Photoshop Power Day Videos Now Available!

We just wrapped up the most amazing day of learning how to paint in photoshop I've ever been involved in! The video recordings are finished and ready for you to download right NOW - and they'll continue to be 25% off for the next too weeks until November 10th.

It was so much fun to teach and learn from Zac Retz, Brooke Boynton Hughes, and Jake Parker. I have to give a special thank you to all of you who participated LIVE in our virtual GoToMeeting classroom - your questions and comments made it so valuable to me and the other teachers. Thank you for being so patient as we worked through our tech glitches.

Here is my finished demo painting that I made for the class - always fun to have an excuse to paint something just for fun!

You can learn more about the class here or purchase the HD video class right here.

We have more classes coming soon so leave your email in the comments below or email me at will@willterry.com to be put on our mailing list for future class announcements. We are working on our website right now and our 2014 class schedule. Our goal is to provide instruction that works with current University and Art school illustration and animation programs or with those who have never attended formal art training.

Where Are My Freelance Jobs?

I have been blessed with many connections in the illustration world and many more since I started this blog a few years back and those connections seem to be growing. Every day I get asked questions related to the freelance illustration markets -from how to improve the craft of illustration to how to find markets and clients and I spend a fair amount of my time answering them. I enjoy this time each day.

I made a series of youtube videos on the subject I'm about to discuss a few weeks ago.

In the past month I have been offered three different freelance projects for publishing companies all of which I turned down due to the lack of budgets. I don't want to seem ungrateful - beyond the fact that it's flattering to be wanted - I realize that I'm in a different position than many illustrators since I've been at this a while and have spread out my income streams. I defend the right of our clients to offer what's in their own best interest as we must decide to accept or reject based on our best interests. Some people complain about the price of a water bottle at the gas station...but they don't have to buy it.

But it's the latest offering that I wanted to discuss. If you've gone through an illustration program on a University or art school level you know that illustration rates have either stayed the same over the last 100 years or gone down. The offering I received this week was half of what I used to get paid from this client. This made it very easy to turn down but that's not the point. The point is that what I've been saying (please watch my youtube video if you haven't already - all 3 parts!) is coming true. Prices that have at least "held" for decades are now going the other direction. We are competing on a global scale at many levels. With the ability for individual artists to publish their own music, books, videos, etc the big companies are having to adapt to the competition. It's one reason entertainers like Jimmy Kimmel are releasing anonymous videos on youtube (twerking girl catches on fire) to generate traffic back to his show. Our clients - the people we want to hire us are suffering from the noise just like we are - they are competing with us when we release our own products.

If you look at every potential consumer of your products as having a finite amount of attention per day - in other words in my case a mother will only read a certain number of books or story apps for x amount of time each day to their child. Every quality product that is released has the potential of sucking a certain amount of time out of the pool of consumers. As a result publishers have been going through massive layoffs. Some of this could be due to the recession and slow recovery but I believe that our industry has been hit by a "perfect storm" if you will. The internet is allowing artists and publishers all over the world to work together and compete, technology making creation faster and delivery quicker, a recession, and the ability for anyone to publish cheaply and in many cases - free.

AND education is getting cheaper for illustrators with online options - like our own SVS, Folio Academy, Chris Oatley's classes, Justin Gerard and Cory Godbey's Lamp Post Guild, and many others. This isn't going to go back to the way it was. The number of good and great illustrators is only going to grow. BUT guess what? I think it's wonderful!

I'm doing the best work of my life and getting fewer good paying gigs than ever and I hear this over and over from friends and acquaintances. Why do I think it's awesome? Because I believe illustration is going to become more honest and pure leaving only room for the truly dedicated and passionate artists. The artists that are willing to risk it all for a chance to engage their audiences with emotionally provocative art. Taking on mind numbing, politically correct, predictable, risk free, follow the leader, anemic, cookie cutter, tasteless, agenda driven, thoughtless projects are getting really expensive to produce - because nobody is buying them. I'm up for the challenge - bring it on!

Last year I filled in as an adjunct teacher for a neighboring University to UVU. I was asked to teach the business class for illustration majors. I decided to toss out the playbook we used 15 years ago (put your ad here - generate a mailing list - send out post cards - the end)  in favor of teaching the type of ideas I share in my youtube videos about developing your own projects and testing them in the market. It was appreciated by some and rejected by others. It really bothered me that some of the students were unhappy with what I was sharing. They asked, "Where are our Freelance Jobs?" "We want you to tell us how to get work."  I probably got more pissed off than I should have - after all - they did everything they were supposed to. They worked hard in the first school - got great grades in the second school  and were promised a bright future if they got good grades in the third school which they did - top of their classes. Then they met me in the business class at college where I told them - no - it's all different - it's about what value you can create in a product - that you create on your own time with your own money- and there's no guarantees. Who would want to hear that after being promised a job.

