The Anatomy of a Monster

©Nicola L Robinson

The nights are drawing in, the shadows are getting darker....  As Halloween approaches, who better to divulge the method for making monsters than SCBWI's spookiest illustrator Nicola L Robinson. Sharpen your pencils, connect the power, bring the creature to life!!





Monsters fascinate me. Particularly the scary kind with big teeth and claws who lie waiting under the bed or in the attic and haunt childhood nightmares. They've always been part of my universe and as an illustrator they still make up a decent chunk of my creative work.

With Halloween almost upon us, I've been invited by the lovely SCBWI Words and Pictures blog to share some thoughts (by no means definitive) from an illustrator's perspective about these compelling creatures and consider what makes a monster, and a few guidelines for drawing your own...

Frankenstein - Nicola L Robinson

Monsters are widespread across most cultures and places, both feared and worshipped they have been kept alive through the ages via the arts, through visual representations in paintings and drawings and through retellings of myths and stories.

'Monster' is defined by the Dictionary as - 'A large, ugly, and frightening imaginary creature.' A Middle English word from old French 'monstre' and Latin 'monstrum' derived from the root 'monere' meaning, appropriately, 'to warn'.

Behemoth and Leviathan - William Blake

Monsters are traditionally big. From Biblical monsters like Behemoth and Leviathan, to mythological monsters the size of mountains. Being colossal in size, emphasises the strength and power of the monster. Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent from Norse mythology, was particularly massive - big enough to wrap itself around the entire world.

Monsters are commonly ugly, which is a little unfair, but generally the uglier the monster's appearance, the more monstrous he/she is perceived to be. Particularly ugly monsters include demons, man eating ogres and big smelly trolls...

Billy Goats Gruff - Nicola L Robinson

Imaginary or otherwise monsters are frightening. Even more so during the time less travelled and enlightened than ours where people could expect to find dragons and other beasties over the horizon. Before Darwin's Origin of Species it is easy to consider how the discovery of a huge dinosaur bone or strange shaped skull could have fuelled belief in monsters. An elephant skull with its large central hole for the trunk could have been the skull of a Cyclops, or a narwhale horn that of a unicorn. 

Monsters invoke fear and sometimes represent it too. If something out there is supposedly big, powerful, dangerous and has a mouth large enough to eat you, it's probably a good idea to be afraid of it. It is no accident that many monster characteristics are closely linked to our innate phobias, both environmental -  darkness, deep water, fire... and in appearance - snakes, poisonous spiders, bats etc...

The Gnarled Monster - Gustave Doré

Monsters, being imaginary, follow no set rules when it comes to appearance, although they are often inspired by nature, particularly exaggerations of it. Sometimes they are illustrated as a muddle of animal parts, like the work of a bad taxidermist, horrifying, but not aesthetically pleasing.
A good example is the Chimera, having the head and body of a male lion, with an extra head of a goat midway along its spine and a snake as a tail.

The Chimaera - Ulisse Aldrovandi

Monsters can be more subtle too. When a monster has an uncanny resemblance to something more familiar and less obviously threatening, it can be particularly frightening, consider the many horror films where a small child or family pet turns out to be more than it seems...

Mythological monsters are often human formed, usually with beastlike modifications, for example Medusa the Gorgon with her hair of snakes, the mermaid with her scaly fish tail, the Minotaur with the head of a bull and the giant figure of the Cyclops, man shaped in form but with a single eye in the centre of his forehead.

Cyclops - Nicola L Robinson

Even in our modern scientific world, where the monsters of old can be explained and written off as fiction, we are still fascinated by them. From literary monsters like Dracula and Jabberwock, to classic film monsters from Ray Harryhausen and our modern CGI incarnations, monsters have established themselves in our world, and they are here to stay.

The Jabberwock - John Tenniel

 
Obviously it goes without saying that monstrous things don't necessarily come monster shaped and sometimes the most monstrous monster doesn't have big teeth or breathe fire at all.

