FEBRUARY (2016)

Part 1 – 37 minutes

Loraine Joyner is the former senior art director of the Atlanta, GA. based Peachtree Publishers, which specializes in children's picture books and YA and Middle Grade fiction and nonfiction.

Many of the more than 300 books she has art directed have received awards and critical acclaim, including recently 14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy and illustrated by Thomas Gonzales, which became a New York Times bestseller.

This is the recording of our first critique session where we covered Loraine's critique of her first assignment, which was to upload a piece of final illustration art you're not quite sure about.

In March, we planned to cover Part 2 of Loraine's assignment, which was to create a sketch for a piece of transitional spot art for a Hans Christian Andersen story.

Get all your access details and marching orders for the March 24 (Part 2) session with Loraine here.

Part 2 – 60 minutes (YouTube thumbnail art by Sue Todd)

She gave a thoughtful response to a question in this interview from when she was senior art director at Peachtree Publishers about what kinds of images an illustrator should send to the Atlanta-based trade publisher:

"First, if you cannot draw and/or paint really, really well, we cannot consider you. We want illustrators who obviously know the fundamentals, even when they are not (yet) published.

"Second: character. If you cannot sustain a character in every situation, every emotion, every action and reaction,every physical pose, every tiny moment - we cannot consider you.
Characters count...This mostly has to come out of your own head and not photos, though pix can give great assistance in capturing a moment...

"Third: Be able to tell a fluid, magical, moving story in a visual way...Move the scenes like shooting a movie...[showing] varying points of view, unexpected 'camera angles', great lighting and shadow, and smooth transitions...

"Fourth: Love the story."

Part 3 –63 minutes (YouTube thumbnail art by Gretchen Deahl)