September 2013

On Being an Illustrator with Kids or, OMG what did I get myself into??? Part 1


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So as I type this, my three year old is lounging on the couch watching Madagascar 3.  I always told myself I was never going to be THAT mom.  But as an illustrator with deadlines, sometimes I gotta do what I gotta do.

A little background here: my kids are now ages three and six and my husband is a firefighter (with a sometimes unpredictable schedule). I don’t have a babysitter to help with the kids just because that’s a choice we have made as a family. Luckily, being an illustrator allows me to work from home and my parents live close by to help me when they can. And when my husband IS home, he is super good about taking the kids out and about to give me some time to work.

And when it comes to work, as the old saying goes: when it rains, it pours. I currently have two illustration jobs going and will be adding a third soon. Yay for work!

But also: oh crap! How am I going to get everything done?! When am I going to get everything done between chauffeuring the kids around and feeding them???image

I spent the better part of last year really fishing around for answers on how to be a better multi-tasker. I thought that other people were doing this way better than me. I constantly asked myself and other illustrator moms, “How can I be the domestic goddess, illustrator and healthy (sane) mom I want to be?” Isn’t there a better way??? I got really down on myself because I felt taking on my career as an illustrator was an uphill battle. I didn’t get enough sleep, I felt that I didn’t spend enough time on my work and that basically, I felt like I was doing it all wrong.

But over the past couple of months, I had some realizations that really helped my outlook. In a nutshell, a big game-changer for me really has to do with BEING ADAPTABLE on both a small and large scale.  

Here are some of the major epiphanies and rules I’ve made for myself which help me cope when I need to GET IT ALL DONE.

  1. I will not compare myself to other moms in real life nor on Facebook

    I spent too much time comparing myself a lot to Facebook friends who seemed to be doing everything like a pro. I’m trying to eliminate self-talk that goes like this: “You mean she baked cookies from scratch, rearranged the house, mowed the lawn, spit-shined their husband’s shoes AND storyboarded a feature length film all in one day?!?!? I’m a slacker.” Comparing myself just creates negative self-talk and that’s not good for my self-esteem.

  2. I realize I will probably never be a domestic goddess. My family’s health and happiness is obviously number one on the priority list.  The state of my house is the thing that usually gives. I’m giving myself permission to say that it’s OK for these house to be in a state of disarray if need be.  Yep. I’m admitting here that there are usually toys, shoes and laundry everywhere (and probably dishes in the sink). My husband is really good about helping out with the cleaning when he’s home though!

  3. It is a MUST to enlist close family and/or friends.

    Heck, bribe them with money if need be! (But don’t forget to pay them. Sorry, mom.) I am the worst when it comes to reaching out and asking for help with my kids, but I am getting better at it. Knowing that someone else has my kids for a few hours and that I have a finite amount of time to get work done, helps me to stay focused.

    Also, if someone offers to help me out with the kids, I need to TAKE THE HELP! (I’m working on this one still…)

  4. Gone are the days of marathon painting sessions.

    This was my latest epiphany and maybe one of the most important. As an artist, it’s so easy to sit and paint for hours on end; to get in The Zone. With small kids, there are less opportunities for this. Unless someone has my children for more than a few hours, I’m still trying to train myself to realize that my work sessions might be 15 minutes here, thirty minutes there, etc.  Having to illustrate in smaller bursts of time is not fun and not easy to do. This might make sketching during my son’s soccer practice easier though! Can you say, "droooooool"???



  5. Just count on NO SLEEP the couple of days before a deadline.As a creative, all-nighters are just bound to happen. But I think most of us kinda love hours upon hours of drawing and painting, right? And think of all the Starbucks you get to drink the next day! 😉

  6. Hello, kids…mommy is working!!!

    There are those desperate moments when my husband gets unexpectedly called in to work (you mean you have to go save lives TODAY?!?), my parents are out of town and my mother-in-law is working. That’s when the good ‘ol Disney movie and popcorn trick come in handy. This doesn’t happen too often, but hey, it buys me a good hour and 45 minutes! I used to feel horribly guilty about this. But, they are getting old enough for me to explain that I need to work for a bit.

    They are becoming slightly more understanding about this:

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So, obviously, these are things that work for MY family (or rather I’m trying to make work for my family). The scales are constantly tipping in different directions and learning to be ADAPTABLE is really helping me. Since I’ve learned that fitting in work when I can is how it has to be for now, I’m actually getting better at being more productive when I have the time to work.

In part two of this article I’ll discuss how my methods and tools for creating artwork have changed and adapted to now that I have small kids running around here! 

The books that influenced me…

When I was a kid, I belonged to a book club. Every month, I’d get a new book delivered right to my house. It was awesome! I loved books so much that I really looked forward to that delivery.

Below are a few from that club.

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Illustrated by Denman Hampson. Published in 1964.


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Illustrated by Blake Hampton, published in 1967.

This tree has shown up in my work before.

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By Wende & Harry Devlin, published 1966.

 I have always loved scribbly pen and ink drawings!



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Published 1966.

This is one of my all time favorite books! Miss Twiggly is so wonderfully quirky and as a tree lover myself, how could I not love her!

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I got my first Little House book from my aunt for Christmas when I was seven.It has been the biggest influence in my career. I love Garth Williams and his Little House illustrations. Even as a kid I’d get lost in the pictures in these books. I just love the soft pencil shading.

