Tips to Sketch Children

Hi, Friends, are you enjoying sketching children? All of us want to capture their innocent beauty, don't we? Capturing children is not hard. First of all, please trust in your own eyes. All of us can tell how old a child is and what feeling s/he has. If so, we all have wonderful knowledge about what children are. Just use your eyes' perception and depict kids on paper. Observe children carefully. Answers will be your precious art assets. A child's face expression and movement interest me most. I sketched these kids last week in two or three days. Then, one of the sketch was developed into watercolour below.

1) How old is that child?
Children's body proportion and faces are crucial to tell an age. As they grow, a big head gets smaller, a face is changing and they get taller. "Pratice makes perfect" is the best way to learn it. Just draw it for tens of millions times.

2) Find a drama and seize the moment.  
Get a child's mood. Choose an interesting movement. A dramatic moment attracts viewers and very eye pleasant. I love sketch them! 

3) Set an angle carefully
I'm very fussy about an aspect to capture a moving child. Very much like a hunter, I'm waiting for the favorite moment in a child's movement, while holding a graphite.  

4) Pick up one thing to say in drawing. 
Daily observation allows us to capture the best moment on spot. In other words, if we do not try children everyday, we cannot either find children or seize them in drawing. 
Just keep drawing.

Finally, I'd add, "Sketching children gives you smile and fun!" Sure, kids will come to you and ask you, "Can I draw (with you)?"  

Now, I'm preparing for the jammed schedule. I organise time and list up necessary things and what-to-do in order. Being well planned is crucially important to achieve a goal. Not easy, but I'll do my best. Thank you for warm and strong encouragements!!
You, too, Friends, Happy Painting and Drawing!

Tips to Sketch Children

2015 Sadami Solo Exhibition in October

Sadami first solo exhibition "Over the Moon with Watercolour!" 
The exhibition will celebrate the collected works of Sadami Konchi with a special focus on her new picture book, Moon. It will display a beautiful marriage between a text and illustrations by imagination, creativity and interpretation. 
Plus, free watercolour painting workshops! 

Where: Chrissie Cottee Gallery run by Marrickville Council (map)
             Pidcock St, Camperdown NSW 2050
When : 20th Oct to 2nd Nov, every day from 10 am to 5pm.
             Opening 21st Oct from 6pm to 8pm. 
Watercolour Painting Workshops : Open to broader community and people with disability. Booking essential. 
            Tue 27th Oct 2-3:30 pm    10 adults
            Fri 30th Oct 10 - 11:30 am    10 adults 
            Fri  30th Oct  3:30 – 4:30 pm   10 children ( 6-10 yrs)
Cost : Free 
Wheel access, accessile tolilet, 1 disabled parking spot available. 

Contact : skonchi1@gmail.com 

My birthday 29th Oct is right in the exhibition period. The Council staff and I are planning to have my own birthday party as well as book signing.  

"Moon Front Cover." Moon written by Matt Zurbo, illustrated by Sadami Konchi 
and edited by Helen Chamberlin will be published by Windy Hollow this August.  

The project is supported by Accessible Arts (AARTS) 

on behalf of the Lifetime Care and Support Authority (LTCSA) 

Thank u, Marrickville Council! They posted my news on the facebook. 

Especially, the process of developing images will interest visitors. Dummy books and unselected images reveal our methods and lots of efforts that are usually unknown to the public. You can enjoy the interpretation of a Moon text, story boards, roughs and finalised images.  

Moon text, story boards, 3 dummies (b&w, colour). 
Which dummies shall I exhibit? Several dummies were made to examine the information flow etc. 
All dummies are so precious. Illustrators call them, "My kids!" Sure! 

As well as Moon, the collection of my best work includes Doug Moran semi finalist, Art Access Australia finalists, daily watercolour sketches, life drawings, photos of a community work, Wesley Building Dreams, plus all publications : education picture books, "Poetic Justice" and "Quotable Winston Churchill." 

"Dignity," Doug Moran semifinalist 2012

Also, my art activities have a unique spectrum that includes community work. I’d demonstrate the abilities of people with disability, because my disability has motivated me to be an artist. The portraits and studies give a background to my humanistic approach; how I see people with empathy. Lively watercolour portraits are spontaneous and beautiful that show any person is precious and special.

Arts Access Australia finalist 2011

..and of course ?! myself, too! "Sadami" will be exhibited. Come and have a chat with me or question about illustration and art work in person. In a competitive picture book industry, I’m successfully climbing up to a debut with the celebration of Australian legends such as Ann James, Helen Chamberlin, Libby Gleeson AM, and other top notches. The council staff says, "We are excited!" Me, too!