I emailed 20 of the who's who in editorial illustration (I'm talking society of illustrators award winners) asking them if what I was attempting to teach was misleading and false. 17 wrote back telling me (and them) that my advice was spot on and that they have had to make many alterations in their freelance careers in the last decade to stay viable. One said, "I lay awake at night trying to figure out my next moves...what am I missing?" Only one said that business has never been better. We read their letters in class - you could have heard a pin drop. The editorial market has probably suffered the worst with hundreds of magazines and newspapers shutting down or going online only and cutting much of their art budgets.

Where are your freelance jobs? For some there will be nice opportunities but for the majority you're going to have to afford yourself the time to do what you love and if you're dedicated, passionate, and smart enough to make the right products that change people emotionally - you'll do just fine. Just a decade ago the idea of creating your own animation, books, games, recordings, HD video, used to be next to impossible without a middleman. Now it's like there's a yellow brick road leading to your DIY projects. The tools have been created for you - hardware, software, websites, etc. The question is really up to you...how bad do you want it?

Jake Parker Will Throw Down On Power Day!

As a special bonus Jake Parker will add his tips and tricks on how he uses Photoshop to our upcoming power day! This was never part of the original class because he was knee deep in a few big projects but when I sensed he was nearing the end I asked and he delivered. So even though he we won't have time to fit him in on the Saturday event his videos will be bundled with the class video recordings.

So for those of you who are seeing this for the first time here's the skinny: On October 26th 2013 we are going to be holding a LIVE online Photoshop class taught by 4 illustrators/animators. Each artist will demonstrate how they use Photoshop to create their personal style - so you get to go behind the scenes and see what tools they use, how they use them, etc. While the class is going on we will be recording the GoToMeeting session. The attendees of the LIVE class will also get to download the recordings to watch over and over later on.

BUT - you can also choose to purchase the recordings only for half price. So why buy the Complete live class? The benefits of the live class: the ability to ask questions to the artists, (even how they broke into the business), my beginning painting in Photoshop tutorial (for out of the box users), and a half hour one on one session with me after the class the following week which can be used to help with your portfolio, work, advice, etc.

You can view the class here: 

And see who's going to be teaching here:

Jake's videos will be bundled with all the videos from the class for a total of 5 artist demos. I think this class is ideal for the artist who wants to switch over to using photoshop to create illustrations or for the person who wants to combine photoshop with their traditional work. We have been sold out for a few weeks but 2 people dropped down to the Lite version for schedule conflicts - so there are still 2 seats available for the Complete class - you can purchase both the Complete or Lite class right now. Either way your videos will be delivered the day after the class via download. Check out the class.

Color Studies for Photoshop Power Day

Just finished a few color studies in preparation to our Photoshop Power Day coming up in a few weeks. I like having everything ready to go long before I get into the online classroom. This way I can pack as much information into my lesson and efficiently cover lots of ground.

Having some color ideas worked out ahead of time takes some of the decisions away so I can focus on the techniques I'll be teaching. Working digitally has made it much easier to make these experiments in just a few minutes...I have about 20 minutes into these studies but being able to move forward with confidence is invaluable. 

Also - the Complete version of this class WAS sold out but we had a few people with schedule conflicts that asked to drop down to the LITE - video only version of the class. So there are 2 spots left as of today if you're interested you can sign up here -but if they're gone you can still sign up for the Lite version.

All of the information on the class

My Speech To Illustration Students - Part 1 - Will Terry

This is the most important message I have for up and coming illustrators and those that are still in school! This is the advice I would want to hear if I were planning a long career in illustration.

How To Write A Children's Book

I'm very happy to announce TWO things this morning. The launch of Ann Cannon's Folio Academy video - "How To Write A Children's Book" and our Fall 30% off Sale at Folio Academy on the entire store! (use code: fall3)

Ann is a very accomplished author of children's books so about 6 months ago we asked her if she would be interested in making a video tutorial. We wanted a lesson designed specifically for illustrators and beginning writers. I'll be honest - I wanted that video for myself. With all the possibilities of indie publishing both traditionally and in electronic form becoming available - the demand for the kind of information packed in her tutorial is going up.

It took us a while because Ann is a busy woman who also writes a weekly column for the Salt Lake Tribune but we finally got time where we could all get together. I really hope this video helps the illustrator who wants to create his/her own story.

....AND - you can get it for 30% off for the next two weeks if you use this code: "fall3"...after that the sale ends.

Here is one of Ann's latest books and you can check out the tutorial here.

Our Family Plot in my Book!

