Individual Artist Project Grant

In a wider view of community, picture books are so important! Picture books for very small children, especially, are almost always shared in a community setting, as it takes both the child and adult together to experience it fully. I love that this book, in that way, would be a small community-maker wherever it is read. I picture that happening with this books in homes, at the library and at the many nature preschools Duluth hosts, where the subject matter of this book is a natural fit. I also believe this book will be adding beauty and wonder to the reading possibilities in small children's lives. The text of this book is intentionally sparse to create lots of spacious room for wonder and imagination. The illustrations will be of freely playful children in nature. The child may imagine themself in the pictures or simply feel encouraged, after reading and looking at the pictures, to go out and play, no matter the weather. The diverse weather and landscape of northern Minnesota will also be reflected in the illustrations, allowing children and adults of this area alike to connect more deeply to the book.By completing the work outlined in this application, I will have, at the end date, experientially gone through all the essential stages of illustrating a picture book and therefore gained valuable experience and knowledge of the full picture book making process. I will prepare complete and thoughtful sketches for review, custom textures necessary for these unique digital collages and the nine, final, two-page spreads and cover. This process will include the reception and consideration of requested revisions, applying that feedback with edits to the art. In short, I will accomplish the illustration of a full book from start to finish. By completing these three spreads I will have an actual, printed book, useful in submitting to potential agents. I believe getting to experience this book making process will also give me a better understanding of the picture book work I want to do in the future and even give me more language to share about myself and my process to agents I query. Because of the work I have done with clients, I have many years' practice of abiding by timelines and delivering finished art within the expectations agreed upon. I've learned how long the different stages of the process take?from brainstorming to sketching to the actual hours behind making textures to scan and constructing a final digital collage. I've also learned that a good walk in the woods can get me unstuck and out of artists' block! This kind of knowledge helps make an accurate scope and clear plan to completion. Last summer, when collaborator and friend, Natalie Salminen Rude and I co-created the exhibit, Fables of the North Shore, I learned even more about the flow and time behind a project that requires the intense work of two people together. There's giving and taking, so much communicating and powerful decision making towards a common goal. I am prepared and energized to step into that setting again with the timely goal of illustrating a portion of my first picture book.This work with these goals will be a success when each stage of the illustrating process is completed in a timely manner and leads to the completion of the entire book. Having an official, tangible and completed book, as well as having had the experience of going through the entire illustration process in my portfolio is a measurable change in what I can present to possible agents. This will also have a shaping effect on how I move forward as a picture book maker. Speaking experientially to agents about this process will give me confidence and awareness of what I can do and my voice as an illustrator. I will also conduct a SWOT analysis of the process for myself to further clarify how I want to approach the next book I have the opportunity to make and giving me more direction in what I communicate in the agent query process.