Category: Illustrator Interviews

Author/​Illustrator Interview: Elisha Cooper

On By Only Picture BooksIn Author Interviews, Illustrator Interviews

This month’s interview is with Elisha Cooper, an author who both writes and illustrates his own picture books. Instead of doing a standard bio paragraph here, let’s begin the process of getting to know him and his work a little bit better via two lists.

List One—Books Elisha Made:

  • While Elisha has created a lot of picture books, here are a few that OPB especially digs. For details on any of them, go ahead and click on those lovely covers!

List Two—Stuff Elisha Likes:

 

And, because we like to underpromise and overdeliver here at OPB, I offer a bonus third list, detailing a few of the various ways you can find out more about Elisha’s fine work via the Internet.

List Three—Bonus Stuff!

With that, let’s move on to the interview!

RVC: I confess—after reading scads of interviews others have done with you, I can’t find anyone who asked this question, so I’ll ask it. How do you pronounce your name? Is “Elisha” like Uh-​LIE-​sha, or Uh-​LEE-​sha? Something else entirely? This word-​loving, name-​loving person needs to know!

EC: It’s Uh-​LIE-​sha, though I’m fine with any pronunciation. I had a friend in high school who spent four years calling me “Isaiah.” There have been times I wish I’d been named Elijah (the more famous prophet), as that is easier to pronounce, and sounds tougher. But I’ve come to appreciate my name, its ambiguity.

Just this week The Cleveland Plain Dealer reviewed my book, praising the author and “her” beautiful watercolors. I sort of love that.

RVC: Wow, that’s some crackerjack reporting from The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Well done them!

Now that we’ve gotten the vital 411 on this name situation, let’s talk about your most recent picture book, River, which has been well received by readers and critics. In your Author’s Note for that book, you thank the Sendak Foundation. But on other occasions, you’ve also claimed to have been “the worst Maurice Sendak Fellow ever.” I’m getting the sense that you’re a man of great contradictions.

I wonder—is this an example of what you wrote in 2008 for Publisher’s Weekly in an article called “About the Author” where you mused on the “unique ridiculousness of the author’s note”?

EC: I know I’m trying to have it both ways. I was one of the worst Sendak fellows (I didn’t work in the studio they gave me), but the fellowship was also incredibly important for River. It allowed me the space to think, and start sketching nature along the Hudson. With that Publisher’s Weekly piece I believe I was trying to point out how we as authors (we as humans, really) are always trying to craft and present a more perfect version of ourselves. I’m as guilty of that as anyone.

RVC: Speaking of versions of ourselves…how did the actual version of yourself that grew up on a farm inform your work as a picture book maker?

EC: Animals, animals, animals. And views! I was surrounded by barn cats, dogs, goats and cows. I drew them, walked with them, milked them (my goats), and read with them. They were my companions. I read a ton, too, when I wasn’t shooting my BB gun or throwing a football.

In some deep way–and I know this answer has that crafting revisionism I was just disparaging–my childhood could not have been better designed for a future children’s book author.

RVC: Rumor has it that you would’ve preferred to play in the NFL than create kid’s books. Fact, or alternate fact?

EC: Fact. Who wouldn’t?! Yes, like any number of kids in the 80s, I dreamed of playing professional football. I even sent drawings of Lynn Swann to Lynn Swann (the Pittsburgh Steelers were my team). I think I still have the autographed photo he sent me in response. I played football at Yale, but was a back-​up. I still love football, how within the brutal mayhem there can be moments of grace and beauty.

RVC: At what point did you realize you were well-​suited to create picture books? Was it post-​college during that stint as a messenger for The New Yorker where you delivered art and manuscripts (which sounds pretty cool, by the way)?

EC: Hmm, I don’t know if there was one moment. I’ve always kept sketchbooks. Always written, always drawn. When I was at The New Yorker, a colleague  suggested I try children’s books and I sort of slid into the field. I’m still uncertain what makes a picture book a children’s book (Sendak has a great rant about that). My hope is that if I love something, and draw and write about it, a child or an adult out there may love it, too.

