Illustrator Saturday: Mary Sullivan

Mary Sullivan spent a great deal of time drawing in her formative years. Though she received a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin, she considers herself a self-trained illustrator. Ms. Sullivan has shown her work at galleries and coffees shops in Dallas and Austin. She channels her considerable creative energy  into projects for Highlights for Children, Scholastic, Innovative Kids, School Zone, Oxford Press U.K., Pearson and many more. Her first picture book for HMH, Ball, was a 2014 Geisel Honor Book. She lives in Cedar Park, Texas.

Here is Mary discussing her process:

My sketches are very detailed and almost identical to the final drawing, content wise. All I have to do is add color, shadows, highlights and any other effects I’m going to use. This is just the way I work. Everyone finds their own technique.

The first thing I do after the sketches have been approved is create a file for each image.

I start with a white background and add the sketch as layer one.

I slowly add color to each part of the sketch. This can happen on one layer or many layers.

 

Eventually, I add all of the color. I might change colors too. There could be as many as 15 layers of color or more.

Here I’ve added the water that the monster is sitting in. It’s actually a bright teal color but the layer is scaled back to about 20%. So you can see the layers underneath. It looks like water! 🙂

Here is where it really starts to take shape and get some depth to it. I’ve added a very dark blue to a separate layer ands scaled it back to about 18%. All of my illustrations usually have shadows that are 18%.

Here I’ve added a layer of bright 100% white stars and highlights. The highlights really make the illustration pop.

Here I’ve flattened the whole image, all of the layers into one layer. Here I bump up the color to about +20 red. I always do this. I like how it brings everything together and I like the warmness it adds.

Here I make sure there is plenty of room at the bottom for the text.

Here I add a white border. Slowly working around the edge to get the desired effect. The edges here are pretty hard but sometimes I use a soft edge.

Finally, I flatten everything again and work the image until I’m really happy with it. Tweaking areas, adding bumps bubbles and just really get free with it. This is my fave part because it really feels like painting. Building a 15 layer illustration can get tedious and is kinda not always fun.

 

How long have you been illustrating?

I’ve been illustrating since I was a young child. I was always writing poetry and stories and I loved putting them into book form and illustrating them. I have been illustrating professionally(for money) since I was 26 years old.

What and when was the first piece of art you created for money?

My first experience selling my art was in high school. I was commissioned to do a few pencil drawings. I can’t really remember the subject of the drawings but I think one was like a cowboy scene?? Lol I was also hired to paint a Christmas scene on a restaurant window. That was fun.

How did you decide to get your BFA from the University of Texas at Austin? 

I decided to go to UT because all of my friends were going. UT had a decent art department so that helped. But mostly to be with my friends.

Did you study art there?

I studied Fine Art with an emphasis on Drawing and Lithography.

Did UTA have any illustrating classes you could take?

UT had/has tons of illustrating classes, but at the time, I really wanted to be a fine artist so I did not take any of them. I was really focused on drawing classes.

What did you do once you graduated from college?

After I graduated I started illustrating for a very small graphics company in Austin Texas doing posters, t-shirt designs and church bulletin covers. I did some sign painting also. Then I took some time off to get married and raise my two amazing children.

What sparked your interest in illustrating children’s books?

My interest started when I was very young. My mother filled our home with poetry, books and records. As a child I was constantly writing and drawing. This continued into adulthood. Illustrating books always seemed so natural to me. I decided at one point to send out some promo cards. Magazine work is a great way to start out. I sent some promo cards to Highlights for Children magazine. I got a few jobs with them and I was very excited about that! My childhood dream was to illustrate a Hidden Picture. I’m proud to say
that I have done hundreds of them.

Was Max and Zoe at School that came out in 2012 the first book you illustrated?

The first book I illustrated was Oliver’s Must Do List by Susan Taylor Brown.

How did that opportunity come your way?

Boyds Mills Press published Oliver’s Must do List. Boyds Mills Press and Highlights were part of the same company at the time. I had worked with many of the art directors at Highlights and so I was automatically in a pool of artists that Boyds Mills drew from.

How many Max and Zoe books have you illustrate for this series?

I honestly have no idea.

 

 

Were you done with the Max and Zoe illustrations when you illustrated BALL for HMH?

My book Ball was published by Houghton Mifflin. I worked exclusively on BALL at the time. I usually only work on one Picture book at a time. Each of the Max and Zoe books took only a couple of months to illustrate. They are not picture books as they are much shorter than a picture book.

How did you get the contract for BALL?

I got the contract for BALL through my agent Justin Rucker at Kid Shannon. He liked the idea/book dummy that I showed him, so he submitted it to HMH. They liked it and bought it.

 

How did you discover you received the 2014 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book award?

The Geisel Award is given at the annual ALA winter conference. When you are selected to win an award from ALA, they call you the night before the award ceremony. I actually missed their call….but they left a message. 🙂

You wrote and illustrated TREAT published in 2016 by HMH. How did that contract come about?

