I spent the summer tracking the sun, watching the days grow longer and longer, knee deep in backyard pools, making paper butterflies out of construction paper in bookstores, reading stories, meaning to pack up a bag and go to the beach… I didn’t quite make it. I did wind up a couple of times at the Santa Monica pier, shaking in my sandals as the ferris wheel took us higher and higher. “Are you freaking out?” my friend asked, “Of course I am, I am afraid of heights!”- I did it anyway. I need to show my fear of heights who’s boss from time to time.
I did make it to Disneyland and Taylor Swift, my book events for River of Mariposas, the ALA award ceremony in Chicago, friends coming to visit, and home runs at baseball games! Summer was wild, I could have sworn the days had more than 24 hours in them. And, as much as I loved it, I am also so very excited about what comes next!
Fall comes next. FALL is here!
So cozy up, grab a pumpkin spice latte and…
Let’s talk about covers!
As the American painter K.T. Pitaj once said: “Some books have pictures, and some pictures have books.”
I read those words plastered on a blue wall at the European Art Gallery of the Huntington Library in Pasadena over the summer, and I thought I’d never heard anything that better sums up what my relationship to cover artwork is.
I’ve always loved books. I love stories, the words in them, the turns of phrases and the storytelling in general… but to tell you that I’ve never picked up a book based only on its cover would be a lie. And, especially as a young reader, there was nothing that interested me more than a beautiful book cover!
The colors, the composition, the characters… it fascinated kid me to no end! In my head, it was impossible to have a great cover without it being attached to a great book - and though this method of book-picking did lead me to pick up a handful of books I had no business reading and a handful I dropped midway because I never got into them, I kind of still believe that.
To be more nuanced: I believe there can be GREAT books behind not-so-stellar covers… but a great cover is still a pretty damn good indication that I the book attached to it is very good.
The thing is, great covers don’t just happen. There is a whole lot of intention behind a great cover, and a whole lot of work. A lot of work that publishers are more willing to put in only when they truly believe the material of the book is either excellent or will be very popular (or - and often- both).
This is true for all kinds of books, including books for younger audiences.
I know a thing or two about children’s literature covers. I started my professional career as an illustrator in the US with a cover (Love, Sugar, Magic book 1, by Ana Meriano), and I’ve since been incredibly lucky to get to illustrate many more.
Over the years, I’ve illustrated around 35 covers including middle grade novels, chapter book series and picture books, and I thought today I’d talk about what I’ve learned and what I think are some bits of good practical advice for aspiring cover artists.
I divided the advice into 3 different stages, to walk you through the chronological order of what in general happens when you’re commissioned to create a cover for a traditionally published book.
I.
Generally after you’ve been contracted to do a cover and all the contracts have been sorted out, you’ll get a brief. Briefs come in many different shapes and varying lengths. Sometimes you’ll get the whole manuscript to read and a few lines in an email about what some ideas are for the composition. Other times you’ll get a very detailed word doc with character descriptions and specific scenes to draw from in a book. I am yet to be given just a title and told to “go to town with it” - but just because it’s never happened to me I can’t tell you it doesn’t happen (please comment if this has happened to you, how did you ever go about that?!)
Tip # 1: If you get a manuscript, read the manuscript! There’s no better way to capture the vibe of a book than to actually have read it. Plus, the devil is always in the details, and some of those details you can only pick up after you’ve read the whole thing.
II.
Next up: You’ll turn in sketches. Variety is important in sketches, because more often that not, the final composition will be a bit of a mash up of two or more ideas you offer up. After that, there’s a step that is sometimes optional: color sketches. This is basically a few rough color passes to explore what the final cover would look like. Whenever color sketches are not required, it’s because they’ve already given you some color direction. If they haven’t, I would definitely ask!
Tip #2: My best advice here is… NEVER turn up a sketch (or a color sketch) you don’t like. NEVER EVER. Do not give anyone the option to make you work on something you don’t want to make, it will suck all of the fun out of it and it is REALLY hard to work on an illustration you don’t like. So, if you make 10 sketches, consider only sending those you actually like and could see yourself loving to work on.
III.
And lastly, after the sketches and color sketches have been approved, you’ll move to final color. And a version of the final cover will be completed… and from then on, you’ll be left to revise and make small tweaks here and there, until one day they tell you the cover has been approved!
Tip #3: Roll with it. I don’t know a single professional illustrator who hasn’t had a project where the client (or the marketing team) didn’t love the end result and needed substantial changes at the very end. My advice? Take it as a chance to make an even better cover than the one you had already made. Take criticism and feedback seriously, but don’t take it personal. There are many reasons there can be a last minute “change of direction” - it happens, don’t be discouraged. Your best work is always ahead of you, so keep going!
A snap of the summer
Summer was busy! I was lucky enough to kick off my summer attending the ALA conference in Chicago, where I received my Pura Belpré Honor for illustration for Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land, meet wonderful authors, and accidentally got on a karaoke cab with my publishers.