I don’t mean to punt on your question, but I don’t think I’ve ever had one “eureka” moment. I’ve always felt art in me. Which doesn’t mean I don’t get stuck, or rip stuff up, or struggle. I know something’s good, though, when I tape it on my wall and it stays there.

RVC: I suspect that most picture book makers believe their process to be bizarre, messy, and/​or inefficient. Given that, I’m still asking: what’s YOUR process? How does the magic happen for you?

EC: Coffee. Family. Newspaper. Second coffee. Music. Write (café), or paint (home). Third coffee. Paint more. Run. Visit bookstore. Bike along river. Read. Cook. Family. Sports. Sleep.

Repeat.

RVC: How does the process differ for making your non-​kid books, like A Year in New York and Falling: A Daughter, a Father, and a Journey Back?

EC: For my books of essays, the memoirs (Crawling and Falling), I just spent more time writing. Which is sort of obvious! More hours in Brooklyn at favorite cafés, taking notes then writing up those notes, then editing editing editing. The more I make books, the more I think of myself as an editor. This goes for my children’s books, as well. I put something up on the wall, look at it hard, then change it.

RVC: Here’s something that’ll likely surprise you. I think I personally know some of the barns you used in your book Farm. How? Well, I went to Northern Illinois University for my undergrad degree (Go Huskies!), and I’ve read that you spent a lot of time driving around DeKalb County (for you non-​NIU types, that’s where NIU is located—about 60 miles west of Chicago, smack-​dab in the middle of Big Corn country) with your sketchbook while cooking up that book. Is this possible or am I way off base here?

EC: That’s so cool. Go Huskies! Yes, Farm is set almost entirely in DeKalb County. I drove many back roads there. While the farm in my book is a combination of a few farms, the main “model” was a farm in Hinckley, Illinois. A wonderful family let me hang around their farm for the year; a highlight was riding in the their combine harvester.

Writing that sentence, I realize how lucky I am to be doing what I’m doing (whatever that is).

RVC: What’s the most challenging part about drawing a barn well?

EC: No challenge. A barn is a barn, and I like to draw them (which reminds me: Edward Hopper painted barns so well). Now, having said that, and knowing this makes me sound a little cocky, here’s a list of things I can’t draw: donkeys, giraffes, horses, dinosaurs, dragons, faces, cactuses, politicians, canyons, hands, violins, lips. The list goes on!

RVC: Here’s one final set of questions for this part of the interview. Looking back at Big Cat, Little Cat—one of my Elisha Cooper favs that could’ve been included at the list in the intro but I wanted to save it for the Big Finish here!—what are you most proud of about it now? How has your relationship with it changed over the years? 

EC: Thank you! I’m so glad you like the book. Though, I’m not sure if I view my books in that way, with pride (in other words, it’s just a book). That could be my hang-​up with the word “pride,” as I do feel a sense of contentment with this book. I like the simple ink line in Big Cat. I had never used ink before, so that was a cool learning experience. I suppose the Caldecott Honor changed my relationship with the book, but I have tried not to let it. I try to remember the book I made.

RVC: Okay, it’s time to shift gears to part two of the interview—the no-​holds-​barred LIGHTNING ROUND! Zippy questions and zappy answers, please. Ready?

EC: Scared!

RVC: Most underrated Pittsburgh Steeler of all time?

EC: Louis Lipps.

RVC: Most surprising thing on your playlist right now?

EC: What’s a playlist? Don’t have one. Though I do have an old wood-​cased CD player next to my desk.

For River, I penciled the book to Hamilton, and painted it to Turandot, La Boheme, and Madame Butterfly.

RVC: Which animal didn’t quite make the cut (but you wished had!) for 8: An Animal Alphabet?

EC: Ooof. I think I packed every animal I could into that book.

RVC: Which do you fret over more—words or images?

EC: Don’t fret.

RVC: Best compliment a child ever gave on your picture books?

EC: Oh, goodness. I’d have to answer with the image, in my mind’s eye, of a kid after a school assembly clutching my book in her arms and looking up at me. That look floors me every time.

RVC: Three words that sum up your philosophy of picture books?