At the same time, I have "assignments" to work on such as the selection of work, how to hang them and resources etc, etc. I'm exploring resources to organise this exhibition. Not easy and so competitive. Help and good advice are needed. Blog friends(=you!), mentors, editors, council staff, experienced artists friends, peak bodies, academia, supporters are helping me. Everything is a new experience. I'm learning lots. I just do my best! Your warm cheers are my energy to tackle the obstacles and I'll find answers. 

Yes, I'm holding the stuff all related to Moon for "desk work"! The real work has a different size. 
Most of my images are on A2. Can you imagine how much we, illustrators work? 

So, Friends, stay tuned. I'll post the ongoing preparation of the exhibition from time to time and tell you how I will find solutions. I'll remind you closer to the book launch and the exhibition time. Save your date. If any Blogger friends come to Sydney and can pop up the exhibition, please let me know the date in comments (*It will be kept confidential and I'll respond you by email) so that we will hug each other!  

In between the main events above and big two publications, I'll carry out "author talks" at public libraries such as in Eastwood, Ryde and so ons. Especially, Eastwood library has always supported me at a tough time. It's my turn to pay it back to a community. Like Marrickville Council, Parramatta Council supports me well. Oh, yes, Hornsby Art Society has invited me as a guest speaker to do watercolour demo on 13th Ocotber. We're already enjoying organising my portfolio to display for a meeting. (thank u, HAS!)

I'll be extremely busy this year full of really exciting things that need a lot of research, heaps of documentations and desk work as well as art work. If I become lazy for Monday weekly blogging, please understand my "jam packed" situation. But I'll visit your blogs as much as I can. Let us keep in touch. 
Friends, thank you for your strong support and cheers! With them, I'm making my dreams come true. I hope you, too, will make 2015 into a wonderful and fruitful year! 
Friends, Happy Painting!!

2015 Sadami Solo Exhibition in October

Merry Xmas & Happy New Year!

Thank you for your wonderful support all through this 2014. With your cheers, I could achieve many projects this year, particularly, in publishing industry. It's ongoing in 2015. The publication of a frist trade picture book, "Moon" excites me most!!

2015 will be very busy though, I will do my best for work and find time in creating fine art, especially, for "portraits." 

"Santa on an Off Day"

Today, I could catch up Sydney sketch club members in the last meeting of 2014. Very nice to see old friends and new faces. Close friends celebrated my good news in publications. So sweet! I'd make time as much as possible to join sketch meetings next year. 

Also, if I could find time, I want to do something in a welfare area like I did for Wesley Mission's inclusive art work project. It will be my pay back to society. 

"Donation for Children Cancer" 

I heartily wish you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. I attended a carol service tonight and prayed for you, too. Please take care. Have a safe and joyful holiday season. I hope 2015 will be a wonderful year for you and me. 

Friends, Happy Painting! 

Best wishes, love and smile, Sadami.

 

Merry Xmas & Happy New Year!

"Books Illustrated" @ a beach in Melbourne

**Books Illustrated moved to 74 Mills St, Albert Park VIC                 

Have you ever visitied Books Illustrated in Melbourne? Ann Haddon and Ann James are joint Directors of Books Illustrated. They warmly welcomed me. The Book Illustrated promotes Australian picture books. Friends, come over to the Book Illustrated, the pretty little white house is facing a beach. NOTE : Please take an appointment. 
Contact +61 3 9534 7751  info@booksillustrated.com.au

The Book Illustrated has a gallery and a showroom for exhibitions, sale of original illustrations, limited edition prints and signed picture books by the Australian Children's Laureates! Enjoy ideas for unique literary gifts there. 

This photo is the entrance. At the left hand, cards are on a desk, too. Let's go to a next show room. Yes, get through a door. 

This section has many Bob Graham's picture books, 2014 PM Literary Award winner. The eye catchy limited prints are on walls. They are qualified prints that are exactly the same to originals. Or some of them might be orignals? I might as well ask Ann which is original. 

The room is full of Australian picture books! Ah, a heaven, for me! I enjoyed reading as many as I like. Isn't it nice? Even though I know many of them, I love to reread them. 

For indulgence and early Christmas presents, I bought Shaun Tan's "The Bird King and Other Sketches" and "The Butterfly" illustrated by Ann James. The Butterfly has so many beatiful watercolour illustrations. It was short listed for NSW Premier's Award in 1997 and today, is included in Walker Classics. 

