4 Out the Door by Katie Eberts

4 Out the Door is a challenge hosted by SCBWI Michigan for illustrator members (from any region) to send promotional postcards quarterly to art directors and editors that they would like to work with. It was started in 2018 by our former co-ICs, Deb Pilutti and Kirbi Fagan, and was really well-received by our members. It stopped during the pandemic because everyone in publishing started working from home and stopped receiving mail from their offices, but now that things are going back to normal, I thought it would be a great program to revive.

Rebecca Howe

To participate, illustrators create promotional postcards with their artwork and contact information to send  quarterly to a personally curated mailing list. The mailing dates are the first days of February, April, July, and November. These dates were picked based on publishing industry's habits: In September, many people in publishing take vacations, and December is often very quiet. To join the community of other SCBWI illustrators participating, images of the postcards can be posted on Instagram with the hashtag #4outthedoor.

Thalita Dol

Why is sending a postcard important? For starters, it lets the publisher know you and your work exist and are available for hire. Once you start sending on a regular basis, it will keep your work on their bulletin board for consideration. Could you also do this with an email? Absolutely yes. But my thought is that going the extra mile to send some snail mail in our digital-forward world sets you apart.

Bradley D. Cooper

Whatever you do, definitely be promoting you work in some way (honestly, multiple ways)! I really like this article from The Business of Illustration. 

For the full run-down of 4 Out the Door, take a look at our website. 

Katie Eberts studied art at the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art & Design. She lives in Cedarville, Michigan with her husband and their friendly cat in a sweet little red cabin surrounded by flowers in the summer and piles of snow in the winter. As of May 2021, she is the IC for the Michigan Chapter of SCBWI.

Meet Our New Illustrator Coordinators

Deb Pilutti and Kirbi Fagan 

Hi Deb and Kirbi, thank you very much for volunteering to be the next SCBWI Michigan illustrator coordinators and for the following interview.

Please tell us a bit about your background.

K: My journey really began when I entered art school. I was very academic (still am) and was focused on learning techniques including oil, airbrush, watercolor, acrylic, mixed media, colored pencils and then in my last year started painting digitally. I have a great love for tech and paint. I set my focus on the publishing world. I went to tons of conventions and workshops around the country soaking up education to improve my work. That’s actually how I met Deb. I was making ends meet doing portraiture, design and teaching. Now, I work in a variety of genres doing cover art for middle grade, young adult, adult, comics and even some work for video games. I’m trying to write but it will be awhile before you see my writing on the shelves.

D: Unlike Kirbi, I don’t have a formal illustration education. Illustrating children’s books was not something that occurred to me until much later. I wanted to be a serious graphic designer and was for awhile. As I progressed in the field, my work got less serious and more playful - truer to my real self, I suppose.  I designed theme park graphics and children’s toys. It was a perfect segway to illustrating and writing picture books. Being a designer informs my work and leads to a more dynamic layout that helps tell a story. 

What is your favorite single illustration, created by yourself and why?

K: I’d rather gush about Deb’s work than my own. Here is a spread from IDEA JAR. I witnessed it go from sketch to finish. It communicates the idea of the text so simply and graphically. Deb’s colors are so always cohesive but she isn’t afraid to be BOLD either. This is a great example of that. You don’t have to take my word for it, it recently won a merit award in the picture book category from the annual 3x3.

D: And I absolutely love this painting Kirbi created for a card deck which includes fantasy prompts to inspire characters, stories and artworks from https://www.recklessdeck.com/. It’s a seemingly simple image, yet so full of mystery. The elephant is what first draws you in, with her fabulous markings and headdress. Upon a closer look, you start to notice some things that don’t quite make sense in a normal world, which makes it a perfect image for the game. Kirbi is a master of values and color and really uses those aspects to direct the eye and heighten tension. This illustration was also used as a cover for a speculative fiction magazine.

Why did you volunteer for this position?

D: The SCBWI community welcomed me when I was starting out. Seasoned writers and illustrators encouraged me and gave actionable suggestions for improvement.  I found several critique groups through SCBWI and have participated in conferences and outings. I’d like to give other illustrators that same welcome and support. As a bonus, volunteering with Kirbi has been a blast. She has such an energy and passion that it rubs off! I learn a lot from working with her.