EC: Location, location, location. Um, no. Isn’t that for real estate? But, you know what, since where I actually am–whether it be in a café or alongside a river–is so essential to my work, I’ll stick with that answer.

 RVC: Thanks so much, Elisha!

EC: And thank you! This was fun.

 

Illustrator Interview: Duncan Beedie

On By Only Picture BooksIn Illustrator Interviews2 Comments

This month’s interview is with author/​illustrator Duncan Beedie, the first UK-​based interview subject we’ve ever had at OPB! Don’t worry, though—I’ve installed a UK-​to-​American-​English translator plugin, so we don’t run into any linguistic snafus!

Let’s borrow some bio stuff from Duncan himself: “I have been doodling and drawing since way back in the early 1980s, lying on my parents’ living room floor, grasping a felt tip in my clammy little fist, through to my current profession, grasping a Wacom stylus in my clammy little fist. So, not much has changed, although I no longer lie on the floor to draw.”

I first learned about Duncan via his picture book, The Lumberjack’s Beard, which I read to my kids and they said, “That beard is bonkers good.” With an endorsement like that, I knew I had to bring Duncan into the OPB fold one way or another.

So, let’s get this interview underway and learn about all things Duncan! With a little luck, we might learn something about that wondrous across-​the-​pond place called the UK, as well.

RVC: Let’s start right where my kids did—that lumberjack’s beard. With a picture book where you’re both author and illustrator, where does the story begin? With a title, an image, a phrase? (It’s the beard, right? You can tell us.) 

DB: I always start with a character design. I consider myself more of an illustrator than a writer, so doodling in a sketchbook always comes first. Then, if there’s a character I particularly like, I start to develop a world for him/​her. I think about that character’s routine, what they might wear or eat, and hopefully a story idea emerges. That was certainly the case with “Big” Jim Hickory in The Lumberjack’s Beard.

RVC: One of the things I’ve noticed in looking at picture books by UK publishers (like Templar Books, which published many of your titles) is that there’s a stylistic difference from picture books from US publishers. What do you think? Do you see it, too? What’s this about?

DB: I’m afraid to say I haven’t looked closely enough at enough US picture books to be able to comment on the stylistic differences (my apologies!) I do, however, notice differences between UK books and their European counterparts. Particularly in terms of the illustration. I also think artists and writers vary incredibly within the UK. I haven’t a clue what accounts for this stylistic difference, but it’s great to see so much variety on bookshop shelves.

RVC: I completely agree. Variety is the life of spice, right? Something like that?

Moving ahead! I always like to know the origin story of a creative. You gave us a wonderful bio nugget in the intro, so let’s jump to another key point in your creative past—your first book. What’s the story behind it? How did it come about?

DB: The Bear Who Stared came about from an illustration as well. One day I drew a gormless-​looking bear [UK translator in action here! Gormless: an informal British word, meaning “lacking in vitality or intelligence; stupid; clumsy”] as if he were posing for a passport photo. I had a printout of it in my studio and would occasionally stare at it–the gormless bear stared back.

Eventually a story about a socially awkward bear formed in my mind. I sketched out a storyboard and sent it to a couple of publishers, and Templar Books replied stating they were interested in developing it. The rest is history, as they say.

RVC: I love the answer, but I confess–that bear’s staring is getting to me now, too! ARGH! Let’s move on as if that bear isn’t still giving me The Look…

Prior to getting into illustrating picture books, you worked in animation for 14 years. How did the skills you learned in that environment inform your work as a picture book illustrator?

DB: Quite simply, animation is a great form of storytelling. In terms of my artwork, it taught me a great deal about the storytelling process. Storyboarding in particularly made me think about pacing a narrative and how to construct a visual composition in terms of using the space available. I still use animation software (Adobe Animate CC) to draw the colour artwork for my picture books. I know there are plenty of other programs out there, but I find it so intuitive and easy to use. 

RVC: In all your experience with picture books, what has surprised you the most?

DB: This might sound weird, but I’m constantly amazed by how bloody nice everyone is in the world of children’s books. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but there’s a real community spirit among authors, illustrators, and even competing publishers. I say “competing,” but there seems to be a genuine camaraderie across the board. I came into the industry from having worked in TV and commercials, so it was a bit like moving from LexCorp to a puppy sanctuary.