Yey, Ann James signed it for me! 

Ah, I wish I could buy all of them! I thought, seriously. A display was good and I felt it feminine and sweet. 

Ann Hadson and Ann James are lovely and so busy persons. They are the real key persons and the engine for Australian picture book publishing industry. It was wonderful for me to share time with the people who have same interests -- picture books and illustrations! I've learned a lot from the talk with them. Thank you for your precious time, a kind permission to take photos and ... nice tea! 

Friends, if you want to know Australian picture books, come over to the Book Illustrated in Melbourne.  

Ah, I've posted all posts related to my Melbourne visit.

Friends, Happy Painting!  

"Books Illustrated" @ a beach in Melbourne

Mem Fox Best Loved Author @ Sydney Writers Festival

Hi, Friends, I'll write about another Australia legend author, "Mem Fox." Mem is tremendously popular and famous in USA as well as in Australia and other countries. Probably, many American blog visitors may know Mem's work and her name. I enjoyed her talk, "You can write a story" at Parramatta Riverside Theatre. The event was a part of Sydney Writers Festival 2014.

Mem, this so charming lady, is an amazing ENTERTAINER! What a comedian she is! I always wanted to see her reading out in my eyes. Fantastic. That is a magic! A book flyes across an air, jumps, flipps, whatever. Her reading pace and tone "colours" a text well and beautifully. A story comes up alive in the air, when she reads. I want to read out picture books like her. Her body language and face expressions are so rich and funny. Sense of humour shines through her talk. How many times did she make us laugh and giggle? Mem sings, dances, and we sing together! Yes, Mem gives books lives. Her so rich body language and face expressions amused audience.

Mem knows well about the importance of "talk" or an oral language. Her writings heavily weigh on a "rhythm," as she emphasise. So, her work is easy to read out and very well considered words are wonderful. To write a short story is much, much harder than a long story. Only well selected and necessary words should be in a story. A plot must be interesting. It's a very difficult and demanding task (*so, a good editor has an important role!). Another element I love in her stories is the beauty of "parental love" especially, relation between a mother and a child. It repeatedly comes up in her texts. Sure, this lady really loves children! Her life story is full of colourful episodes. Very inspiring.  

Just after Mem's fabulous one-woman-show, I asked her to sign my sketch.
Kind Mem happily signed the sketch. She already had noticed my sketching during a talk, for I was sitting at the centre in a second raw = nearly in front of Mem!
"Ann James is my mentor. Helen Chamberlin is my editor," said Sadami and told my debut next year. "Super!" Mem said twice to celebrate my blessed publishing team and the first trade picture book publication. Friends, remember, this international super star Mem experienced 9 times rejections of the first manuscript of "Possum Magic" and ... it turns out "million seller" in Australia and all over the world. Statistically, one in two Australian has Possam Magic at home. It has become classic in modern Australian picture books. Once or twice rejections are not a matter. Perseverance! 
After the talk, people made a long queue for Mem's book signing. I observed her carefully and learned how to handle many people and signing. 

Any event gives artists chances to connect others.

Teacher librarians sat next to me. My quick sketches impressed them and they happily picked up my business cards. I hope I will make audience or children happy next year in my own "talks" of our picture book "Moon."  Two ladies, Jeanmarie Morosin and Allison Lee working for Sydney Writers Festival, showed a strong interest in Moon. Particularly, Allison, when she heard Libby would be my book launcher at Gleebooks. She also said, "Ah, you have a good mentor, Ann!" (*thanks, Libby, Ann, Helen! You always help me directly or indirectly!) She happily got my business card. I hope 2015 will be a good year for Moon.

These days, I've accumulated posts. Thank you for your patience. To make up my laziness, I'd upload them as many as possible before 2014 will be gone.
Also, Melbourne visit has given me confidence to sketch architecture. I will try more and share sketches with you.
Friends, Happy Painting!

Mem Fox Best Loved Author @ Sydney Writers Festival

3days Stay in Melbourne, John Barrow Collection, PM Literary Awards

Hi, Friends, I spent time with Australian prominent illustrators, authors, publishers and agencies at John Barrow Collection organised by the mentor Ann James in Melbourne. It displayed the priceless original illustrations and illustrators' work processes. It was amazing to see the originals in my own eyes and compared them to picture books set at originals. I've learned lot. Great fun to meet super stars in person such as Leigh Hobbs, Gabrielle Wang, Jane Tanner, Craig Smith etc, etc, oh, too many to write them up. Some people who could not join ask Ann to have it again in next Feb. Sweet editor Helen Chamberlin took me to a cafe and we enjoyed a chat. The very supportive editor introduced me to others. I really appreciate many people's support.