 

My new book Skeleton For Dinner by Margery Cuyler takes place in a graveyard. So I put tomb stones on most of the pages of art...and then an obvious problem hit me. There were no names on the head stones. So I placed a call to my editor - Nick Temersma at Albert Whitman and said, "ummmm...what should we put on the grave markers?"......."hello".....Then Nick said, "I don't know - what do you think?" Having been around this business for a while I've learned that it's better to have a solution that works for you when you call with a problem. So I suggested, "What if we put our family names on all the tombstones - I could put yours, mine, Margery's..." Eventually the answer came back, "Sure, sounds good". 

I had enough markers to put names from both sides of my family, my mom, my editors, and authors family names, and all the dogs I've had over the years - including pooch who is still very much alive but hey - never hurts to think ahead.

What better way to start October than with a cheesy pitch from Will Terry and a copy of Skeleton For Dinner? Click here for Amazon

Here's a review from Kirkus

And from Publisher's Weekly

What Teaching Has Given Me!

I've been teaching on and off now for the past 20 plus years. At first I was petrified. In fact I really feel sorry for the first students I had back in the early 90's at BYU - I wasn't very good at my craft which caused my teaching to suffer. I hadn't put in enough time to formulate my opinions about image creation.

Fast forward to today - boy am I glad I didn't quit after those first few teaching experiences! I strongly believe in exposure therapy. Afraid to skydive? Go skydiving a bunch of times. I really believe that if you're committed to helping your students learn it will improve your understanding of the subject 10 fold - especially in a subjective subject like art.

The process: You do something that's working in your painting. You have to explain it to someone else. You have to formulate words to describe your process. You hear your own words like you've never heard them before. You make a stronger connection. You make other connections to other principles. You now have to live by those principles for accountability to your students. Your art making improves. Rinse & repeat.

But is doesn't stop there. Because as you help someone else attain the satisfaction you have gained you are rewarded emotionally as well. The connections are so much a part of the teaching. Feeling like you can make a difference in the lives of others is priceless. I have made many friends over the years from some of my former students- and can you have too many friends?

And it doesn't stop there either because it has helped me heal. I've talked about my horrible public school experience as a child here on my blog in the past so I won't go into it again - but finding what you're good at and feeling valuable doing it has been very therapeutic.

I can't begin to tell you how rewarding it has been to teach at UVU and be able to start Folio Academy with Wayne Andreason and now SVS with Jake Parker. To be able to dream up a class and offer it online is such an amazing turn for me. When we get together the ideas just start flowing and we think of all kinds of classes. Early next year we plan to offer a  "Luminous Color & Light" class. You can check out our Digital Painting class here.

My suggestion to artists: Start by mentoring another artists or volunteer at a community art program. Donate your time at various art events and offer pointers. You'll be amazed at how it will inspire you to want to create more...and you might find yourself teaching at an institution or online sometime down the road. The world is getting connected and if you embrace it - it will embrace you.

The image above was created for both my UVU Children's book class & my SVS critique class. I gave both groups the same assignment and I decided to solve it as well - too much fun!

How To Make A Story App - Step 5

 Adding color using Photoshop!

Making progress! I have the opening screen finished! I'm now adding color to all the pages. This step is going to take me a while so don't think that I've quit if you don't see step 6 for a few weeks. I had to make sure that every screen/page was working with the story and that the animations made sense. The last thing I want to do is start my finish work before the framework is in place. It's much easier to alter a sketch than a painting and if I were doing this 10 years ago (even though there was no such thing as an iPad) I would have most likely started on the color before I was ready.

So the way it will work is that the user will be prompted to touch Gary at which point he disappears into his hole and hopefully entices the user (kiddy) to want to know where he went and what it looks like down there.

If you're new to my blog you can scroll down to see my first steps on this journey - and I haven't forgotten that I plan to share all my stats with you when I put this baby in the app store. I'm always so curious to know how other peoples apps are doing - but nobody shares that info - like it's classified or something...think of me as your own personal Eric Snowden - I'm going to leak all the intel on my app - good or bad - we'll all see how it does.

I'll be making my app with Kwik - the DIY Photoshop plugin that allows a non-programer to create their own code behind the scenes of this wysiwyg. Our Kwik class starts tonight - can't wait!

Check out my first steps:

Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 5.5
Step 6
Step 7
Steps 8 & 9

SVS - Painting in Photoshop POWER DAY!

 

I'm so excited to announce our

Painting in Photoshop Power Day!

On Saturday, October 26, 2013 we will be offering an all day online live class taught by 4 different illustrators/animators. In addition the class can be picked up for half price in video recording version for those who couldn't get into the Complete class. We think this will be a really great way to get lots of ideas of how to use the tools in Photoshop since each artist will have a different approach.


 
I'll be teaching first and then co-teaching with the other 3 artists in their sessions. Then the following week I'll have a follow up one on one session with each person in the Complete class. We can use this time to paint on one of your paintings or drawings, critique, or talk shop - it's your time to decide how to use it.

