went to the library

Today was a pretty full day. I ran a lot of errands with Lennox and managed to make it to the library to check out some books. I thought I would look for any audio books to see if I can listen to and illustrate them. I have concerns about seeing the existing artwork and being influenced by it. Maybe it is bringing back the assignment from school thing; the fear of being slaughtered during the class crit. Anyway, I will get over it. I couldn't find any audio books I was drawn to, and didn't make it to the magazine section to look through the editorials. I know my friend said that Children's illustration is very competitive, but my heart still want to start there. So I picked up a few kids magazines, catering from 6 months to 2 years old and 2-6 year. I know Lennos's influence will be strong so this is where I am starting. I also picked up the 2008 ed. of Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market guide. The good thing is I don't really feel that I am really starting from scratch. I do 2 or 3 editions of that guide and every edition I read, I get closer to it a little. It has been a slow process, but I think the timing is good now. I started the basic groundwork in 2006 when I started with the fine art direction. I was just flipping through the reject letters from galleries, as painful as they were to receive at that time, they are a great reminder that I am moving forward. It is a business, not a hobby. I did get a comment from one of the galleries saying that, "(your) portfolio was one of the best organized (I) had seen in a long time." I will take a look at what inventory in illustrations I actually have throughout all these years of "doodling" and start narrowing down for promo purposes.