Drawing Monsters

There are no rules when it comes to drawing monsters, However here are a few guidelines which you may wish to consider -

Monster - Nicola L Robinson

1 - Start with an animal, a dangerous one is good, but if you make it big enough and with enough teeth even a guinea pig can be monstrous. You don't need to use the whole animal, but it can be a useful starting point to develop the monster's overall body shape. Experiment.

2 - Accessorise. Borrow a set of antlers, pair of fangs and a hairy mane, or whatever takes your fancy. Try to blend the elements together rather than applying monster taxidermy and sticking an extra head into the middle of the back ala Chimera.

3 - Texture. By combining hairy manes with a scaly belly, slimy tongue and feathery wings you can add more interest and texture to your monster.

4 - Like creating a character, adding a back-story can help flesh your monster out and make him or her even more monstrous, elevating him from just a big hairy shape with lots of teeth to something a little more sophisticated. Consider things like - where does the monster live? What does he eat? Does he have any special powers?  Etc and adjust his appearance accordingly. For example a pond monster might have gills like a shark and spiky fins, or a cave dwelling monster might have very tiny eyes, or none at all, compensating with his particularly keen sense of smell.

5 - Exaggeration. Think big, think extreme, think monstrous!

I hope this helps a little in your monster making, and continues to keep the traditional monster species very much alive. They may well be out there somewhere, perhaps closer than you think.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Monster Listening Party - Nicola L Robinson

Monster Links 

Monsters, Inc - An Interview with Ray Harryhausen

The Lure of Horror - Christian Jarrett, The Psychologist

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Nicola L. Robinson is an Artist, Illustrator and creator of monsters...
Nicola's website - www.nlrobinson.co.uk
Nicola's blog - http://nlrobinsonart.blogspot.co.uk
Nicola on twitter - @NLRobinsonart
Nicola's shop - www.teethandclaws.co.uk

Meet Our Conference Volunteers!

The annual SCBWI British Isles conference is fast approaching, with yet again many amazing keynote speakers, workshops, and opportunities to get your work noticed. But while most of us are worrying about what outfit to wear for the Saturday night party, and polishing our portfolios until they shine, behind the scenes, a group of extremely hard-working and dedicated volunteers are beavering away so that we can all enjoy the huge benefits that attending a conference has to offer.

We asked a few of those fabulous conference committee volunteers about why they volunteer and what SCBWI means to them.

Marnie Riches

Marnie Riches - Conference Chair

During my two decades as a fundraising and marketing professional, I organised many events, single-handedly and as part of a team...from the Duke of Edinburgh’s 80th birthday celebrations at the Royal Albert Hall, to fundraising dinners in premium London venues, to writing masterclasses at Manchester Children’s Book Festival, given by stars of the literary landscape. There is something intensely satisfying about booking speakers/entertainment, deciding on a venue, a theme, producing the printed material and shaping a PR campaign that will ultimately sell tickets to a highly enjoyable event. 

But events-management is not for the faint-hearted. You have to be super-organised, energetic and importantly, have the ability to bring a project to fruition, from vision to end product. 

By 2009, I had started to write seriously for children. A literary agent advised me to check out the Manchester writing scene. I discovered my local chapter of SCBWI. Attending my local crit group galvanised me into pursuing writing seriously as my new career – a vocation that will almost certainly fulfil me and sustain my passion and interest for the rest of my life. When my Time-Hunters deal came along, therefore, (I penned the first six books of the series for HarperCollins Children’s under the pseudonym, Chris Blake) I decided I’d had enough of Lottery and Arts Council funding applications. The day-job bit the dust. Ace! Or was it? Being self-employed and working from home is wonderful. I have always liked being the boss. But what you forget is that working from home can be terribly socially isolating. 

Over time, I found myself turning into that stereotype of the anti-social author; silent, chained to a laptop and motionless, but for typing and scratching myself through week-old pyjamas. So in early 2014, when Natascha Biebow approached me and asked if I’d like to volunteer for SCBWI, I agreed to chair the SCBWI Annual Conference. I knew I could help to put on a fantastic programme, offering something for everyone. I couldn’t wait to meet my committee. And I was not disappointed. They’re a great bunch of fun-loving, talented and committed people. I have no doubt that the conference in November in Winchester will reflect our collective energy and skill. Most of all, I am proud to be putting my name to an event, which promises such quality and variety.