For those who are brand new to photoshop the Complete class comes with my "Beginning Painting in Photoshop" video tutorial series at folioacademy.com so you won't feel lost in the class.

Since there is NO assignment in the class you do not need to currently own photoshop to attend. Each artist will be presenting their methods of working as they demo in Photoshop. While they work I'll be fielding questions and working them into the conversation as we did in our "Illustration for Storytellers" class.

In all I chose each artist for their unique style and career success. Zac and Brooke are brand new in the children's book world and both are having great success in a short period of time. To me this is a huge benefit to be able to learn just how they did it! I often get asked for advice on breaking into this business but I'm an old guy - these guys have done it in today's ecomomy!

Zac Retz- was born in New York, in 1991. Zac works mostly digitally. Completed his BFA in illustration from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2012. Since then Zac has illustrated a best selling children's book, Too Much Glue. He now works full time at Workinman Interactive making Disney and Nickelodeon games. He continues to work on many concept art freelance projects,  illustrate children's books, and his own projects. 

Brooke Boynton Hughes- has a BFA in printmaking from Colorado State University and an MFA in figurative art from the New York Academy of Art.  She currently lives in Fort Collins, CO where she illustrates children's books, goes hiking with her husband, and wrangles two bouncy dogs and a chatty grey kitty.  Brooke's first book, Cupcake Cousins by Kate Hannigan (published by Disney/Hyperion), will come out in the fall of 2014.  She also has two picture books coming out in 2015 (Baby Love by Angela DiTerlizzi, published by Beach Lane Books and MORE! by Linda Ashman, published by Random House).  Visit Brooke online at www.BrookeBoyntonHughes.com

Kevin Keele- has always enjoyed creating artwork in many forms: drawing, oil painting, digital painting, sculpture, even stained glass and pumpkin carving. His work has been featured in numerous picture books, magazines, board games, video games, and novel covers.
Kevin is currently an artist for Disney Interactive. He lives in Utah with his wife and two sons. They’re the caretakers of one cat, three chickens, and thousands of Italian honeybees.

To learn more about the class click here!

If you would like to be placed on our "advance notice" list for future classes please send me an email at will@willterry.com  

How To Make A Story App - Step 4

Step 4 - Work on character sketches, Interior sketches, and animations.

If you're new to my blog you might want to scroll down to see my first steps...and keep in mind that I'm making this up as I go - I really don't know what I'm doing but I'm going about this as systematically as possible. I'm using my experience from illustrating children's books to guide my process but apps are a whole new beast so we'll see if this works out. Right now I have the entire app sketched out and am now checking all of my animations to make sure they work and communicate.

The hard part was figuring out what to animate but more importantly what NOT to animate. I really want this app to be able to do more than a book but I don't want to get into full blown animation. I like the idea of page breaks to let the reader fill in the missing visuals with their mind - so not getting caught up in time consuming non-important animation is key to making my self imposed deadline and keeping my sanity.

PLUS! I'm NO animator - This is the first time I'm taking a serious crack at it so I don't want to bite off more than I can chew. The little guy above is my main character and I'll be able to re-use this animation over and over in my story. Of course I still have to paint him so my work isn't finished but you can see that even an old illustrator can learn new tricks - I made a video tutorial on how to prepare this kind of artwork for a story app here.

Alex Sousa is going to show us how to make these kinds of animations work in Kwik in our upcoming class that begins in a few weeks. We still have a handful of slots left for the live class but many are opting for the LITE video recordings of our class.

Check out my first 3 steps:

Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 5.5
Step 6
Step 7
Steps 8 & 9

The Biggest Mistake Illustrators and Animators Make!

So what is the big mistake? You think I'm that easy? You have to watch the video! :)

How To Make A Story App - Step 3

Decide what you can put into your story app that will be unique to set yourself apart from the competition.

Are you a follower or a leader? When I look at many of the story apps available in the app store I notice that many creators seem to be playing follow the leader - and some aren't even following the leaders. It's hard enough to actually make the app but to put something out that is predictable and average is a waste of time. It's already hard enough to get noticed so don't make your app forgettable by doing what the other guys are doing.

If they are all putting coloring book activities in their story apps don't add a coloring activity - unless you can do it better or different. If the other guys are making every object wiggle with a silly sound when you touch it - yeah you get the picture. We're at the front of a new technology so don't assume the other guy is doing it right. This is your app. What do you want to do? Yeah? than do it and don't look back!

Afraid that you'll do something other people will scoff or laugh at? Perfect! It's not art if there's no risk! Better to fail big and learn than to copy and be forgettable. Be remarkable.

