illustrators

On episode 14 of Our First Fears, author and illustrator, Derrick Chow joins me in appreciation of the genius and creativity of beloved actress Shelley Duvall’s possibly-accidentally-terrifying television show from the 1980s, Faerie Tale Theatre. Together, we explore the connection between slasher-film final girls and faerie tale heroines, what makes a great faerie tale villain, and whether or not these old stories might have been a prototype for modern psychological analysis and therapy.

Derrick’s debut middle-grade novel, Ravenous Things, is a twisted modern retelling of the Pied Piper legend and poem, set in the underground of Toronto, Canada, and it is available now at your local bookshops and libraries. 

Follow the Our First Fears podcast on social media sites @ourfirstfears.

And feel free to reach out at ourfirstfears@gmail.com. 

Also, check out my own socials:

@danpoblox on Instagram 

@danpoblocki on Twitter/X. 

(Content warning: grief, loss of parents, and faerie tale adults behaving immaturely)

In Episode 6 of Our First Fears, novelist and illustrator Ethan M. Aldridge shares their own personal tales of growing up in a supposedly haunted house in Utah. And I chime in with some stories about my own experiences as a haunted pre-teen in north-central New Jersey. We talk about ghosts as metaphor, visit some familiar haunted tropes from favorite fantastical fiction and film, as well as how and why we both ended up connecting so deeply to the horror genre, and hauntings in particular.

This one gets kinda personal, and Ethan was generous enough to go there with me. 

Ethan M. Alrdridge’s best-selling work includes the graphic novels Estranged, Estranged 2: The Changeling King, The Legend of Bright Blade, and most recently, the illustrated gothic novel, Deephaven, about a teen who comes to a mysterious boarding school only to learn that the place is chock-full of the darkest hallways, and secrets, imaginable. Find all their books now at your favorite local bookshop!

Follow the Our First Fears podcast on social media sites @ourfirstfears. And feel free to reach out at ourfirstfears@gmail.com. Also, check out my own socials - @danpoblox on Instagram and @danpoblocki on Twitter/X. Thanks!

As electronic news gathering was gaining prominence in the early 20th century, the American Bar Association began to fear its effect on court trials and adopted something called Canon 35. This condemned the use of photography, motion picture, and radio recording within the confines of the courtroom. It wasn't a law, per se, but a code of ethics that cautioned against recording technology in the trial process. Many state and federal courts followed suit...making way for illustrators. Cameras began to creep their way back into courtrooms over the decades, but courtroom artists are still constantly used in high profile cases.

Courtroom Sketch

So you've been working on your flash new brand. You've got a new logo, snazzy photos, updated packaging, and brand assets that are set to wow. But how do you share that with the world to make sure that everybody gets as hyped as you are? Well, I'm going to tell you all about it in today's episode where I walk you through 10 steps to successfully launch a rebrand for your creative business. Let's do it.

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As electronic news gathering was gaining prominence in the early 20th century, the American Bar Association began to fear its effect on court trials and adopted something called Canon 35. This condemned the use of photography, motion picture, and radio recording within the confines of the courtroom. It wasn't a law, per se, but a code of ethics that cautioned against recording technology in the trial process. Many state and federal courts followed suit...making way for illustrators. Cameras began to creep their way back into courtrooms over the decades, but courtroom artists are still constantly used in high profile cases.

Courtroom Sketch

In this episode, first off special shout out to my sis-in-love Vera Frederich, she is not only my heart's closest autism mentor, but she also referred this beautiful young lady to me for an interview.  Alexandra came to the school Vera works out to read her amazing books to the kiddos, Vera sent me a picture of the book and I reached out to her for an interview! It's a quick and lovely discussion with a super-talented young woman! I know you're going to enjoy it!! 

Please go support/buy her books at:

https://www.facebook.com/AlexandraAdlawanArtist

Book her to come to your school and read to the kids (California Residents)

https://amazingartists.online/

Marissa chats with Tziporah Cohen and Steven Salerno about their new picture book - ON THE CORNER OF CHOCOLATE AVENUE: HOW MILTON HERSHEY BROUGHT MILK CHOCOLATE TO AMERICA - as well as the process and timeline of a picture book, from manuscript and revisions to artist selection, preliminary sketches, and beyond; the vast amounts of research that go into the creation of a nonfiction picture book, for both the prose and the illustrations; why its important for writers to leave room for the illustrator to bring their own ideas and interpretations to the story; how so often rejection is a result of poor timing, not necessary the quality of the work; having the confidence to identify as a writer; and a few different inspiring stories of perseverance - from chocolate makers to writers!

