Friday, November 21, 2014

More Q&A with Elementary Students


One wonderful morning I Skyped from my cozy studio in Brooklyn with students at the Passow Elementary School in Franklin Park, Illinois. Thanks to Reading Specialist, Elizabeth Drasutis, who set up the visit, for sending a packet of the student’s sweet notes, plus a list of questions to answer.



Q: How can you imagine all of the sea creatures?

A: It was easy. By using the photographs I took of the public and of my friends at the actual Mermaid Parade. They made the costumes. I just channeled their great creative energies into my picture book. They made it easy to illustrate 100 + characters featured in the book.



Q: How do you get picked to be the illustrator?

A: I send samples of my illustrations printed on postcards to art directors in the juvenile publishing field. The art is kept in their files. They match an illustrator with an author’s manuscript the publisher had purchased. Or, an agent represents your art and makes portfolio rounds to the publishers.


Questions from the older students:

Q: What do you find challenging about being an author and illustrator.
Art is always fulfilling so I’d say it’s the business end that can be challenging. Such as waiting in-between books. Having to prove my talent at all times to new people. Or, being very organized tracking the constant flow of new people and changes within the field.

My Studio

A: How many days does it take to make a book or an illustration?
Some illustrations are simple and some are complex. It took one month to finish my first book, AT THE BEACH. The art was simple to fit the text.


It can also take two weeks to illustrate one scene. The maps I love to create take a long time to finish.



Detail from a map I illustrated for A CITY IS



All art and images are Copyright Melanie Hope Greenberg except the student art.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Author-Illustrator Visits - Teacher Guide and Video



School Season has started again!

"CLASSIC" MERMAIDS ON PARADE selected by New York City's Official Marketing and Tourism partnership organization, New York And Company.


As MERMAIDS ON PARADE gets more popular in New York City and beyond, I presented at a fun event for a children’s museum in upstate NY. That’s where I met writer and mom, Kimberly Kunkel. What a wonderful surprise when she wrote a blog post review with a teacher guide for MERMAIDS ON PARADE. Thank you Kimberly!!

Last but not least, here is a link to a video taken after my author-illustrator visit with second graders at Brooklyn Central Library's Dweck Center.

Please contact me to learn about my in school/library or Skype author-illustrator visits at melanie@melaniehopegreenberg.com.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

New Interview

I was interviewed over at Kathy Temean's Blog for her Illustrator Saturday series. Enjoy! Here's the link.