Beth Gismondi

First Blogiversary!

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:47:00 -0500

(Photo via 1828)

It is hard to believe, but one year ago today, I started this blog. Thank you for reading my ramblings, for looking at my artwork, for commenting on or asking me about my blog, and for encouraging me to continue. It feels like a big accomplishment to have kept this thing going for one whole year!

This blog has definitely evolved since I started it last February. At that time, I was planning to write about children’s book illustration, my personal artistic process, and the work of other illustrators who inspire me. Although those things were and still are most important to me, I have discovered that it is really hard to restrict myself to justthose three topics. I am interested in so many other things, too, like (other types of) art, design, writing, and pop culture. And so, over time, I’ve allowed those interests to creep in to my posts, and this blog has grown to become a reflection of me!

Here’s to another year of blogging!

Millionaire Muralist

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:39:00 -0500

I read something pretty cool yesterday: last Wednesday’s Facebook IPO made muralist David Choe a multimillionaire. Reports are estimating that Choe is now sitting on cool $200 million in stock.

So how did Facebook’s IPO turn a muralist into a millionaire? Well, back in 2005, then-Facebook president Sean Parker hired Choe to paint the walls of Facebook’s office. Parker gave Choe the choice of $60,000 cash or the equivalent in Facebook stock options as payment. Although Choe reportedly thought Facebook “a joke,” he did believe in Parker and decided to take a risk. In other words, he chose the stock options. Little did Choe know that Facebook would be worth an estimated $5 billion today. Over the years, it is likely that Choe sold off some of his shares. Hopefully, he held on to enough of them to cash them in for some serious money later this year.

Meanwhile, Choe’s murals are still on display in Facebook’s new offices (the company brought them when they upgraded to a new location). According to the New York Times, the estimated $200 million value of those murals rivals the “record-breaking” amount Sotheby’s brought in for a group of Damien Hirst paintings back in 2008.

The moral of this story is: if you are going to work for free (which Choe was essentially doing for Facebook back in 2005), make sure you are getting some equity in the company in lieu of payment. You never know!

Also, having Sean Parker on board doesn’t hurt. Just saying.

New Pinterest Board

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:55:00 -0500

I am hard at work on my new “Alice and the Caterpillar” illustration. I had about a million inspiration/reference photos bookmarked on my computer, so I finally decided to compile them all into a new Pinterest board. Check it out by clicking the photo below!

(via Pinterest)

RISD XYZ Featuring Selznik, Wiesner, and Krosoczka

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:59:00 -0500

I graduated from Rhode Island School of Design’s Continuing Education (RISD CE) Children’s Book Certificate program a few years ago (a fantastic experience that I really need to post about at some point). One of the best perks of being an alumna of the program is that I now receive RISD’s alumni magazine, RISD XYZ. Truly, every issue is a fantastic read!

Anyway, RISD has produced a lot of reallllllly famous children’s book illustrators and tends to feature them in RISD XYZ (one of the things I love most about the magazine). This month’s issue features a great article about Brian Selznik (2008 Caldecott Medal winner), David Wiesner (1992, 2001, and 2007 Caldecott Medal winner; 1989 and 2000 Caldecott Honor winner), and Jarrett Krosoczka (future Caldecott winner, author/illustrator of the Punk Farm books and the soon-to-be-made-into-major-motion-picture-starring-Amy-Poehler Lunch Lady series). Wiesner has long been one of my illustration heroes, and Selznik and Krosoczka are quickly becoming two of my newer favorites. I really enjoyed this article because it focuses on how each illustrator got his start, how each ended up at RISD, and what impact art school made on each illustrator’s career.

I was very sad not to be able to share this perfectly-themed article on my blog, and then lo and behold!—Krosoczka linked to a web version of it on his blog. I am happy to report that a mere click on the image below will bring you straight to the article and back issues of RISD XYZ:

“Drawing Inspiration” by Francie Latour (RISD XYZ Fall 2011, via Issuu and JJK Blog).

Colbert Interviews Sendak, Hilarity Ensues

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:18:00 -0500

The Colbert Report aired a two-part interview with children’s book author, illustrator, and lovable curmudgeon Maurice Sendak last week. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the full interview below:

“Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak, Part 1” (via Colbert Nation)

“Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak, Part 2” (via Colbert Nation)

Amazing! That man is a national treasure.