K: The feeling is mutual Deb. Being an illustrator certainly doesn’t come without it’s struggles, it can be a very lonely job. When I’m with a community of other creatives that’s when I’m learning the most. I’m excited about bringing people together to create this group that is social, supportive and educational.

What do you deem most important on the path to success as a children’s book Illustrator?

D: A willingness to constantly improve the work to tell a better story.

K: I couldn’t agree more. A really good compositional sense doesn’t hurt either.

D: YES! How would you suggest improving on that? I encourage people to look at good design and think about WHY it’s good.

K: …and HOW the design itself can help tell your story! This concept about composition changed my life when I got out of school and I’m pretty sure I’m going to spend the rest of my life figuring it out: http://www.muddycolors.com/2012/08/composition-basics-value-structure/

As our new illustrator coordinators, what is your vision for our group? How would your ideal SCBWI illustrator-world look?

D: To continue to provide a supportive community for our members. We’d like to increase our group’s diversity by reaching out to other communities, like art and community colleges.

K: Bringing introverted artists together is sometimes a challenge but whenever we get together, I know we all go back to our studios inspired and encouraged.

D: It would be wonderful to see a better connection between the writers and illustrators. Online and in conferences. The art making and writing process has more in common than we acknowledge.

K: When it comes to programming, there are many people in our region who have said they’d like to know more about photoshop, digital painting, animation, image scanning and color printing profiles so we are planning a webinar on these great digital tools.

D: Four out the Door postcard challenge has been our first program to provide encouragement and information toward the shared goal of sending out postcards and getting work. https://michigan.scbwi.org/2018/01/06/the-4-out-the-door-illustrator-challenge/https://michigan.scbwi.org/2018/01/06/the-4-out-the-door-illustrator-challenge/

K: It’s been really fun interacting on our instagram with #4outthedoor program. You all might be curious to know we even have a few art directors following us. We’ll definitely be doing more to offer more exposure to our Michigan illustrators.

What’s the next event or workshop you’re planning?

K: Sunday, July 1st is our Plein Air day. Two locations on opposite sides of the state. https://michigan.scbwi.org/2018/04/12/just-for-illustrators/

Are you open to suggestions from your fellow illustrators? If so, how would you like to be contacted?

K: Absolutely. We have a private facebook page for Michigan members. It’s a safe place to talk shop, share successes, make suggestions and ask for help.

D: Yes! Please reach out to us to let us know what you want from this community. Email me at Michigan-IC@SCBWI.org, or Kirbi Michigan-IC2@SCBWI.org.

If a genie would grant you one wish for the illustrators in our group, what would it be?

D: I would love to have a group studio and resource space.

K: Friendships that can offer trusted critique, encouragement and artistic growth.

Thank you for the interview; we are looking forward to the good things to come!

Is Your Art Ready? by Kirbi Fagan

A few of you who are considering joining SCBWI’s 4 Out the Door program have asked me, “How do I know if my art is ready?” I’m here today to share what I have learned. Conferences bring all sort of professionals and amateurs together, it can be inspiring. Many times artists can walk away feeling motivated to get their work out in the world. If their work isn’t ready, they could be wasting valuable time and money on promotions that could be better spent at their easel. 

Have you invested in your work?

I’m embarrassed to say how many thousands of dollars I’ve invested traveling to workshops and taking online classes to learn more about drawing and painting - after I already had a degree in illustration.

It’s true, you don’t have to go to art school to be a working illustrator, in fact none of my clients have even asked if I had a degree. Keep in mind your competition likely has an art education. They aren’t hobbyists or fans, they’ve given their “1000 hours of practice” and are serious about their craft (even if it’s as fun as cartoons.)

Has your work been critically reviewed?

Getting feedback from industry professional, not your spouse, friend or family is crucial. It’s uncomfortable to put ourselves out there. You might hear the idiom about needing “thick skin,” and it’s true. It wasn’t until I was completely crushed by an industry professional’s review that I was able to see my early work for what it was. 

