It has been so fun this week celebrating GRANDMA SNUGGLES don’t you agree? Monday we spoke with author Glenys Nellist. Yesterday we checked in with illustrator Gail Yerrill. Today I am posting a video giving you a peek into the workspaces of both Glenys and Gail. I It will help you picture them as they create their marvelous work. Check out this video below:
Wasn’t that fun? Thanks so much Glenys and Gail for giving us a tour!
Remember that I am also hosting a GIVEAWAY this week. Here are the guidelines:
Follow @GlenysNellist, @Gail99art, and @mindybakerbooks) on Instagram. (Must follow all three) Links available at the end of this post..scroll down.
Leave a comment on this blog post (or any post this week). Or leave a comment on any Instagram post this week.
**NOTE: This giveaway is sponsored by Zonderkidz (Thank you, Zonderkidz!) and only open to residents of the USA who have a physical street address (no PO boxes.)
For even more entries, tag a friend no any Mindy Baker Instagram posts this week through Thursday! (Tag as many friends as you like for multiple entries.)
I hope that all of you enter to win!
Tomorrow’s post highlights Glenys and Gail’s favorite illustrations from the book.
Friday I will post the WINNER OF THE GIVE-AWAY.
Make sure to enter and spread the word. See you tomorrow!
Hi everyone! This is such a special week here at Mindy Baker Books as we celebrate the launch into the world for Grandma Snuggles, written by best-selling author Glenys Nellist and illustrated by the very talented Gail Yerrill. It is a new release by Zonderkidz. I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s interview with Glenys. You are in for such a treat today to hear the inside scoop from artist and illustrator Gail Yerrill about her lovely work.
Let’s get straight to it. Welcome, Gail. I’m so excited to chat with you. Thanks for being here. I was wondering if you could describe the process you go through in illustrating a book from concept to final art? What were some of the illustrating challenges you faced along the way with this project and how did you overcome them?
I am given a brief with a description of characters and outline ideas and a paged layout of the story. Initially I would normally do character sketches which need approval. I will then do roughs for each page layout and the text is either in place or you have to leave room, and all aspects of the design of the pages are factored in at this stage. Once the rough sketches are approved I will then progress to the full colour art. Normally you would get approval on the first one or two to make sure you are getting the correct look. This project was one of my easier ones as the words gifted themselves immediately to me as images ☺
That is fascinating. I am also curious, Do you always work in the same medium for your illustrations? If not, what is your favorite medium and why? How do you know which medium is “right” for each project?
I mostly use watercolour and more recently I have been combining this with photoshop to create fluffy textures or to give an enhanced look to my illustrations which you can’t get just using traditional methods. Sometimes a publisher will be looking for something that will require a different medium but usually all watercolour based.
You definitely have a a special flair to your work. It is lovely! What was it about this particular project that resonated with you and made you want to work on it?
The words were so beautifully written and made me want to go and give my Grandma a cuddle. I miss my Grandma as I spent a lot of time with her as a child. I hope there’s a lot of Grandma cuddles for children everywhere!
Grandmas and cuddles are a great combination! I share your hope that this book will draw children to spend time with their grandmothers.
I know this will be difficult to choose, but do you have a favorite illustration from this book? If so, what is it and why?
Ooh that’s a tough one! I think the cover is my favourite as it really has that cute snuggly feeling in it that reminds me of my Grandma and how I feel about my own children!
I think that is my favorite, too. We will be highlighting that in a post later in the week! On your website, I noticed that you have a vast array of artistic accomplishments:
Accomplished children’s book illustrator
Author-illustrator of your own titles
You have your own adorable licensed characters (Twinkle the Penguin was my favorite)
Etsy shop
You do artwork for greeting cards and stationery
The list seems endless! Is there an artistic accomplishment that you are the most proud of? What artistic role/task do you enjoy the most? Is there anything left to accomplish on your “artist” bucket list? What sparks your creativity as you contemplate new projects?
That’s very kind thank you! I just love creating and experimenting with all materials and it’s my passion. I love illustrating words and bringing them to life. It would fabulous to be as successful as Glenys! I am also creating ceramics and intend to make illustrated pieces to hopefully compliment my book work. I love challenges!
Well you have certainly accomplished many challenges already. Do you have a “life” bucket list of adventures you would still like to accomplish? What are a few items on that list?
My life wishes are really quite simple ones, to be happy and healthy and to appreciate everyone around me and give my children the best I can. I would also love to travel the world and absorb all the fantastic variety of culture.
I think many of us can relate to those wishes. I see you have just completed a workshop in your home called the Wood End Studio. What are your hopes and dreams for this space?
We have just finished renovating the old double garage to use as my new studio space, I am aiming to do more ceramics and to teach.
Ooh, I wish I lived closer so that I could take a ceramics class. Sounds really special! I guess my last question is if you have any “news” that you would like to share with us about upcoming projects?
