Melissa Murray

I didn’t know about apedog, but that sounds amazing!

The conceptart forums were great for learning. My skill level went up a lot doing master studies and 100 day challenges there. It was inspiring to see other people’s progress too—without having to treat it like a portfolio for polished final pieces.

The little library card; so cute! ✨❄️🩰

Ooh, that is a better idea! #kidlitchat

Good point! I do a bit of revision then too. I think it also reminds me of past temp jobs doing data entry, 😆 but at least the revision parts makes it more fun than that. #kidlitchat

Great ideas! #kidlitchat

I love a cute notebook—but an assistant to type up the out of order scenes I scribble in there, so I can organize and revise in Scrivener would be cool bonus. 😂 There’s still something nice about handwriting parts of a book, even though I dislike the transcription process. #kidlitchat

For PBs, I let subject dictate structure. For me, this means jotting down lines while ideas float around in my head—one day, the right structure just clicks. I also keep a mental checklist of structures to try out; I think finally found an idea I that will work for a cumulative story.🤞 #kidlitchat

I will never give up my em-dashes—they’re my favorite punctuation and the robots can’t have them. 😂 #kidlitchat

I think you meant @profmmurray bsky.app/profile/prof...

Good to know. Thanks! #kidlitchat

I try to send a pitch along with the manuscript to my critique partners. When a story is early in development and maybe too meandering, they’ll sometimes ask what’s the pitch to help focus it. It’s helpful to get that feedback early on—even when it changes significantly. #kidlitchat

True. #kidlitchat

Good strategy. I think I need to try writing out like a 3 page synopsis for my graphic novel and then whittle that down. I also find log lines difficult. A 2 or 3 sentence pitch, I can do—but one sentence is tough for most books. #kidlitchat

I don’t typically like using comps too similar to my books. If there’s already a book so similar—why publish another? I use elements of a book instead. Does the character have a similar emotional journey—but a different plot to another book, is the structure or humor similar, etc.? #kidlitchat

Agreed. I kind of love writing pitches (especially for picture books), but synopses are like fitting an entire novel onto one page and that’s tough to do. I hate having to leave out fun subplots and minor characters. #kidlitchat

Sounds fun, thanks for the recommendation! #kidlitchat

I think this is the one I was thinking of, I loved them too. I vividly remember her talking to the bust of Freud. Thanks! #kidlitchat

This sounds very familiar…I remember reading a lot of middle grade back then that did this type of thing at least partially. Diary entries, postcards, lists, I recall something like a scientific journal. #kidlitchat

It depends. I play with the possibilities more when starting the revision phase—but I mostly write by instinct for what feels right for a particular manuscript. I trend toward 1st person for fiction and 3rd person for info-fiction or NF, but don’t really have a preference when reading. #kidlitchat

My ink, watercolor, digital illustration of a family; mom, grandma, father, Elinor, grandpa and their dog walking though the crunchy leaves a on a beautiful fall day. Illustration is from the book, Elinor's Glad-To-Be-Together Family written by Susan Layne and illustrated by me, Diana Ting Delosh. Published by Mascot Kids.

Art Directors, Editors, Designers:
Happy #KidLitArtPostcard Day!
Portfolio: dianadelosh.com
Represented by @lynnettenovak.bsky.social of The Seymour Agency.
#kidlitartpostcard #kidlitart #illustrator #illustration #kidlit

A textured, painterly illustration of a little girl using a ladder to climb on a big horse

Happy #KidLitArtPostcard day! Have a pony! 🦄
jwahlgren.com/children

This is so sweet!

Hi, #KidLitArtPostcard Day!

I'm Mayumi, a Japanese #kidlit illustrator. Excited to take on new projects! Picture books, board books, and book covers are my favorite things to work on✨ #kidlitart

Rep'd by lovely @essiewhite.bsky.social
at @stormliterary.bsky.social

🌐 mayumi-sasage.com

An illustration by Angela Matteson of a chipmunk setting a fresh baked pie on a shelf from inside her pumpkin house.

Hello! #KidLitArtPostcard! A snippet from my archives to welcome the autumnal vibes, although I'm still enjoying late summer blooms and garden tomatoes!
angelamatteson.com
I’m represented by @jmcgowanbks.bsky.social
@bookendsliterary.bsky.social

#kidlitart #kidlit #illustration #ChildrensBooks

Sketchbook paintings made with watercolor, Caran D’ache Neocolor II crayons, and colored pencil. On the left, 2 green, cartoony tortoises, each eating a large seed. On the right, still lifes studies of acorns and a blue jay feather and a loosely painted portrait of a woman.

Some sketchbooking. A mix of kidlit characters, a photo study, and some still life objects.

#sketchbook #watercolor #mixedmedia #nature #kidlitart #portraitpainting

Travel to see lots of museums and places. Maybe get an MFA in art or writing. And if it’s unlimited, probably a PhD in some kind of biology. Hopefully this also comes with unlimited energy? #kidlitart

I’d like to try learning more sculpture. I’ve got a few ideas to play with making things out of wire—but I made a couple like that in college and remember getting lots of cuts on my hands. Maybe I’ll be less clumsy this time around. 😆 #kidlitart

I prefer in-person courses, largely because of the accountability of having assignments and personalized feedback. I do also enjoy online courses and experimenting, but sometimes it ends up being another thing on the unfinished (but I’ll get to it it someday) to-do list. #kidlitart

I’m trying to use more traditional art in my illustration—but I love the flexibility of layers in digital art—so I’m trying to learn how to combine things in sort of a digital collage. #kidlitart