No No Yes Yes - Mondays with Mira -Teaching Picture Books

Last week I promised some more exciting news but it will have to wait until later in the week after my newsletter people get first dibs. Trust me it is super exciting and my apologies for not getting this out sooner, but life has been a bit too wonderful with my twin sister and nephew here from Australia.

Meanwhile I have something a little different for Mondays with Mira... it's a board book!!! And even tho it only has 2 words that are each repeated to make 4 words max., it is very far from boring. You'll learn a lot about board books and some of the many things that babies and toddlers need to learn to become socialized little people: )



And after that I'm including some pics that Leonie and I took of each other and of my nephew and our little vacation to Fort Bragg.We've had a wonderful time together and am so sad that it's coming to an end : (

 

 From our little vacay up North in Fort Bragg. This is Glass Beach

 Here's Leonie with one of her first mosaic pieces. Leonie's first Master's Degree was in Photography from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She was the first person in Australia to earn an MFA and Polaroid sponsored her many decades ago, supplying her with all sort s of cameras to test and push. As you can see I'm pretty proud of her. Her next degree was in Art Therapy from Pratt Institure where she also taught. Now she works with kids in Sydney www.kidslink.com.au
This pic below is one she took of her son, my nephew Sam, with my hubby Guy in the background.

 Here's Guy and me and Sam holding little portraits that Leonie and I made

 Here's Sam with the one I made of him (of course he gets to keep it)

 

 

 

 We went to a café in Fort Bragg and brought art supplies for a little art café experience. Always lots of fun.

 Must remember to look at this one whenever I think I look fat.

 This was on Leonie's camera looking out from her bedroom. Wild eh! These are galahs and they tend to be quite cheeky.

 This was supposed to be a professional head shot. We tend to have too much fun together.

 Me and Sam

 Me and the unicorn at Paxton Gate in SF. I think there's a resemblance.

Another of Leonie's beautiful photos

 And another

Photos by Guy

And Leonie. I hope you enjoyed : )

Mondays with Mira - The Little Mole Who Went in Search of Whodunit

Welcome back. I have some good news this week and even better news next week. But right now today's good news is that I just sorted through all my children's picture books, of which I had an excessive amount, have purged the ones that aren't spectacular, and made 3 big piles of truly wonderful books to share with you in this Mondays with Mira series.

I chose today's book because I wanted to talk a little more about how to create a plot driven narrative and this book is a terrific example. It also has some lovely onomatopoeia, which if you're not sure what that is you'll either have to look it up or watch the video. First, a little viewer warning, if you're at all disturbed about the idea of animal poop, you may want to skip this week's video because The Little Mole Who Went I Search of Whodunit features lots of animal poop in detail. Intrigued? I hope so.

Finally, if you don't want to wait until next week to find out about my exciting news, sign up for my free newsletter here -  http://eepurl.com/hJCmQ where you can always get the latest news, free gifts, and special offerings : )

Mondays with Mira: How to Write and Illustrate Picture Books - Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead

Hullo. Today's video for older kids showcases Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead. It follows the classic plot driven structure of introducing a problem in the beginning - here the very first page, and then having a series of obstacles that the protagonist or main character has to overcome before solving the problem. Where this book differs though is that there are no children, only adults, and the main character does not overcome the problem. Hmmm, you'll have to watch to see what happens.

What I like about this book is how the author takes a concept book and makes a plot driven narrative with it that teaches us everything we need to know about an orchestra in a really engaging way. It's a bit long - but then it's Lemony Snicket and I imagine he pretty much gets to do whatever he likes. I also LOVE the watercolor and pen and ink illustrations by Carson Ellis which manage to be both minimal and excessive at the same time.

