Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp : Deadline 1

Accompanying any book deadline wrap is a moment of clarity. Perhaps the afterglow comes from looking up after days at my drawing table and computer. I become singularly minded in those last moments, stepping away and coming back, pacing the studio, leaning in my chair as I pick apart and rework, determining what suits my needs as a creator in the playground of the publisher's outlines. (I draw for me, for my satisfaction, for my fulfillment. I am happy and fortunate someone wants to pay me for it.) After the files are sent to the publisher, I return to the normal world. I have a fresh perspective of most things, even the mundane ones, like, I should really clean out the studio closet.


This morning the roughs for the third book in Nathan Bransford's dynamite series Jacob Wonderbar--Jacob Wonderbar and the Instellar Time Warp--went off to the publisher, Dial Books for Young Readers. The editorial team at Dial is stellar. Thoughtful and thorough, I have been in good hands for the whole trip.

The moment I realized I was drawing Jacob and the gang for the last time was bittersweet. Happy and proud of the work I've done in the previous books, and even more so of the work I've gotten to do with the new title, so ends a two year journey. (My travels are far from over, as we have revision notes, revision art, and final art to go.) I am a character based illustrator and author and come to like the people I am drawing or writing about. I'll miss Jacob and the gang and the world in which they live.

The list of things to be done--new site, updated blog, finishing up children's book manuscripts--is large. For a day or two, in this time between the notes from Dial, I bask in the relief of the deadline completed, trying to ignore the ones already beckoning my attention.

The latest in the series, Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe, has been out for a little over a month now. Head over to your local bookstore to pick up a copy if you haven't already. Or, I guess, pick it up on Amazon.com.

Cool Character Needs Story

I am a character driven children's book author. I'll draw a character and say, "I like this guy. I wonder who he is, what he does?" Then I hunt for the right concept or story to pair with the character. It occurs to me, this might be backwards. Maybe story or concept should come first, and characters after.

How do you write your stories?

Illustrator Advice : SCBWI Austin Take Aways

Take aways from art directors and editors at the Austin Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference:

1. They still really love postcards. They called them one of the best ways to get your work in front of them. (They hang them on their doors and bulletin boards. Don't be discouraged if you don't hear back right away. They told the story of one illustrator whose card hung on a door for almost two years before getting a gig.)

2. Make it easy for them to see the work on your site and to download your images. Example of not ideal, they described hunting through tiny thumbnails to find an illustrators best work.

CSJennings.com (my site) is not currently user friendly in either of those ways. Redesign quickly being instituted (which was underway, but not with the urgency it now has).

Finally, in my experience, the best way to get published is A-to-B. Go where the book pro's are. SCBWI conferences are great for that. Schedule portfolio reviews, etc.

Why I work in a signature style.

From a friend: "My son came running to me at the library, book in hand, asking, 'Isn't this the guy you know?' He was holding a copy of Jacob Wonderbar! My son knows your work, even if he can't ever remember names!"

In short, my style is my brand.

Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow : Selected Illustrations

Dial Books for Young Readers asked me to illustrate Nathan Bransford's wonderful book, Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow. We are working on the sequel now (shhhh). The original can be found at Amazon. 

My Production Tools

my tools.

My color is digital, but my line is analog, hand drawn graphite.

Pencils: .3, .5 & .7. Butter soft B lead. Non-repro blue. Erasers. (I dig the electric eraser for detailed erasing.)

Why mechanical pencils? They let me draw on the fly. No sharpening. Can turn the pencil for varying line weights.  The Pentel Kerry (< link to Amazon), best I've encountered.

Here's a sample of what my drawing looks like when it is scanned. In Photoshop I make the art black and white and then use levels to get rid of any artifacts of the blue. These are the scientists from Jacob Wonderbar and the Space Kapow. (Dial Books, May 2011).

graphite & non-photo blue