So how can you be original? I think it's by having one or more unique aspects in your app. Suggestions:

Great story
Great artwork
Animation that is unique to your story
Great voice acting
Integrated music
Unique navigation
Teaches niche moral or principle
Appeals to a niche market
Insert other unique aspect here.

So what am I planning for my app?

1. I think Rick Walton wrote a unique story for us - but the market will decide that.
2. I'm going to work hard on the artwork so I'm hoping to impress in that category.
3. I'm working on animation that helps further the story.
4. I will hire voice actors to enhance the experience.
5. Instead of page turns my app will navigate up, down, back, and forward.
6. The story has a sustainable living theme running throughout.

Like I've written before - none of this is a guarantee of commercial success but all I can do is put out the best I'm capable of in a reasonable amount of time and then begin work on the next app.

I'm really looking forward to beginning the Kwik class in a few weeks! Learning how to program my own app without any programing experience is going to enable me to take control of my app creating bug! More info on the class here. 

Check out steps 1 and 2:

Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 5.5
Step 6
Step 7
Steps 8 & 9

How To Make A Story App - Step 2

Consume as many Great story apps as you can (or whatever type of app you plan on making)

Often I see artists embark on a journey without knowing how people made the same trip before them. The pioneers before you encountered the same problems you're going to encounter and looking at their solutions will make your project much easier. The more you consume the more you will develop your own opinions about what works and doesn't work. In addition, when you look at great art it inspires you to be great and the ideas begin to flow.

Where can I find great story apps? I'm so glad you asked! You need to check yourself into Digital Storytime! Here's a screen shot from their site. I like to click on "Quality" and then "Overall Rating" to see what they think are the best story apps. I devour these being aware of  the commonalities of each one. Do they all have read to me files? Do they have static text or highlighted text? Do they offer them as options or are you stuck with the read to me file and highlighted text?

Next, you need to tune in to #Storyappchat every Sunday night at 9:00PM Eastern 6:00PM West Coast. This is a twitter chat where anyone is invited and there's a new topic about story apps each night. The information being shared is pure gold if you're looking to produce your own apps.

I'll be back soon with step 3 and don't forget to check out our Kwik class that begins in October 2013 - and you can always sign up for the video only version - the recorded live classes.

Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 5.5
Step 6
Step 7
Steps 8 & 9

How To Make A Story App - Step 1

I'm going to be blogging about the progress on my new story app "Gary's Place" from now until it's for sale in the app stores - and beyond - even updates on my sales figures. This is really scary because I'm promising to do something that I haven't done yet. In fact there's a voice yelling inside right now begging me to delete this and stop writing. But - here we go...

Step 1 - Start with a GREAT story!

I came up with an idea for a story about a gopher who isn't content with his home. It had a good beginning, middle, and end but I couldn't write a good manuscript because I don't have enough writing experience.  So - I approached Rick Walton, a well known children's book author and friend (over 90 published books - google screen shot above) and asked him to read my story and write it if he liked the idea. In a ridiculously short time he turned it into gold. Yes I will cut him in for a large percentage and yes it took him no time but I believe it will be worth every penny. He's been writing for over 25 years and his experience shows.

The story is THE most important part of a story app. Illustrations, music, character voices, animation, games, coloring activities, things that wiggle and jiggle won't make it a great app!

Often we don't hold ourselves to the same quality standards we expect from the goods and services we consume. We want to see movies with a great story and cinematography asking friends and family for recommendations before dropping money at the box office. But do we provide the same when writing for a book, app, or ebook? If you don't have the writing skills are you working hard to develop them? Have you considered partnering with a professional author?

I get emails, messages, and phone calls every week from authors looking for illustrators to partner with. Professional authors often have a huge back list of manuscripts that have never been published - usually much larger than their printed books. I guess a good question is will having a great story sell enough apps to offset the percentage or payment you'll have to give up to an author? I think so. I believe that a smaller percentage of a GREAT project is worth much more than a larger percentage of a Mediocre project.

Did you know there are thousands of movies produced each year? How many can you name from 2013? My point is that if you aren't producing the best who will care?

But Will, you're a professional illustrator so it's easy for you to work with professional authors. Sure - it's probably easier for me to strike up a conversation but from the sheer numbers of authors I've been approached by I know there's a huge need out there and it's only going to grow. If you're passionate and committed I doubt you will have trouble talking an author into letting you take a crack at bringing one of their stories to life.

So check back to see Step 2 as I share my progress reports!

And as a reminder - if you're worried about the programming side of making a story app we are having a class that starts in about a month to learn Kwik - the DIY photoshop plugin software that lets you create your own story app. More info.

Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 5.5
Step 6
Step 7
Steps 8 & 9

New SVS Class - Learn Kwik!