Finally, I want to apologize for the video quality not being the greatest. We've been experimenting with filming in different spots in the apartment and I kinda got buried in the couch in this one and the light was not good. Marge was also a little overenthusiastic with the zoom for some reason. Next video we're trying a tripod and either back in the dining room, my studio, or outside. Having said all this, the video still has plenty of helpful information in it. I hope you enjoy it : )




PS If you want to meet the wonderful Marge - here's her website http://www.octo-mystic.com/

Challenges in making art - My responses to dealing with self-criticism, developing a style, finding time for creativity & more

A couple of weeks ago, I ran a contest and one of the questions was about challenges in making art. I really wanted to address as many of these as I could that I thought might be helpful for others as well and that also had multiple variations on the same theme. So here they are:

1. self-criticism
I wrote an article about this, which was guest posted on The Abundant Artist, a terrific resource for artists here's the link http://www.theabundantartist.com/critical-inner-voice-monster/  which if iI do say so myself : ) is pretty helpful!
We also do a fantastic transformational project for concretely dealing with this in the Hero's Art Journey.

2. having compassion for yourself
My favorite quote for this is from Stephen Levine in one of his books or one of the workshops I took with him and his extraordinary wife Ondrea years ago to - “Treat yourself as if you were your only child.”  Meaning that if your only child were learning something and wasn't a born expert you'd have tenderness and compassion for them and reassure them that they were learning and it was truly all OK. This beautiful thought also applies to any form of messing up, where you have compassion for yourself and then do whatever you need to make it as right as you can.


3. finding time for creativity, courage, and prioritizing
This is pretty core in our current overflowingly time-crunched culture. 
Here are several strategies:

• get up earlier to dedicate creative time
• work in small blocks of time
• block out sacred creativity time days or hours - if you block out hours set a timer to hold you accountable and get away from your computer and turn off the phone
• go away or get your family to go away so you can have a working vacation
• take a course where you have external accountability and goals
• imagine that your life depends upon it or better yet someone you truly love's life depends upon it because in a way - it does - listening to our heart's desires and acting on our innate creativity makes us happier and therefore healthier people and makes us kinder and more loving to the people around us making them happier and therefor healthier people

other time tips if you are a visual artist include: 

• working smaller and more portable. For example, I carry around some sheets of heavy weight paper or a sketch book and a piece of heavier back cardboard from a 9x12" sketchbook that I've torn off to act as an easel or small table, and whenever I'm stuck waiting anywhere I just whip it out and start drawing. Believe me the time flies and I get very happy.

• along the portable lines, I love preparing smaller wood panels with acrylic paint textures and shapes and then relaxing on the couch when I'm truly pooped and drawing on them with an assortment of pens and markers. I also sometimes take them in by bag with the pens and work on them when I'm waiting somewhere. The panels don't need any kind of support underneath and my knees work just fine.

courage
Yes it takes courage to be creative and to carve out time for something that may never have rewards that are commonly validated in our culture eg fame and fortune. But I do know from my dissertation research that art saves lives and that when you embrace that part of yourself, you're happier.

3. "getting past the fear of putting my art out there and fear of being successful"
Unfortunately the only way out sometimes is through. Do read the Critical Inner Voice article, which you might find helpful and take baby steps. Show your work in safe environments such as a course environment or among friends where you can get good helpful criticism. Learn as much as you can by taking courses where you improve your skills then start putting it out. Don't worry about getting successful. Your chances of that happening before you've put in a bunch of time and effort and work are slim. It does occasionally happen but it's rare. I love the extremes tho - am I good enough - to what if I get wildly successful. There's a middle ground worth seeking and always tell yourself -"I'm learning and growing." It really helps for whatever stage you're at both as a source of comfort and a reminder for humility.


4. how to teach art to others
Pay attention to what you like in how others teach and apply that to your own teaching. 
Read books on education and the art of teaching


5. "The fact that I can't paint or draw at ALL"
If you can drive you can draw or paint. It's as simple as that. Remember when you first learned to drive and how totally overwhelming it was and how reflexive it is now. It's the same with drawing. When you do one action e.g. putting down some proportional guidelines of where features sit in a face, and then you adapt them for a specific face, after a while you don't need those guidelines. You just know where they are supposed to be. The more you do it, the more skilled you'll become, especially if you have good teachers and really pay attention to what's around you and in front of you.


