Fun and Games with James Foley and Sarah Davis

When James Foley, began this session assuring us the white substance all over his hand was nothing to worry about and honestly just chalk, we all knew this was going to be a crack-up hilarious event.

Fun and Games with James Foley and Sarah Davis.docx Katrin.docx 3.jpg

A duel like no other, we witnessed with mouths agog, how spontaneously Sarah and James created magic with just a piece of coal and brown paper. Prompted by the audience’s outrageous prompts based on action, character, object and setting, Absolutely, the certain air of competitiveness between the two, was fuelled by Susanne Gervay’s cheering, sabotaging and berating of Sarah’s cheating.

The room filled with the smell of fear and ambition. Who would finish first within the given time mark? Who would create the better artwork to go up on auction?

This duel meant the difference between glory and shame for both Sarah and James and how they knew it! Anticipation was rising to its max, the audience gasped and groaned, James Foley’s wife on the far right side of the room praying for a miracle.

Personally, I couldn’t bear the tension any longer and while the scratching chalk swiftly placed on the paper in a mad speed by both illustrators echoed in my feverish ears, I left for a few minutes to catch my breath (aka collect my portfolio) only to find both illustrators had finished absolute masterpieces by my return.

Sarah’s rendition of a crocodile in a burning house being rained on while juggling a jar of brains - we think.

Sarah’s rendition of a crocodile in a burning house being rained on while juggling a jar of brains - we think.

Before the dinner bell rang, four extremely grateful bidders (aka Conference delegates) snapped up each of these original pieces in a bidding frenzy, the moneys from which have been donated to Room to Read. The rest of us then poured out of the room to recover from this mad but memorable event.

By Katrin Dreiling

#SCBWISyd

What is an Art Director Really Looking For? with Sarah Davis

Art Director of Walker Books, Sarah Davis, shared her wisdom in a very captivating way. Not only an amazing artist but a true storyteller (check out Sarah’s amazing art, here.) Sarah shared the key things an Art Director is looking for in a meaningful way, particularly for those of us who are still not sure of the difference between an illustrator and an artist. The answer?

“AN ILLUSTRATOR IS AN ARTIST WHO FOCUSES ON STORY TELLING”
Art Director Sarah Davis’ break out session for illustrators

Art Director Sarah Davis’ break out session for illustrators

What is an Art Director looking for?

Illustrators who are talented, professional and have the x-factor.

Sarah’s 7 key topics:

1 - TECHNICAL SKILLS

  • Become confident in your use of technique and mediums.

  • You need to be able to draw - observational, expressive

  • Understand the formal elements of art - light, tone, form, structure, mark-making etc.

  • Remember a beautiful artwork is not the same as a successful illustration.

  • Ask, how can I develop my Technical skills?

  • Lots of learning and doing

  • Lots of observational drawing

  • Take classes

  • Experiment with different media

  • Research other artists work. What works? What do you like? What don’t you like?

2 - FEELING TOWARDS THE CHARACTER

  • Can you help the reader connect and empathise with the characters?

  • Can you show mood or emotion?

  • Do your poses show expression?

  • Show interaction between characters - establishing clear relationships

  • Interesting personalities

  • Character consistency

  • How can I become better at creating a feeling towards the characters?

  • Lots of practice.

  • Observe and collect - draw lots of people in your life and around you

  • Learn from yourself - pose!

  • Be prepared to draw and redraw and redraw until you know your characters - once is not enough

3 - NARRATIVE

  • Remember you must tell a good story, that has clarity and continuity

  • Can you create emotional punch?

  • Can you make the reader curious - What just happened? What might happen next? What’s at stake?

4 - RESEARCH THE MARKET

  • Make sure your work is appropriate for the genre, age group and publisher you are submitting to

  • Look at your competition. What makes you special/different/better?

  • Visit libraries, bookshops, publisher’s websites. Take note of the publisher on the imprint pages of books you love. Who is a good fit for your style?

  • Look at other artists on the internet eg: Behance, Pinterest, Instagram and look at the hashtags that they use. Try #australianillustrator and many others

5 - INTERESTING VOICE

  • Does your work have an energy, ideas, freshness?

  • Do you have an interesting use of media?

  • Maybe you show unusual concepts?

  • Is it expressive?

  • How can I create my own interesting voice?

  • Sometimes finding your voice can be tricky. Before we become lost in how to make art, focus on storytelling first - can you tell a good visual story?

  • Then work out what your other passion is and improve your skills in that area… eg:

  • Line and form?

  • Light?

  • Colour?

  • Pattern?

  • Media?

  • Character?

  • Setting?

6 - BE NICE

  • Same as any other profession.

  • Can you deliver on time and to specifications?

  • Can you follow a brief?

  • Be professional and collaborative. Open and dependable and flexible.

7 - HAVE A KILLER PORTFOLIO

  • Only show your strongest work

  • Does it show the above 6 topics? Does it show the depth of your capabilty?

WHAT IS THE X-FACTOR?

There is no cookie cutter answer - we’ll know it when we see it!

Watch the above video for the main takeaway moments of this session.

I really appreciated Sarah’s insightful break down into topics that we could focus on. I also really appreciated the encouragement Sarah gave to us all - one of them being this wonderful statement ….

“YOU ARE A CO-AUTHOR”

I love this. It elevates us from just making pictures. It lifts our gaze. It calls us to focus on story.

And the other statement…

…there is room for everyone.

This is so true. Just look at all the different art styles that shine in loved books all over the world.

As a fellow visual storyteller, growing, learning, trying to improve… I hope this report helps you grow and I wish you all the best!

Make the art that moves you

then make the visual stories

that move us all.

by Giuseppe Poli

#SCBWISyd