Many THANKS to our Speaker... Kathryn Hewitt!

On Monday night,
April 20th,
in our luxurious Pico salon,
the Westside Illustrators
enjoyed a
splendiferous evening
with our engaging
guest speaker...
writer and illustrator,
Kathryn Hewitt

Surrounded by a collection of her published books
and original paintings, Kathryn generously shared her life and work.
We were treated to an informative and humorous slide presentation,
full of photos & stories & artwork & fun. We examined her dummies and storyboards and sketches up close, asked a ton of questions,
got books signed, ate goodies & laughed a lot!

Many, many thanks to Kathryn for educating,
entertaining and most of all...inspiring us!!
To see more of Kathryn's work, visit her website
http://www.KathrynHewitt.com

The Westside Illustrator's next meeting will be May 18th. Come join us!
For info contact Suzy Engelman Block...soozyeb@aol.com
http://www.SuzyEngelmanBlock.com

Westside Illustrator Schmoozin'... with a Guest Speaker!

You are cordially invited to our next

L.A. Westside Illustrators Schmooze!

Please join us Monday Eve, April 20, 7-9pm

for our SPRING SPEAKER NIGHT

In the 'HOTSEAT'...
our special guest speaker is
award winning author/illustrator
Kathryn Hewitt

Kathryn has illustrated over 20 books,
4 of which she also wrote.
You may know her from her illustrations
for the series by Kathleen Krull.
"Lives of...the Artists, the Musicians, the Presidents", etc..!
Kathryn will share with us her many years
of professional experience,
and her many trials and tribulations along the way!
Check out her website...

http://www.KathrynHewitt.com

(For this particular meeting, a $5 donation per person will go to the speaker)

This is a wonderful opportunity to get up close and personal
with Kathryn and her work.
What words of wisdom can she share with us?
How can she inspire u s to work towards our goals?
Does she have any secrets of the trade to bestow on us?

Come prepared to participate, ask questions and be inspired!
Let's enjoy a fun creative evening together & move forward in our common pursuit
of making a contribution to the world of children's illustration and literature!

WHEN???...Monday evening, April 20, 2009, 7:00 - 9:00pm
WHERE???... 11624 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064
This is a large gray building with ivy & bamboo on the facade.
The sign near the door reads - "Alliance Francaise."

DIRECTIONS???... http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLR,GGLR:2006-05,GGLR:en&q=11624+W.+Pico+BLvd,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90064&um=1&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title

PARKING???... Street parking only. You don't have to feed meters after 6pm. Do NOT park in the electrical warehouse parking lot next door OR the parking lot behind the building on the corner of Federal Ave. You will be towed...FAST!

RSVP???... YES...
We need to provide adequate seating, handouts... and goodies!
BUT...last minute guests are always welcome!
RSVP to..... soozyeb@aol.com

Looking forward to seeing you all!
xoxo...suzy
cell... 818 389 1950
come visit me at.. .. http://www.SuzyEngelmanBlock.com

Schmoozing in the South Bay...

On Saturday, March 30th.... a group of writers and illustrators assembled at Bristol Farms in Redondo Beach for a Saturday Morning Schmooze.

• We discussed the various aspects of our own projects, ranging from picture book layout and pitching our story ideas, to how to put together a writing sample to send to various publishers.

• One of our newer schmoozers , Angie, shared with us her amazing organization skills with a multicolored tabbed binder with various chapters of her YA novel. Some sections were original, some were in re-write phase... and the whole thing was impressive. I can see a future workshop or schmooze based on what we learned in the future...

• As a group we discussed the process of submitting work (both manuscripts and illustrations) and ideas on how to keep working while we have completed works sent out. We also brainstormed about future Schmooze topics, including quick draw and creative writing sessions, acquiring agents, publicists, and networking opportunities.
  

• We also have decided to put together a South Bay Resource Library - at our schmoozes we will bring together our collective resources, a kind of book lending program of the professional trade books (AIGA Ethics and Guidelines, Artist's and Writer's Markets, etc)... as we all agree that each of us purchasing the same books is sometimes discourageing... why not share what we have, and help each other...

• Our Writing and Illustration Exchange will continue, allowing everyone the option to participate....

Mark your calendar with these upcoming South Bay Schmooze Dates:

Tuesday, April 17th. "Coffee Talk" 7- 9 p.m.
Bring your current project (manuscript, sketches, dummy)... we will talk shop
Bobaloca
210 North Aviation Boulevard
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Bobaloca's Located between Artesia Blvd & Manhattan Beach Blvd, at 2nd Street Londoner Hair Salon, is in the same strip of little businesses. Bobaloca's is right in the middle.