I'm so excited to announce our new SVS class: Learn kwiksher. What is Kwik? It's a WYSIWYG -(what you see is what you get) plugin that works inside photoshop. It allows the user to create their own story app, digital comic, graphic novel, game, etc... The coolest thing is that you don't need to have any coding experience to use it - however - it is a bit complicated - which makes it very powerful! I have invited Alex to teach this class via our SVS classes to make it easier to get your feet wet. If you're like me you will enjoy being led through this software step by step.

Click here to check out the class

click here to check out kwik

Why am I typing? I laid it all out in this video:

Finished!

I just finished my new book!- "There Once Was A Cowpoke Who Swallowed An Ant" by Helen ketteman - A.W. ...that's it - just on a high right now and thought I'd share...

What should Be In My Illustration Portfolio?

In this video I give a list of items I feel every children's book illustrator should have in their portfolio. Art Directors and Editors are afraid to hire the wrong artist so make sure you're covering all the most important items. If you can think like an editor you'll be much more equipped to show them what they want to see.

Good Reviews for "Skeleton For Dinner!"

Just got a few good reviews from Kirkus and Publisher's Weekly!...it's always tense waiting to see if they'll like it or trash it. This book is due to hit the stores in September - can't wait!

Kirkus:
Mother and daughter witch want to have skeleton for dinner. Is he on the menu or intended to be a guest?

Big Witch and Little Witch are proud of their yummy stew full of delightfully disgusting ingredients, such as “shark fins and snake skins, spider silk and centaur’s milk, catfish whiskers and banshee blisters.” Little Witch makes a list of the friends she wants to invite for dinner. She writes “Dinner” at the top, with Ghost, Ghoul and Skeleton below it and tacks it to a tree. When Skeleton reads it, he flies into a panic. Veteran Cuyler keeps the text flowing and sets a just-right pace for reading aloud. Poor Skeleton “rat-a-bat-tat[s] down the hill… / and jingle-jangle[s]” off to warn first Ghost and then Ghoul about what he fears the witches are planning. Terry chooses deep blue-greens and dark craggy trees to create the nightscape. Skeleton’s cool white and Ghost’s translucent wash of white makes them glow on the page, whereas the warmer tones used for Ghoul and the bright green of Little Witch provide refreshing contrast. When Little Witch fails to find her friends to tell them about the dinner party, her despair sends Crow flying to the rescue.

A poison-ivy bouquet, full bowls of stew and happy friends bring the story to a satisfying close. Make sure to tuck in to this delicious tale. (Picture book. 3-6)

Publisher's Weekly:
Bathed in a spooky graveyard glow, Big Witch and Little Witch brew a stew and prepare a list of the guests to invite for dinner. What follows is a kind of Halloween version of Chicken Little, as timid Skeleton misunderstands, believing he’s an ingredient, not a guest. He dashes off to warn two friends—Ghost, a wispy girl, and Ghoul, who resembles Quasimodo. It’s a familiar joke, but Terry’s illustrations give the cast of characters distinctive looks and personalities (they almost resemble rubbery toys). Despite the threat of death by cauldron, neither contributor lets things get too frightening as the story works its way to a happy ending for all. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary. (Oct.)
Reviewed on 07/19/2013 | Details & Permalink <http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8075-7398-3>

Don't Let Them Define Your Success!

Too often I hear up and coming illustrators, animators, and comic book artists say, "Hopefully I can make it someday and get freelance work." This is a self defeating way of thinking...if you never get hired does that mean you didn't make it? Is there a such thing as all or nothing as an artist? Is this easy for me to say because I make a living with my art?

I don't think so because I remember those very discouraging times when I wasn't getting work. But more importantly I would be creating art even if I wasn't getting hired to complete freelance assignments. I don't create for my clients - I create for myself. My publishers get to publish my work. I own it and stand behind it and even though I work closely with them they don't own it - I do. I take responsibility for the quality of my work and place a higher standard for myself than my clients demand - therefore - it's mine.

The problem with thinking that assignments equal success is that you let forces outside of your control define your value. It's a dangerous game to play because at what point to you throw in the towel and say, "well, time to quit - nobody hired me." Success can be defined in many ways and I understand the need to generate income with your craft. I think it's important to remember that some artists start earning a decent income within a year after school. Some might take 1-5 years. Some much longer.

I once had a student who stated, "I need to start earning money with illustration right after graduation." I didn't know quite how to answer that and I failed to give a good answer at the time. What I would say today is this: "So, what if you don't? does that mean the past four years was a waste of time? What if you could see the future and you are able to generate more money than you could imagine but it takes you 10 years to get to that point - is that worth it? Do you have the commitment to make it through the 10 years of below expected income levels? What if your experience was like my friend who struggled for 4-5 years after school and then was asked to illustrate: "A Series of Unfortunate Events"? Would that be worth it?