RVC: I understand that you “have a desk” at Paintworks, which seems like an artsy, hipster place with studio/​offices, residential spaces, and an exhibition venue. How much work do you do there? And how does it affect your creative process, having a clear view of the city, as you do?

DB: Well, I see you have done your research!

I rent a desk in an animation studio called Sun & Moon Studios. I’ve known the directors for a long time and they are good friends of mine. We have recently moved to a much bigger studio that is even “hipper,” with a foosball table and “industrial-​chic vibe.” However, I have lost my window view of the city, so have to make do with a photo of it as my desktop wallpaper.

I tried working from home, but it was such a solitary experience that it genuinely impacted my mental health. It’s nice to be able to socialize with fellow creative types.

RVC: What do you think is the most common misconception about freelance illustrating?

DB: That we sit around in cafés with MacBooks, eating artisan poppy seed bagels, whilst wearing gaudy knitwear and big hooped earrings, and stroking cats. Although, like most clichés, there must be enough truth in this scenario to warrant the cliché status.

RVC: Though your description there is a 100% match with every single artist I know, I take your point. It could just be me and my select group here. Who can say?

Let’s talk agents. You’re repped by Jodie Hodges at United Agents. At what point in your career did you secure representation, and how vital is it for young artists to do the same?

DB: I was initially repped by Illustration Ltd (from 2011) and it was great to have a team with their expertise fighting in my corner, as it were. If I do conform to an artist stereotype, it is that I have about the same level of business acumen as a goldfish. A lot of clients (outside of publishing) seem to think of illustration as a hobby and therefore don’t value it for what it’s worth. An agent will fight to get you a fair price and have the gumption to stand up to the cheapskates.

RVC: If I asked Jodie to describe your work, what would she say?

DB: What I love about Jodie is that she has this brilliant ability to communicate what she looks for in authors and illustrators in such a clear yet personable manner–that’s a hugely important asset for an agent to have. As such, I couldn’t begin to put words into her mouth–I’d just ruin it.

RVC: Sometimes I hear people say that you can’t teach people to write. Do you think people can be taught to draw? (Note that this comes from a person who, despite working at Ringling College of Art and Design for a decade, can only draw three things—a bunny, Papa Smurf, and a vaguely three-​dimensional box. Then again, I’m not on the art side of things. Maybe that has something to do with it …)

DB: I’m self taught when it comes to illustration, and I’m always learning. Some people have more of a natural talent that comes through without tuition, while others hone their skills at art college. There’s no right or wrong way, but you should never stop learning new things.

Don’t discount your Papa Smurf drawing skills. They may save your life one day.

RVC: Well, if drawing smurfs can save a life, then thank goodness I’m so good at it, right? I mean, just consider the two images below.

You can barely tell which is drawn by a fancy professional artist and which is done by yours truly, right? I KNOW! It’s amazing what I’ve been able to do without a single art class ever! Can you believe it?

In any case, let’s have one last “serious” question before we move on. And let’s be clear—this might be the most important question anyone has ever been asked in an interview EVER. What in the blazes are “sherbet dib-​dabs”? My much-​ballyhooed WordPress UK-​to-​American-​English translator plugin is stumped at that phrase, which appears in your website bio.

Color/​colour me intrigued!

DB: So, a “Sherbet Dib Dab” is a piece of candy from the UK in the 1980s, which constitutes a pouch of sherbet powder into which one dips a lolly (boiled sweet on a stick). You then lick said sherbet from the lolly and repeat this process until the sherbet is all gone and the lolly has been licked into non-existence.

At school, we used to pour the entire sherbet contents into our mouths so that they frothed up with foam. We then thrashed about on the ground to emulate a rabid fit. There was a genuine rabies scare in the early 80s so this behavior was frowned upon by teachers and parents alike.

RVC: Oh my goodness, I’m SO glad I asked. From your delicious description, the candy sounds a bit like Fun Dip. But without the rabies fakeroo, I think, which I bet made it an extra tasty experience for all involved!