I submitted the book dummy TREAT to my agent and he submitted it to the editor. They liked it and offered me a contract.

You write and Illustrated FRANKIE with HMH in 2017. Did you send it to them because the published BALL which made you think they would like another dog book from you?

I am optioned in at HMH. That means I have to send all of my new ideas/books to HMH first. Frankie had to go to HMH before I could show it to anyone else. But also, I hoped that they would like another dog book.  An option clause, also called right of first refusal, means that you agree to give the publisher an exclusive look at your next book. … The publisher can’t force you to write for them.
Typically it means they have the first right to read the book and make an offer, which you would then negotiate.

 

Since the next year HMH published NOBODY’s DUCK, had you sign a two-book deal with them?

See the previous answer.

How did you connect the Shannon Associates and how long have you been with them?

I was looking for an agent and i got referred to Kid Shannon by an editor that i had been working with. She liked my work and thought that Shannon would be a good fit for me.

I just featured THE GHOUL’S GUIDE TO GOOD GRAMMAR on Writing and Illustrating, which you illustrated for Sleeping Bear Press. How long did they give you to create the Illustrations?

A year! I was happy about that. Usually educational work has to be done really fast.

What do you feel helped develop your style?

For me, developing a style was not something I consciously did. It really happened organically over so many years of drawing. Even then, it wasn’t something I even knew I had until someone told me that they recognized my drawings and my style. I was surprised.

How many books have you written and illustrated?

BALL, TREAT, Frankie, Nobody’s Duck, Up on Bob, Duck Duck Moose.  I have written and illustrated 6 books. All with HMH. I have illustrated 7 books for other writers.

 

Have you done any other type of illustrating?

One of my favorite illustration gigs was illustrator for a fabric/upholstery store. I loved using a pen and ink and paper and drawing all of the sewing notions and also drawing furniture. LOVED it.

Have you written or illustrated for any children’s magazines?

I have illustrated for Highlights for Children and High Five Magazine 25. How long have you been work full time as an illustrator?
I’ve been working full time as an illustrator since 1989.

Is working with a self-published author to illustrate their book something you would consider?

If there was an advance up front I might consider. An advance($$$) is something that an illustrator needs to live on while they illustrate a book.

I know you will have many successes in your future, but what do you think is your biggest success so far?

My biggest success by far is being able to translate my ideas into book form. It’s such a good feeling.

What is your favorite medium to use?

I love love love pencil and black ink on paper. I use it all the time in my sketchbook. For the illustrations in my books, I use photoshop.

Has that changed over time?

For my illustration work, I have always used photoshop. Illustration work usually has to happen really fast especially for educational jobs(Max and Zoe). The computer is GREAT for that.

What type of Graphic Drawing Tablet do you use when illustrating?

I use Wacom Intuos tablet. The smallest one.

 

Do you try to spend a specific amount of time working on your craft?

I usually only work at my actual desk a couple of hours a day. But I am always writing/working in my head. Most mornings are spent walking and wandering around parks. And then I might cook something….All the while, I’m writing or working on a manuscript in my head or imagining what a drawing might look like. To someone watching me, I might not look like I’m working very hard, but i am. Illustrating and writing work is not always at a desk/computer. Also if a day comes along where I don’t feel like writing or drawing, I
go ahead and take the time off.

Do you take pictures or research a project before you start?

Nope. My stories come from my imagination. I imagine and formulate all of my ideas and build the stories around them in my head. Now, on occasion, of course, I might forget what a certain animal looks like. Then I’ll google it for a quick reference. Like crocodiles and alligators…who can even remember the difference. And bikes…if I have to draw a bike, I always have to google it.

Do you think the Internet has opened doors for you?

I think having an agent has opened doors for me. I don’t use the internet that much. I do have an instagram/twitter/fb account @sullivandraws. But that’s really all. I’m not as active on them as I want to be. Always room for improvement though.

 

Do you have any career dreams that you want to fulfill?

I just want to write more stories. That’s really all I want to do….at least today.

What are you working on now?

Right now, I’m working on a story called We Bears. It’s super funny and i really love drawing the bears.

Do you have any material type tips you can share with us? Example: Paint or paper that you love – the best place to buy – a new product that you’ve tried – A how to tip, etc.

I am currently loving this sketchbook. It’s tough enough to handle just about any medium. I use my pencil and ink brush on it. Here’s a link. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LDKKBQY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ink brush: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000THNGVO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Any words of wisdom for new illustrators?
DRAW DRAW DRAW. Explore all of the drawing programs. Find illustrators that you love. Follow them closely….see what they do….how they do it….who they are working for. Explore color palettes.

Mary, thank you for taking the time to answer the interview questions and showing us your process. Please let me know about your future books and successes so I can share them with everyone.

You can visit Mary using the following links:

Website: www.marysullivan.com

Agency: https://www.shannonassociates.com/marysullivan

Twitter: @sullivandraws

Instagram: @sullivandraws

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy