I get lots of inquiries on illustrating books for children. I try and answer them as best I can but every question has its own answer. Some years ago a painter friend of mine commented that she probably should switch gears and try illustrating books (which she obviously thought easy to achieve success in, since I had).  At that point I was finishing up some corrections on a book and asked if we could discuss the ins and outs of illustrating in a week when I’d be done and out from under the time pressure. My friend looked at me in horror and said “You mean you actually change your artwork when people tell you to?”

I replied that I only did if I wanted to get paid, since every contract between an author and/or illustrator specifies that you will be paid in full when the work in question is delivered to the publisher “complete and satisfactory in form and content” (which admittedly can be a tricky definition). I explained that I consider an editor’s comments seriously, and agree to changes that seem valid, and argue my point if they don’t.  It usually works out.

My friend replied that she would NEVER do that, and made it clear that her word for me was SELLOUT.  So be it.

I’m not telling this story for those who don’t need to earn a living by their artwork, but rather for those art students who are serious about their work and want to make a career of it, like my granddaughter and grandson.

In 1979 Macmillan Publishing Company (which has been absorbed into Simon & Schuster) published “The Supermarket”, which I wrote, and my late husband, Harlow Rockwell, illustrated.  Those were lean times in publishing, and unlike other earlier titles we’d done for Macmillan, which were illustrated with beautiful, full-color watercolor paintings, this had to be done in three-color separations to save production costs. Neither of us was happy with the results.

It went out of print many years ago.  But children treat their library books well, and in a library books have a long life. When I began working at Henry Holt. I was pleased when my editor said she’d like to bring ”The Supermarket” back in print, since her young children had discovered it at the library and loved it.

That is, I was pleased until I took a fresh look at the book. I found the colors dreary and the people old-fashioned.  Since I now had 32 pages to work with instead of the original 24, my editor suggested that the ending be extended to include making the birthday cake with ingredients bought earlier.

Good idea! I agreed.

I didn’t want to waste all those shelves full of supermarket stuff my husband had done, and thought that our granddaughter, Julianna Brion, could help me over the summer by scanning the book, then coloring it in Photoshop with new figures I would draw.  She had helped me do the monoprints for ”My Preschool” (Holt 2008) and was already remarkably skillful and professional.

Neither of us liked the results in Photoshop. So we ended up doing things the old-fashioned way. Julianna scanned the art from the original book, put it into line, and I added new people. Then we traced the revised line art onto watercolor paper and hand-painted it with acrylic gouache, making it as colorful and joyous as the original should have been.   

It ended up being about the most challenging and time-consuming illustration job that’s ever come my way!  Julianna was a godsend, but it was still tough going!

When I finally delivered the new illustrations to Holt they loved them.  I was more than relieved – ecstatic in fact.

That is, until four weeks went by. By then copy and production editors had gone over each painting inch by inch, and found tiny errors on almost every page (label is smaller, shoelaces don’t look the same color etc.)  I didn’t question their judgment, for while few adults have eyes as sharp as copy or production editors, small children, who are my audience, do.

I had lost my summer helper since Julianna had returned to art school. I suspect however, that Santa Claus, or at least one of the elves, may have come to my aid, for somehow I got it done on time! So I’ll take this moment to wish whoever reads this peace and joy for the holidays and may 2009 be a good year.