Now … no matter which side of the pond you’re on, this is what you’ve been waiting for. THE LIGHTNING ROUND! Zappy fast Qs and zippy-​skippy As, please. Are YOU READY!?!

DB: Hit me up with those gigawatts! I’m revving the DeLorean in anticipation.

RVC: Best place for fish and chips in Bristol?

DB: Easy! Prince’s in Fishponds. Next…

RVC: Coolest ships–Battlestar Galactica or Buck Rogers?

DB: Presuming you mean the original BG, then that one. Cylon Raiders trounce anything else in the galaxy.

RVC: What secret talent do you have that no one would suspect?

DB: It’s nerdy, but as my dad is a retired air force officer, I was obsessed with planes as a kid. I can identify pretty much any military aircraft at a glance.

RVC: What’s going to keep you up tonight after this interview?

DB: Oooooh, that’s a toughie. I may have to come back to that.

RVC: Best illustrated picture book you’ve recently encountered (by any artist not named Duncan)?

DB: I love Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein written by Linda Bailey and illustrated by Júlia Sardà. It’s a delicious slice of Gothic brilliance.

RVC: Best compliment a kid’s given your art?

DB: It’s not specifically about my art, but I remember after a book reading at a school, one kid ran up to me, hugged me round the legs, then told me he loved me and wanted me to come home with him to be his daddy. You can’t really top that. In fact, that’s probably going to be the thing that keeps me up tonight.

RVC: Thanks so much, Duncan. It was a hoot getting to know you and your work better. (For Duncan and his UK pals, I’ll offer a possible UK equivalent for the American expression “a hoot.” I’d go with “gobsmackingly bloody scrummy,” “tickety-​boo,” or perhaps just the simple but tried-​and-​true “sick.”)

Illustrator Interview: Matthew Reinhart

On By Only Picture BooksIn Illustrator Interviews

This month’s interview is with author/​illustrator Matthew Reinhart, an artist whose life feels parallel to mine in all kinds of nifty ways. For example:

Matt’s folks are from Iowa (Cedar Rapids).

My folks are from Iowa (Des Moines)!

 

Matt’s dad was the son of a farmer.

My mom was the daughter of a farmer!

 

Matt’s dad served in the Navy.

My dad served in the Air Force!

 

Matt has a sister named Erin.

I have a brother named Aron!

 

Matt’s an avid fantasy and science fiction fan.

I’m an avid fantasy and science fiction fan!

 

Matt was a student at Clemson University.

I was a professor at Clemson University (alas, not one of Matt’s)!

 

Matt has lived “all over,” including South Carolina, Illinois, and Florida.

I’ve lived “all over,” including South Carolina, Illinois, and Florida!

 

Matt’s bio says he’s “married and busy with work.”

My bio says I’m “married and busy with work”!

 

Are you starting to see why I’m so intrigued by Matt, my artistic and—let’s be honest here—all-around-general-life doppelgänger?

Let me just add one more parallel, which is perhaps the most awesome pairing of all.

  • Matt makes awesome pop-​up books.
  • I love to read awesome pop-​up books!

Do you see why we’re practically best friends, despite only meeting (virtually, at that!) a few weeks back?

Let’s jump right ahead to the interview and see what YOU might have in common with my good pal, Matt. (My guess is “A lot!”)

 

website: www.matthrewreinhart.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxbY5VDdSrdvcMBvZBqvChA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewReinhar1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pop-Up-Books-by-Matthew-Reinhart-263860686940/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewcreinhart/

RVC: Your website’s ABOUT section says that “from before Matthew could remember, art always took center stage.” At what point did you pick up writing, and how did that addition to your creative arsenal change things for you? 

MR: Words were not my medium when I was young–pictures were my primary language. Back when I began making children’s books, I needed to learn quickly how to write despite the fact that there’s often very little room left on the page after the pop-​ups go in! I guess research and writing was something I was always pretty good at and, over the years, I think I’ve gotten better thanks to the help of talented editors.

I’d love to go back to school for creative writing–I’ll put that on my “to do” list!