I’ve never met anyone who had a terrific portfolio that wasn’t getting commission requests. Assuming you are sending to a publisher that your work is appropriate for and you still aren’t receiving work it’s a sure sign the work isn’t ready.  

Did you take action? 

If you have received critiques, did you take notes? Did you change the way you created your next image? Did you make a revision? If a piece received a bad review - is it still in your portfolio?

I don’t always agree with a specific change a critic wants me to make. In that situation, I find myself asking what does my mentor/teaching/peer/art director mean by saying this? Sometimes, I have to ask. The answer always leaves me revising. If after a review, you are feeling more upset than motivated, likely you’re not ready. 

Trained eye versus skilled hand

A skilled hand is the ability to physically draw while a trained eye is the ability to visually evaluate artwork. I’m sure you’ve seen a situation where an artist proudly shares a “realistic portrait.” Though to you, the eyes are uneven, the nose is sagging and the mouth is totally wonky. In many cases, their brain actually adjusts the incorrect information and rearranges it to look better in their mind. 

Eventually, that same artist looks at that portrait years later and says, “whoa, I thought this was good?” Their eye has developed and they are better at evaluating the work. Understand that you may be looking at your work with a naive eye. When an artist is improving, they might feel a bit discouraged. This is because their eye is better than their hand. These two skills are constantly catching up and surpassing one another. 

Be a curator of your own work

I was always told, “they love you for your best, they hire you for your worst!” An art director knows that the worst image in your portfolio might be what they get from you on a bad day. I’ve cringed many times when I’ve come across work that I put out early on that’s forever etched in google. I’ve certainly made the mistake of showing work too soon or work that isn’t my best. We must be curators, it could be the difference of getting the job or not.

Are you set up?

artwork by Kirbi Fagan

Being an illustrator is a business, are you ready to run one? Do you have a solid critique partner to show the finished piece to before you send it to a client? Do you have another responsibility that would keep you from taking a commission if it came along? If you work traditionally, do you have a way to document, scan and professionally photograph your work? You must understand what DPI is and the difference between CMYK and RGB. Do you know how to communicate your concepts with a sketch in a way a non-visual person could understand? 

Art is a lifelong craft, it’s okay to build relationships with potential clients when your work isn’t 100% ready but I feel you should be 80% there. If you are in the early stages, the most important thing to show an art director is that you’re improving by always having new work to share. When meeting an art director, mention that you understand the work may not be ready but you would appreciate their feedback. 

By now, you might be thinking about deleting a few images on your Instagram or postponing your next mailer. The good new is, I can say that I have been hired by people who saw my work before it was ready. When I got better, they hired me.  Don't feel that a few bad portfolio reviews will ruin your career. I was so relieved to listen to an art director who reviewed my work early on who said simply, “Art directors know that artists get better.”

If you liked this post and want to learn more about becoming a working illustrator, you may be interested in another article of mine, Becoming an Illustrator in 2018:

http://www.muddycolors.com/2018/03/rising-star-kirbi-fagan/

Kirbi Fagan is a Detroit based book & comic cover illustrator who specializes in creating art for young readers. Her illustrations are known for their magic themes, nostalgic mood, bright colors, and powerful characters. Currently, she serves as a Co-Regional Illustrator Coordinator with SCBWI and teaches illustration at College for Creative Studies in Downtown Detroit. Recent clients include, Marvel Comics, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Books and Dark Horse Comics. Recent Recognition includes the Jack Gaughan Award for Best Emerging Artist and the Muddy Color Rising Star.

Learn more: https://michigan.scbwi.org/2018/01/06/the-4-out-the-door-illustrator-challenge/

Coming up on the Mitten blog: Charlie Barshaw shines the spotlight on one of our SCBWI-MI members. Come back next Friday for our quarterly Writer Spotlight feature!

We're going to be starting some new traditions here at the Mitten. We'll fill you in soon, but in the meantime, hop on over to our Kiddie Litter page to enjoy Neal Levin's cartoons - a tradition that began over ten years ago when SCBWI-MI had a snail-mail delivered paper newsletter.

