Tugeau2 Artist Interview

This month T2 artist, Jane Smith, is interviewing fellow T2 artist, Natalia Vasquez, on the blog, Bird Meets Worm. Read it today!

T2 Artist Jane Smith & SILA Illustration West 51

We are excited to share that T2 Artist Jane Smith’s mama hen and baby chicks illustration that appeared in the April 2012 issue of Babybug magazine has been selected to be part of the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles Illustration West 51 Exhibition. This is an annual exhibition juried by illustration professionals and we are honored she is included.

 

You can view the exhibition in person (Seeing the originals is always so amazing! Jane’s chickens are made with fabric and paper collage – so neat to see up close and personal.) at Gallery Nucleus in Los Angeles Friday, March 8th thru Tuesday, March 12th. There will a reception on Friday evening from 7-10pm. Come out a celebrate!

 

And if you can’t make it out in person, the entire exhibition will be available for your viewing pleasure later this month on the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles website. Hooray!

Great reviews for Natalia Vasquez’s Catching Fish!

Getting ready…

Illustration by Chris Lyles

 

 

Thursday Afternoon

Well I’m still reeling from the launch of our new website last week.  The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and I can’t tell you how good it feels to work from this new space. The Artists are settling in as well — the site is editable and accessible to them 24 / 7 which is nothing short of amazing —  working out the kinks, uploading and editing their portfolios with notes to me along the way.  I’m loving the conversations this has opened up and the new ways in which several of the Artists are looking at –”seeing” or “perceiving” — their work.  Given a chance to show their latest and greatest illustration without overwhelming the website viewer is a challenge to be sure.  For some, it’s obvious.  For others, especially those Artists with various styles or artists who have come a long way in a short time, it takes some thought and doing.

Speaking of doing, how are those manuscripts and book dummies coming along?

Happy creating.  And happy Thursday afternoon,

 

Nicole T.

Natalia Vasquez | Exhibition in Croatia

Natalia Vasquez will exhibit her illustration work alongside her super-talented colleagues from around the world in the 6th Children’s Book Fair, taking place June 26 – July 6, 2012 in Sibenik, Croatia.  The exhibit honors 200 years of Brother’s Grimm Fairy Tales.  Here’s the exhibition poster and Natalia’s beautiful work that will be part of the show.  

Quoted : Book Expo America 2012

Here’s a link to a Cleveland Plain Dealer article I was quoted in over a week ago.  The article summarizes book editor, Karen Long’s, response to her experience at Book Expo America.  Karen happened to be eavesdropping on my random conversation with a grade school parent I ran into at the airport on the way home. I’m so glad Karen introduced herself!  I mean, when will I ever again be quoted in the same article as Richard Russo and Stephen Colbert?

I encourage you to read the article and note my optimism.  It’s sincere and well documented even during these summer months of 2012.  The editors I spoke with at the Expo and a full day of client visits in the city, tell me they are LOOKING for manuscripts (picture books and leveled readers in particular).  Good ones.  And those manuscripts will need illustrators if they aren’t written and illustrated by the same talent. Strong, smart, creative character sells.  Original, inspired art sells.  Good writing sells.  Good books sell.  But these things don’t appear out of nowhere.  Like a successful garden they are cultivated and nurtured, planted and pruned, and sometimes they take years to bear good fruit.  Don’t let this last part stop you.  Sit down and get to work.