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SMA Interview Series: Author / Illustrator Eric Barclay

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Eric Barclay is an illustrator and designer, and the author and illustrator of I CAN SEE JUST FINE (Abrams Appleseed) and HIDING PHIL (Scholastic Press). 

Classic cartoons, modern art, mid-century design and everyday mishaps heavily influence his style. 

He has illustrated for American Greetings, Disneyland Paris, Hallmark, Papyrus, Peaceable Kingdom, Klutz, Toys R Us, and many others. 

Eric lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife, two beautiful young daughters, a dog and two cats. 













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Q: Hi Eric! How did you get started in illustration? 



Like most illustrators, I got started with a box of crayons. My parents encouraged my artistic abilities and paid for me to have oil painting instruction from the time I was 11 until the time I finished high school.

My first job out of college was with an advertising firm as an art director and copywriter. Many of my assignments required illustration and I found that I enjoyed those projects the most. After working in ad agencies and design firms for several years, I went freelance in 2002. Becoming an illustrator has been a very gradual process: illustration assignments slowly started becoming more and more common as clients would see my work. I started my illustration blog in 2008 and a lot of work came my way as a result of that.

Q: You make some really cool illustrations on found objects! How did you get started doing this? Do you have a special process?



I have always been interested in making my own sculptures and toys – my first sculptures were made out of wood. One day I noticed that the lid of a Coffee Mate container looked kind of like an English cap, and my initial thought was to use the cap on one my wood sculptures. And then it just hit me that the entire object had a great character shape, and that I could turn the entire container into whatever I wanted it to be. Once I realized that, I began to see the potential in all kinds of household objects.

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Different objects require a different approach. Glass is easy to work with and can usually be primed and painted right away. Plastic requires a lot more work to get things smooth. Each piece requires a different solution so the process changes from object to object.

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This gives a whole new meaning to recycling, doesn’t it?!




Q: Do you keep a sketchbook? If so, how is it helpful for you? If not, is there a reason? 



I do keep a sketchbook, but it is nothing pretty. I use it to not only sketch ideas, but to work out ideas and layouts as well. If I draw something on a napkin at a cafe I’ll often tape that into my sketchbook as well. Seriously, it’s a mess, but it is very helpful. I keep my old sketchbooks in a drawer and I’ll often go back and look at them to get new ideas.

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Q: How do you decide what work to show online? Portfolio VS. blog…



I view my website, blog, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook pages as part of my portfolio. Social media (especially Pinterest) makes it so easy for anyone to re-post an image, so I’m very careful about what I post online. Once something goes viral you can’t take it back, so most of my posted work is pretty polished.  If I do post a sketch, I make sure it’s tied to the final image so that it can’t be taken out of context.



Q: What are your favorite tools?



I love retractable pencils, Prismacolors, and flat acrylic paint. Most of my personal work is done in pencil and acrylic, but my professional work is usually produced digitally. For digital work, I usually work with a scanned pencil drawing and then ‘paint over’ it in Photoshop or Illustrator.



Q: Are there any exercises or experiments you do to keep your creative juices flowing? How do you get out of a rut?



When I’m in a rut I like to just get out of the studio for bit. Long runs, and visits to bookstores, museums, and thrift shops often help get me unstuck. I tend to do my best work when there’s a healthy balance between work, play, and time with family and friends. 



Q: Would you mind giving us a peek at your workspace? Is there anything special you keep around you while you’re working for inspiration?



My workspace is a small, stand-alone studio in my back yard… just a 50 foot walk from my house. My brother, dad and I built it together. I have a bulletin board next to my desk where I post my kids drawings and anything else that inspires me. 

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Q: What is an unexpected thing you’ve learned in your career?



I’ve really learned to appreciate brainstorm meetings. Art directors, editors, publishers, and project managers contribute so many great ideas that can be incorporated into the final artwork.



Q: What’s the most fun thing about being an illustrator? 



I love the variety of projects that I get to work on: greeting cards, books, toys, puzzles… it’s all so much fun.



Q: Do you have any upcoming projects or news you’re excited about and would like to share?



I’m really excited about the recent releases of my first two books, I CAN SEE JUST FINE from Abrams Appleseed and HIDING PHIL from Scholastic Press. I CAN SEE JUST FINE is a funny book about young girl who needs glasses but is clearly in denial. HIDING PHIL is the story of three siblings who find an elephant named Phil at bus stop and take him home… and then try to hide him from their parents.

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An adorable interior spread from HIDING PHIL.


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A really fun interior page from I CAN SEE JUST FINE.




Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me, Renee. I’m a big fan of your art, and I also love Christina’s, Laura’s, and Tracy’s work as well. 



Visit Eric’s website and blog: http://ericbarclay.blogspot.com/ Follow Eric on Twitter: @ericbarclay

Like his Facebook page!





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Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us, Eric! Your art is so colorful and alive, we are all huge fans of your work as well! (Clearly, I CAN SEE JUST FINE was written about my life in third grade… )

Most importantly, Eric, your sense of humor is totally "spot on"! 

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"Missing, by Eric Barclay"


I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist!

I hope this post inspires lots of people to think outside of the box and to not be afraid of bright colors. 🙂 

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