Saturday, April 25th. - Morning Schmooze - 10:00 - 12 noon.
Writer's = Writer's Day - Review and Hear from those who attended
Illustrator’s = Introducing a new idea: Trading Cards
Bristol Farms
1700-A South Pacific Coast Highway
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 303-3922

Project Funny-Bone

Illustrators Schmooze in OC
Saturday, April 25
10:30 am
at the studio of Marilyn Scott-Waters

Project Funny-Bone
What do kids find humorous in an illustration? Can you make them laugh with your funny picture? Take the challenge and bring one or more hilarious illustrations- -rough or complete--to share at the schmooze. (Think: eye-catching portfolio piece for summer conference.) Bring examples of funny illustrations for kids.

Contact me if you need directions to Marilyn's

See you there!

Veronica Walsh
mailto:green2cats@yahoo.com

illustration provided by the very funny Marilyn Scott-Waters

Illustrators Schmooze in OC

Hello Schmoozers,

Wow! What a great time we had on Saturday at the Illustrators Schmooze in OC! Master calligrapher, Janet Takahashi, demonstrated the technique of calligraphy and gave a brief history on the beautiful writing craft. Then, with pens in hand, she led the group in a hands-on calligraphy experience. What a treat! We had fun playing with all the writing toys and practicing the French Roundhand style. She makes it look so easy! We also enjoyed seeing how she incorporates calligraphy into her delightful illustrations.

Thanks, Janet, for sharing your time and talent with us!

Veronica Walsh

mailto:green2cats@yahoo.com

Westside Writers Schmooze Picture Book Critique Night

On Wednesday, March 11th, 25 brave souls shared their manuscripts at the Westside Schmooze's annual Picture Book Critique Night, and more than 10 additional writers came to join in and provide feedback!

We broke into five smaller groups and Lee outlined the "Sandwich" method of feedback we suggested everyone follow:

1. Say something you liked

2. Let the author ask questions they have

3. Share constructive feedback - i.e., not "you should do this" but "I was unclear on this"

4. Finish with something good, some overall encouragement

Rita added the final twist to the night - when each group finished the manuscripts brought, she provided us with the typed-out texts from recently published picture books. It was fascinating to analyze these works without their accompanying art!


This is a great exercise you can do at home, too. Just pick a favorite picture book, type out the words in a separate document, and and see if you can identify what gave the manuscript that special sparkle that convinced an editor to publish it!

(You can also ask a friend to do this for you - have them type up the words to a picture book you've never seen!)

All in all, it was a fascinating and successful night.

Come join us on April 15 (one week later than usual due to the Jewish holiday of Passover) for Middle Grade and Young Adult Manuscript Critique Night!

For those of you who'd like to receive feedback on your Middle Grade or Young Adult manuscript, please bring FIVE copies of up to a maximum of FOUR pages in proper format (double-spaced, normal font and margins). You don’t need to bring pages to participate: critiquing is a GREAT way to learn, and to see what everyone else has been working on! But please do RSVP to westsideschmooze@hotmail.com and mention whether you’re bringing a manuscript or not. Both fiction and non-fiction are welcome.

More schmooze details (location, etc...) here.


Hope to see you then,

Lee and Rita



Photos by Rita Crayon Huang

San Fernando Valley / Glendale Area Illustrators Schmooze

March 19 “A Story Night-Out” - Picture Book Critiques

Picture books are best when read out loud to an audience. There's no better or appreciative audience than the Schmooze! We had reading time at the bookstore and got some helpful advice on our stories. Using our picture book manuscripts and illustrations to share with the group for review. We had some wonderful stories and great illustrations.

The best part was the new faces! We had 10 people today... several new comers and great input from all... Welcome Janine, Josh, Spencer, Brittany and Frank!!! ...we had Chocolate as well, yum yum!

I will share with you some pieces of the great stories...

There were adventures of kids and their mook, with a moose as the narrator,
A story of a boy who outsmarts his senses, a boy with a fear, a real witch hater.
Stories that went in timeless rhyme,
Goodnight, sleeptight, dream of a magical time.
Boys who lost their 'yes' and are extremely testy,
Daughters that just go 'umph' and are very messy.
Cows that disrupted the peace on the moon,
These stories will be out there for you to read soon!

They are all wonderful stories and very creative... thank you all for sharing.

We are having an illustration assignment for a Show and will be doing a Crit and suggestions for improvements next months meeting... Show assignment 'Pick a Grimms' this is the link to Grimms Tales: http://www.familymanagement.com/literacy/grimms/grimms-toc.html

“All kinds of Focus and Hocus Pocus”
Thursday, April 16th, 6:30-8:30pm:
Get out your broom and get ready to sweep the cobwebs off your goals…
Let’s reassess Our Illustration/writing Goals for 2009… We'll take a look at our individual direction and focus. Make plans so you know where you want to be. Please come prepared to share your goals--or--to set a few. We’ll discuss what we want to get out of our Schmooze and new topics too.

LOCATION: Once Upon a Time Bookshoppe
2207 Honolulu Avenue, Montrose CA 91020
(between Zeke’s and Rocky Cola Cafe)
PHONE NUMBER TO STORE: (818) 248-9668
If you can't find street parking there is more through the alley, by Black Cow in a big lot.

-Jen Swain
(818) 429-6906