The path to publishing is so different for everyone. You never know how you will reach those important milestones because, we all have a different story.
My Instagram Announcement After Signing with my Agent
When I first made the decision that I wanted to seriously pursue a career in children’s books, everything seemed so daunting. I had no clue how people reached out to publishing houses, why agents were so important, what a query letter was, or even how difficult it was to write a polished manuscript that would be worthy of being published, or how to create illustrations with a consistent style. I was clueless.
I wanted to include some cut paper art illustrations that I created, in the last couple of years, to practice new techniques, create new characters, or just keep creating. These didn’t make the cut to be part of my portfolio or they have been replaced by new illustrations.
When I was a little girl, I absolutely loved books. I loved the magical stories they told and the beautiful illustrations that helped me feel like I was part of those magical worlds. As a child, I even tried writing and illustrating a few books of my own.
However, I soon discovered that there was an undeniable pattern in the picture books that were available – none of the characters looked like me (or any person of color, for that matter).
At the time, I didn’t realize the huge impact that had on me. But looking back, I clearly remember thinking that only white people were special. I thought only their stories were valuable and important enough to share. And, worst of all, I thought that people of color didn’t make any significant contributions and that’s why we didn’t have books about people like ourselves.
I’m always fascinated by how artists work and how they are able to make their creations. So, I wanted to share my process. Especially because, when I first discovered paper art, a little over 2.5 years ago, I found it hard to figure out how paper artists made their amazing 3D creations. I couldn’t find any type of tutorials or information on their process. If you are interested in making cut paper art, I hope my blog gives you a bit of a starting point.
A Bit of Background Info
2017 Drawlloween Piece
I fell into paper art unexpectedly. I was participating in an Instagram Challenge in 2017, called Drawlloween. I felt like something was missing from my art pieces, so I decided to cut out my illustrations and assemble them like a little diorama.
2018 Lightbox
After that, I was hooked – especially when I began adding lights. Eventually my art evolved from lightboxes to more polished looking illustrations. It took a lot of practice and experimentation to get my work to look more professional, but that’s part of what I love – learning and evolving.
2019 Illustration
2020 Illustration
Below are the techniques that have helped me yield the best results. I’m sure they’ll change. But as of mid 2020, this is how I create my cut paper art illustrations. And even though the number of steps might seem daunting, the more I create, the faster each step becomes.
One of my goals for this year was to create at least one portfolio piece a month. I wanted to challenge myself by adding variety to my portfolio, in terms of composition, perspective, and theme.
For this month, my goal was to create at least one illustration that showed my characters in a different angle than what I normally would illustrate.
The Sanderson Sisters found themselves in a pickle. Olivia, one of the many rats that roamed around the forest, had become tired of being passed over, when the witches were creating potions, because Winifred claimed she was much too ugly (but secretly, she really liked her because she saw a little bit of herself in Olivia).
One day, while the witches were out hunting for children, Olivia took their magic spell book and made all (but one of) the rats and the creatures in the woods fall in love with her. Including the Lagoon creature, Vicky.
She also cast a spell to make herself and the rats bigger. She was the biggest of them all, of course. They then trapped the Sanderson sisters and hung them up on cages, hoping to see them wither and become hideous hags.
The only problem was that Vicky, the one made in charge of keeping an eye on the witches, was madly in love with Olivia, and instead of keeping watch, she spent countless hours thinking about what her life would be like with Olivia.
I lied, that was not the only problem. There was also a little rat, named Charlie, that was immune to the love spell because of his deep love for Vicky. He knew he had to win Vicky back and break the love spell, so he plotted with the Sanderson Sisters and told Sarah the spell she needed to recite in order to turn into a serpent. But, Sarah, you see, did not have a good memory. She forgot a crucial word, leaving her head in human form, while her body transformed to that of a serpents. Poor Sarah, she spent the evening banging her head against the cage hoping to squeeze out through the bars as Winifred whisper/yelled profanities, while Mary stared in horror.
Will the sisters escape? Will Charlie get his love back? And will Olivia remain in power? Who knows. Only time will tell.
This light box was created during Drawlloween 2018.
Play video to see lights in action.
Sound was added to video for spooky forest effect.
As Pickles, the Goblin, got ready for her hot date with the Werewolf, Mr. Suave (as he insisted on being called), she received another foreboding message from their haunted toilet. Betsy, her paranoid roommate, ran into the restroom and pulled on the handle much too hard, causing a creature to crawl out.
Unlike Pickles, she did not think their toilet was full of s##t. She believed all it’s messages. Especially when it spoke poorly of the male species.
Betsy hated all males. As you may have guessed, she tragically died on her wedding day. Someone pushed her down a flight of stairs, breaking her neck. She always suspected it was her hubby-to-be. Now she waits by the restroom fearing what will come out of the toilet next.
Will Pickles listen to the toilet? Will Betsy ever believe in love again? And has Mr. Suave the Woolfman gained more than 3 Instagram followers? Who knows.
This light box was created during Drawlloween 2018.
Play video to see lights in action.
Sound was added to video for haunted toilet effect.
Edgar, the swamp creature (as his parents had nicknamed him), was a lonely creature. He was born to normal people, but right from the start, it was clear he was not normal. His body began transforming into something hideous, not like any human his family had seen before. His family came from wealth and prestige, and if anyone found out they had created a monster, it would be the end of them. Therefore, they hid him away in their basement.
Edgar made the best of a terrible situation and soon became obsessed with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. He turned his basement into a shrine to Frankenstein. His only real friends are his imaginary friend, Mary Shelley, the skeleton he keeps in his closet, and the reanimated cat that he pieced together with the good parts from dead cats. His goal in life is to one day reanimate a person and have it be his companion.
This light box was created during Drawlloween 2018.
Play video to see lights in action.
Sound was added to video for further thunderstorm effect.
Mr. Toad and Owlbert went to see the famous Madame Raven in hopes of speaking to their friend Señor Rabbit. They had heard all about her coffin door and the powers it had of bringing back the dead. They hoped to speak to Señor Rabbit and find out for once and for all who took his limbs and left him to die. What they did not expect was to encounter more than their old friend’s spirit. Even Madame Raven was terrified of the creature walking in through the door. But it was much too late to do anything about it. That was one of the downsides of having a coffin door.
This light box was created during Drawlloween 2018.
author, illustrator, Cut-Paper-artist 