My style isn't what I thought it was. Have you all experienced something like this?
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So I submitted my art to a literary agency and they got back to me (yay!) with a rejection
However, they provided feedback! They also mentioned an artist in their agency that they felt I was too similar to. When I looked at this person's work, I totally saw the similarities and it took me by surprise.
This person's style is very comic book-ish. Like, it gave me a middle-grade graphic novel vibe. What's kinda freaking me out is that I never intended for my work to look that way.I'm kinda shook.
I also find that I can never see what my art truly looks like. I keep thinking I did the thing I wanted to do, but then I get other people's opinions and like...I didn't do what I thought I did.
Has this happened to anyone else? Did you do anything to change that or did you just go with it?
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@Patricia-Dishmon Now, you’re a much more skilled artist than I am, but I think I’ve already been through this experience.
I got an agent critique of my portfolio at a local SCBWI conference and yeah, “This would be really good for middle grade or MG graphic novels.”
I think it’s the black ink.
I spent the following year studying picture book styles and I started to notice just how rare it is to see PBs with black ink. Ryan T Higgins is killing it with it. Elise Parsley, too. But I’ve noticed a lot of the black line art books look more black pencil instead of black ink (Jessie Sima, Ben Clanton, the Construction Site books with Tom Litchenheld and AG Ford.
That’s my guess at least – hence why I’ve moved back to closer to my original style, but with pencil for line art instead of ink.
There’s another thread with a question about finger count. I think this falls in that same category. You can make picture books happen with black ink – Ryan T Higgins and others show that – but there are a lot of editors/art directors/publishers that don’t believe in it/like it/want it.
So a smaller market – but still an option if you find the right people.
That’s my guess. And, hey, I’m due to be right about something today.
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@Patricia-Dishmon oh yeah, it’s happened to me! I think it’s pretty common for others to see something in your work that you didn’t intend or to perceive it a different way. For me, it was that all my stuff looked cute, whether or not I intended it. So I just leaned into the cute, which does help in illustrating picture books!
Hooray for getting some feedback from the agency! (Bummer that they said no, but it’s awesome that they took the time to tell you why and give that valuable feedback.)
You should definitely give that feedback greater weight. They know the market and they are the ones finding work for illustrators. If they say that your style fits more with MG or YA, they know who is looking for that style and where it will fit.
Yes, it’s unsettling! But after the dust settles from the feedback, take an objective look at your portfolio. Does it fit more in with MG? What can you do to make it fit the market you’re going after?
It doesn’t mean you have to drastically overhaul your style. Stay true to you. But there are adjustments you can make to make your style more picture book “friendly” for agents, ADs, and editors.
When I looked at your portfolio with that feedback in mind, I thought: “What they said is fair. It does look more middle grade/graphic novel.” I don’t think it’s the use of inked/black lines/no black lines. As @KevinTreaccar pointed out, there are plenty of picture book illustrators with obvious line work. Claire Keene, Max Lang, Kevin Henkes, Jenn Harney, and Peter H. Reynolds are a few more illustrators who use black/inked line work, and are killing it.
This is just my option, but I think it’s these two things that might make your style look more MG/graphic novel:
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Your characters ages. Most of the children in your portfolio look like they’re 8 or above. That’s usually chapter book & MG age. The target age for picture books is usually around 3-5. If you include younger kids and babies, I think your style will immediately start to read younger, even if you change nothing else about it.
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Some of the scenes lean more MG than PB. “The Last Dance” and “Fishing” are beautiful; they also look like they could be taken right out of a chapter book. If you include more scenes that are common in PBs — for example, bedtime or preschool/school settings — I think that will also go a long way to making your style read younger.
Of course, this is only one opinion. And I’m not an agent, art director, or editor. So take it with a grain of salt.
Keep on being brave and submitting to agents & ADs. Cheering you on!
illustrator - author - smiley person
mbaileyart.com
instagram.com/mbaileyart/ -
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@KevinTreaccar You make a great point! And it makes sense cuz I read a lot of webtoons and manga, so of course, it's going to bleed into how I draw...
It's such a big part of my art so idk if I should change it or try to shift into the middle-grade market lol -
@Melissa_Bailey lol as soon as I read "include younger kids and babies" my heart rate started going up.
I think my next move will be to decide what market I want to be in and adjust for that. -
@Patricia-Dishmon Just to make sure I was clear, my black pencil idea was just an idea to meet certain people in the middle.
My big point was that ink might not have as big of an audience of agents/editors, but it definitely has one and you just might have to target more specifically on agents/editors. Maybe look up the agents/editors of the artists you like that Melissa and I mentioned. You know they consider ink.
Also, I think Melissa is right on point with age of kids. That can make a big difference. But I saw your follow-up response and, yeah, if you’re not into drawing younger kids, then middle grade might be the better option. Or maybe middle grade graphic novels.