Furball "Friday"

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:44:54 -0500

Underpainting

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:58:27 -0500

My “new work” of the week is actually the underpainting of an ongoing illustration project I’ve been working on this month (see the original drawing here). It is by no means a final painting, but rather the monochromatic step that comes before the application of color. It is kind of rough looking, but I made a commitment to posting about my process, warts and all!

I used acryla gouache in raw umber, white, and a tiny bit of ultramarine blue deep for this underpainting layer. I also made sure to leave the lightest parts of the image alone (i.e., Alice and the sky). Next week, I will begin layering color on top, gradually building to the final painting.

Although the underpainting gets completely covered up by color eventually, I really enjoy the process of it. I find that the underpainting helps me to establish my areas of lights and darks (kind of like a map for the color step), and serves as valuable practice for the final painting. By the time I move on to color, I’m already aware of the trickiest parts of the illustration and have a plan for dealing with them (in this illustration, the hardest area is the giant section of grass…I must be a glutton for punishment).

See you on Friday! The furballs will be making their triumphant comeback.

2012 NESCBWI Conference

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:43:00 -0500

I want to remind everyone to register for the 2012 New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (NESCBWI) Conference today. This year, the conference will take place on April 20–22 in Springfield, Massachusetts. If you are in the area and are interested in children’s book writing or illustrating (or both), you should definitely think about attending this event! Registration opened yesterday, and tickets are selling fast.

Last year was my first time at the conference, and I thought it was well worth the investment of time and money. Whereas some of the larger SCBWI conferences focus on marketing and trends in the publishing industry, the NESCBWI regional conference is more geared toward craft and offers many fantastic workshops about writing and illustrating. Check out my recaps of last year’s conference here:

Conference overview:
http://bethgismondiblog.tumblr.com/post/5563440549/nescbwi-conference

Keynote speeches:
http://bethgismondiblog.tumblr.com/post/5592564671/nescbwi-conference-keynote-speeches

Workshops (day 1):
http://bethgismondiblog.tumblr.com/post/5627203849/nescbwi-conference-saturday-workshops

Workshops (day 2):
http://bethgismondiblog.tumblr.com/post/5656884818/nescbwi-conference-sunday-workshops

I am really excited to attend the conference again this year. I registered for an illustrators’ academy, a portfolio review, and a submissions strategy review, as well as a few workshops focused on writing and on how to illustrate a book dummy. Additionally, I have decided to submit work to the poster contest and the portfolio showcase this year. I am going to be very busy between now and April preparing my work!

To register for the NESCBWI conference, go here:
http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1033118

I hope to see you there!

2012 Caldecott and Newbery Winners

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:12:37 -0500

It is an exciting day for children’s book illustrators, writers, and enthusiasts everywhere: the Caldecott and Newbery Medal and Honor winners were announced today at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting.

Taking home the Caldecott Medal for children’s book illustration was Chris Raschka, for his wordless picture book, A Ball for Daisy.

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
(Schwartz & Wade, image via The Horn Book)

Caldecott honors went to Patrick McDonnell (Me…Jane), John Rocco (Blackout), and Lane Smith (Grandpa Green). It is very interesting to note that all four illustrators also wrote the books for which they won. (This doesn’t happen every year.) I am especially excited for John Rocco, as I am a big fan of his work!

Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell
(Little, Brown, image via The Horn Book)

Blackout by John Rocco
(Hyperion, image via Kirkus Reviews)

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
(Roaring Brook Press, image via The Horn Book)

In related news, Jack Gantos won the Newbery Medal for his novel, Dead End in Norvelt. The Newbery Honor winners were Thanhhai Lai (Inside Out & Back Again) and Eugene Yelchin (Breaking Stalin’s Nose).

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
(Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, image via A Fuse #8 Production)

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhai Lai
(HarperCollins, image via A Fuse #8 Production)

Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin
(Henry Holt, image via Sommer Reading)

Congrats to all!

Read about all of the ALA awards (including the Geisel and Sibert medals) here:
http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia

New Work

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:19:00 -0500

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago (I’m sorry to keep repeating myself if you are a regular reader of this blog!), I made a painting for my grandfather for Christmas. I tried to recreate the plane he flew in World War II (an A-20 Havoc).

Knowing the model type of the plane allowed me to search online for reference photos, and I was able to use those as my guide for the plane’s shape and base color. However, because the markings and tail colors were squadron-specific, I had to work off of actual photos of my grandfather’s plane for the fine details.