6. "Honing in on a style that truly feels my own"
Ah that's a challenge, especially if you like to experiment and try lots of different things. My style has definitely changed over the years but I think I have a specific look because I like bold shapes and color contrasts. I just do what feels right and true for me. Maybe put all your different styles together and see which speaks most to you or not worry about having one particular style and instead develop several bodies of work that are perhaps both conceptually and stylistically linked.


7. If my love for art will be overpowered by the reality of maybe having to put it aside to making a better living
This is where you have to decide what a better living is and how much you need. Here in the States we tend to sell our life blood for goods and it's not a good trade off. If there's any way you can swing working part time until you can either a) develop a following and decent financial return for your art, or b) come into a sweet inheritance, that's the best you can probably do (unless you have a partner who earns enough and is willing to support you). Reality sucks sometimes.


8. Someone mentioned the challenges of promoting creative works, which I'm not going to answer except to say it's all about social media these days - Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, Pinterest, and having a blog. All major time sucks but also very rewarding in other ways


I think I answered all the comments and hope they've been super helpful


love xox Mira

Mondays with Mira - How to Write a Picture Book - Baby Bear Sees Blue!

(Quick note - for those of you who participated in the contest, my next post will be for you but as it's already Monday - this one needed to come first.)

How to Write a Picture Book (and Illustrate it too)

I've been talking about "first seduction then deconstruction" as a technique for teaching about picture books but I've decided to simplify my titles to How to Write a Picture Book (even tho it also includes illustration). Right now my technique involves reading the story and then going back and talking about what makes it work!

So in that spirit, today's wonderful book is from my friend Ashley Wolff who you can meet briefly further down in another post and in any of my online courses.

As you will see in this seemingly simple story, Ashley packs a tremendous amount in for very young minds as they learn about all sorts of good things in Baby Bear Sees Blue, using spare rhyming text and beautiful and clever illustrations. I hope you like it. This video is also kind of a love letter to Ashley who is one of the many gifts in the world.

Contest Prize Winners and a little more about mandalas and courage

Although I've won my share of prizes and awards, I always felt like a loser when I didn't so I created a contest where everyone was a winner and because some people had the courage to enter this contest and talk about things that were meaningful for them (fears or challenges around creativity), I made sure that they got even more bonuses. So, I sent hi res pics of some animal mandalas that were incredible fun to make along with instructions on how to make them using traditional materials as well as with Photoshop (more work putting that tutorial together than I expected). Here are some low res pics of some of their pressies/prizes. If you end up posting them please credit me and refer folks either to this blog or my FB page Mira Reisberg Art and Education : )

 

I love these weird funky peacocks and the negative spaces in between them.

This was a bonus worksheet from the Hero's Art Journey e-course teaching about symmetry and balance in composition (one of the foundational elements and principles of art taught in art school, or alternative art schools : ).

And my current favorite of abstracted flamingos that I created for the Photoshop tutorial today. As I wrote in the tutorial - it can be fun to really abstract things and see where they take your brain. This piece is called: "Dance of the Flamingos” or “Eight Birds Merge.”

And now onto the main contest winners. I used Rafflecopter for the first time and it wasn't as easy as I hoped it would be in selecting the winners. I think I confused it by giving everyone prizes. So I chose 2 of the big prizes randomly and 2 by comments.

Drum roll please .....

Julie Hedlund for the Hero's Art Journey e-course where she will learn to draw at last guided by lots of worksheets, video demos, me and the support of a small but super smart group of wonderful people.

Nicole Zoltack because I love her name and it sounds like a great fit for the journey (this is pretty random).

Skype Picture Book manuscript or art critiques:
Jennifer Young and Nadia Roldan - Hooray and congratulations to everyone who entered and still won something and Jennifer - thank you for your flexibility - it paid off.