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

Louis Wain’s cat-centric art was extremely popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and some of his later work became an inspiration for the psychedelic movement of the 1960s.

Research:

• Beetles, Chris. “Louis Wain’s Cats.” Chris Beetles and Canongate Books. 2011, 2021.
• Benge-Abbott, Bryony. “Louis Wain’s Cryptic Cats.” Wellcome Collection. 5/19/2020. https://wellcomecollection.org/articles/Xrqh1BAAACMAhHcl
• Bethlem Museum of the Mind. “Louis Wain (1860-1939).” https://museumofthemind.org.uk/collections/gallery/artists/louis-william-wain
• Brill, Marta Wiktoria. “Louis Wain and His Weird Cats.” Daily Art Magazine. 8/8/2022. https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/louis-wain-cats/
• Dale, Rodney. “Louis Wain: The Man Who Drew Cats.” Michael O’Mara Books Limited. 1968, 1991.
• Damiani, Stefano. “The Cats of Louis Wain: A Thousand Ways to Draw One’s Mind.” American Journal of Psychiatry 175:4, April 2018.
• Henry Boxer Gallery. “Louis Wain.” https://www.outsiderart.co.uk/artists/louis-wain
• Hibbard, Ruth. “‘Paw-some’ cat drawings by Louis Wain.” Victoria and Albert Museum. 1/18/2022. https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-life/paw-some-cat-drawings-by-louis-wain
• Illustration Chronicles. “Cute Cats and Psychedelia: The Tragic Life of Louis Wain.” https://illustrationchronicles.com/cute-cats-and-psychedelia-the-tragic-life-of-louis-wain
• Jablensky, Assen. “The diagnostic concept of schizophrenia: its history, evolution, and future prospects.” Dialogues in clinical neuroscience vol. 12,3 (2010): 271-87. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2010.12.3/ajablensky
• McGennis, Aidan. “Louis Wain: his life, his art and his mental Illness.” Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine. Volume 16 Issue 1.
• Milton, Joseph. “How a mental disorder opened up an invisible world of colour and pattern.” Scientific American. 12/22/2011. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/creatology/how-a-mental-disorder-opened-up-an-invisible-world-of-colour-and-pattern/
• Parkin, Michael. "Wain, Louis William (1860–1939), artist." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Date of access 2 Nov. 2022, https://proxy.bostonathenaeum.org:2261/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-36677
• Stokes, Tim. “Louis Wain: The Artist Who Changed How We Think About Cats.” BBC. 12/28/2021. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-59518847
• Tambling, Kirsten. "The man who drew cats: Louis Wain's series of 'Kaleidoscope Cats' are often regarded as the acme of 'asylum art', but the tendency to pathologise his drawings may obscure what makes them so arresting and technically original." Apollo, vol. 194, no. 702, Nov. 2021, pp. 34+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A689978465/GPS?u=mlin_n_melpub&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=fe018abc. Accessed 1 Nov. 2022.
• Tambling, Kirsten. “Louis Wain, the man who drew cats.” Apollo Magazine. 12/15/2021. https://www.apollo-magazine.com/louis-wain-the-man-who-drew-cats/
• Tassell, Nige. “Louis Wain: the cat-loving artist who forever changed the way that we see our feline friends.” History Extra. 3/2/2022. https://www.historyextra.com/period/modern/louis-wain-cat-artist-caricature-mental-health-benedict-cumberbatch/
• The Expositor. “Cabbages and Kings By the Walrus.” 7/29/1939. https://www.newspapers.com/image/733377488/?terms=Louis%20Wain&match=1
• Holcombe, A.N. “The Telephone in Great Britain.” : The Quarterly Journal of Economics , Nov., 1906, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Nov., 1906). https://www.jstor.org/stable/1883751

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This week on Black and Published, Nikesha speaks with George McCalman, author of the book, Illustrated Black History: Honoring the Iconic and the Unseen. The work 
collects 145 of George's original portraits of Black pioneers alongside stirring profiles of why these individuals matter. A classically trained artist, his studio, McCalman.co creates long-lasting brands for clients across arts, lifestyle, food, and mobile media. He is a senior lecturer in graphic design at California College of Art and is the author and illustrator for the San Francisco Chronicle’s monthly “Observed” column. 

