Kathleen Jennings is an illustrator based in Brisbane.
Kathleen attended the World Fantasy Convention (WFC) 2014 in Arlington, Virginia where she participated in the art show and a panel discussion of artists who write.
At the convention, Kathleen was able to meet with many publishers, editors and authors with whom she has worked or will work in future. She also promoted the books she has illustrated, met major illustrators of the genre and visited private art collections.
While in the US, Kathleen also participated in bookstore events, visited publishers, authors, editors and illustrators in New York and Massachusetts and visited galleries and museums.
October to November 2014
Washington DC and Arlington, Virginia, USA
$2060 – Individuals Fund
The experience of travelling to the US and attending the WFC provided Kathleen with some valuable lessons regarding international arts shows:
The US trip has provided inspiration for future personal goals and challenges, including:
Kathleen also learned to turn a challenge into an opportunity when participating in a group reading with some well-known authors:
I had intended to attend these readings – and then found out I'd been advertised as participating! As a result, I had to research and develop a way to present a visual story without any visual aids. It was successful and very well received, and led to many conversations with audiences and professionals about the process and an invitation to submit an article to a publisher's blog about it.
Website: http://tanaudel.wordpress.com
Kathleen’s sketchbooks of her American trip: http://tanaudel.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/american-sketchbook-2014-part-1-new-york-new-york/
http://tanaudel.wordpress.com/2014/11/29/american-sketchbook-2014-part-2-boston-and-salem/
http://tanaudel.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/american-sketchbook-2014-part-3-western-massachusetts/
Article: ‘A magic synergy: The cover art of Kathleen Jennings’ by Delia Sherman http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/11/kathleen-jennings-cover-art
A pdf version of Kathleen Jennings case study (PDF) (281.18 KB) is available.
Image: Kathleen at the World Fantasy Convention with her illustrations. Photo courtesy Kathleen Jennings.
Image: Kathleen’s sketches of the mass signing event at the World Fantasy Convention. Photo courtesy of Kathleen Jennings.