Rescheduled Sketch Book Event

If you've been lamenting missing out on the wonderful event planned by Michael Austin last weekend, cheer up! The trip to the North Georgia Zoo and Petting Farm has been rescheduled for this Saturday, April 26th. (Fingers are crossed for beautiful weather this time.) Here's the plan:

• RSVP to me, Kathleen Bradshaw, for head count and lunch plans at the vineyard. 
• Meet at the Barnes and Noble in the Forum Shops, 5155 Peachtree Parkway, Norcross at 9:00 AM
• Caravan up to the North Georgia Zoo via GA 400. (North Georgia folk can drive over and meet everyone at the park.)
• Park opens at 10:00.
• Prices are $8/adult, $6/child (2-11 years old)
• Check out the zoo website for more information about specific attractions and tours.

Award winning illustrator and Southern Breezer Michael A. Austin has planned a great day, complete with prompts for writers and illustrators. So come one, come all! (Don't forget to give me the head's up.)

See you there.

Kathleen

Kathleen Bradshaw

Co Regional Advisor

SCBWI Southern Breeze

Sketch Book Event - Let's Go To The Zoo!

Mark your calendar! Our next Sketch Book Event will be Saturday, April 19th at the North Georgia Zoo! For those who don't live nearby, we will meet at 9:00 am at the Barnes & Noble at The Forum (5155 Peachtree Parkway, Norcross) and head up together from there. We'll spend a lovely day drawing fuzzy critters, then grab some lunch nearby. Afterwards, Paula Puckett has invited us to drop by her Alpaca farm where cookies and lemonade will be served. (She's just down the road.) Does this not sound like a wonderful way to spend the Saturday before Easter?

Writers - Michael A. Austin hosts and he gives out writing prompts as well as illustrator prompts, so you are welcome to come. We do need everybody to RSVP please to either michael@austinillustration.com or elizabethdulemba@mac.com.

I hope you can join us!

e
Elizabeth O. Dulemba
SCBWI Southern Breeze Illustrator Coordinator

2014 Illustrators' Day Wrap-Up

by Illustrator Coordinator, Elizabeth O. Dulemba

*Whew!* The whirlwind is over, I had my annual coma/nap/collapse upon returning home. All said, our 2014 SCBWI Southern Breeze Illustrators' Day and Springmingle Conference were great successes! Since ID is my baby (I'm Illustrator Coordinator), I'll start with that one...
     Our speakers this year were spectacular and complimented each other beautifully: Ruth Sanderson (award-winning illustrator); Loraine Joyner (Art Director for Peachtree Publishing); Cheryl Willis Hudson (Just Us Books); and Lucy Ruth Cummins (Art Director for S&S/Paula Wiseman Books).

     Ruth talked about storyboarding, which was basically a walk-through of how to create a book - fantastic! Loraine mentored twelve of our attendees on a three-month long project building up to ID and she went way above and beyond what any of us expected. Here's the gang with their finished products (click to see it bigger in a new window):
Cheryl talked about diversity in children's books, which was timely and something we all need to be more aware of. Lucy Ruth was hilarious as she walked us through the design process and gave tips for how illustrators can be on ADs radar more. I also gave my 15-minute soap-box about working with self-publishers - what to expect and ask for. We had a panel with our speakers, and once again did our Quickfire portfolio reviews, in which the panel spends two minutes on each portfolio giving knee-jerk feedback - SO informative and educational for everybody!
     I've been going through the comments people wrote on their name tags (which they then turned in for the giveaway - a free copy of Ruth Sanderson's kickstarter anthology of her work - GOLDEN DREAMS - a real treasure), and the response has been just gushing about how much everybody enjoyed the day and really learned a ton, which is the whole point!

Photos by Prescott Hill, Asst. Illustrator Coordinator, used with permission.