I am working on another fantastic book project at the moment but unfortunately its under wraps at the moment, but I was able to give a sneak peek at one of the sketches- it really is a cutie! Hope you like it!
Gail Yerrill Artwork
I love sneak peeks! I feel so honored to be able to showcase this! It is adorable. Thank you very much for taking the time to visit me today and answer my questions. I wish you all the best on your future endeavors.
Remember that I am hosting a Giveaway this week. Here are the guidelines:
Here are the guidelines for the give-away!
Follow @GlenysNellist, @Gail99art, and @mindybakerbooks) on Instagram. (Must follow all three) Links available at the end of this post..scroll down.
Leave a comment on this blog post (or any post this week). Or leave a comment on any Instagram post this week.
**NOTE: This giveaway is sponsored by Zonderkidz (Thank you, Zonderkidz!) and only open to residents of the USA who have a physical street address (no PO boxes.)
For an extra entry, become a follower of this blog.
For even more entries, tag a friend on any Mindy Baker Books INSTAGRAM post this week through Thursday! (Tag as many friends as you like for multiple entries)
I hope that all of you enter to win! Good luck!
Reminder of all that is happening next on Mindy Baker Books this week!
Wednesday: Videoclip of Glenys and Gail’s workspaces…a peek at where the magic happens!
Thursday: A special post showing Glenys and Gail’s favorite illustrations from the book.
It’s going to be a fabulous week here at Mindy Baker Books! I am hosting a BOOK GIVE-AWAY of Grandma Snuggles. Not only that, but BOTH the author and illustrator of Grandma Snuggles will be joining me on the blog to answer questions. Here is a peek at the line-up: (I can hardly wait!)
Grandma Snuggles
Monday: Interview with award-winning and best-selling author Glenys Nellist.
Tuesday: Interview with the incredibly talented illustrator of Grandma Snuggles, Gail Yerrill.
Wednesday: Videoclip of Glenys and Gail’s workspaces…a peek at where the magic happens!
Thursday: Special post about Glenys and Gail’s favorite illustrations from the book.
All week long you can enter to win the give-away!!!
Friday: I will post the WINNER OF THE GIVE-AWAY.
Here are the guidelines for the give-away!
Follow @GlenysNellist, @Gail99art, and @mindybakerbooks) on Instagram. (Must follow all three) Links available at the end of this post..scroll down.
Leave a comment on this blog post (or any post this week). Or leave a comment on any Instagram post this week.
**NOTE: This giveaway is sponsored by Zonderkidz (Thank you, Zonderkidz!) and only open to residents of the USA who have a physical street address (no PO boxes.)
For an extra entry, become a follower of this blog.
For even more entries, tag a friend on any Mindy Baker Books INSTAGRAM post this week through Thursday! (Tag as many friends as you like for multiple entries.)
I hope that all of you enter to win! Good luck!
And now for today’s big event…the interview with Glenys Nellist!
Glenys, it is such an honor to have you visit my blog this week. Thank you very much for being here. I know everyone is excited to talk with you so let’s jump right into the questions...
What inspired you to write Grandma Snuggles?
Ever since I wrote the board books, God Made Mommy Special and God Made Daddy Special, I’ve been asked the same question, over and over… when are you going to write God Made Grandma Special? So here it is, except that it’s called Grandma Snuggles because my publisher, Zonderkidz, thought that this was a more appealing title.
It is such an appealing title. The relationship between grandparent and child is so special!! And snuggly. 🙂 What is your favorite illustration from the book and why?
It is SO hard to choose, because every spread by Gail Yerrill is wonderful! If I had to pick one animal spread, it would have to be Grandma Cat, but my favorite illustration is actually this last one, where the human grandma is featured. I love it because it reminds me of baking with my four young grandchildren, which they all love to do.
Make sure to come back on Thursday to see the post that reveals the Grandma Cat and the human grandma! They are very adorable!
Glenys, I also wanted to talk about your newsletter. I really enjoy receiving that each week, and I wanted to make sure that everyone knows about it. What inspired you to write your weekly newsletter Links to Lovely Things and how do you curate the content for that?
I used to write a quarterly newsletter where I featured only news about my own books. But about six months ago I decided to begin a weekly newsletter that might appeal to a wider audience. I think we’re all in need of some loveliness in our world right now! I search for five or six lovely things to share each week, such as good news stories I come across, new children’s book releases, lovely photographs, poems, crafts for kids or heart-warming articles. We live in such a busy world, and so my tagline is: Follow the links you like, leave the ones you don’t. If you’d like to check it out, here’s my most recent one:
Wonderful!I hope that you all sign up for it if you haven’t already! Finally, do you have any ‘news’ that you’d like to share with us about upcoming projects?
