Anne Spudvilas, great Illustrator, portraitist

I saw my superhero, Anne Spudvilas, a nationally and internationally celebrated picture book illustrator and portraitist. She has her glorious 25 yrs career exhibition, "A Child World in Pictures" in Newcastle Region Library until 14th April in Lovett Gallery.

The students and I studied her illustration process and enjoyed a drawing workshop. After the cat drawing workshop, sweet Anne spent time for me to sign my brought books (quite many!). 

Anne kindly explained my technical questions all in a tightly scheduled time. I've learned a lot from Anne. The day has become the great encouragement and support in my artist life. Anne is my shining example. (*more photos in my facebook site. Friends in publishing industry celebrate my meet with Anne.)  

Sadami Cat! Anne enjoys to look at how different personality come up 

in each work by a same medium, charcoal.  

Brave Anne has always challenged new medium, overcome difficulty and mastered them all : oil, watercolour and printing. We enjoyed a chat over how she found solutions in each illustration project. Students and I studied an illustration process with Anne's slide show of Where's Jessie? written by Janeen Brian ; how Anne collected raw data/references/real models, developed them into roughs and finalised them by print making. 

Slideshow, Where's Jessie? the handcoloured monoprint, (more photos of the slideshow in Sadami Konchi facebook. That shows the process and methods of development of illustration.)

Whilst working on difficult picture book projects, Anne has become a finalist in all the big portraits entitlements such as Archibald, Moran, Portia Geach etc (*how could u do them all?!). Yes, Anne is a grand slam winner of portraits. Kind Anne has been encouraging me and supporting me for ages even in her extremely busy days. I've admired her so much, loved her personality and had studied her work.  

Colour rough

Furthermore, Anne gave me TWO hugs, when we left for each direction. 
When I suddenly got a whole left leg paralysed and at the bottom of life, her work gave me dream, hope and direction to go in art. The huge rehab has paid off and I walk again. Since a start of my career, Anne Spudvilas has been my role model. Anne and I have kept in touch by emails for years though, it was the first time to see her in person. Me, too, hope myself to bring others dream, love and hope by art and in art. 
Friends, Happy Painting! 

Anne Spudvilas, great Illustrator, portraitist

My Dog Socks becomes CBCA Notable

My Dog Socks is in the Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Books. Very happy!! Australian top notches in publishing industry celebrate my job. I share my facebook post, Friends, thanks, ((Hugs))! 

· 27 February at 22:47
The most surprise was My Dog Socks in CBCA Notables!! Margaret Hamilton, CBCA, Danny Katz, Mitch Vane and attendees celebrated it together. Mentors, Ann James, Ann Haddon and Helen Chamberlin, too, celebrated it from Melbourne. Thank you very much for all the supporters, an author, Robyn Osborne and a publisher, Paul Collins. *Kind Margaret Hamilton put her hat on me, saying, "You're in. You should put it on." Oh, you're so sweet. I gave her hugs.
With Mitch Vane

Front Book Cover

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Catherine Hewitt Fantastic


Sadami Konchi Thank u very much, Catherine Hewitt!!



Meredith Costain Congratulations, Sadami!

Sadami Konchi Oh, Meredith Costain you're one of my great supporters, thank u


Imma Buono Yahoo!! Congrats my friend 🙌

Sadami Konchi Thank u, Imma Buono. You've been supporting me and a wonderful friend for ages.


Sophie Masson Bravo, Sadami! Lovely to be with you on the list.


Sadami Konchi Thank u very much, Sophie Masson! You're so kind. And tons of congrats to you!


Janeen Brian Congratulations Sadami and Robyn!

Sadami Konchi Thank u so much, Janeen Brian! You've encouraged me since I started my career on your text.


Anne Spudvilas good on you sadami ! great news x

Sadami Konchi Anne Spudvilas, thank u! I'm so happy and proud to be listed with your wonderful work!


Rebecca Sheraton Congratulations

Sadami Konchi Thank u very much, sweet Rebecca Sheraton !! Your support is my energy.


