Professional Digital Artist
You're welcome!!
Reply
:iconrikae:
*Rikae Jan 3, 2013
I finally have some confirmation that my instincts were right. It is really important to know how much you want to work on a project and I've taken low-paid projects for that reason several times and was worth it. And it's amazing how many people will advise you against it. I don't know, I still agree with you.
I think another thing one should think about is how much do you enjoy working with this particular client. Some people are just a joy to communicate with and this makes any project so much easier. I think it was on your graph as "I want them to call back" although maybe it's not what you meant :) . Wanting to keep working with somebody is a huge motivation for me for taking on a project.
Apart from the things you mentioned, (or maybe you did and I missed it) I think that one should also think of payment in terms of things such as the exposure you can get. If it's going to make other clients notice you it's definitely worth considering.
Reply
:iconwilsonwjr:
*WilsonWJr Jan 4, 2013  Professional Digital Artist
If it's worth it to you, then it's worth it. That's definitely an individual decision we all have to make. What would make a job outstanding for me, may make it loathsome for others. As long as we approach every job from an informed position, we should come out on top. Best of luck!
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