I also had my second author-illustrator picture book published: River of Mariposas!!! And I got to celebrate it BIG time with the help of some amazing bookstores in the LA area! Thank you all who came to the book events! I hope you had as much fun as I did, because getting to read and craft with you was such a highlight of my summer!
I am grateful for book owners, school librarians and everyone everyone who has taken the time to review my books or write me a kind note about my book. I read them all. I cry when I do. I’m a pisces and that is my birthright.
And hey, if you didn’t catch me making paper butterflies this summer, maybe you can still catch me in the fall…
On the calendar
Sept. 21 Advocating for Children in Migration
TODAY! For my friends in Denver, join me in the multidisciplinary symposium organized by the University of Colorado to discuss Advocating for Children in Migration. I’ll be at the Arts and Literature panel at 9:15 am.
Sept. 29 Latinx Book Kidlit Festival (virtual)
Don’t forget to tune in to this year’s Festival from your classroom, library or home for FOUR consecutive Fridays starting September 22nd through October 13th! I’ll be on on the 29th as a moderator for a special draw off in Español! Click here for more.
Sept. 30 Los Angeles LibrosFestival
Los Angeles Libros Festival will offer two days of entertainment for all ages featuring Spanish-language and bilingual storytelling, performances, workshops, and award-winning authors. I’ll be there in person on September 30th for a fun draw off alongside Loris Lora and Leo Espinosa! Come say hi at the Central Library 12:00pm!
Oct. 4th Redondo Beach North Library
Join me for a very special story time at the North Branch of the Redondo Beach Library! I’ll be there 4:00 pm to read and craft!
Oct. 7th Long Beach Mercadito Literario
Mercadito Literario will take place on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 12 to 4 PM at the Billie Jean King Main Library.
Books updates!
River of Mariposas got a wonderful STARRED review from the School Library Journal! And, it also made it to this AMAZING list of 30 Picture Books to Celebrate the Diversity of Latinx Heritage - absolutely check it out if you’re looking for recommendations.
To celebrate it and to thank you all for your amazing support, I’ve made available a butterfly printout so you can make your own butterflies at home! I recommend printing on color paper to save you some time!
If you’re looking for a copy you can find one anywhere books are sold, and you can get SIGNED copies at the following independent bookstores:
Children’s Book World (online and in person)
Mija Books (online only)
Vroman’s Books (online and in person)
In other news, Magic turned 1 on September 6th! I shared a post on instagram with one of the early exploration illustrations I did when I started trying to figure out what the style of the book would be. I think the trial and error of the style is one of my favorite parts of the creative process, very rarely I have an idea in my head come out perfectly formed.
Also! Magic won a medal for the International Latino Book Awards this year in the Best Children’s Fiction Picture Book category! The award ceremony is being held on October 21st and I am incredibly excited to attend and meet other authors and illustrators!
The tabs I haven’t been able to close…
🍂 Leaves, a self portrait by Nancy Youdelman. The inspiration for this issue’s illustration. I couldn’t think of a piece of art that is more fitting to kick of fall. Currently showing at the MoCA in LA.
👢100 boots by Eleanor Antin. Another series of photographs I got the pleasure to view at the MoCA this summer. There’s a sense of humor and whimsy to this photographs that just made them so memorable.
🏠 Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture. I got to visit the Hollyhock house this summer, I’ve been dying to since I watched this youtube video about Frank Lloyd Wright’s LA architecture. It did not disappoint!
👻 Three words: Folk halloween decorations.
👩🎨 DreasDoodles x Target Collab! Andrea Campos is a friend and she is super talented and I’m obsessed with her latest lunch box collection that you can shop at Target!
🎙️ I’m listening to: this one is for my Spanish speaking readers, I listened to the “Narcosatánica: el caso de Sara Aldrete” podcast this summer, and it quickly became my special interest for a solid month. And, for non-Spanish speaker readers, let me put you on some of my all time favorite podcast about scary/supernatural things: "Astonishing Legends” and “Last Podcast on the Left” (their episode on La Llorona is the best of both worlds imo!)
📚 I’m currently reading: “Vampires of El Norte” by Isabel Cañas, and “Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauher. Over the summer I read “Daisy Jones and The Six”, another page turner by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
🎵 The song stuck in my head…
P.S.
Thank you so much for reading! I have a lot of fun pretending this is my little magazine and putting this issues together, and hopefully you find them entertaining and -most of all- readable!
Lately, I’ve noticed that writing this newsletter has been such a good way to keep track of my months. Many times I’ve found myself rushing through a year without hesitation, swallowing whole months without even tasting them. It’s so easy to speed through the days when there’s so much to do! And there is never not so much to do. Everyone I know is perpetually busy, myself included.
My favorite part of writing this newsletter is that it gives me time to stop and look back at the last few months and REALLY look. I guess that’s why I am so happy to share with you every season!
We’ll see each other again when Winter begins!
See you in 3 months!
Mirelle