Cory Shaw - Author & Illustrator
  • HOME
  • Portfolio
  • ABOUT ME
    • CONTACT
  • Resource Library
  • STORE
  • Magical Moments Blog
  • NEWSLETTER

How To Be Original

3/24/2021

0 Comments

 
How To Be Original
“No man was ever great by imitation.”- Samuel Johnson

How To Be Original

  1. Keep notes on reference material in your sketchbook or notepad. Use One Note or similar software if it helps to save links to the original material. If you do not, you will forget the source or that you used a reference. If you don’t know whether or not the material is original don’t use it. After so many times of abandoning material because you don’t remember where it came from, you will start to keep better notes.
  2. Do not import reference material into new material. It can become confused with the original or result in a 1 to 1 copy.
  3. Collect your references, review them and then put them away.
  4. Do not use art as source material for art. This is a tricky one, but it is so hard to develop your style when you are constantly trying to mimic someone else’s, or you are regularly concerned about a billion other styles online.
  5. Sketch your references twice, once going off the source material and once again going off your sketch.
  6. Use your work as a style reference. Pick something from your work that you can use as a reminder of what you want to be.
  7. Ask yourself, why me? Am I the right person to present this material? Is it a part of me? Of my experience, my expertise, or my character? If not, don’t do it.
    • If it is not part of you where did it come from?
    • If it is not part of you, then you probably don’t understand the material well enough to present it properly.
    • If it is not part of you, then you likely cannot offer unique material or perspective.
    • If you cannot offer anything unique, then you need to stop and think about whether or not it is necessary to reiterate it.
    • Leave room for voices who have a relationship with the material.
  8. Draft a lot and draft quick.
  9. Get feedback on all your work from many different people.
  10. Don’t put all your faith in one piece. Writers write many books and artists paint many paintings.

Investing In Your Style

I recently watched a YouTube video by Andrei Jikh where he explains the best times of the year or week to invest. He expertly breaks it down to the best days, but in a complete reversal, he says, "If you try to time the market you are probably going to do very badly." This is because the window is not guaranteed, and missing it can cost you big. You are much better off investing in small amounts gradually than trying to catch the market at the right time and buy all at once.

We can talk all day about originality, but in the end ,"If you try to be original you are probably going to plagiarize the heck out of somebody." The window for what is original is teeny tiny, so small we can even debate its existence. Is it there, is it not there? My guess is as good as yours.
“Originality is the art of concealing your source.” -Franklin P. Jones
Remember, lack of originality is not a bad thing. Plagiarism is a bad thing. You are much better off owning up to your lack of originality in every way possible. You are better off taking a little and giving a little rather than trying to give everything at once.

Conclusion

Blogger and author, Austin Kleon, suggests that creatives try to build on existing ideas rather than create new ones. Be honest and transparent about it. For example, many of my blog ideas come from quotes that I run into. I reference the quote and then I just elaborate on what it means to me.

All genuine creativity is the development of ideas that already exist.

​This isn't just a concept in art. The smart phone was not an original idea, there were cell phones before that, and bean cans before that, and face to face conversations before that.
"What a good artist understands it that nothing comes from nowhere. All creative work builds on what came before. Nothing is completely original." -Austin Kleon
0 Comments

Art Like A Child

3/22/2021

0 Comments

 
Art Like A Child
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” -Pablo Picasso
Beatrice Blue, like artists long ago, has considered the loss of exploration and freedom to make art in adulthood. She said, if only we explored as a child does, then style would come naturally.

Adolfo Serra taught that we can learn a lot by watching how children create. They don’t need references, styles, or teachers.Children are natural artists. Give them the tools to work with and off they go.

Give Them Scissors

It is amazing to me what a child can do with scissors. I have seen children build their art out of paper before coloring it. Alternatively, they cut out the finished pieces and rearrange them on a separate piece of coloring paper or make new things from their designs, like bookmarks.

Give Them Every Sort Of Medium

Children mix mediums like they mix playdough. Some crayon here, marker there, then watercolor over everything. Bring out all the art supplies.

Give Them Texture

Children's art can look like a collage of materials: Crazy eyes, stickers, colored paper, macaroni, and glue.

Give Them Different Surfaces To Draw On

Children draw on walls, sidewalks, cardboard, their arms, their faces, surfaces that are notoriously difficult to work with.

Give Them Space

Perhaps the most difficult things for adults to imitate are the things that make children what they are. Children are simple, new to the world, and do not have negative thought patterns holding them back. Children do not have any reason to create art other than for its own sake.
If you are looking for coloring pages for adults or children, I have a set of 3 coloring pages in my shop, featuring woodland critters, ocean critters, and critters you might find around the house. Enjoy!
0 Comments

Learning By Deliberate Practice

3/15/2021

0 Comments

 
Learning By Deliberate Practice
"The Reason that most people don't possess these extraordinary physical capabilities isn't because they don't have the capacity for them, but rather because they are satisfied to live in the comfortable rut of homeostasis and never do the work that is required to get out of it. They live in the world of "good enough." The same thing is true for all mental activities we engage in."
-Anders Ericsson
I fell in love with Deliberate Practice while doing martial arts, but recently I decided to scour my notes for insight into writing and illustration.

I often find myself drawing similar things over and over again because I am comfortable with them and I know they get likes on social media. However, my goal is to improve, particularly to grow into stories that I want to illustrate.
​
Those that stand by Deliberate Practice define it as a practice with purpose and intent to improve. Here are some ways you can make it apart of your learning and take your skill to the next level:

Make clear goals

You cannot get where you want if you have not first thought about where it is you want to go and how to get there. The wanderer succeeds at wandering.

Seek feedback

When you train a physical activity you get feedback from your body and coach. When you write or illustrate you get feedback from your art sense, professionals, and your audience. Remember that it is very hard to see the forest through the trees and that other people can provide much-needed insight from the 300ft level.

Improve specific areas

Kevin Secours, one of my martial arts instructors, used the metaphor of a chain. Imagine a long chain is pulling you towards your goal. Any weak link in the chain could stop you dead in your tracks. We referred to this practice as “Isolation. ” Only by isolating a weak link can you strengthen it.

“Don’t try to reinvent the wheel”

There is no reason for you to imagine that you must completely reinvent writing or illustrating. “If you put a monkey in a room with a typewriter, eventually you would get Shakespeare,” but you would have wasted your time because Shakespeare has been done before. Everything has been done before and it has been done well. Use the strategies of masters. You will anyway! Because you can’t separate yourself from the world. You might as well learn from others deliberately, rather than hide your sources behind the ego. I would remind you that accidents often account for plagiarism. Recognizing that you have been influenced by others is the first steptowards citing your sources.

Always be working just beyond your ability

“If you are just doing things that feel comfortable, your body will not change. If you make errors, you will find ways to eliminate those errors."- Anders Ericsson

​Traveling the same route does not contribute to growth

Do not mistake practice for blind repetition. It is not enough to draw 100 birds, you must push your limits on each one and make little adjustments to your process.

​A teacher or mentor can help you get incrementally better

0 Comments

Quotes For Fueling Creativity

3/8/2021

0 Comments

 
Quotes For Fueling Creativity
The other day, Austin Kleon blogged about collecting quotes in a notebook and prompted me to think about how they amount to more than just cat posters. Quotes inspire. ​
"It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations."
​
-Winston S. Churchill 
Jake Parker says every person has a creative bank account that they both fill and spend when they need it. The concept is very similar to something that Benjamin Lo said about Chi. When a student asked him how to discharge a chi blast that sends people flying backward, he responded by saying, "Do you have Chi?"

I am also reminded of the wise Zen saying that one cannot fill a full cup. You must first "empty your cup." So, a creative person is someone who regularly fills and empties their cup.

Quotes are succinct and powerful, so reading them can sometimes feel like reading an entire novel. They are very filling. The inspiration that some quotes bring can last a lifetime and inspire many different creative projects along the way. 
I am still very fond of my collection of quotes, and I return to it often. Here is one:
"A fine quotation is a diamond in the hand of a man of wit and a pebble in the hand of a fool." 
​
-Joseph Roux 
I do not know whether I am a man of wit or a fool, but if I turn out to be the fool, at least I'll be armed with something to throw at all the haters.
0 Comments

Let the Illustration Speak for Itself

2/25/2021

0 Comments

 
Let the Illustration Speak for Itself
Penguin Problems
By Jory john
Illustrated by Lane Smith

Some time ago I became distracted by a picture book with no title featured on the front cover. Similar to the allure of The book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak, a book without a title is at the very least intriguing. After picking it up and turning it around in my hands, I noticed the title, author, and illustrator were featured prominently. . .on the back of the book. They take up the entire back page.

I have never seen such an extreme example of “letting an illustration speak for itself.” The publishing team allowed it to take place of the title. But I understand why they did it. Why say Penguin Problems when you can let Lane Smith show it? The illustration is:
  1. Easy to read
  2. Descriptive
  3. Unique
I picked up the book because there was no title, and yet I understood what it was about immediately.

