Iron Cove -- Sydney Sketch Club

I sketched a wharf and a member's daughter in a Sydney Sketch Club meeting that visits places by an alphabetical order. "I" is for Iron Cove. A perfect day, a warm sunshine and a soft breeze. I played with a member's daughter in King George park. She got bored, whilst staying besides her mother. (*I perfectly understand her feelings!) We kicked a ball, etc (that was a good task for me!). Then, we came back to a spot where members were sketching under a big tree. I asked a princess to be my model. The princess was very happy and tried to stay still. "Oh, no. You don't need to stay still. You can move around. I do not mind your moving. Move. Yes, yes." said I. An idea hit me. "Would you mind telling me stories?" The princess delightedly told me her created fantasies with a favourite stuffed toy. She began to show very natural face expressions and a lovely body language. That was what I wanted to get! I did not know other members listening to our conversations. Later, members commented, "Such an interesting "story" being told in this picture, by a delightful subject." Children are all wonderful story tellers, I believe. I hope all of them will keep that creativity forever. Thank you for modelling, young lady! 

I love sketching boats. Here we go! I made it in a short time. A member commented, "I cannot believe how you did this in about 15 minutes." In fact, I came very late for the meeting. I had only two hours. Busy Sadami enjoyed lunch, exploring a wharf, chats with members, sketching and playing with a child in a park! I made paintings in a big hurry. My brush danced well. My watercolour painting done in a short time seems more lively and better. Colourful buoys were fun to paint. I love playing with colours to depict water or an ocean. 

The sketch club meeting cheered me up, when I had been working on a storyboard. It's important for an artist to go outside and enjoy sunshine and different circumstances. 
Oh, yes, I went to a secondhand book fair at Sydney uni on Sat (Saturday 10 to Wednesday 14 September). I bought Ronald Searle's "Ah, yes, I remember it well....". Does anyone know him? His eye is so good to find a subject and cook them up with pen. Hilarious. His drawing skills are amazing -- he can draw everything in a traditional methods. Particularly, his architecture impressed me. Then, he can create subjects into sophisticated caricatures! Only the shame is I cannot understand his French-English jokes. 
If you have a spare time, pop up the book fair for treasure hunting. You may find your favourite.  
Friends, Happy Painting! 

Iron Cove -- Sydney Sketch Club

Musicians and Kids in Market

I sketched around people in a market. We enjoyed shopping and music in lovely Sunday afternoon. A guitarist had an interesting guitar that was a hybrid of a classic guitar and an acoustic guitar = a classic guitar head, nylon strings, plus an electric acoustic guitar body. So, his guitar made softened sounds, not sharply metallic. Guitarists so much love their guitars. The busker carefully wiped his guitar and put it back to a case. I asked the guitarist, "If your girl friend asks you which is more important a guitar or her, what would you say?" He smiled and said, "Hope she would not ask such a question!" Hahaha! We laughed. When I had asked the same question to a close friend and guitarist, he replied, "Of course, a guitar!" Girls, we need to keep an eye on a boy friend's guitar?!    

People in the market, all looked happy. Treasure hunting is pleasure. I got a pretty skirt and two lovely picture books : Chihiro Iwasaki's "Momoko and the pretty bird," and David Cox's, "The Drover's Dog."  Oh, I love both. The drover's dog is hilarious and satirical. Once upon a time, a drover, Joe taught a dog, Sue some tricks. Ambitious Joe wanted for fame and went to big cities with clever Sue in the world. What would happen on Sue and Joe? The book tells what is more important than fame and money. I will enjoy this poor ?! artist life in Australia!

I quickly sketched children with the least lines, less brush strokes and a few colours. My brushes danced well. I attach the sketches. I hope you'll enjoy them. When I am in slump, I cannot draw, especially, children. I was happy to see my hand rhythmically moving on paper. 

Particularly, sketching a moving child is fun. Models, parents, on-lookers, anyone and I giggle and laugh together. 

I'll sketch more to create "roughs" for "My Dog Socks." Although it's challenging, it's fun. I will enjoy creating a picture book more than ever. Yey, I hope you, too, have a productive week! Thank you for cheers and visiting this blog. 

Friends, Happy Painting! 

  

Musicians and Kids in Market

Making Whites in Watercolor

Friends, thank you for patience for my long absence! The picture book illustration is right on a track. So, I can find time for blogging and sketching. I enjoyed sketching this wedding dress in a shop from a street. Let's have fun to create white in watercolour on spot. Technically, the white bridal dress was challenging in watercolour (A4, Arches, 300gsm). 

White is not always a breached white in paintings like you soon realise. 
My main methods : 
1) leave white on paper, 
2) wax / crayon,   
3) use different colours to show white.  