I worked in acryla gouache and used pencils to sharpen some of the smaller parts of the plane (propeller, windows, etc.). I also used really, really tiny brushes for the plane’s markings. I started with a very light washes and then built up to full opacity on certain sections of the plane. Here is the final painting:

You can read about the first few steps of my process (including reference-gathering and drawing) here: http://bethgismondiblog.tumblr.com/post/14591867426/new-work. If you do, you may notice that the final artwork differs from the original drawing, in that the plane is missing wheels. That is because I decided to make the plane in flight, rather than grounded. Unfortunately, I arrived at that decision mid-painting, so I actually had to start over. Sometimes it is just easier to scrap the whole thing than to fix it! That was the case here, and I used the opportunity to tweak the colors more to my liking on the second go.

SOPA Blackout

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:38:00 -0500

This blog is going on a one-day hiatus today in protest of SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). To learn more about the censorship bills and why most bloggers are protesting them, check out this short video:

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet (via Fight for the Future on Vimeo)

To read more about SOPA and PIPA, visit the following sites:

SOPA Bill: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.3261:
SOPA Blackout: http://sopablackout.org/learnmore/
Lifehacker: http://lifehacker.com/5860205/all-about-sopa-the-bill-thats-going-to-cripple-your-internet

New Work

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:08:48 -0500

Here is a new piece I’ve been working on this week. It is a scene from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (see my previous Through the Looking Glass illustration here). I hope to be back next week with a painting update!

The Obliteration Room

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:45:56 -0500

The Obliteration Room is an installation created by artist Yayoi Kusama and housed at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art. Kusama built an all-white room, and provided each child museum visitor with colored dot stickers and instructions to decorate the room. Here is what happened over a period of two weeks:

(All images via Colossal)

A simple idea and some pretty amazing results!

Odds and Ends

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:27:00 -0500

Today’s post is going to be a mishmosh of topics, so I apologize in advance!

(1) Comments enabled! I made good on another new year’s resolution today: I finally figured out how to install the Disqus commenting feature on this blog. It took some trial and error (and I was a little gun shy after a nearly disastrous attempt at hacking my HTML code a few months ago), but I did it!

Here is the link to the instructions I used:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/22032/add-traditional-comments-to-tumblr-blogs-with-disqus/

(Side note: In the end, I had to use BOTH automatic and the manual methods mentioned in this article in order to make the commenting feature to work correctly with my theme.)

(2) Weekend Google doodling. Google honored cartoonist Charles Addams with a doodle based on his most famous creation, The Addams Family, this past Saturday. Pretty cool! I had no idea that The Addams Family was a cartoon before it was a television show. In case you missed the Addams Google doodle, here it is:

(3) Go see Hugo! Lastly, I saw the movie Hugo over the weekend, and it was fantastic. Hugo was based on the 2008 Caldecott-winning children’s book by Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I am ashamed to admit that I haven’t “read” (in quotes because the story is wordless and told entirely through illustrations) the book yet, but I plan on picking up a copy as soon as possible.

Hugo tells the story of late French director Georges Méliès. Although Selznick’s story is technically fiction, it is based on mostly true facts about the filmmaker. As someone who is interested in writing historical fiction and creative nonfiction for kids, I am blown away by Selznick’s work on so many levels. First, Selznick chose a great, true topic—Méliès—that lends itself perfectly to children’s fiction. Méliès’ life was so unbelievably strange and magical that it almost seemed made up to begin with. Second, Selznick expertly crafted that true story into fiction, with just the right additions of a younger character’s point of view, suspenseful pacing, and stunning visuals (I’ve read that the movie’s cinematography follows Selznick’s illustrations pretty closely). Anyway, please go see Hugo—you won’t be sorry!

Furball Friday

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:30:00 -0500

Happy (belated) holidays!

New Work

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:13:19 -0500

Keeping with my new year’s resolution, I am posting original work today. As I mentioned yesterday, I made a painting for my mom a couple of weeks ago for her birthday. I couldn’t post anything about the project at the time (I didn’t want to ruin the surprise for my mom, since she reads this blog). Luckily, I knew that I would eventually post about it this week, so I took photographs throughout the process.

