July 2014: COSCBWI Illustrator Meeting

 

 

This month's COSCBWI Illustrator Meeting was packed with eager artists.  Since so many new illustrators have recently joined COSCBWI, Illustrator Coordinator, Stella Hickman, first provided an encore demonstration on how to build a character model using wire, aluminum foil, and modeling clay.  (You can read about the process here from my summary of the February COSCBWI Illustrator Meeting.)  With astonishing speed, Stella sculpted an adorable bust of her mouse character.  At Stella's request, another member brought in her own finished model of a feline character, complete with posable, jointed arms and legs.  The possibilities are endless when it comes to building a character model, and they can be as simple or complex as you choose to make them.  Even the simplest figure will still help an artist draw their character consistently from different angles, and Stella highly recommended that all illustrators try this technique.

 

After the demonstration, Stella led a group critique session for the fairy tale/nursery rhyme/folk tale project.  As I mentioned in my prior posts, the COSCBWI illustrators have been hard at work creating portfolio pieces based on well-known tales (like Goldilocks and the Three Bears), by putting their own unique spin on the story.  Many members brought their art to share, from final illustrations to work-in-process pieces.  Stella provided constructive feedback and opened the floor to group feedback, too.  It's always wonderful to see everyone's art process, from sketches to fully-rendered pictures.  (I'll be sharing my finished piece on my blog soon!)

Once the critiques were done, Regional Advisor, Linda Miller, gave some announcements about COSCBWI's exciting upcoming events, including the August 2nd Query Workshop with YA author Mindy McGinnis, and the 2nd Annual Member Exhibition (set to open in late 2014).  You can find out more about those awesome events here: http://ohiocensouth.scbwi.org/.

If you'd like to learn more about COSCBWI, please check out the link above, and be sure to "like" the group on Facebook.  I hope to see you at the next meeting!