Let's have fun in creating "white" in watercolour painting. 

Take the wedding dress for an example. I used all methods 1), 2) and 3). 
1) leave white on paper
In my eyes, the wedding dress had a bit vintage image = old. 
Arches 300 mgs does not have a breached white, as you know. It just suited to my colour image of the dress.   
2) wax / crayon
Wax worked to create laces. The point was to show the mood of the dress, I felt, not the detailed or exact information. 
3) use different colours to show white
I chose a very soft raw sienna for a first wash to create a slightly sepia image. Then, I played with colours. 

Do you often use masking fluid or a tape? I hardly use them. Embarrassing though, a masking fluid bin often gets "out of order" on my working desk (= I do not use it for years! and gets bad). Another problem, masking fluid and a tape leave a clearly edged white that annoys me. In my experience, it's wise to choose a technique or combine them to match a painting's need and its texture. 
However, I'm not a skillful technician! If you can teach me how to do it or a more effective way and share it, it would be wonderful. 

Also, I'd add my belief that technical things will follow a person pursuing it. So, don't get disappointed, if some trials did not work well. My admiring illustrators and great artists have simple techniques and create amazing and touching work. Think about Michelangelo or Turner. Did they have masking liquid or a tape? I believe if a person wants to find a way to create an effect to describe something in a subject, an individual will find a way. If I made it upside down(= if I chased up only techniques first), I make empty work, I feel. Where there's a will, there's a way. Friends, just have fun! You'll find a way to go!    

Back to the first topic, the picture book illustration. I've been working hard on a storyboard and roughs. Already many blog Friends have read the record of my drawing process. If any Friends and blog visitors want to know the process, you can browse the labels related to picture book on the right side of this blog. 
I hope I will update this "Monday" blog as much as I can. *Honestly, it's hard while I'm working on projects. But your cheers and support encourage me to go on. Thank you so much! I'm sure many blog Friends striving for dreams in their lives and art industry. I'd send you my best wishes!! 
Friends, Happy Painting!     

Making Whites in Watercolor

ASA Contract Assessment Service

When you successfully get a contract, how do you handle a contract without a literary agent? A publishing contract has many technical jargon that we are unfamiliar with. Author and Illustrator advocacy body, Australian Society of Authors has a wonderful service, "Contract Assessment Service". It's available to ASA members. I'd like to express my sincere thanks to ASA for their kindness, patience and a wonderful support for me to understand the contracts. 

Btw, this painting has two people : an editor/publisher Helen Chamberlin and Matt Zurbo, an author of Moon that I illustrated. We’ve become lovely friends in a publishing team. In my eyes, they looked like a mom and a son. It was our launching day and we enjoyed dinner together last year. It’s very sweet that we can help each other and build friendship. I'm now getting to know a new publishing team at Ford Street Publishing. I hope we will create a good picture book for "My Dog Socks"!   

ASA has rich and very varied services. Many helpful workshops and events on their calendar. It’s worth following up and schedule.  https://www.asauthors.org/events/calendar
When I studied "Children's Picture Book Illustration Course" at Sydney Uni, lecturer Donna Rawlins recommended us, students to join ASA at the end of the course. 

I deeply thank for ASA and highly recommend to join ASA and use their services! ASA is a sweet mom or a wise granny and a strong dad or a reliable granpa for us.

Friends, happy painting and a happy Illustrator life!

ASA Contract Assessment Service

My File has got in 10 most clicked-on @ Australian Society of Authors

My Style File has got in top 10 most clicked-on at Australian Society of Authors, over the past 12 months. ASA interviewed me in Aug "Member News". Very happy! Thank you for a great support. The Stylefile is famous for its high quality, indeed, the best of best Australian illustrators's showcase. 
How to apply is here. 
Apply and Stylefile Information 
ASA kindly assists your application. 

This image is in my folio.  

The Stylefile is the hot meeting spot for publishers and illustrators. Publishers directly "buy" illustrators from the Stylefile. Always publishers look for good illustrators and new talents who will meet their need. Although it's very difficult to crack into market for emerging illustrators and artists, Friends, it's a good idea to try Stylefile and begin an illustrator career. Many illustrators have got projects through the Stylefile. Your own Stylefile will be a wonderful registered portfolio to prove your drawing skills to publishers and literary agents among the prominent Australian illustrators. 

This image is in the folio. 

How I use the Stylefile :   

• demonstrate my work via Stylefile and respond to publishers’ enquiries along with further samples of my work. 
•  linked my own blog "Sadami's Graffiti" with the stylefile. 