Candy Gourlay

Candy Gourlay -- Volunteer Extraordinaire!

I love seeing an idea turn into a reality -- and this year I had the delicious challenge of curating the Pulse programme for our burgeoning numbers of published members!"   

George Kirk

George Kirk

I always thought that writing was a lonely occupation and then I bumped into SCBWI. A nicer, more well-mannered organisation you will not meet. It’s always opening doors, making introductions and pointing people in the right direction. So when the opportunity came along to lend a hand, well it seemed rude not to. A chance to give back a little, not to mention the fact I love to be fully involved, especially when there is a social.

Sean Noonan

Sean Noonan

I wanted to learn the craft of story writing for children and was recommended SCBWIs. Since my first event, a social in London in 2012, I have been inspired by the enthusiasm and knowledge of the members. 

Attending three conferences in two years I realised these amazing events were put together by volunteers who gave their time and efforts willingly. I knew it was time to step up, make my own contribution.   

Sally Poyton

Sally Poyton

As much as I LOVE writing, it is solitary; spending all day in my own imaginary world talking to characters from my own mind isn't that great for my sanity. This is why I volunteer; to meet and work with other like-minded lovely people and to preserve what's left of my sanity! It’s also a way of paying back for all the opportunities that SCBWI has opened up for me, plus further my knowledge of the industry.

Addy Farmer

Pals, inspiration and boundless possibilities for a creative life. Everyone should join the SCBWI - it's good for you. 

Alice Thorp

Alice Thorp

I attended my first conference in 2011, after winning the Margaret Carey Scholarship. It was such a valuable experience that I promised myself I would volunteer for SCBWI when my children were older. Three years later, I find myself on the Conference Committee! I am particularly enjoying coordinating this year’s Outstanding Contribution Award. Reading about the dedication of each nominee is moving and inspiring. 

Bridget Strevens-Marzo

Bridget Strevens-Marzo

Well over a decade ago (yikes!), I was a reluctant volunteer, having to divise illustrator content for the first non-US based SCBWI conference. I had never 'done the rounds' myself or sent work out as I was too self-critical. Volunteering did wonders for my self-confidence. I’ve met many publishing professionals I had admired from far, and realized there is no 'them and us' divide - and a common interest in creating the best we can for kids. 

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If you're interested in becoming a volunteer for our fabulous organisation, check out the current list of volunteer vacancies and how to apply here. 

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 14th October

Occasionally, SCBWI bloggers fall through my net, either because they blog at the same time as lots of other people, or don't fit the theme of a particular week. But don't worry, because if you keep blogging, I'll get to you eventually!

A blogger who I've finally found space for is illustrator Claire O'Brien, who's been writing some useful stuff for aspiring picture book makers. Claire's blog post on Creating a children’s picture book illustration portfolio from last week is full of great tips and you may also like the video she made examining picture book anatomy.

Forget fish 'n' chips, because it's fish 'n' actors who are all the rage at Darlington Civic Theatre. Sam Zuppardi breaks out his considerable artistic skills to show us why.

Being a professional children's writer nowadays is a process of juggling many types of project, and few are better jugglers than the prolific Tony Bradman, who's interviewed for Space on the Bookshelf this week. As a writer, editor and teacher, Tony was the first to publish work by Scoobies such as Candy Gourlay and Miriam Halahmy, and he's currently working on an exhausting list of new projects for OUP, Barrington Stoke and the Golden Egg Academy.

Juliet Clare Bell is suffering a creative block - could reading her old school books help? What about a photo of E.T.'s head riding on a car? Find out in her post for Picture Book Den.

Finally, there's just room for some wise words from Sheila Averbuch about the painful business of having a book on submission. Sheila advocates a fire-and-forget approach to submitting your work, assuring us that our precious manuscripts are not sailing off into mortal danger, but are simply "in hyper sleep." In which case, I have enough books in hyper sleep to crew the Nostromo (from Alien). Let's hope one of them turns out to be my very own Ellen Ripley!

