Hey there, my name is Amando Chapa! I am a full-time graphic designer and illustrator specializing in apparel design and all things promotional material. The idea of illustrating a children's book was instilled in me by a high school principal, and until recently, I felt like it was an unobtainable goal. However, since joining the forum and watching the podcast, I feel like it's something I might be able to do and, more importantly, ENJOY. Here are a few of my most recent pieces that I feel better represent my abilities as an illustrator. I am a bit of a style chameleon but have found and begun to refine my personal style. I leave these here as a foot in the door and as a soft request for mentorship, guidance, or any other support. Thank you guys for being awesome!"
T-Shirt Graphic Artist wanting to transition into Children's Book Illustration
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Hey there, my name is Amando Chapa! I am a full-time graphic designer and illustrator specializing in apparel design and all things promotional material. The idea of illustrating a children's book was instilled in me by a high school principal, and until recently, I felt like it was an unobtainable goal. However, since joining the forum and watching the podcast, I feel like it's something I might be able to do and, more importantly, ENJOY. Here are a few of my most recent pieces that I feel better represent my abilities as an illustrator. I am a bit of a style chameleon but have found and begun to refine my personal style. I leave these here as a foot in the door and as a soft request for mentorship, guidance, or any other support. Thank you guys for being awesome!"
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@Amando-Chapa I don’t see any pieces here. You might need to edit the post or try reposting
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@Amando-Chapa awesome! Welcome to the forum. Time to start building that portfolio
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Welcome @Amando-Chapa! You’re in the right place! I’m opposite you, first started with children’s books and later started making designs for apparel. Having fun experimenting with different media.
Cheers!
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@Amando-Chapa welcome to the form! You are certainly in the right place. People here are great at offering honest critiques and great advice. Looking through your pieces my advice to you would be to keep working toward that consistent style. It looks like you have a good grasp on drawing, and can render in just about any style you want. So the next step could be to study the work of picture book artists that you love and copy them! This is probably the fastest and easiest way to finding your own voice... Just make sure you're using multiple influences, not just one or two. That way the style that emerges will be yours, and not a copy of another artist.
Story telling is also super important for picture book illustrators. There are some great SVS classes on narrative art and story telling. Start creating art is series and practicing character consistency and telling a story with your pictures. And practice drawing kids! That's very important for anyone working in picture books, to be able to draw characters who look young.
I hope this helps and isn't over whelming! It can seem like a lot, but if you just do a little each day you'll be surprised at how fast you progress . I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work on here!
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@Amando-Chapa Welcome! You have some pretty cool pieces. I love the dynamic pose on your Cupid drawing.