Wolf Criers Club
Vol 11
Wolf Criers Club is an international collective of illustrators, writers, artists and wolves who help each other navigate the world of established and indie publishing. We create picture books, comic books, graphic novels, and other works that tell story through art. We came together in early 2023 in a class called Children’s Book Pro from SVS Learn, and have worked together ever since. Thanks for coming on this journey with us.
It’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and some of the Wolf Criers have tips for sharpening your creative edge by writing, drawing, and reading.
Writer/illustrator and swim-teacher Adriane Pirro has a list of five ways to stay creative while on summer break. You can read more about Adriane and her work in this previous Substack Feature.
Illustrator, SVS Learn contributor, and YouTuber Kayleen Sokol has a couple of recommendations for summer picture book fun. Find out more about Kayleen in this Substack Feature.
5 Ways to Bring Creativity Out Through Your Senses
Contributed by Adriane Pirro
Do you want to spark your creativity? Unstick your stuck? Here’s some quick and easy ways of doing just that. Grab a pen and paper and go out. Silence you phone. Use your 5 senses, okay maybe don’t taste everything. Write or draw what you see, hear, feel, etc. Then what you imagine. Ask questions.
Go outside. Look around you…really observe.
There’s a vine growing around a tree. Ask questions; Is the vine choking out the tree or is it hitching on for support? Write or draw what you see, then what you imagine.
A house has a fence blocking the front yard with a “No Trespassing” sign. Why? What’s going on that they don’t want anyone to see? Is it illegal?
Write, draw, ask, imagine.
Go to a coffee shop. Listen, yes be a snoop.
Sit near someone who’s on their phone. Write down bits that you hear. Imagine the rest of the conversation. Make it as elaborate or ridiculous as possible. Write it down.
You hear birds. Are they singing sweetly to attract a mate? Or are they saying, “Hey. This is my food. Get your own buster!”
Draw, write, ask, imagine.
Feel.
Touch that tree. Is it rough, smooth? Close your eyes and really feel it. What’s the texture? What’s it like on the inside? What would you make out of that wood? Does it remind you of anything else?
Draw, write, ask, imagine.
Take your shoes and socks off. Feel the grass, dirt, sand, water, pavement. Is it soft, rough, slick, etc. Does it remind you of when you were a kid?
Draw, write, ask, imagine.
Sniff the air, (yes like a dog)
close your eyes when you do this.
Is it musty and moldy? Did it just rain? Where did all that water go? Down the drain? What else is living there?
You walked into a bakery. Smell the scrumptious air. Does it make your mouth water? What else are they making? Your favorite dessert? What if you were the baker?
Draw, write, ask, imagine.
Taste something new (or familiar).
What does it remind you of? How do you feel when you eat it? Do you want to spit it out
immediately, or gobble up the whole enchilada? Imagine where that food came from (this may just make us all turn into vegetarians).
Draw, write, ask, imagine.
Kayleen’s Book Haul
Recommendations collected by Kayleen Sokol
I recently purchased 2 new books, and I wanna share why I think they are worth checking out at your local library or book shop.
“I Lived Inside A Whale” is the debut book of author and illustrator, Xin Li. It was published in February of this year.
About the Art:
This is one of those books that uses every page including the end pages glued to the cover to tell a story. They are beautifully made with pencil drawing and digital coloring. There's also many classic stories referenced in the illustrations, including one famous story having to do with getting swallowed by a whale.
About the Writing:
This is a story about a girl who feels overwhelmed with noise and wants to escape to a place where she can hear herself. She learns how to be heard by others and shares something she loves with her friends. On the jacket summary it says, “Xin Li takes readers on an adventure that celebrates the power of imagination, storytelling, and friendship.”
I relate to the main character’s need for a quiet space, and her love of fairy tales and mythological stories. I hope to share my own voice with the publishing world one day.
If you’d like to hear more about the author’s story, here is a link to an interview with Xin Li.
I preordered “Look” a few weeks before it was published, in April of this year. I have to share about the art of this book. I mean seriously, LOOK at the cover! Every page has such attention to detail and feels like you’ve entered another world.
About the Art:
“Look” is a book with pictures unlike any other. Simon & Schuster describe her style as “beautiful diorama illustrations.” Everything is intricately handcrafted paper with cinematic lighting and depth, like a stop-motion film.
I used to make paper dioramas as a kid, not knowing that’s what it was called at the time. I later dabbled in learning how to make pop-up pictures when I was in high school. I think it would be a dream to make an interactive book with paper-engineering. This book brought back those memories of playing with paper, scissors and making a lot of scotch tape “donuts.”
Samantha Cotterill has written and illustrated other books like “Thankful” and “Heartfelt,” and many more in the same 3D style. You can learn about her life story and see some of her art in this interview.
Tell us about the picture books, graphic novels, other illustrated word mash-ups you are reading this summer. Howl in the comments and let us know.
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The wolf-wearing-glasses logo is by Wolf Crier Michael Luk.
And the colors in this artwork 💜💛💚❤️
I love this!