Emma Middleton Huge congratulations!

Sadami Konchi Oh, kind Emma Middleton, thank u!! Let's create good picture books!


Sue Whiting So lovely to witness your joy last night Sadami. Congrats.

Sadami Konchi Thank u very much, Sue Whiting! Happy to have celebrated your achievement, too, last night.


Jackie French Totally gorgeous!

Sadami Konchi Thank u very much, Jackie French!! Mentor Ann James highly recommends to c u and learn lot, because u r a giving person, Ann says. C u near future.

Jackie French Ann is one of the most giving people I know.
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Paul Collins Great collaboration, Robyn and Sadami!

Sadami Konchi Thank u very much, Daddy Paul Collins! "We" made it. I deeply appreciate all the staff's hard work to have created Socks!!

Robyn Osborne You can obviously pick a good manuscript Paul Collins! Thank you for taking a chance on Socks.


Lisa Stewart Congratulations just as you deserve !

Sadami Konchi Thank u very much, Lisa Stewart! U always support and encourage me.


Elise Hurst Wonderful! Congratulations!

Sadami Konchi Thank u very much, sweet Elise Hurst! You've always encouraged me for ages!!


Anna C Bee Amazing Sadami! Well done xx

Sadami Konchi Thank u, Anna C Bee, for your support!!

Sadami Konchi Thanks millions, Margaret Hamilton, Polly Birchall, Brenda Cook, Kelsey Hart, Janeen Brian, Julie-Anne Rogers, Paul Collins, Olivia Quintin, Nancy MacAlpine, Judy Barends, 神田圭司, Sherryl Clark, Kristina Tito-Barratt, Sheryl Gwyther, Tricia Kress, ...See more

Mitch Vane Hi Sadami Konchi - just got back from Sydney . So lovely to meet you - and how wonderful to hear the news that you were on the Cbca Victoria list!!! There was so much going on, I didn't realise in all the excitement. Congratulations - your illustrations are divine and you must be so thrilled. See you again soon. XXX

Sadami Konchi replied · 1 Reply

Sarah Davis So happy for you! Very well deserved.

Sadami Konchi Thank u very much, Sarah Davis, for support!
Manage


Anna Walker Congratulations!!!

Sadami Konchi Thank u very much, Anna Walker, for encouraging and supporting for ages. You're so kind. I'll keep up!
Manage

Our publishing team and I made it. Big names in our industry know it's not easy to get in the CBCA list. So, they celebrate it together. Other people have said that my notable by a second picture book is quite fast. But it hardly happens. Imagine many good picture books across Australia compete for this annual entitlement. I really thank for your support for ages. I've come to this level step by step. I'll just keep up. 
Friends, Happy Painting!  

My Dog Socks becomes CBCA Notable

1) Playing With Colours 2)CBCA Notable Night this Tue

I'm playing with colours to explore other approaches. I hope this work will open another door to enjoy colours so that I will take off pure realism. It's a great fun to search for colours fit to a drawing. I listen to my heart or instinct, when I choose colours.
Below, I'm wondering if I should stop here or add more colours on a model's shirt. I've suspended a brush in this work. What do you think, Friends? My own watercolour painting rule of thumb is "The lesser, the better." = Don't overwork. My most concern is that busy information will distract a focal point. I will take a break. 

Today, I love colours more than black and white. My mentor Ann James says, "You're a colour person." True, yet, it has taken years to come to my level in a long journey. When I look back, "drawing" has been crucial. It has given me hope and strength to climb up a next step. I've started black and white drawing since high school and loved it so much (*loved drawing since childhood!). I did oil painting for a while and eventually converted to watercolour painting, because my colour use preferred transparent ones. But no one taught me how to do watercolour painting. I got stuck. Instead of watercolour painting, I began colour pencil drawing for some years and learned colour mixture and use. Then, I've moved onto or back to watercolour painting and to the present. Whole through the journey, I've kept on drawing, drawing, drawing. I'm a type of "Practice is more important than theory." I'll learn "how to" from lots of messes. I'm still learning about watercolour painting. You can teach me a lot!    

