Podcast appearances and mentions of francis vallejo

In this episode, illustrator Francis Vallejo and romance author Mia Sosa talk about works that have shaped their own craft. This episode is sponsored by our $100 gift card giveaway for Swords & Spaceships and The Chef by James Patterson. You can subscribe to Recommended in Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or in your podcast player of choice. The show can also be found on Stitcher here. A transcript of this episode is available here.   Books Discussed: Zoom by Istvan Banyai Sula by Toni Morrison Becoming by Michelle Obama Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Full show notes and links at: https://www.pencilkings.com/podcast/ John Martin walks us through the process of creating a successful children's book and what it really looks like behind the scenes as a children's book illustrator. Interview Overview Here are some of the great insights from John Martin in this interview: More than anything he stressed how powerful and important having a good agent is. They can open doors for you that you don't even know you need to be opening. When it comes to the success of your projects good character design is so important. You have to remember that with books you're competing primarily against interactive mediums like video games, and what John does to approach his character design is to pull from design ideas that he's seen and loved from all of the different media he's consumed like comic books, television and moves and then stir them all together to come up with his own new ideas. But he doesn't just stop there... he uses a fluid design process where he's not afraid to experiment and try new things to come up with his designs, and he uses textures and patterns that he sees in everyday life to use as the basis for his designs. Music is another big inspiration for him and he will listen to anything from classical music to rob zombie while he is working and use that to inspire the design process and get into the zone. The job of a book illustrator is a constant juggle, and this is something we've heard before when talking with Francis Vallejo. When the book comes out, you're in full scale promotion mode to get it out to as many people as possible, and if you're like John and part of a multi-book deal you have to balance juggling the promotion with creating work for the second book. John also talked a bit about his process where he draws an inks everything traditionally and then brings it all into the computer and turns it into vector, which if you've never heard of vector before is a way of working with images that you can easily scale and reposition your images without losing quality, and he works this way so that during the layout process for the book it becomes very easy for him to react to any changes that are needed while in the layout process. One of the things that I personally loved about this interview is John's mission to create readers for life. This is no small task when you consider the competition with games and movies for the attention span of kids.    

Artists often have to work to tight deadlines, but what happens when you've got three whole years to complete a single project? That's exactly what happened to artist, illustrator and Pencil Kings tutor, Francis Vallejo. In this interview, you'll hear all about the fascinating creative process behind illustrating Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph, and how having more time to research and develop his illustrations actually helped Francis find his true niche as an artist. So, if the fast-paced world of the average art studio environment just isn't for you, you'll find plenty of valuable advice in this interview to help you plan, research, execute and market your art projects. Plus, you'll get lots of super-useful insights on what it's really like to work as an illustrator, and why good things are more likely to come your way if you stay true to yourself and your art. Interview Chapters: 00:00 - 03:12 - Introduction Detroit-born artist and illustrator, Francis Vallejo, introduces himslef and reveals what motivates and inspires him as an artist 03:23 - 04:10 - The Story Behind Illustrating Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph Francis describes his book illustration project and what he learned from working on it. 04:36 - 07:29 - What's it Like to Work on a Project That Lasts 3 Years? Illustrating Jazz Day took 3 years. Here, Francis talks about the reasoning behind this, and how what could have been a huge gamble actually paid off. 08:23 - 11:01 - How Illustrating Jazz Day Changed Francis' Life Francis says illustrating Jazz Day changed his life as an artist. Find out why in this part of our interview. 12:00 - 14:07 - How did Working on Jazz Day Help Francis Find His Niche as an Artist? Most artists take a while to find their true niche - the one thing that truly inspires them and motivates them to keep on making art. For Francis, illustrating Jazz Day brought him closer to the world of literature he loved, and enabled him to make lots of new contacts with people in this industry. 14:36 - 16:09 - Is Working in Literature Really as Romantic as you Might Think? Many artists dream of working in the field of literature, but is it really as romantic as all that? Hear what Francis thinks in this chapter. 16:26 - 18:41 - What's Next for Francis? Having completed one big project, Francis is ready to move onto the next one. Here, he describes the exciting projects he's got lined up, and how he's inspired by the prospect of travelling and researching in the near future. 19:01 - 20:54 - What are the Benefits of Working at Your Own Pace? Taking the time to research a project and see it through to completion without feeling rushed can really help you as an artist. Here, Francis explains why he loves working this way, and how you as an artist can find an area of work which best reflects your personality. 21:41 - 22:08 - How Can Working on a Long Project Help You Improve as an Artist? Francis felt he truly developed as an artist while working on Jazz Day. Find out why in this chapter. 22:44 - 27:10 - What Happens After a Long Project is Finished? In this chapter, Francis reveals what happens once you've completed a long project and goes into detail on all the associated marketing and promotion which follows. 28:08 - 32:28 - How did Francis get Discovered as an Artist? Amazingly, Francis didn't reach out to the publishers of Jazz Day looking for work. Instead, they found him. How does this work and what can you do to help promote your art? You'll find out in this chapter. 33:10 - 35:56 - How Should you Present Yourself to Book Publishers and Work With Them on Your Project? Francis went out of his way to meet his clients face-to-face as often as possible during his project. Find out why he believes this is so important in this chapter. 37:03 - 39:54 - What Advice does Francis Have for Aspiring Artists? Francis learned a lot through working on his project. Here, he shares his advice for any aspiring artists who have yet to find their true niche. 40:35 - 42:40 - What Makes Your Art Saleable? A lot of artists fall into the trap of producing work in the style of others in an attempt to make their work more saleable. Find out why staying true to yourself is the way forward in this chapter. 43:25 - 44:53 - Conclusion and Where to Find Francis Online Where can you see examples of Francis' work online? Find out in the concluding part of this interview.   https://www.pencilkings.com/category/podcast/

Francis Vallejo talks about the life of a freelance artist and what he does to keep his skills sharp and his art fresh and inspired.