During our conversation, George discusses how rage fueled his publishing process, why he says book publishing is harmful for writers and artists, and how his mother's death clarified his vision for the book. 

Follow the Show:

IG: @blkandpublished
Twitter: @BLKandPublished

Follow Me:

IG: @nikesha_elise
Twitter: @Nikesha_Elise
Website: www.newwrites.com

Today I chat to award winning children's writer and illustrator, Sylva Fae about writing amd marketing children's books.

Find out more about Sylva

Amazon author.to/SylvaFae
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SylvaFae
Tiktok @sylvafae54
Instagram @sylvafae

This is an interview with the cover illustrators for Call of Cthulhu Sverige (Sweden) Emilie Ihre and Ola Larsson.

During Gothcon Andreas did many interviews with amazing people in the RPG community. Publishers, writers, illustrators etc.

For over 40 years, a yellow and red awning has hung over a seemingly deserted storefront.  No one ever seemed to go in or out. 
In 2018, R.A.I.D. took over this infamous and mysterious storefront.  It was like a time capsule from the 1980s: the bar, the ticket booth window, even the disco dance floor hadn't been touched for four decades. 
Ramon Perez is not a retailer. He's a successful illustrator, a cartoonist...he draws for Archie comics and the amazing Spider-Man!...he had a burning desire to turn this deserted dilapidated eyesore into a communal artist space. So who is Ramon Perez and what is R.A.I.D.? 

Enjoying the podcast? I am fiercely independent, and rely on listeners like you to help me stick around.
Can you share the episode on social media, or write a
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review in Apple podcasts?! I would be so grateful.

Marissa chats with Amy Kim Kibuishi and Kazu Kibuishi about their graphic novels - REALM OF THE BLUE MIST: BOOK ONE OF THE REMA CHRONICLES and AMULET - as well as the bittersweetness of reaching the end of a decades-long project; why romance might be more "acceptable" in middle grade graphic novels than prose novels (though Marissa would love to see more romance in both!); the state of the comics market and where it might be headed next; how living your life according to your values can help you be a good role model for young readers, without the pressures that sometimes come with a more public life; and some great advice for pacing yourself and your creative output, rather than always racing toward the next deadline, in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance and avoid the dreaded burnout.

Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/

The Interview

William Deresiewicz documents “how creators are struggling to survive in the age of billionaires and big tech,” which is the subtitle of his masterful new book, The Death of the Artist (Henry Holt). This book is a well-written examination of the creative economy, and how it has been hollowed out and de-monetized by tech spin and greed; the toxic nonsense otherwise known as “the gig economy,” Unlike most takedowns of these 21st Century post-digital-age doldrums, The Death of the Artist has some prescriptive advice and is rooted in reality-bites pragmatism. 
 

The Reading 

Deresiewicz reads from The Death of the Artist. 

Music by Languis

37:09 - Favorite Illustrators
38:37 - Mike Mignola, Chris Bachalo, Phil Hester
53:54 - Ryan Ottley
56:48 - Colorists: Rico Renzi, Ryan Cody, Justin Ponser, Josh Burcham, Joanna Lafuente, Priscilla Tramontano, Cliff Rathburn, Matt Wilson
1:02:50 - Jim Lee, Todd McFarland, Nick Dragotta, Tim Sale, Sean Phillips, Charlie Adler, Tom 
1:14:24 - Kei Zama
1:20:14 - Daniel Warren Johnson, Jerome Opeña, Matt Hollingsworth
1:29:18 - Jeff Lemire
1:32:55 - Nick Roche
1:36:56 - Casey Coller

Niamh Chapman and Kate Johnson talk to award winning illustrator and author Coral Tulloch. We learn how creating a picture book is remarkably similar to working on a scientific project, involving observation, collaboration and extensive research. We hear about Coral’s experience of Antarctica and Macquarie Island, the subject of some of her books, along with her collaborations with both Australian author Alison Lester and the many scientists she has worked with along the way. 

