Category: events
Join me to watch 6 of my top artists today at 12:30 PM ET for our free WebinART chat. 🎨👍🏽👁
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Want to know what happens when agent Lilla gets to work with 6 top artists for 6 days on their picture book pitches? 🎨👑💘👁
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WebinART #2 with illustrator Katie Vernon
May 7, 2020 – WebinART #2 with illustrator Katie Vernon
Replay Link: Click here
Password: 3G#a#6n^
Lilla chats with Katie about her stellar career making art in her eccentric style, what she’s working on right now, her favorite illustration project, and her creative process. Katie also reveals how her previous work as a florist influenced her illustration!
Enjoy :)
WebinART #1 with illustrator Mara Penny
April 23, 2020 – WebinART #1 with illustrator Mara Penny
Replay Link: Click here
Password: 4p^#178H
We chatted about Mara’s gorgeous illustration projects for books, cards, fabric collections, magnetic paper dolls, a zodiac embroidery kit, and even a series of wine labels.
Lucky for your FOMO, it was recorded! Watch to learn about Mara’s artmaking process, her thoughts on what makes an art director great to work with, and the fascinating way she does research for a project.
Enjoy!
Peek inside the Studio, my garden, and see our artists’ Show and Tells.
We recently showed you highlights from our 3-Day Annual Retreat, and now I’d love to show you a few photos of the activities that the artists participated in, from our Sketch Scavenger Hunt to Vintage Bingo.
Thought you might like to see photos of the Studio and back patio set up and ready for the arrival of the artists, Day One.
Above: Breakfast on the patio.
After a Studio update to discuss all of our exciting new plans for the future, it was time for a vintage Bingo break.
Above: Vintage Bingo break!
Below: Our Snoop Groups. The artists broke into small groups to discuss a particular topic. Then, they reported back to the larger group with tips and thoughts.
Sarah Papworth, Anke Rega, Åsa Gilland, Jessica Allen
Erica Root, Mara Penny, Kendra Binney, Bambi Ramsey
We devote a load of time at the Retreat for the artists to do teach-ins, where they show something like an art supply that they love, share a tech hack, or anything else they want to share.
Above, artist Kendra Binney (Portland, OR) shows some of the ‘cheap’ art supplies she uses in her art, which was surprising to all of us, because her work is so elegant and fancy. For original art that she sells, she covers the work in light-fast resin.
Artist Anke Rega demonstrated how she incorporates digital work with her traditional media work.
The Sketch Scavenger Hunt was new for this year. I gave our artists a list of things to look for in my garden (like “Draw an unusual leaf” or “Draw something purple”) and then they were free to roam and sketch.
Anke Rega, left, and Sarah Papworth
Thank you, artists! See you next year!
I’m reflecting upon our magical 3-day Annual Artists and VIP Retreat
I’m reflecting upon our magical 3-day Annual Artists and VIPs Retreat this past week, now in its 5th year. It began as an idea we had, sipping coffee and dreaming up cool ways to do business.
Ideas + plans = new reality.
This year’s Retreat was such fun, but also super great for business. It’s what I call a feminist model of business–embracing things like physical beauty–loads of fresh colorful bouquets in vintage vases; it’s about healthy and abundant buffets; it’s about cozy and plentiful spots for people to relax and chat in the sunshine. It’s about a 🎸guitarist and wine 🍷 in the early evening with golden light. But it’s also about a bit of wackiness like playing vintage bingo.
Mix up the ingredients: beauty, coziness, nature, and play. Next add giant helpings of some of the most brilliant illustrators working today plus some of the top art directors in the business.
We are already getting juicy commissions as a direct result. Business is kind of a dull word for simply putting people together and benefiting both parties in a lucrative way. And when it’s about art, then it’s about adding more beauty to the world. And right there you have my business philosophy. Have fun with business, enjoy business, play business like it’s a game.
I’d love to share some of the highlights with you.
In addition to eleven top artists, we were honored to host Frances Soo Ping Chow, Creative Director, Running Press; Carolyn Eckert, Art Director, Storey Publishing; Marissa Giambrone, Art Director, Quarto; Ashley Halsey, Art Director, Sellers | High Note; Jo Obarowski, Creative Director, Sterling Publishing; Melia Parsloe, Associate Designer, Page Street Publishing; Julie Philibert, Senior Design Stylist, Brewster Home Fashions; Gibbs Rainock, Art Director, Hasbro; J Walker, Designer, 2Communiqué.
Our artists made lovely portfolio magazines to give out to the art directors:
Above: Portfolios featuring the work of Åsa Gilland, Sarah Papworth, and Julia Christians.
Above: Click photo to see Sarah Papworth flipping through her amazing sketchbook. This video post got over 14,000 views on Instagram!
Giveaways from the artists: Kendra Binney, Jennifer M Potter, Kelly Anne Dalton, Bambi Ramsey, Asa Gilland, Julia Christians, Erica Root, Jessica Allen
Speed Art Dating
The highlight of the Retreat is Day 2: VIP Presentations and Speed Art Dating. This is the glorious opportunity for our artists and the VIP art directors to sit together for 10 minutes and chat about the artists’ work. Oh yeah, and vintage tablecloths.
Kendra Binney (top) with Jo Obarowski from Sterling Publishing
Carolyn Eckert, Storey Publishing (left) with Erica Root
Ashley Halsey, Sellers Publishing | High Note (left), with Mara Penny
Jessica Allen (left) and J Walker, 2Communiqué
Åsa Gilland (left) with Marissa Giambrone, Quarto
Wine and Cheese Gathering
After a rich and lively day, the artists, Studio ladies, and the VIPs unwind with wine, cheese and music in the golden early evening light.
Click on the video above to get a small taste of our wine and cheese event in my garden.
Thank you to all the ADs who attended!
Art directors: Interesting in participating next year? Reply to this email!
Watch for our next newsletter where we show the Artist days at the Retreat: Show and Tell, Snoop Groups, Sketch Scavenger Hunt, and more.
Blurb magazines
ADs at the Retreat loved the gorgeous magazines we gave them featuring Card and Decorative art (left) and Children’s Book art.
—> Art directors, please contact us to request your very own gorgeous copy! Please include your title and company name with your request.
A recap of Susan’s fanastic trip to NYC
What happens when you set agent Susan McCabe loose in NYC to visit art directors? Watch and see some pix from her visit last week!
Animation by Natasha Dewitz
Intrepid agent Susan McCabe in Manhattan
The art directors loved getting these luscious magazines of our artists’ work for children’s books and for greeting cards.
AD’s: Contact us and we’d be happy to send you a copy!
Susan visited with folks from a number of publishing houses…
Here’s Liam Donnelly and Tracy Shaw of Jimmy Patterson Books. They’ve done a few books with our artist Hsinping Pan.
Sneak Peek! Susan shot this photo of the proofs of Hsinping Pan’s gorgeous new book with Jimmy Patterson entitled Bigger Words for Little Geniuses, due out September 2019. Speaking of language, Hsinping is fluent in English and Taiwanese, having lived in both Los Angeles and Taipei.
Helen Dardik & Carolyn Gavin’s watercolor workshop
Shanliegh Heelan (left) and Mary Catherine Heelan (right)
It’s always wonderful to see projects fully realized. Susan snapped this shot of these brand new card sets for Roger La Borde by Kendra Binney, which were revealed at the Noted show.
Anne Bentley and Katie Vernon for Roger La Borde
Some of Kendra Binney’s cards spotted at the Calypso booth.
Susan enjoyed visiting Creative Director Monica Brandrup of the lovely card company, Up With Paper.
Pop-up card by Rebecca Jones for Up With Paper.
BIG NEWS! Plus animated Hank Williams, Susan’s going to NYC, and more!
We love photographing our artists’ illustrated products as they come in. Hope you enjoy them!
ART DIRECTORS: Agent Susan McCabe will be in NYC May 16-19 showing the new artist’s work plus our brand-new collections of available card art and our children’s book portfolio of the very best work. Be sure to contact Susan to schedule a visit. Not in NYC? We’re happy to send you a magazine-style portfolio of the card art or the children’s book art to keep for reference. Just give us a shout.
Animation by Natasha Dewitz
Walter Foster Publishing
Greeting Card for Sellers Publishing
Puzzle to Go for Mudpuppy
Greeting cards for Trader Joe’s
Greeting cards for Madison Park (left) and Sellers Publishing (right)
Great spots in Better Homes & Gardens “Do It Yourself” Magazine
Anke Rega animation, new art and my MBA course starts today!
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Our Retreat Recap! See how we have fun while schmoozing with art directors.
We were thrilled to host our 5th Annual Artists & VIP Retreat at my home a few weeks ago. I’d love to share some of the highlights with you.
Above: Anke Rega, of Berlin, shows some of the artists a nifty way that she makes masks and layers on Photoshop.
Here’s the loveliness that was on Anke’s screen.
Below: Meet one of our newest artists, Åsa Gilland, who traveled from Indonesia for our event. Here, she shears some denim on craft day.
Above: Sarah Walsh drawing with a white paint pen on blue gouache.
Here I am salivating over Sarah Walsh’s art at our one-on-one speed dating. People, it’s all about the shoes, let’s face it.
Above: I should never leave these three alone. From right: Zoe Tucker, Brighton, England, Children’s Book Art Director who delighted all the artists with her expertise. Center:Artist Mara Penny of Oakland; Left: Zoe’s irreverent and lovable sister Dr. Kirsty Sinclair.
Above: Katie Vernon shows the artists images from her recent artist residency in Iceland.
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We devote a load of time at the Retreat for the artists to do teach-ins, where they show an art supply they love, share a tech hack, etc. Here, artist Jennifer Potter (San Francisco) generously shows her speedy way to make technical pattern repeats.
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