Now, I'm getting busy with projects and preparing for events. 
See you there, the Children's Book Council of Australia, NSW branch, Night of the Notables.   
27 February 2018, 5.00pm for 5.30 - 7.00pm
Dymocks, 424 George Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Little Lunch creators — Danny Katz and Mitch Vane!

Also the incomparably wonderful Margaret Hamilton!! (yes, my mentor in the Pinerolo). 
A FREE ticket is available. https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=332085

Tada~~, only 3 weeks away until the 21^st Biennale of Sydney opens (16th March -- 11 June 2018)! I'm excited and really looking forward to it. I hope I will assist visitors who need help, particularly, people with disability and non English speaking people. I hope all visitors will have wonderful memories. If you come to Biennale Sydney, please let me know. 
Friends, Happy Painting. Enjoy your journey! Play with colours!

1) Playing With Colours 2)CBCA Notable Night this Tue

The beauty of the world is the beauty as you see it

The title is what my friend told me. Wow, that's so true, I feel. In my eyes, people are the most  beautiful subjects. Find out the beauty of a person and express it in work -- is my mission. In a technical aspect, a huge part of drawing ability is the ability to see a subject like I wrote in "Talent can be learned. The skills of "see" is to define relationships in a subject such as values, colours, perspective, proportions, volumes, shapes, edges and so on. Apart from physical relationships, a subject has a mood and a person has emotions, too. From them, I pick up one topic and focus on it. 
For example, a mood, the tenderness of an old pastor interested me most as well as colours, his white cloth and a stole. 

Drawing and painting skills are much like interpretation skills of the identified relationships in a subject. How can we interpret the picked up visual information by what? Methods is up to an individual's choice and decision such as medium and a style. We can try tens of thousands of different ways. 

Moreover, drawing skills are often equal to a painting ability/skill. So, I always keep up drawing. When I wonder how to paint a drawing, I always get back to black and white drawing like initial sketches. Then, I get on painting. 

It was nice to pop up a church service. I could have a rich meditation..., or simply a naughty girl?! I wish to depict any walks in ordinary people's ordinary lives. I want to draw people from all walks of life. It's up to our eyes to find beauty. 
Friends, Happy Painting! 

The beauty of the world is the beauty as you see it

1) Storm in Wash 2) CBCA, NSW Branch Night of Notable, free!

Friends, have you ever tried to catch a storm? I directly put paints and developed the image. Timing is crucial to create washes. Check the condition of a paper. After a first wash of raw sienna, I enjoyed adding paints and a bit slow down or had a pleasure of playing around with brushes and colours on a half dried paper. In my experience, it's wise to stick to the strongest impression, because clouds are changing from moment to moment. I developed the chosen impression before the eyes would forget it. 

In a storm, clouds are dramatically moving and a shower is developing and partially, a blue sky is left. I chose a shower for a focal point that interested me most. Then, I got on a job. Quick, quick! Wash and wet-in-wet is fun. Storms and waves, the movement fascinates me.  

Rain and a storm are daily matters. "Are you drawing clouds?" people talked to me from curiousity. I believe that an artist pulls out something interesting from ordinary things. It's up to an artist's view how to find subjects. I'll enjoy washes more. I love capturing something moving in washes. 
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Children's Book Council of Australia, NSW branch. 

Announcing the guest speakers for our Night of the Notables event: 
Little Lunch creators — Danny Katz and Mitch Vane!!
Also the incomparably wonderful Margaret Hamilton!! (yes, my mentor in the Pinerolo). 
Have you booked your FREE ticket yet?
https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=332085&
27 February 2018, 5.00pm for 5.30 - 7.00pm
Dymocks, Sydney
424 George Street, SYDNEY, NSW 2000

Friends, See you there! Happy Painting, Reading, Illustrating! 

1) Storm in Wash 2) CBCA, NSW Branch Night of Notable, free!