Nick.

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A SCBWI member since 2009, Nick Cross is an Undiscovered Voices winner who currently writes children's short fiction for Stew Magazine (September issue out now).

Nick's most recent blog post takes a look back at a year of Stew Magazine stories and teases out the common threads that bind them. What's the Story?

Ask a Picture Book Editor

Our blog this month is all about . . .

(Well, the first five are here for you this month. Tune in next month for steps 6-10!)

Hooray! You’ve hooked your editor. You have found a loyal and friendly ally who will champion you and your text (or picture book dummy)! But, what will happen next?

Your editor will take it to . . .

Who’s at the editorial meeting? 

- Members of the editorial team (including the Editorial Director and Publisher)

What will they say about my text?

- They’ll talk about what they like and also what they feel needs work.

- The publisher will assess how your text will sit on his or her list. Is it a good fit? Is it the sort of text they’re looking for? Is it commercial?

- They will also think about whether it’s a good fit for the current market, does it have popular appeal, who is the book for and will it sell to this audience?

Possible outcomes of the editorial meeting:

GREEN FOR GO! 

Your editor will be asked to take your text to the next stage: discussion at the acquisitions meeting.

AMBER FOR PAUSE! 

The team saw potential in your text, but would like you to develop it further. Your editor will work with you to try and reach this goal. When your editor thinks it’s ready, he or she will take your text back to the editorial meeting. Hopefully it will make it to the next stage: discussion at the acquisitions meeting.

RED FOR STOP! 

The team didn’t think that it was right for the list and your editor will be asked to write you a letter of rejection.

N.B - It’s really important to remember that all publishing houses are different. A rejection from one publisher doesn’t mean that it won’t be accepted by another publishing house. Keep persevering!

Who’s at the acquisitions meeting?

Members of the wider publishing team:
- UK Sales team
- Export Sales team
- Foreign Rights team

- Financial Director
- Managing Director
- Publisher and your editor

What will you discuss about my text?
- Your editor will have put together a presentation to pitch your text to the wider publishing team, with its all-important HOOK and USP (see last month's post), and a designer will present some illustrators who they think would be a good match for your story.
- The UK, export and foreign rights sales teams will talk about whether this book would be a good fit for any or all or their customers in their respective territories.
- The Managing and Financial Director will look at a profit and loss sheet that shows projected sales against the costs of producing the book (company overheads, reproduction, printing, warehousing, author/illustrator advances & royalties/fees, marketing spend).

Possible outcomes:

GREEN FOR GO! 

Your editor will be told the project can go ahead! The author and illustrator will be made a formal offer and sent a contract.

RED FOR STOP! 

The wider publishing team didn’t think that it would work for them in some or all of their territories/customers. This can be due to a myriad of reasons including shifting tastes, economic climates and rapidly changing markets.

N.B - as before, all publishing houses vary, so just because you receive a ‘no‘ at this stage don’t give up! It’s likely that another house will operate, think and act differently.  

Now it’s time for the illustrator to start sketching, drawing and painting!

They will do . . .

The designer will set the text against the roughs and work with the illustrator to help them to refine and develop their style, making suggestions for composition or design where necessary. The editor will consult with the author throughout the process.

Slowly, the story will begin to look like the book that it will eventually become!

Copyright © Judi Abbot 2014. Excerpt from Train! published by Little Tiger Press

Copyright © Judi Abbot 2014. Excerpt from Train! published by Little Tiger Press

Copyright © Judi Abbot 2014. Excerpt from Train! published by Little Tiger Press

Getting the cover right is a really important stage of the process! This is the first thing that people will see and it should scream “PICK ME UP AND READ ME, PLEASE!”

There are often many rounds of design and development to get the look just right. Here are a selection of some pretty amazing covers that simply scream READ ME!