You can find the stylefile at the right side of my blog. Like my self introducing, I always enjoy a chat with publishers, showing my blog and the stylefile. To have a good and appropriate internet site is handy and important to respond or approach publishers. ASA also has "rates and conditions," the recommended minimum wages for ASA stylefile portfolio holders. It's very helpful to discuss about payment and contracts. Here's ASA helpful services.  Being a member is great help for an illustrator. Information of "Join In."

My new team, Ford St Publishing is very happy with my publicity. My mentor, Ann James and a publisher, Helen Chemberlin, and ASA, too, celebrate my achievement.  
I hope all of us will fly like a big pelican following a dream across a bright sky.  
I'm thinking of adding new images to my stylefile such as a clock maker, below. See how it goes. 
Friends, Happy Painting!  

My File has got in 10 most clicked-on @ Australian Society of Authors

Picture Book Project My dog Socks @ Ford Street Publishing

I've started exploring a dog's image roughs to Ford Street Publishing in Melbourne. I deeply thank for giving me the project, "My dog Socks" written by Robyn Osborne! I'm a crazy dog lover! I am also very happy to work with a lovely team to create quality children picture books. The most important point is to have a good project and share a dream in an enthusiastic team for children literature. I'm exploring a dog's images. Have fun. Here we go. 

Btw, my quick roughs have amazed Ford St Publishing and excited them. These roughs are not fixed yet. The characters may change though, I'll enjoy drawing dogs for more roughs.  

A big name once said to me, "It's your strength. You can do a quick response to a publisher." My "hands" are always thinking. It enables me to quickly respond! Daily sketches are great references and my treasure box to check the necessary information. You've seen my many sketches of different subjects, which respond to any topics at once in children picture book illustration. 

I'll have fun in creating "My Dog Socks." I'll give life to a great dog! Ah, that's the illustrator's joy!! I love dogs so much!! Look forward to what sort of dog will come up. A small pug? A long tall Australian Kelpie? A short stout bull dog? What else? I hope you'll enjoyed them all with me. 
I'm getting another project, too. I enjoy being busy. 
Thank you for cheers.
Friends, Happy Painting! 

Picture Book Project My dog Socks @ Ford Street Publishing

New Picture Book Project Contract Signed

Thank you for waiting! I signed a contract of a new picture book project with Ford Street Publishing. The text "My Dog Socks" is written by Robyn Osbourne. Do you like drawing animals? Publishers enquiry me and clients ask to create images of animals from time to time. Yes, if you can demonstrate good animal drawings, there's a chance to get a picture book project. 

Since childhood, I've loved animals and sketched or illustrated any animals, particularly dogs. When I was at primary school, I started to illustrate animals from zoology, biology, the animal kingdom in a very precise way by pencil and watercolour painting. Young Sadami also copied illustrated books such as "The call of the Wild," "Wild Animals I Have Known," from English literature and Japanese wild animal literature. 

Well, it was my first illustration job in life?! I showed sketched birds and mammals and copied drawings to my parents and friends. Innocent Sadami was very happy to hear "Ohhh, whoa...!" from them. I got absorbed in drawing animals. As I already knew the content of animal books by heart, I always chose the books by their illustrations that matched my taste. In a pocket, I kept a small encyclopedia of animals all the time ... until high school = until I had more interest in boys than mammals and insects!  

Even though I left the pocket size animal book behind a door, my enthusiasm would not go down. I kept on reading Joy Adamson, Jane Goodall and so on. Our family kept cats and dogs. They became my good friends and models for drawing when I was in school. I particularly loved sketching dogs. By drawing, I realised that well understanding of the structure of bones helped precise and good drawings. Eventually, I studied about bones and habits of animals, while sketching. 
Museums are another nice spots to "see" or "feel" knowledge and deepen knowledge of animals. Those huge "preliminary research" in young days has nurtured my current drawing skills of animals. 

Friends, especially, boys and girls, spend time with animals and insects! Go to a zoo, a museum, an Easter show and local events! That experience can give your future direction to go. *My mentor Ann James gave very positive comments on my rabbits' images, saying "You can illustrate a rabbit's story!" Publisher Helen Chamberlin and all other people in publishing industry comment, "You draw beautiful animals!" Thanks! 

Here in Australia, we have very unique animals!! It's fun to look at them and they are so adorable. I would like to depict Australian animals in picture books to pass on them to a next generation. There's an interesting and famous story of why "Possum Magic" has become a million seller on market. But I'll chat over it another day. 

Any life is beautiful and precious. It's our meaningful task to pass on such important creatures to a next generation. Right now, dear blogger friend Rhonda creates very beautiful insects. If you like, please visit here, "Watercolours and Words."  
Friends, thank you for your great patience and strong support!! 
Happy Painting. Happy Drawing of Animals and Insects!  
             

New Picture Book Project Contract Signed