Itās time for our next Featured Student! For April we are featuring:
Melissa Bailey
Instagram: @mbaileyart
Artwork by Melissa Bailey
Most of you have seen quite a few of Melissaās incredibly cute SVS bunnies on illustrations sheās done for our 3PP Podcast. Sheās incredible at illustrating lots of other animals too, including little humans š. I think youāre gonna love what Melissa shares about balancing care-giving and art-making, being a professional illustrator, and walking poodles down country roads š©.
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To start out, tell us a little bit about yourself - where you are from and currently live, family details (including pets of course) and how you spend most of your time (work and/or family related).
Iām from Michigan ā moved around a bit but came back to the house I grew up in to help care for my dad. The basement has been converted and my parents live in the downstairs apartment, so we all have our space. We have two poodles who go back and forth as they please. They do not give us space. They also demand at least three walks a day, which helps keep us active since we work from home. I spend a lot of my time in my studio, which used to be the dining room; it has a huge window with a lot of natural light. And we spend a lot of time outside, walking. We live on a dirt road in the country and I love it. So peaceful, except when the coyotes start howling in the middle of the night and get the dogs barking!
What foods do you love the most? What about drinks?
Food: Sushi, cheese, and chocolate top the list. Also a good old-fashioned roast chicken dinner with all the fixins ā¦ mmmmm!
Drinks: Lots and lots of sparkling water. And milk tea.
What are some of your other hobbies besides making art?
Going for walks (is that a hobby?). Reading ā as long as itās not too tense, gory, or violent and has a happy ending, Iāll read just about anything. There are so many negative and traumatic things in the world, Iād rather be entertained by something funny or that has a lot of heart. I also write ā picture books, novels, percolating some middle grade ideas. Sometimes I crochet but havenāt been doing that lately ā Archie (our mini poodle) thinks that snatching the ball of yarn and stringing it throughout the house is a super fun game.
Who are some of your favorite artists? How have they inspired you?
Artists who made an impact on me when I was very young were Beatrix Potter, Eloise Wilkin, and Marguerite de Angeli (she was a Newbery Award-winning author-illustrator who was born in the town I grew up in ā they named the local library in her honor). I spent hours upon hours poring over their illustrations, dreaming of growing up and illustrating childrenās books but thinking it would never happen.
Current favorites? There are so many! Just a few who inspire me: Erin E. Stead, Jason Chin, Deborah Freedman, Amy June Bates, the Fan brothers, Matthew Forsythe, David Roberts, Molly Idle, Aaron Becker, Brian Lies. And of course, greats like Dan Santat, Jon Klassen, David Wiesner, Jerry Pinkney, William Joyce, and Kadir Nelson.
In terms of being a professional illustrator, what recommendations can you give with regard to young artists attempting to forge their path in this field?
Look before you leap. Learn all you can about the illustration field you want to pursue and what it entails. What skills will you need? If you donāt have those skills, how can you learn them? Will you be freelancing or hired as an employee of a company? What salary can you expect to make as a new illustrator? Will it pay your bills, or will you need a second job? Will you be able to start making a decent living right away or will you need time to build your career to the point where it can support you (and your family, if thatās your situation)?
Know yourself and what you need. Are you okay taking direction or are you an artist who doesnāt like to make changes to their work? (Most illustration jobs require revisions. Compromise is necessary.) Are you someone who would do well working from home or do you need to be around people or in an office environment? Can you push yourself to work on art even when youāre not feeling inspired? (Because it will happen, trust me. Deadlines donāt wait for inspiration.) Are you okay with the uncertainty that comes with the fluctuating income from freelance illustration, or are you someone who needs a steady income and needs to know exactly how much youāll be making per week/month? What are your goals? What do you want out of an illustration career?
Be a good communicator. Being able to communicate clearly with a client is an essential skill. It keeps everyone on the same page, helps a project go smoothly, and contributes to a great working experience. Professional, respectful, and honest communication will be appreciated by your clients, theyāll want to continue working with you, and will recommend you to others. If you feel that communication isnāt your strong point, take the time to build that skill. It really will help you in your career.
Whatās your own practice as an artist look like? Do you have set times of the day you work? Are you more productive in a certain space? And what about inspiration?
Because of caregiving on and off for the last 9 years, I havenāt really established a set schedule. I try, though! I do have a weekly planner, and that helps me organize and schedule my projects. I work Monday through Friday, usually from around 11 am to 7 - 8 pm, with periodic breaks for walks and meals. If thereās a pressing deadline or if there are too many projects going, I might also work Saturday. But the goal is to have the weekends off.
Most productive space? My studio, in the afternoon.
Inspiration? Because my focus is childrenās books, inspiration often comes from something intriguing Iāve seen or read, a āwhat ifā moment, and my own memories and experiences. It usually strikes when Iām on a walk or lying in bed, thinking.
Weād love to see some of your work. Can you share 5 or 6 pieces with us?
Artwork by Melissa Bailey
The cover for Imaraās Tiara, cowritten with Susan R. Stoltz. Itās about a sparkle-obsessed giraffe named Imara trying to snatch Naomiās sparkly tiara. This is the book Iām most proud of ā¦ so far!
Artwork by Melissa Bailey
Personal work, 2021. Playing around with perspective and lighting.
Artwork by Melissa Bailey
Personal work, 2021. If this looks familiar, I recycled it to create the illustration for Critique Arenaās fairytale situation prompt. I prefer the brighter palette in this one!
Artwork by Melissa Bailey
Personal work, but also a test illustration for an upcoming picture book project about a pug who is a superhero in his own mind.
Artwork by Melissa Bailey
Personal work. Just having fun with movement, camera angle, and cropping.
Artwork by Melissa Bailey
āJoyā ā this was an honorable mention for CYA Conference Award 2021
Melissa, Great work! Love your characters, style and use of color. Thanks for sharing these with us.
Last question: What are you dreaming up for 2022? Travel, new experiences, new art-making?
Well, I set some professional goals at the beginning of 2022 ā¦ but right now our family is being buffeted by a health crisis, so those goals are on the back burner, and thatās ok. Right now, my biggest priority is spending as much time with my dad as possible. One day at a time. As Weāre Going on a Bear Hunt says: āWe canāt go over it. We canāt go under it. Oh, no! Weāve got to go through it!ā Amazing what unexpected wisdom and help one can get from a picture book!
Those professional goals?
Diversify my income. Iām looking into setting up an online shop. Possibly some art fairs/book fairs/school visits. Definitely going to expand the book design and publishing services that Iāve been providing for 10+ years, giving that arm of my business its own website. I love the idea of incorporating short term jobs into my schedule to balance out longer term illustration jobs.
Get an agent. This is something Iāve been going back and forth on for quite a while. My goal is to grow my illustration career to work with bigger publishers as an author-illustrator. An agent might help facilitate that.
Self-publish my own book. What? But what about working with larger publishers? I want to do both and see where it leads. While most of my professional experience has been with self-publishing and though I have published 2 books (as author-illustrator) with a very small publisher, I have yet to completely publish a book all by myself, start to finish, and I thatās something I want to do. Now that I have a game plan in place and have gained contacts that will help give my book a bigger chance of success, itās time to make it happen. (And being one of the indie publishing advisors for SCBWI-Michigan is added incentive.)
Weāll see what the rest of 2022 brings, and what Iāll have time for ā¦ thereās always 2023!
Melissa, thank you for sharing your story with us. Iāll be thinking about you and your family and hoping for the best for all of you. Youāre an inspiration to the SVS community and Itās wonderful to hear about your journey as an artist and we wish you the best as you continue on this path!
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