"Flinders St Station" (A4)

A next day, Monday, Ann and Helen were invited to Prime Minister Literary Awards 2014
in the evening. Helen accompanied Shaun Tan. In a Children's fiction section, Bob Graham's picture book, "Silver Buttons" won!  I love Bob's work and admire him! Bob donated his winnings to refugees! What a marvelous coincidence! Ann James organised Bob's exhibition in Canberra in the past June this year. We celebrated Bob's win. I'm very happy to work with such a fantastic mentor and to be surrounded by humanistic illustrators who have a big heart and passion for social justice.  

 "Melbourne Town Hall and Trams" (A4)

In Melbourne, trams are cute and singing "ting, ting" always.  

Btw, it's much cooler in Melbourne than in Sydney. In Sydney, I do not need any long sleeves in summer, right now. But in Melbourne, a light overcoat or a jacket are essential. How come? Beside a cool temperature, a weather is changing dramatically there. It is called, "Four seasons are in a day," brrrrr! I luckily sketched architectures in sunshine. I had thought I had been quite poor at architecture until Ann said, "You draw architecture well. Very accurate. Yes, you do!" A happy surprise for me. I've got confidence! I'd like to enjoy architectures. 

One more, I'd write about the wonderful volunteer spirit in Melbourne! (Sydney does not have them on main streets.) When you get lost on streets, what/whenever, find people in red uniforms. They happily help you! Volunteers love Melbourne! 

Thank you for people in Melbourne. You gave me a wonderful memory and heart warming time there. 
Now, I'll work on ongoing projects and portraits. 
Friends, Happy Painting! 

3days Stay in Melbourne, John Barrow Collection, PM Literary Awards

1) Life Drawing 2) John Barrow Collection @ Dromkeen Homestead

Yahoo, Friends, we enjoy life drawings every Monday evening and nearly at the end of a term. In this term, I weighed on black and white as well as watercolour. What do you want to draw in life drawing? My most interest is the uniqueness of each model and the beauty of our body. I love life drawing. "Let's have fun!" is my motto, although not many people seem to have fun in it. All my life drawings are on A2. It's wonderful to move around arms and hands biiiig and free. Yes, try it! 

Dry and theoretical teaching is questionable, in my view. It discourages many passionate people. Consequently, some people will even hate life drawing. Friends, don't worry measuring a proportion. I've never scaled proportion of a body with a charcoal or something. Although I might be wrong, tens of millions drawings will give our eyes a good measuring system in a natural way.   

*played with oil pastels in a few colours. 

Movements and face expressions are fascinating, aren't they? I keep drawing a model all the time from any angle, even a model is just taking a rest and not making a posture. I feel such a little snap-shot-like moment often turns up a nice drawing in a lovely mood that tells a model's inner world well.

Technically, if a rhythm comes up in lines, it looks lively. It means, if a work has strong lines and modest lines in it, a drawing looks nice. Regarding watercolour on A2, if you can control the amount of water, you will be a winner, especially, in case of a thin paper.   

(*this model was still putting on a top.) 

A model and other life drawing club members love looking at a model's individuality in my work (thanks!). I often do not have "words" to depict my work. Probably, I might not be a type to talk too much about my own work. I'd let my work "speak" instead of words. A drawing is me. I just love to enjoy each life drawing's outcome.

This model says, "Your work depicts me," and looks at this work with a big smile. Thank you for encouragements. I hope a personality or emotions will come up in my drawings.
Yes, my love for people motivates me to draw it.

This weekend, I'll visit Melbourne again to see mentor Ann James and editor Helen Chamberlin. Ann has invited me. On 7th, Sunday, we'll enjoy John Barrow Collection (Australian famous picture books from 1998 to 2004) at Dromkeen Homestead. The exhibition will display the crucial part of Australian contemporary picture book. I will see people deeply involved with in Australian publishing industry such as top illustrators, authors, librarians, teachers and so ons in a broad spectrum. I certainly feel sweet Ann wants me to study about our publishing industry history, while having a fun. Yes, I will!    
So, please pardon me if I will be lazy for blogging. But I'll certainly post what we enjoyed there. Look forward to my report of our fun event!
Friends, Happy Painting!

1) Life Drawing 2) John Barrow Collection @ Dromkeen Homestead