There’s a Lion in my Cornflakes! by Michelle Robinson and Jim Field

The Great Snortle Hunt, by Claire Freedman and Kate Hindley

Shh! We Have a Plan, by Chris Haughton

The Biggest Kiss, by Joanna Walsh and Judi Abbot

Specs for Rex, by Yasmeen Ismail

Mr Tiger Goes Wild, by Peter Brown

 
So, the insides are ready, your cover is designed – it’s time to send files off to the repro house to get proofs (also referred to as blads or bound proofs). The illustrations and layouts look exactly as they will in the finished book – they look incredibly similar to the finished book but have card covers and are usually stapled together down the spine.

What are proofs for?

Next month: steps 6-10! We'll cover bookfairs, printing, publication and spotting your book on the shelf!

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Natascha Biebow is editor, mentor and coach at www.blueelephantstoryshaping.com
New small group-coaching course starting in November:
http://www.blueelephantstoryshaping.com/new-online-courses

 

Ellie Farmer is Commissioning Editor at Little Tiger Presswww.littletigerpress.com

Introducing Our New Ed!

As promised and without, as they say, much ado here is the next editor of Words & Pictures....









But first the ado.
This week did you catch...

• The lovely Brenda Gardner and her wicked laugh on the latest Ask a Publisher podcast? (Thank you@CathyHopkins1 for that!) 
• You can see our splendid new banner but have you met its creator, our new featured illustrator Julia Walther?
• Jo Unwin our latest Agent Confidential? Jo is also appearing at #scbiawcon14 in 3 weeks time!
• A BLOGALICIOUS  break on Tuesday? The blogalicious blog breakers with Nick are... Sue Hyams, Dave Cousins, Mark Jones, Sheila Averbuch, Jane McLoughlin, Layn Marlow, Candy Gourlay and Vanessa Harbour! Wow! 

Last Sunday I was all of a dither so didn't read the schedule right which means we can still look forward to Nicola L Robinson's Anatomy of a Monster. If you've seen Nicola's work you know this will be brilliant! We have a new Ask a Picture Book Editor, together with Picture Book Basics, what a treasure trove these picture book posts from Natascha, Ellie and John are. Plus we have some more scbwicon  goodness - meet the conference volunteers!

Now some other important DEADLINE notices this week:
First this:

Click here for the Fabulous Darley Anderson Slushpile Challenge!

Deadline November 2nd

And there's this....

The 2014 W&P Advent Calendar!
Click to enlarge

And of course finally...

Conference Bookings close next Friday, 17th October
Only 3 weeks to go folks!

Now at last, here she is...

Nancy Saunders!

Ta Dah!
We're all smiles for W&P's next Ed! 

Nancy is a lover of all things books. She has worked in libraries, Waterstone’s (when they still had the apostrophe), written short stories (published a few) and is currently working on her first novel for young adults. She’s been a conservation volunteer leader, a support worker for adults with learning difficulties, a yoga teacher, a traditional music fiddler, and a home educator of two now grown-up lovelies. 

She says...

 "I am both thrilled and honoured to be invited to join the W&P team as Editor. Having met Jan a couple of times now, and read through her posts on the site, I know that I have a veritable task ahead to uphold such enthusiasm and joy. Fortunately her sunshinyness is catching – and I have definitely got the bug. I can’t wait to meet everyone who’s clearly played such a fantastic and crucial role in producing a much needed watering-hole for SCBWI-BI members."

I am so happy to hand over to Nancy - she is the perfect person to take Words & Pictures forward - it's wonderful to meet someone with such enthusiasm, vision and humour. I'm completely convinced W&P is in very safe hands. The changeover will be gradual with Nancy completely in place some time after Christmas - it's a big old machine!


I'm off to cook the dinner, hope yours is a delicious Sunday too,

Jan Carr

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Jan Carr is the editor of Words & Pictures. Her fiction is all over the place, she blogs occasionally and loves to write in magenta. You can contact her at editor@britishscbwi.org.