In my next blog post, I'd like to address some of the really good comments that came up in response to the question about challenges in being creative. Right now I'm pooped and I have a movie to edit : )

Mondays with Mira: Teaching Picture Books Review - Elisa Kleven's Sun Bread

Major Blogger snafu, it didn't automatically post at midnight as scheduled or save and then Guy and I went out to see the Avengers in 3D (interesting mix of mythology and sci fi - but more and more I'm thinking all fiction is a form of myth telling). So anyway, here it is now - Mondays with Mira - First Seduction, then Deconstruction.

And today's picture book is the ever wonderful Elisa Kleven's Sun Bread. As you will see, this book is a type of myth making too and would be especially delightful to read to children on a cold wet day. Just a quick note that I didn't include in the video, although the rhymes are not perfect, the book pretty much is. The reason for this is that Elisa never loses the rhythm or flow in her language so that the words sail along like a good story should. I hope you enjoy. This book is one of my current faves.

Cool Contest Where Everyone is a Winner

Everyone loves to be a winner, so I’m running a contest from now until May 29th only. Everyone who participates gets to be a winner! So act fast!

Here are the prizes:

1st prize (there are 2) - Free admission into the life-changing Hero’s Art Journey e-course where you learn to access or deepen your art and life skills starting June 4th. Value $198.00 each! (More about this later)

2nd prize (also 2 available) - 1 hr free art or picture book writing or illustration consultation via Skype where I get to work my magic as the Picture Book Whisperer!

And everyone receives a free art gift of a totemic animal mandala made by yours truly with instructions on how to make them yourself just for participating.

Here's a low res peek at the totem animal mandala that includes some of the animals that are especially potent for me right now - sea-horses for love and fidelity and their ability to swim in and out of small places, leopards for strength and beauty, kangaroos because my twin is coming from Australia and I love how kangaroos can jump/aim high and bound across open spaces and they have a built in belly pouch that doesn't make them look fat : ), flowers because of the beauty they bring and the whole composition is about play - something I strive to have as much of as possible. 

I teach animal drawing and mandalas as part of the course but you'll get a sneak peek for making mandalas with this prize. I'm keeping it as a coloring page for you or your kids to play with and embellish in any way that you like using pencils, paint, glitter, whatever and am not sure yet whether I will refine it or not (kinda liking the roughness) and may play with it some more (not sure yet). You will also get instructions on how to make mandalas yourself either using Photoshop or by hand.

We do mandalas because they are incredibly calming and centering to both look at and make. Super easy and lots of fun!

 
Here's the easy peasy contest widget : )
a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway Here's a little information about the course followed by a short sweet video.

The Hero's Art Journey is for Very Beginning to Advanced Artists, Children’s Picture Book Illustrators and Authors, Therapists, Mothers, and Teachers, and anyone interested in exploring or deepening their art and life skills. It starts June 4th and runs through July 16th with a week off beginning June 18th. It is hosted on a password protected blog and gallery with fresh content 5 days a week, gentle critiques that push you, and loving community interaction.

The course is inspired by Joseph Campbell's work on the hero's journey and Valerie Frankel's on the female counterpart, which provides a frame to really go on a journey together. The Hero's Art Journey is very much for progressive thinkers who would like to explore their creativity in meaningful ways while also accessing their intuitive sides.


During the hands-on 6-week e-course starting June 4, 2012, you will:
Explore how fine art, picture books and mythology connect
Discover how to work with a wide range of materials and techniques
Uncover your own style and symbol language
Adapt the projects for you own needs Create art suitable for exhibition, sales, or inclusion in your children’s book illustration portfolio
Learn about the narrative arc of most fiction in your own life!
Connect with supportive and like minded artists

You get to do as much as you like to discover your sweet spot with as many or as few of these materials and techniques as you like: acrylics, watercolors, Victorian silhouettes, mixed media, collage, mixed media, stamp making, transferring images, drawing people, gods, goddesses, guardian angels, animals dragons, monsters or landscapes. I'll be providing video and written demos along with worksheets and downloadable pdfs to help - you get to pick and choose what works for you. We also have fantastically helpful guest interviews and tons of other goodies. Visit www.herosartjourney.com for more information (and to read the inspiring testimonials) or contact me at miraguy@gmail.com : ) Good luck with the contest. It's a good one!