Penguin Problems reminds me that the presentation of a picture book makes a big difference to potential readers. You must take every step necessary to get a reader to pick up that book in hand, turn it around, and flip a few pages. You can't sell books that no one picks up to begin with.
0 Comments

Growing Pains

2/23/2021

1 Comment

 
Growing Pains
I ran into a hiccup last week. This time it was a particularly large hiccup when anxiety got the best of me and inhibited my work pattern. I was lucky enough to find some creative advice from Austin Kleon in his blog, a post titled "Pointing At Things." It is really hard to quote Austin here because he spends most of his time quoting others. He says,
"The artist sees something and she points to it so you can see it, too." ​
This is the kind of post that gets me thinking, "Well, that's not hard. I can point at things." It is positive and uplifting and now I should feel ready to get my Kim Jung Ung on. 
But I don't. It is often during this struggle to change, to do something better or do something different, that anxiety hits the hardest. It is like I am trying to run a mile faster than I ran the mile before. I am prepared to make micro adjustments and I know what the micro adjustments are, but every time I get into position I stop and think, "Nope. Not ready." Or I take off only to stop again down the road and think, "Something is not right."

In this moment it is easy to blame myself. I not only accuse myself of being unable to run faster, but make the astounding claim that I could never run to begin with. In an article by Ana Sandoiu she explains the importance of making stress your friend.

"Instead of seeing stress as your enemy, you can make it work for you. Stress and anxiety are nothing but a sign that you care about something, and this care can be molded into something that wildly improves your performance instead of inhibiting it." 
 
I often need to remind myself that anxiety is a growing pain. When I was a child and I felt any kind of pain in my legs or arms at night, my mother would call them "Growing Pains." The term was actually comforting because growth is a good thing. It is less frightening than pain without a cause or due to sickness or declining health. 
 
I want to put my attention from pain to growth. When I feel anxiety I know that I care, that I am putting a lot of work and intention into my growth, and I know that is the best way to improve. 
"No Pain, No Gain." ​
Regardless, I will seek to avoid anxiety as much as possible. 
 
The final strategy that Ana Sandoiu suggests is to "find what feels good." She means that not every strategy works for every person and there are perhaps as many strategies as there are anxious people. 
 
Sometimes I need to step back and just do things the way that I do them. When I step back I often discover that I can incorporate new strategies without anxiety inhibiting me. I only needed to give myself permission to work freely. 
1 Comment

Resources For Learning to Illustrate That You Must Try

1/27/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
  1. SVS Learn Nothing really beats receiving critiques from professionals in your field of interest. For that reason I think the live online courses offered at SVS Learn are the next best thing to art school. What makes SVS Learn better than art school is a huge video library available with a subscription, the freedom to work on your own time and at your own pace, and the cost, which is much cheaper than university courses. SVS Learn is managed and taught by a great team of professional artists with a diverse range of talent. There is really nothing negative that I can say about it.
  2. Domestika The highlight of Domestika is that it gives you access to international talent. Is it just me or do you feel that international artists tend to approach art education very different from Americans? If you have trouble with the structured and technical education of American learning, then you should try the freedom and looseness that comes from other parts of the world. Some of the videos must be watched with subtitles if you don't speak the native tongue, but often times the videos are dubbed in the English language.
  3. Pay the artist directly for videos, critiques and PSD files This may be found on an artist's shop, Patreon page, or an event may pop up with affiliation to your local library or illustrator's group (for example SCBWI). When I discover these options from an artist I admire, I often take them, because they don't come around often. Searching PSD files is a great way to learn process from another illustrator, or to see what filters and layers they use to create their work.
  4. Books I think books are a great way to present learning tutorials. Two of my favorites are How to Think When You Draw with Lorenzo! And How to Draw Animals by Jack Hamm. Art books are another great tool, of which I prefer my favorites in film and tv. You should also look at lots of books in the genre that you want to learn, such as picture books or graphic novels. Study them and take time to discover why the artist made layout or color decisions.
  5. Blogs Let me introduce you to blog.picturebookmakers.com. I discover a lot of unique professionals through this blog and others like it, which interview picture book makers about their process, style, and influences.​

Read More
0 Comments
Forward>>

    Author

    Hi, my name is Cory Shaw. I am an author and illustrator of books and book covers for children.

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Chasing Dreams
    Children’s Books
    Coloring Pages
    Creativity
    Creator Marketing
    Creator Spotlight
    Critical Thinking
    Folklore
    For Parents
    Illustrating
    Illustrating Tips
    Kids Crafts
    Mazes
    Myths
    Nature
    Picture Book Creation
    Picture Books
    Poetry
    Productivity Tips
    Search And Finds
    Writing
    Writing Tips

    RSS Feed

      Cory's Pinecone Mound - Weekly Newsletter

      Things I found, things I am saving for winter
    Subscribe to Newsletter
    See My Covers:
    See My Kid's Activities:
    Picture
    Picture
    This blog uses affiliate links.
  • HOME
  • Portfolio
  • ABOUT ME
    • CONTACT
  • Resource Library
  • STORE
  • Magical Moments Blog
  • NEWSLETTER