#bcbf2017

BCBF 2017 - Mirtilla These are my entries for Bologna Children's Book Fair's illustrators contest. The project consisted in a series of 5 pieces with a common line. In order of appearance, these are the adventures of a pretty little creature that encounters different stages of her personal growth. I choose some keywords each illustration, driving reader's interpretation through the meaning of the entire story. [This helped me a lot exploring different style and color choices] Mirtilla and the creatures from the Elemental Tribe:

YOU.

GUYS.

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair was insane. Everyone warned me. Everyone used words like “overwhelming” and “huge” and “marathon” when explaining this four-day literary extravaganza.

So this is the entrance. You walk through this archway and the pavilions spill out in all directions. Each pavilion is about the size of a hockey rink, jammed with publisher booths, signing tables, illustration exhibits, and books. 

There were six pavilions. 

Some booths were ostentatious and huge. Some were small and underwhelming. Most were super interesting and pretty. All had fascinating books in every language you could imagine.

Our booth was a little less flashy, but it was part of the bigger “Canada Stand.” The meetings I had arranged before the fair were ALL OVER the entire smorgasbord. 

Each meeting lasted 30 minutes. 

I had about 7-8 meetings per day. 

This means half the day is spent running around six hockey-rink-sized warehouses trying to sniff out individuals stands, awkwardly asking people if they’re the one I was supposed to meet, and then rushing back to our stand to meet people who were coming there. 

Heather, my boss, wore her FitBit and we hit 10,000 steps each day before noon. We averaged 22,000 steps a day. That’s about 11 kilometres.

People are not lying when they say this thing is like a marathon. You get there in the morning, have a delicious Italian espresso, run around and attend meetings, and then it’s over. Somewhere in between you’re supposed to follow up, check in, and explore.

It’s sensory overload. There are people everywhere. There are illustrations, books, and cool displays everywhere. There are lineups for gelato, and lineups for coffee, and gigantic lineups for cafeteria lunches.

There were seminars, meetings, talks, meetings, exhibits, and MORE MEETINGS. And it’s not even open to the public until the last day! All these people are publishing professionals who are wheeling and dealing their books, trying to get them published and distributed in foreign countries.

The whole thing is pretty amazing.

I am still following up with people a month later. I’m sending PDFs and samples and requesting additional sales material. I’m talking to contacts in South Korea, Australia, the Czech Republic, Russia, England...and it’s SO. COOL.

If you ever get the chance to go, I say jump on it!

It's been quite busy with Book Fair but things are pretty going well so far. I met a lot of great respectable people and am amazed by incredible work of art every single day.