The tendency is to want the rewards with little sacrifice. If you really truly want it you will have to dedicate your life to it - this is good news for most because you're in control of it! You have many years ahead of you of hard work! Embrace it. Fall in love with it. Cherish the time you have with your craft.

If being successful means being chosen to work for someone else - you might be disappointed if your work is easily good enough but you aren't being seen by the right clients.

If being successful means earning enough money to pay your bills - you might be judging your potential before your work is marketable.

If being successful means winning awards - you might be creating art that is unappreciated by the trend police.

If being successful means selling a certain quantity - you might be disappointed if the right audience never sees your product.

The previous is inspired by Seth Godin who says we're now living in a time where you can't afford to wait for someone to pick you - rather you must pick yourself.

Nobody hired me to make ebooks but I picked myself and published them.

Nobody hired me to make video tutorials and online classes but I picked myself and created them.

Nobody hired me to run my youtube channel but I picked myself and publish videos every month.

Nobody hired me to write this blog but I picked myself and now I have a place to share my ideas.

If you set attainable goals you can be successful every day, month, and year. It starts with a commitment to excellence and improvement. It ends when you die. I can promise you that I will be creating art until that day. I don't work -I create. I live and breathe knowing that I have much more to give. I am successful because what I create makes me happy.

How Many Sketches Should You Send In?

Back in my editorial days I was always coached to send in multiple sketches and ideas for the art director to choose from. Now that I'm a children's book illustrator I've come to realize that sending in multiple sketches for one page is not often the best policy. The reason: I always like one better than the other(s) and often the editor or art director will pick the one I like the least. Then it's a let down having to paint an image I'm not as happy with.

I just created the image above for a new book I'm working on "There Once Was a Cowpoke who swallowed an ant" by Helen Ketteman (Albert Whitman). My working process is to send in rough sketches for the direction I'm thinking of. Then I get feedback from the art director and editor. My goal is to make myself happy and then see if the team likes it. If they do then I move to a final drawing refining details and making any alterations asked for by the team.

 Sometimes they don't like the direction at all and ask for a new idea -offering their suggestions. I love working this way. I've taken the time to explore many thumbnail sketches and ideas and I don't want to share my rejected ideas just to offer more choice. Sometimes more choice just offers more confusion. Ever tried to order at restaurant with 100 menu items? You feel overwhelmed and start to think you're going to miss something really good - so you spend more time reading the menu rather than visiting with the people you went to have a meal with.

I'm a big believer in working hard to develop a sketch you can't wait to paint and then working with it until you and your team come to a consensus. I've taken the time to do a lot of editing in my development process and I choose NOT to share that with the creative team at the publisher.

Do I Need A Rep To Sell My Work?

I was asked a series of very thought provoking questions from a fellow illustrator about reps and selling work online. I realize I start to ramble a bit but I hope I answered your questions in a way that helps. Tune in while you work and it might help you too...

Advice For illustrators

I went through all the great questions that were posted about a week ago (a few posts back) and in this video I answer as best I can. Thank you for your great questions.

Updates On Our SVS Classes

Just a few updates on our classes:

1) Illustration for Storytellers will only be available for a few more days. Wednesday July 10th will be the last day you can purchase the LITE version of the class. After that you will have to wait until we run it again. We hope to offer this class again in the fall - hopefully in October be we haven't finalized the date yet. Here are all of the details on this class.

2) The Critique Class (companion to illustration for storytellers) is LIVE right now. The class is about half full already. This class was designed for the people who couldn't get into the COMPLETE live class. The requirement however is that you first take the LITE version of illustration for storytellers. This is so that we can work from a common language and understanding when we are critiquing your illustrations in class. Here are the details for this class.

3) We are planning to announce a comics class by Jake Parker and a one day photoshop workshop - probably 6 hours of intensive ramp up to getting you working digitally taught by me.

See what people are saying about our class!

What Questions do you have?

Sometimes abundance is working against you...but I like the challenge!

I'm getting ready to make another Youtube video for my channel and would love to answer any questions you might have. When I was going to school we didn't have the internet so this wasn't possible and we had to wait for working professionals to visit our school to ask. Youtube has made it possible for me to reach people all over the world to give advice when I think I might be able to help. So if you leave a question in the comments I'll try to address everyone in my next Youtube video. Thank you! (oh - you might want to check out my channel to see what topics I've already covered...)

Critique Class - (discussion)

I learned long ago that trying to get someone to like you doesn't work - eventually you have to let go of the tail and then you understand real quick...or something like that.

anyway...

I'm not going to try to get people to like the idea of a critique class. I'm just going to offer it and if it fills up I'll know.

Here's my proposal:

It will only be available to those who have taken the Complete or Lite SVS Illustration for Storytellers class.

These people will get an email when the class is up and running on our site.

It will only be available to the first 20 people to sign up.

