We’ve been doing a studio clean, and this artifact was tucked away on my top shelf collecting dust. Makes sense, considering I drew it 23 years ago! π€― STORY TIME for those who haven’t heard it. Rewind β° all the way back to 2000, Brenda Clark, creator of Franklin The Turtle, drops by @sheridan_college to speak to my graduating class of young, cocky illustrators. Brenda graduated from Sheridan illustration in 1977, and by this time had already sold about 50 million Franklin books worldwide. She talked business to us, and that she had retained the rights to Franklin right away “one of the smartest things I’ve ever done” she said. She continued to say that the success of Franklin almost never happens, and was like “lightening β‘οΈin a bottle” and she joked that we’d be best to go work for her lol (honestly, not a bad idea) She was looking for 2 co-op students and I was selected, along with my friend Celeste (who is now also an accomplished book illustrator). A few months later we met Brenda at her modest home in Port Hope where she showed us her attic studio, took us out for lunch, then to the corner mailbox to pick up a royalty cheque π€. We were given a tour of @kidscanpress (Franklin’s publisher) a few pages from an upcoming book , & a character rotation package of Franklin in different positions. Brenda said, “whoever can most accurately capture the story & Franklin, will have an opportunity to come work for me”. I recall painstakingly trying to nail every pencil and pen line + his shell was a real challenge (little did I know it would be great practice for a current project I’m working on π€«). Long story short, I lost out to Celeste (who was the better choice). But the experience was amazing, and I remember feeling this sense of possibility after 4 years of art school, that maybe I could do this art thing - that I could be out in the world as a working artist. Brenda was such a great mentor - so kind and humble in the middle of this empire she had built. After almost 25 years, this experience still lights me up when I venture down memory lane. Thanks Brenda β€οΈπ’
#art #arts #mentor #childrensbooks #franklintheturtle #illustration #illustrator #work #artoftheday
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