4 Out the Door Illustrator Challenge by Deb Pilutti

I did not always “know” I wanted to work in children’s publishing, but when I finally had my AHA moment, I was eager to start right away (cue knowing smile). The Children’s Writer's and Illustrator’s Market stated that sending promotional postcards was a good way for illustrators to contact art directors and editors. So I started with a small mailing, printed on my own color printer. The postcard had an illustration of two silly dogs on the front.

Several weeks after sending that card, editor Meredith Mundy contacted me to ask if I would send more samples. She had a story about a silly dog and was considering me to illustrate it. I did a little dance, crossed my fingers and sent off samples that day. Weeks passed, then months without a word. Gradually, I resigned myself to the notion that another illustrator had been selected. Sometime later, I learned that Meredith had moved to Sterling Publishing before ever editing the silly dog book. I updated my mailing list with her new address and kept sending postcards and samples. “Right away” turned into a few years, but my promotions made a connection, and the connection led to two books with Meredith and Sterling. They were books that I would never had worked on if I had not sent out the first postcard.

I thought that once I was published, subsequent requests for projects would flood my inbox. This did not happen. Self-promotion, it turns out, is an ongoing process. And postcard mailings are one of the easiest and cost effective forms of self promotion. Yet, too often, I don’t send them. I have good intentions to send out more than one card every three years. I really do. I have gotten contracts from them. Postcards work. So what’s my problem?

The usual excuses come into play. “I’m too busy right now,”  “I don’t have a good idea,” “What if no one likes my work?” or “I’ll do it next month”... Do any of these sound familiar? Well, 2018 is going to be different. SCBWI-MI is hosting the 4 Out the Door postcard challenge for illustrators, and I am committing to sending out four (4!) postcards over the course of a year.

This challenge will help me see my good intentions through. Like many people, I work better with a deadline. This challenge has four. I’m more likely to follow through with something if I make plans with a friend beforehand. Other SCBWI buddies will be doing this with me, so we can cheer each other on. So that’s my 2018 resolution: making plans, with friends, to do this postcard thing. I think I’m going to nail it.

Deb Pilutti writes and illustrates for children. She feels lucky to have a job where reading, playing with toys and watching cartoons is considered “research.” Deb is the author and/or illustrator of several picture books, including IDEA JAR, written by Adam Lehrhaupt (Simon & Schuster) and THE SECRETS OF NINJA SCHOOL (A Christy Ottaviano Book/Henry Holt). She lives in Ann Arbor, MI.







More about 4 Out the Door:
 4 Out the Door is a challenge hosted by SCBWI Michigan for illustrator members (from any region) to send promotional postcards to publishing houses quarterly.

To participate, simply send an email to fouroutthedoor@gmail.com. Once you sign up, you will receive a welcome e-packet about the basics of promotional mailings and next steps, informative newsletters and a digital badge you can use to share the news of our challenge. In addition, check the SCBWI-MI Instagram, Facebook and Twitter feeds for tips and success stories throughout the year.

Schedule:
Mail cards Feb 1, April 1, July 1, and November 1.

Even though the first deadline has passed, illustrators may join the challenge at any time. We’ve picked these dates based on the publishing industry’s habits. For instance, in September, many people in publishing take vacations and December is often very quiet. If you miss the deadline we encourage you to stay with the challenge whatever the time of year.

Artwork for 4 Out the Door created by Kirbi Fagan

Coming up on the Mitten blog: an interview with one of our SCBWI-MI novel mentors, The Path to Promotion publicity program, the resonant roar of quiet stories, a recap of the NY conference, and a round-up of SCBWI-MI member blogs. Do you have an active kidlit blog? Send an email to Charlie Barshaw to let him know.

Registration for the SCBWI-MI spring conference in Detroit opens on March 15th!

This just in! SCBWI Michigan and Indiana are teaming up for a creative retreat at Pokagon State Park, Indiana, October 5-7, 2018. Learn more here. And stay tuned for an interview with illustrator Sara Kendall who shares her process in creating the Pokagon painting below.

Art by Sara Kendall.
https://michigan.scbwi.org/2018/02/19/creative-weekend-in-pokagon-state-park/