It will cost $150.00

It will be held over 5 weeks meeting once/week for 2 hours each session = 10 hours of class time.

I'm thinking of beginning this class in early September.

It will be taught by Will Terry (me) and I'll have an assistant helping me.

An assignment will be given a month before the first class begins.

We will critique the assignment in class.

10 people will have their assignments critiqued the first night - the other 10 the following week.

I will do composition and rendering demos on the third week.

The 4th and 5th week will be spent critiquing the revisions.

Each class will be recorded and provided to attendees for study and in case they couldn't make the class.

Every attendee will get 20 min 1 on 1 time after the class is over on GoToMeeting follow up. This is their time to use how they see fit.

The benefit in a class like this is to see lots of work critiqued so that you can apply the principles from other students to your own projects both now and in the future.

I'm thinking of holding it on Saturdays from 7:00PM - 9:00PM MST - (9 :00PM NYC - 6:00PM Cali) and this will help some of our students in other parts of the world so that it doesn't fall at a time when they're at work.

I hope to have this live on our SVS site in as short as a week - 2 weeks.

Again the only requirement to attend this class is that you have to have taken the Complete or Lite version of our Illustration for Storytellers found here - no exceptions please. This is so I can move faster in class without having to back up each thing with a mini lesson but more importantly so we don't bore the rest of the class.

Here's what I need you to weigh in on:

1. Do you think it's worth it?
2. Does this time work for you and if not when would?
3. Do you like this format?

What People Are Saying About Our Class

Some updates and announcements first.

Jake Parker and I are teaching an online children's book class. It's not too late to buy the "LITE" version.

We are probably going to run a critique only class but will only open it up to people who have taken our LITE or FULL class. The reason for this is so everyone is up to speed on the material we went over in class.  The critique only class will allow attendees the opportunity to get critiques and draw overs on their existing work or work from our class or work they haven't done yet.

The LITE class will only be available for a few more weeks - it will be gone on July 11th.

Here's the link to the class

We also have a facebook page for SVS here

These are some of the comments I pulled off of our facebook page:

Thank you Jake & Will, tonight was worth the price of admission. Awesome info.

Hello! I am one of the LITE students and I just finished listening to the first lesson. Thank you so much, Will and Jake, for sharing your experiences and insights. Can't wait till the next class!

Couldn't be more excited to be part of this class! After just the first lesson I have two pages full of useful info and a ton of inspiration.

Fantastic first class...love the personal sharing approach and tips on what you do to stay creative!

It really is a great and fresh approach to learning, you guys definitely have found a great format to share and keep it interesting.

No complaints on my end. Video & audio was coming through fine. And the content was fantastic. Super cool to have an opportunity for learning like that online.

wanted to thank you both (I couldn't even say Jake's environment rocked), So COOL, good to see the two of you riffing off each other

Thanks Will Terry and Jake! Great lesson... perspective is no longer a headache. I think watching it get manipulated was THE most helpful thing I've seen to date! Going to go practice!

Jake pushes beyond those normal perspective lessons. For him to say to not be exact because it makes you stiff. AND especially him showing the lines on his work was JUST INCREDIBLE

Just wanted to let you know I am loving the class! It's been super helpful and it is a great way for me to learn because I haven't been able to find any illustration classes where I live.

Re: tonight's class - I don't think I've ever learned so much in 2 hours before!

I'm loving it!!! THIS IS SUCH AN AMAZING CLASS! I wish it didn't have to end July 10th! (consider doing a part two class someday... *cough... cough, hint... hint*)
I really wish I coud have gotten into the full version class though, only because the anticipation of waiting for the classes to be uploaded is overbearing (I feel like a kid again waiting for Christmas day to open my presents!). But Im getting every pennies worth with the LITE version and Im VERY HAPPY! Thank you so much for this!!

I give this class an A++++ and I have been putting the lessons to good use in my illustrations. I am definitely interested in a critique class. Would it be possible to provide a list of resources and optional homework assignments? Not suggesting we turn the homework in...these activities would help reinforce the concepts presented in the each class session. Thank you both for making this class available!

I can't say enough about how much I have enjoyed this class! There is so much that have learned. My favorite classes to date have been Will's lecture on design and Jake's class on Character design. Both Will and Jake are incredible teachers! They are doing a great job putting a lot of information in such a short amount of time (Its my favorite part of the week so it goes extra fast for me). My cup is overflowing with tons of new ideas and concepts. Thank you Jake and Will for seeing the need for this class and putting your time and talent in providing such a great opportunity for all of us.

I think you guys are doing great! I'm learning loads of stuff in ever class and I think you two have a nice balance - asking each other questions, adding comments to the other's presentation, keeping an eye on time and questions on the chat board... Yeah, I'm pretty much having a blast absorbing everything I can from the two of you and every one else. Yay!