Today was Chemers Gallery's annual Children's Book Illustrators' Show. As always, the artwork was amazing, as were the illustrators. The books illustrated by these artists are really beautiful. But to see the original pieces is even more wonderful. The printed art always pales in comparison.In chatting with the artists, the topic invariably turns to "how long does it take you to...." fill in the blank: do the preliminary sketch, produce the final piece, do a whole book. Illustrator Zachary Pullen shared that it takes him many months to design and finish all the pieces for a book. And then he talked about a recent editorial piece he did for a major national newspaper - he was given exactly 24 hours to get the final work into their hands. Of course, being the professional that he is, it was accomplished.
So I guess I am not the only one whose rate of production is exactly equal to the amount of time available. While I tend to work slower when given a long deadline, I know I can speed things up when I have to. This piece, which I'm pretty happy with, was done in about an hour.
Today's inspired resolution: work fast!
