Ken W. Min ~ Illustrator for Hire

SCBWI

what is it and does it have a catchy nickname?

for a while now, i have been gearing my artwork towards the children's market. that's why you probably won't see a lot of pictures of superheroes wearing spandex on this site. (not that there is anything wrong with that. i still read the funny books. just check out my bio) but, as was explained in a prior post, i'm about making art (and one day books) for children.

which brings me to SCBWI. SCBWI stands for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. (look for a link to the organization- stage right -->) i have been an associate member now for 5 years. it's a great place where people with a love of children's books can gather and share in their joy of the medium. it's also a great place for networking, gathering resources and information, and just to get a general idea and feel for the children's book industry.

i have met some really nice and talented folks through this organization. people who have made me a better illustrator. (of course i wouldn't tell them that, it would just go to their collective heads :)

but it's a good group to be a part of.

plus, this august, their annual summer conference is taking place here in los angeles. if you have any interest in the field, you should definitely look into it. it's 4 days of talks, workshops, good information, a portfolio display of the best up and comers along with some laughs, good stories, parties and my personal favorite- drinks in the hotel bar after it is all over. that's when my friends and i unwind and relax while waiting out rush hour traffic. check out the SCBWI website for more information.

now, if only there was a catchy nickname for 'SCBWI'. i've had friends refer to them as "squibly" or "squeeby". (i don't think the higher ups in the organization would be too keen on those names :)

alas, we'll just have to keep working on it.

Art in Progress: Bear Park ~ Fin

not a heavily inked picture, (unlike the last one) but altogether satisfying. i'm actually happiest when i don't do a lot of ink work. my goal is to use fewer inked lines, cause i'm hoping i can pull off some contrast just from the paint...one hopes :)
i'm probably most pleased with the grass. i was wondering if i could pull it off- the idea of it that was in my head; the contrasting shades. i knew how i wanted it to look and how i wanted to approach it, but there are times when something just goes off the tracks and gets a little messy. but in this case it worked for me.

whew!

(you can view a larger image by clicking on the picture)

Art in Progress: Bear Park pt. 5

paint job time.

we're rounding the corner and heading into the final stretch. as you will notice, i've only painted in the main figures. this is something i've been doing lately. keeping color on the main characters only while leaving some background characters or other "props" dressed in similar colors. it's just an added way to direct and draw the viewer's eye. (or so i say, maybe i'm just full of myself...or full of something :)
i will go in and add some details to the background characters to separate, and to distinguish them, from the bg.

but that's the next step. the final stage. the ink job.

(you can view a larger version of this stage by clicking on the image above)

Art in Progress: Bear Park pt. 4

field and background.

i don't really have a set pattern when i paint. i know some people like to render in the backgrounds first in order to incorporate and blend in the main figures to the bg and get that color harmony. some like to do the main focal point then the bg. i started with the background first in this instant because i was worried how the bg would come off. was i going to get what i pictured in my head or was it going to give me problems. in which case, i didn't want to have painted in the main bodies only to, possibly, start over. (sure in this day and age, with photoshop, one could easily take the figure from one image and drop it onto another, but when possible, i like to have everything all in one- call me old fashioned :) thankfully in this case, it came out well. i was worried that i would screw up the blades of grass and mess up the contrast of light colors against the darker grain. especially the way i paint, it's easy to go too dark, too fast. but i'm happy and i'm moving on.

Art in Progress: Bear Park pt. 3

final sketch ~ before it goes to board.

tightened some things up. settled on a face for my bear. not a whole lot to say so i think i'll go ahead and do another post with the next stage.

Art in Progress: Bear Park pt. 2

character design stage.

always fun...(he said tongue in cheek-ily) this can sometimes make or break my enjoyment of a piece. if i can find an interesting "take" on the character, then i'm content enough to move on through. but if it feels like pulling teeth, well then, so goes my mood. and if this is the case, then the piece can move along very slowly. (and it's not like i'm trying to re-invent the wheel, character-wise, just want something that compliments the composition in my head)

and this is also a good place to play loose with the action of the piece. like how the kid sits on the bear's shoulder. the way the boy's body flows out from the bear. if i like the sketch well enough, i'll sometimes just trace it out again to preserve the "spontaneity" of the form.

sometimes. :)

Art in Progress: Bear Park pt. 1

o.k. new piece here!

hope you, my "imaginary readers", aren't too bored with these little exercises of mine...

i've been working on pumping up my portfolio of late. i have a children's book conference coming up in august and it's always nice to have some new work to show. (i should write about scbwi- the children's book organization that i belong to- perhaps in the next post)

this one i call bear park. a boy and his best bear pal. it's odd sometimes where ideas come from- trying to come up with a new stand alone piece. i think this one came to me in the shower. a shower is a good place to just let the mind wander, to ruminate on a germ of an idea and to flesh it out. (yeah, yeah- some bad puns and plays on words in that last line...so sue me :)

another way i like to work up ideas is on a nice drive. just make sure you have a pad of paper and pen handy or a tape recorder. just so there aren't any accidents along the way. you know, safety first.

anyways, back to the picture. here is the "inspirational thumbnail" for your perusal.

i'll post the next stage tomorrow to keep things moving along.

later

(btw- click on the image above for a larger view of this stage)

Art in Progress: Flower Field ~ Big Finish

here it is my "imaginary readership", the final picture.  went through a few flower designs before committing to this look. it's a little different from the line drawing stage but hey, it's a personal piece so i can change my mind :)

overall, i'm happy with the image. it's simple but i hope has a sense of fun and glee. hope you enjoy it.

(you can click on the image for a larger view of this picture)

Art in Progress: Flower Field pt.3

when last we visited this particular picture, it basically had one tone on it. in that time, i have gone ahead and added the sky element and painted in my little girl. she is pretty much as she is going to be color-wise. i will probably just go in and tighten up some detailed areas in brush and ink. the same goes for the field of flowers. in fact you can just make out the pencil drawing in the upper right corner. my plan is to just ink the flowers as well as to just draw in the background people in ink. the idea is to just concentrate color on my little girl, to make her the first, immediate read.

(click on the image to see a larger version of this stage)

Zoopsia ~ at The Getty

last week i went over to the getty museum to view an exhibit called "zoopsia".

for those not familiar with the getty, it is a huge, white marble structure that sits perched on a hillside beside the famed, constantly congested 405 freeway here in l.a. admission to the getty is free. one only has to pay for parking which currently runs at $8. view the getty website here:

http://www.getty.edu/museum/

i had noticed some banners along several l.a. streets featuring what looked like an octopus' tentacle. it wasn't until a friend mentioned wanting to see the show "zoopsia" that i put 2 and 2 together. (there's probably a joke to be made here at my expense. either of how dense i can be or how i have the deductive skills of a sherlock holmes...i'll leave that up to others :)

though the exhibit is small in size, 4 to 5 items, each piece is fascinating to look at. on the surface, one has an impression of what they are looking at, be it a prehistoric dinosaur skeleton or a flying bat, but if you take a closer look, you'll notice that things aren't what they seem. i won't spill the beans here, except to say that radio shack bags have never been put to better use, but it's certainly a nice little exhibit to look upon.

and wait till you see what the suction cups on the octopus' tentacles are created from...