Well I’d really love to be able to say that Grandpa Snuggles is in the works, but so far, it’s only written in my head! I’m hoping that I’ll be able to release that title one day, but I think it will depend on the sales of Grandma Snuggles. In the meantime, October will see the return of Little Mole in a story of kindness and generosity called Little Mole’s Christmas Gift, and in the spring of 2021, I’m looking forward to the second book in the Twas series, called Twas The Morning of Easter. Later next year, I also have a Storybook Bible coming out, which is a first for me, so I’m very excited about that.God is good, and I’m so very blessed to be able to write for children.
Your books are wonderful, Glenys. I wish you all the best… with Grandma Snuggles, the new releases coming up that you mentioned, and the many more titles you are sure to publish! Thank you very much for joining this week here at Mindy Baker Books. It was a treat to talk with you!
P.S. One more fabulous thing! You will want to check out this lovely book trailer video! You will definitely want to order the book after viewing!
I recently contacted Dow Phumiruk to ask her some questions about the work she did illustrating her debut picture book entitled MAYA LIN.
Background: MAYA LIN is the story of the artist-architect who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Here is a paragraph of what the book MAYA LIN is all about (as taken from its description on the Internet).
“As a child, Maya Lin loved to study the spaces around her. She explored the forest in her backyard, observing woodland creatures, and used her house as a model to build tiny towns out of paper and scraps. The daughter of a clay artist and poet, Maya grew up with art and learned to think with her hands as well as her mind. From her first experiments with light and lines to the height of her success nationwide, this is the story of an inspiring American artist; the visionary artist-architect who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.”
It was such a delight to interview Dow! Here are my questions and her answers:
Q: Can you describe for us the process you go through in illustrating a book from concept to final art? What are some of the challenges you face along the way, and how do you overcome them?
A: First I’ll create a storyboard – basically thumbnails (tiny, really rough blobby sketches – “blobby” is the best word I can think of!) of the entire book. I use a template I found online along with Photoshop for this. I try to vary layout and composition for interest and keep the pace of the book in mind. I’ll ask myself several questions:
– What do I want in the middle of the book?
– Where do I want to use full spreads with lots of details for the reader to pause and dwell on the art?
– Where should I use a series of quick spot illustrations to move the story along?
– Which parts of the story have very obvious images that comes to mind? Those images will be my anchors, and then I can draw in the rest of the storyboard around them.
Some stories can be challenging if there are so many important scenes that I want to draw too many spreads. Sometimes text lends itself to an abstract image, and this is very tricky figuring out how to incorporate abstract sequences into the rest of the more realistic art. For example, Maya Lin imagined a giant knife slicing into the earth for her memorial design. I had difficulty thinking how a big knife could be drawn into a picture book for young children – without being too scary! Ultimately, my editor gave me some feedback, and we made it work. Often times before I ask for feedback from my editor, I’ll run it by my online critique group buddies. Their advice is very helpful, and so many times a fresh look at the art is all that’s needed to lead us to a novel solution.
Next I’ll draw out a dummy using my storyboard as a guide. I might submit the dummy in color unless the art director specifically asks for black and white. I’ll carve the “blobby” sketched shapes down into recognizable people or scenery. My kids laugh at my sketches, because they are often funny-looking. A person in the background might look more like an octopus or loaf of bread than of human form! After the dummy and individual spreads are approved, then I put in all the details, shading, texture, and lighting.
Q: Do you have a favorite page or series of drawings within the MAYA LIN book? If so, what is it and why?
A: My favorite spread is the forest scene. She sits on a rock and waits, hoping to befriend the wild animals. I love drawing greenery and animals and soft lighting. I also love the thought of sitting peacefully in the woods, catching glimpses of woodland creatures. My family and I enjoy nature hikes in our beautiful state of Colorado.
Q: What was it about this particular project that resonated with you and made you want to work on it?
A: The most realistic answer is that it was my first opportunity to work with a traditional publishing house (Christy Ottaviano Books of Henry Holt/Macmillan), and I probably would’ve said yes to a book about almost anything (slugs/bugs, the inventor of the stapler, etc). But, wow! What a perfect fit this project turned out to be for me. I loved drawing Maya. As you might guess, I’ve spent a good part of my artist life drawing Asian girls and women!
Q: What do you hope readers will take away from the book MAYA LIN, and specifically the way that you portrayed the storyline?
A: This story is an inspiration for readers of all ages! I recently attended a book signing with my daughters for two of their favorite young adult authors, Victoria Aveyard (Red Queen) and Colleen Oakes (Queen of Hearts). These lovely ladies told the teens and tweens present not to think that their dreams were for someone else – not to think that writing a best selling novel was for someone else to do. We moms in the audience listened and were inspired, too. Similarly, I hope the message from Maya Lin’s story will inspire readers to do the best they can, take some chances, and reach for their life goals. Successes like Victoria’s and Colleen’s and Maya’s could happen for any of us, because in many ways, these successful people are much like ourselves.
Here are some links to help you get to know Dow and her artwork better.
Note to Dow–It was a true delight to hear how you create your artwork, and I enjoyed the personal thoughts and insights you shared with me in the answers to my questions. Best wishes to you with this beautiful book!