Show theme music: Kevin MacLeod

Host: Niamh Chapman (@nchapmanTAS) & Kate Johnson (@KatePlantPhys)
Production: Meredith Castles (@meredithcastles), Olly Dove (@littledove440) & Sarah Lyden
Media & Promotion: Olivia Holloway (@LivHolloway_), Kate Johnson (@KatePlantPhys)

Aishwarya chats with Harshad Marathe (freelance illustrator and designer) about how book covers are the face of an author’s work and how they help in attracting readers.

Harshad breaks down the designing process: from getting the brief to finalizing the cover. He recounts his experience of designing brilliant book covers for Prayaag Akbar’s Leila and Perumal Murugan’s books like Rising Heat and Trial by Silence. He has also illustrated children’s books like Muezza and Baby Jaan by Anita Nair!

Harshad and Aishwarya chat about how they always remember the title and cover of a good book and how difficult it is for artists to be satisfied with their own work. He gives some solid tips to aspiring designers and freelancers on how to build connections, choose between projects and quote the right price. Do book cover designs change across genres? How involved are publishers and authors in the design process? What’s a freelancer’s life really like? Tune in to find out!

Book cover designers to look out for:

• Gunjan Ahlawat, Creative Head at Penguin Random House India
• Amit Malhotra, Senior Designer at HarperCollins
• Pinaki De, Freelance Graphic Designer

Harshad Marathe is an award winning illustrator. He is a versatile artist and he works in many different mediums - traditional and digital. What he loves most is working with traditional mixed media on paper. In his opinion, if his own art doesn’t surprise him, it won’t surprise anybody, and that’s how he gauges whether he has done something successfully or not. Find him on Instagram @twentytightslaps.

‘The Book People’ is brought to you by Bound, a company that creates stories and helps individuals and brands tell their stories. Writer and booklover Aishwarya Javalgekar interviews people whose lives and careers revolve around books. Read more: https://boundindia.com/the-book-people-podcast/

If you need help with getting your book publishing ready with editing or designing services, DM us @boundindia on social media or email us at connect@boundindia.com. 

Our FREE research report on ‘Demystifying Indian Publishing’ is out now! Download it here: https://boundindia.com/demystifying-the-indian-publishing-industry/

Soundtrack: Fork and Spoon  

Ever wondered what goes in to self-publishing a book? I have heard from so many entrepreneurs, especially over the past year, who are finally starting to dust off their book idea(s) and turn them into reality.

Our guests this week, Miriam Wagliardo (published author and tradeshow event producer) and Nancy Giammarco (published author, illustrator and sound engineer) did just that. They tell us all about the steep learning curve of the process, tools they used, their first 'COVID' marketing phase, and their plans for getting their book into the mainstream post-pandemic.

The Start

• Miriam: dancing ballet professionally and teaching, singer in a band, interior design, tradeshow event producer
• Nancy:  Market degree, website design, guitars/keyboards/backing vocals in bands, sound engineer
• The two met with the band Mojo Dolls

The Shift

• Nancy had written and illustrated a book, Under the Purple Sea, and posted drawings to Facebook
• These drawings inspired Marian to reach out to Nancy to collaborate

 The Strategy

• Miriam's vivid dreams would be the foundation of the book
• The process they created to get this book finished - remotely and during COVID

The Action

• Before long, they had enough content to finalize their book collab, "Oh Look! It's a Bird!"
• Using Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) the began their self-publishing journey
• Their key learnings from this process (pay attention here!)

The Mindset

• Nancy:  To recharge - walking the dog (check out stories of her dog Tuff here), weightlifting, and practice illustrating everyday. Read, study, take classes to learn new elements of illustration
• Miriam: To recharge - working out (especially crucial when recovering from a serious car accident in 2016), painting, sewing
• Goals and Vision
   
  • Working on their next book 
  • Implement marketing campaign once COVID restrictions lift, including international elements

The Wrap-Up

If you could listen to one music artist for the rest of your life, who would it be?

Miriam - Journey

Nancy - Fleetwood Mac

Where can people find you online?

• "Oh Look! It's a Bird!" on Amazon
• Instagram

Wireframe is back with a fresh season all about design and creativity. We're digging into all kinds of stories about how designers shape our everyday lives—graphic designers, UX designers, typographers, illustrators, artists, activists, and more. We'll learn from them about how we can unlock creativity for all. Hosted by Khoi Vinh, senior director of design at Adobe. Learn more about how Adobe Creative Cloud can you help you create great work at adobe.ly/wireframe.