AND if you are not a contest person - You can still enroll now at half-off with this link http://bit.ly/InCDa0

And now for the video!!!

Major blogger technical frustration in the post below this one - do read it if you are interested in hearing about our fabulous (but unnerving for me) Illustrators' Day.

If not just sit back and enjoy and watch our short and sweet Mondays with Mira teaching picture books video review. After filming it I realized I really  should have spoken a little about the bold shapes and colors which are very appealing for young kids and the ways different elements "point to each other" as well as how effective and artful the minimal use of text is in conveying this clever concept. I hope you enjoy : )

SCBWI conference and Mondays with Mira - First Seduction then Deconstruction - Dog Food

I'm thrilled to say I have a very short video today about idioms, vernacular language or sayings, dogs and playing with food. Short and sweet. But I have a rather longish post about something really exciting that I was involved with this weekend -

The SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) first ever Illustrator's Day conference for our region. I had the honor of helping to organize this with my illustrator co-coordinator Kris Aro McLeod and wonderful mentoring and assistance from our Northern California Central regional advisers Erin Dealey and Patricia Newman. We also had fantastic help from Catherine Felt (assistant RA) and Robin Howard and a great panel of published peeps including Lori Mortenson, Kim Zarins, Lea Lyon, Patti Newman, and Joy Allen. Super informative and very fun.

Because it's really hard in our area to get illustrators to show up we ended up broadening it to be for both authors and illustrators so each got to learn from the other. This created some challenges for our illustrious guests who really rose to the occasion.

We had Rotem Moscovitch from Disney Hyperion (who is one of the stellar editors from their award winning trade book (rather than mass market Disney characters) side of their publishing, literary agent Mary Kole of Moveable Type Management and KidLit.com and Ashley Wolff author illustrator of over 60 books. Wow! The talent was amazing. We also had great audience participation which also helped make it very successful.

Ashley is an old friend who recently returned from doing a school visit in India (way to go Ashley) and she brought me back a magical parasol from India.

Well it turns out I really needed that parasol. The night before I had terrible insomnia and when I did finally fall asleep in the wee hours had the worst nightmares that I've had in years. The conference room was tripple booked and I was trying to get football players and performing kids and 6'5" tall drag queens out the room so we could have the conference and I wasn't being prepared to introduce the guests and had flesh eating bacteria on my face and of course I ended up naked, except for a piece of foam in front of me, and really grungy underwear wherein I said "well the lesson in this is always wear your best underwear because you never know if you might end up like me." (How's that for a run on sentence? : )

I'm happy to say that none of this came true but when I introduced the faculty I used the magical parasol and it really gave me strength and confidence (thank you Ashley). Whenever I was flagging, I touched the parasol, getting energy and inspiration and remembered how lucky I am that I have so many fantastic friends and get to do meaningful work. I had to do a lot of thinking on my feet and had a few embarrassing moments but not too many. Cannot tell you how relieved I was when it was over.

And here I am with Ashley. This photo doesn't do her justice. She's an incredibly beautiful amazon.

For anyone interested in learning about picture books www.SCBWI.org is a fantastic resource and I'm delighted to be part of this organization. I'm also delighted to be teaching in-person and online courses like the Hero's Art Journey which explores the classic narrative arc underlying most fiction and mythology in our own lives while teaching very beginning to professional artists and children's picture book people lots of art and life skills using fine art and you guessed it - picture books. It's totally unlike anything else out there and includes video interviews with Ashley and lots of other amazing folks. The journey starts in only 2 weeks on June 4th, visit www.herosartjourney.com for more information or if you are ready to sign up use this half off link http://bit.ly/InCDa0 for only 99.00 And if you have any questions feel free to email me at miraguy@gmail.com