Featured Illustrator - Julia Walther

Julia Walther is this month's Featured Illustrator. One of the winning artists in last year's Undiscovered Voices, Julia has devoted much of her life to literature, both through studying literature and translation in her native Germany and Ireland, and through working as a translator within German publishing. But her heart was set on writing and illustration, where she's now also beginning to make her mark. Find more of Julia's artwork in the Featured Illustrator Gallery



One fine October day I was wandering through the huge halls of the Frankfurt Bookfair. I’d been there many times before because of my job as a literary translator, but on that particular day I happened to be free to listen to some talks by the German illustration association, to stroll through the exhibition showcasing the most beautiful books and to spend hours among the stalls of children’s book publishers.

That was the day I decided to pursue my dream to become an illustrator.

As soon as I got home I went online and started searching for illustration workshops – anything that would help me along and wasn’t another full-time college course. There wasn’t really much on offer. With one exception: a weekend event near Munich only a couple of weeks later by an organisation I’d never heard of. Ah well, I thought, I might as well give it a go and email them to see if there are still places available. There were.

Bridget, Kirsten and Donna made me feel incredibly welcome, and there was a whole bunch of lovely people there, as there always are at SCBWI events.

That was three years ago and a lot has happened since. Apart from the many inspiring regional SCBWI events, there was the amazing Europolitan conference in Paris in 2013, and I also got to travel to Winchester to experience the great buzz at one of the annual British Isles conferences with all the wonderful people there (including some of the fabulous team behind Words and Pictures – thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of this and for making it all possible!)

One of the highlights was, of course, the day I heard that my illustration was among those to be included in the Undiscovered Voices 2013 publication!

I had chosen that particular story starter partly because I was intrigued by the theatre atmosphere described so vividly in the text. I also liked the challenge to create an illustration that would appeal to a YA audience. It was actually my first black-and-white ink illustration in that style. Here are a couple pictures from the process:

Creating the illustration for UV 2013.

Because I was quite happy with the result and had spent a lot of time thinking about the scene between Ruby and her Dad, I decided to create another two pieces illustrating what I imagined might happen after this first encounter.

My studio space is very flexible: when I’m working full-time on something it tends to spread out from its contained corner to an extra desk and eventually on to the dining table.

Drawing of me working away at my art desk.

The corner desk is great because it has lots of shelves and spaces to store things. Everything has its place because I hate searching for stuff, yet sometimes I feel somebody messed around with my brushes and pens while I was asleep or in the other room working on a translation … 

Mice often find their way into most of my work!

If I had to choose a single desert-island art material it would be my favourite 2B pencil. I’ve always loved drawing and I got my first set of watercolours when I was nine, so I feel pretty comfortable with that medium. Thus, pencil and watercolour is what I choose for most of my illustrations, except the ink drawings. When I’m working on a watercolour piece there usually comes a point when my inner draftswoman starts elbowing her way to the front calling for clearer lines, i.e. some sepia ink, or more contrast between light and dark. That’s why I often add final touches with coloured pencils, but a while ago I discovered the amazing qualities of pastel pencils, which are much easier to blend with the watercolour – especially on coldpress paper.

I can’t see myself ever switching over to digital illustration because I simply love the feel of pencil on paper too much, as well as being surrounded by ink bottles and watercolour tubes. However, I’ve begun to appreciate the advantages of Photoshop, in particular at the sketching stage where you can try out new compositions by moving objects around etc. without having to redraw everything.

Studio space.

Illustration of the corner of my desk.

Over the past three years I've learned A LOT about children’s book illustration, yet there is still SO much more to learn, and sometimes I feel I’m only at the beginning of this exciting journey.
However, so far one of the most important lessons for me was this:
it’s incredibly inspiring, encouraging and invigorating to go to workshops and conferences, to talk to other artists, to read books about art and illustration, to look at art. But what makes me an illustrator is to sit down at my desk, silence the inner critics, pick up a pencil or brush and create new work.

Personal work to illustrate a friend’s story.

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See more of Julia's work in her Featured Illustrator Gallery
Her personal website is here.
To email Julia click here
Julia Walther is represented by Maria Bogade at Wundergarden Agency