Author & Artist Corner: Artist
Carolyn Digby Conahan
I am illustrating the September 2009 cover of Cricket. Click here to see my sketches for this month's Cricket!
How did I get to be the staff illustrator (bug artist) for Cricket? As a child I was not favored by bugs. Mosquitoes, gnats, horseflies, and deerflies all preferred my sister. I was not the choice of honeybees, either. Once I happened upon a swarm buzz-buzz-buzzing amongst themselves in the tree branches and tall grasses at the edge of a field. Despite my obvious advantages of size and strength, they did not choose me to be queen when they flew off to their new home.
I'm sure the Cricket Country bugs were perfectly happy in the hands of the very talented Jean Gralley (bug artist from 1987-2002), who learned their little ways from the great Trina Schart Hyman, who created them in 1973 and drew them until passing the pen to Jean. The Cricket folks didn't exactly choose me, either. Sure, there was a selection process and it was long, long, long. But at the end there were two of us, and they couldn't decide. So they put the choice (in the form of sample strips) before some kids. The kids chose me. (I don't know why, the other guy is really good! But they did.) Thanks, kids.
Paige, I found your entry today! I'm so sorry if I caused you worry about it having been lost in the mail. All is well, and Carolyn will see all the entries.
Apologetically,
Old Cricket
(June 18, 2009 - 4:43 pm)
Oh, thanks, Old Cricket!! And thanks for looking for it!!! :D And thanks for giving me an honorable mention for the 'Animals in a Funny Place' contest!! You rock!!! :D
(June 19, 2009 - 3:04 pm)
Wow!! Are you the illustrator, Carolyn?! Cool!! I love drawing!! I'm trying manga now (but I'm not to good at it). Can you give me some tips? I have trouble drawing dimension . . . :(
(June 20, 2009 - 6:52 pm)
Hi Trixie,
Yay! I'm glad to hear from another artist.
Here's one tip: be kind to yourself! It takes practice. Experimenting and trying new things is GREAT, but not every experiment works. If you make yourself miserable every time something doesn't work out, ppffft. There goes the fun. If something doesn't turn out they way you hoped, try again. And again, and again, if necessary.
A few ideas about drawing space, and dimension: Think about the scale of things...Something big will seem closer, something small will look farther away. Over-lapping: If something is in front of, or behind something else, it helps to create a sense of space. You can use contrast, also. Things that are sharp and clear, with strong dark/light contrast, or bold lines, will draw the eye, and come to the foreground. Things that are softer, more even in tone, less sharp and detailed, tend to fall back.
If you want to draw well, draw a lot! Draw, draw, draw. You will get better. Drawing books are full of tips and tricks, but the fun is in trying for yourself.
Good luck! Have fun!
Carolyn
(June 22, 2009 - 9:45 am)
Hi Carolyn! I draw all over the place--I mostly do humans (in sort of an odd style leaning slightly towards manga but is also realistic) but I do animals, too. I had a faze when I drew page after page of cats, upright and with clothes. Each series told a different story, and there were never any words: I had to rely on gestures and the scenes going on behind the characters (especially posters and pictures on walls) to give viewers the gist of the story. Now I do actual humans in that style, generally with the characters acting out a story I'd been thinking of (again, without words). It's a lot of fun! I don't do the little panels though: I do a whole page for one scene--that way, I can go in for lots of detail!
(June 22, 2009 - 11:17 am)
Hi Aliza,
Thanks for the great note! Your process and drawings sound intriguing... we all go through phases while we explore an idea, or a style, or a technique, but we're all different so it's endlessly interesting. Keep on drawing, and keep on having fun!
Carolyn
(June 24, 2009 - 1:46 pm)
I LOVE the sketches!!! :D:D That's really cool to see how your pictures evolve and eventually end up being the ones we readers see!! :) Cool!! :D:D:D:D
(July 1, 2009 - 4:32 pm)
Thanks, Paige! It was fun.
(July 7, 2009 - 1:08 pm)
Carolyn, I love your drawings of the buggies. Is there a place where we can read all the old cartoons???
A HUGE fan
(July 8, 2009 - 7:07 pm)
Hi E.W.,
Glad you like the bugs! I don't know if they have back issues of the cartoons on-line, but they might have Cricket at your local library... check it out!
Carolyn
(July 9, 2009 - 12:23 am)
Thanks!
(July 9, 2009 - 1:05 pm)
I love the drawings!!!! They are so cool :)) I wish I was as good as you though. I am a big fan of your artwork.
(July 13, 2009 - 9:58 pm)
Thanks, Elaine,
I'm glad you like my artwork. I really like doing it, even though things hardly ever turn out exactly as planned. It's a challenge to get the pictures and ideas in your head down on paper... an impossible challenge, probably. But that keeps things from getting boring.
(July 20, 2009 - 2:56 pm)
Hee, hee, I feel so special; I'm one out of only four people who got to be on the site (and please, if only four people entered, don't tell me...) for the Draw Cricket Country contest!!! :):):) Thank you SO much, Carolyn (even if you had nothing to do with it...)!! :D:D:D I <3 Pussywillow!! :) And thank you for complimenting my Ugly Bird, because he was really, really hard to draw!!! :):) Thanks! :D
(July 30, 2009 - 11:51 am)
Dear Paige,
You're right, I had nothing to do with deciding on what to do with the entries. Of course not, that would be hard! I stick to the fun stuff: drawing silly pictures and making jokes. And it was totally fun to see all the drawings, you all did a great job!
(July 30, 2009 - 3:56 pm)