Here is how the painting evolved, from initial sketch to final framed painting:

Step 1: Working from a photo my husband took at Westbury Gardens, I started with a line drawing of a flower. I then photographed my line drawing, isolated and adjusted levels in Photoshop, and printed it on to watercolor paper. Once I had printed out the drawing, I went over it (very lightly) with colored pencils.

Step 2: Next, I shaded in the original line drawing. Although I don’t use the fully shaded drawing for the actual painting, I find that going through this step allows me to “learn” the subject. I can focus on where areas of darkness and lightness are in the picture before complicating matters with color.

Step 3: Then it was on to the fun part: mixing colors and coming up with a palette.

Step 4: Finally, I sat down and actually started painting. I used acryla gouache as my primary medium, and colored pencil for some of the very fine details at the end. I worked with thin washes of color, building up to some areas of opacity toward the center of the flower. Painting took a few days.

Step 5: Lastly, I matted and framed the artwork to the desired dimensions.

See you tomorrow for Furball Friday!

New Year's Resolutions

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:12:00 -0500

First and foremost, happy new year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I took the last two weeks of 2011 off from blogging, in order to finish up two paintings for Christmas gifts. I made a picture of a World War II plane for my grandfather (see the initial sketch here), and a flower painting for my mom. I am happy to say I finished, matted, and framed both paintings just in the nick of time.

Anyway, I am back to blogging now, and what better way to ring in the new year than with some resolutions? Here are my art- and blog-related goals for 2012:

(1) Post new work once a week. It doesn’t have to be a finished painting…even a small character sketch, or significant progress of an ongoing illustration project will suffice.

(2) Enter some contests and submit to more magazines. Let’s face it, landing a book deal could take years. It is good to cast a wide net!

(3) Figure out how to enable comments on my blog. This is something I attempted (and failed at) in 2011, but I am not giving up. I vow to devote some time and effort toward this task.

(4) Complete a full book dummy (a draft of a full picture book, including all text and illustration sketches, plus two or three finished illustrations). I already have a first draft of my story and a few illustrations. Now comes the hard part: revising my text so that I can start to move forward with page planning and sketches.

(5) Build a new portfolio site. At the moment, www.bethgismondi.com redirects to my portfolio page at Coroflot. That’s fine for now, but it’s not a permanent solution. I need to work on building a clean-looking, easy-to-maintain website of my own.

So there you have it: a good mix of short-term and long-term goals. I am hoping to begin putting resolution #1 into practice this week, so look for new work tomorrow!

New Work

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:24:00 -0500

This week’s blog is going to be a little light, unfortunately. I am very busy trying to finish up a few projects.

One of the things I am working is a Christmas gift for my grandfather. He was a major in the Air Force during World War II, so I decided to make him a painting of the plane he flew during that time. I am working off a lot of different images of the plane model, but am using my grandfather’s photos as a reference for the plane markings that were specific to his squadron.

Here are two of the reference photos of my grandfather’s plane:

And here is my line drawing of the plane:

This week, I printed the line drawing on to watercolor paper. I kept the drawing very simple (just outlines), and adjusted the levels in Photoshop so that the image was barely discernible when printed (I didn’t want the drawing to bleed once paint was applied).

Next, I began painting the image with acryla gouache. This is the first time I have used acryla gouache for a non-children’s book illustration (in the past I’ve always used regular gouache). I decided to switch to acryla gouache this time because it is more durable, dries fast, and can be layered without too much risk of muddying colors. Time is of the essence here, as Christmas is on Sunday!

I am hoping to post the finished painting tomorrow or on Friday. Please check back to see my progress!

Furball Friday

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:16:04 -0500

Frenemies!

Daily Drop Cap

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:34:00 -0500

retty cool, eh? I came across this fun website today: Daily Drop Cap. Every day, designer Jessica Hische creates and posts a new decorative drop cap. Jessica started the site in September 2009, which means that there are over 520 letters through which to browse in the archives. It is really fun (and inspiring) to see all of the different styles Jessica has come up with. Talk about creative! Who knew there were so many (new) ways to draw a “P”?

ll of the letters on Daily Drop Cap are free for noncommercial use, and Jessica has kindly provided code for each letter within each post on her site. If you are designing a new website and need some decorative elements, Daily Drop Cap is a great resource. (I would love to use some of these drop caps for print design, but I think they are only available for web design.)

Check out Daily Drop Cap here: http://www.dailydropcap.com
Jessica’s personal website is pretty cool, too: http://jessicahische.is/awesome