RVC: If you ever do decide to go back to college to study creative writing, keep our program at Ringling College in mind. We especially cater to visually-​oriented writers in a host of ways.

**Okay, the horn-​tooting PR moment is now over.**

Back to the interview–like me in my teen years, you were concerned that an artistic future maybe wasn’t the best option. I wanted to play guitar (at first) and (later) become a writer. You wanted to be an artist, but you attended Clemson to study biology in preparation for attending med school. What type of doctor did you think you’d be? And how did studying the human body help with your art?

MR: Honestly, I’m not sure how much I actually thought about much back then, let alone what type of doctor I wanted to be. I just sort of did what was expected of me. I think there was a time when I wanted to be a plastic surgeon, mainly because I thought I could have a profitable medical career. Pretty altruistic goals, huh?  It was ridiculous idea, actually, because all of my sketchbooks were filled with monsters, mutants, space aliens, and robots. I mean, if I had been a plastic surgeon I might’ve grafted on extra eyes, antennae, and cyborg implants!

I will say that studying anatomy, biology, botany, and zoology helped immensely with art. It’s important when either drawing, painting or paper engineering a living thing that I understand its structure, how it moves and its placement in nature.

RVC: What changed in terms of your plans? What gave you courage to go from Clemson to New York City and NOT start medical school right away?

MR: What changed was that I actually got into medical school right after Clemson and I didn’t want to go! So, I told my parents I needed a year away from any schooling, moved to New York City for a year, and worked at an organ procurement organization taking corneal tissue from donor cadavers. Yes, you heard that right–I took out dead peoples’ eyeballs! Gruesome, eh?

That job gave me a lot of perspective about life and a future career. Life is short, and work takes up a LOT of time. I wanted a career that really made me happy, to be fulfilled. So, I made the plunge and never looked back.

RVC: Let’s talk about the Pratt Institute. After a year of eyeball procurement (now that’s a phrase I never thought I’d write!), you applied there and got accepted into the industrial design track with an eye (no pun intended!) toward making toys. What are some of the most valuable lessons you took away from those classes?

MR: My time at Pratt was just two years long–a quick graduate degree in industrial design was all I could afford. I had the talent and ability, but my Pratt classes really honed them into something viable for a career. My color theory professor, in particular, made a big impression on me–I learned to use color more intelligently, to manipulate palettes that could help tell stories.

My work after Pratt, however, was my real education–just getting thrown into pop-​up design headfirst. That, in my opinion, is the very best way to learn and grow creatively.

RVC: Say a few words about your friend and mentor, children’s book author Robert Sabuda. What type of influence did he have on your career?

MR: I wouldn’t have the career I have without him. I’m very thankful for our time together and the classic books we created together.

RVC: I can’t go any further without asking you directly about pop-​up books, because, well, I LOVE pop-​up books. When did you first learn that you had the knack for making these clever, tricky, amazing, wonderful things? 

MR: I think I had it many years before I even started working as a pop-​up book apprentice but I didn’t even realize it. In high school and college, I made elaborate mix-​tapes (long before smartphones carried all our favorite tunes) for my friends which often included illustrated comics. A few of them even had very simple pops, but I only have one to show for it today.

Aside from that, I was always making things out of paper and cardboard–that was all we had around the house that I could build with as a kid. You make do with what you’re given–I was always scavenging up any box, Styrofoam, cardboard, anything to make what was in my head!

See the source imageRVC: What’s the story of your first published pop-​up book, The Pop-​Up Book of Phobias? How did it come about, and what surprises did you encounter along the way?

MR: Robert Sabuda was offered the book, but he couldn’t do it, so I got offered the job by the publisher Melcher Media. I thought the book was an odd concept initially, to be honest, and didn’t even think it would end up being produced. We were rushed, too, so I don’t really remember much, other than having to build that damn toilet pop-​up 20 times over!

My biggest surprise was that the book was a moderate hit. I’ve since developed a fondness for the book and am proud to have been a part of making it memorable.

See the source image

RVC: You’ve gone on to create pop-​up books for some of the biggest pop culture franchises, such as Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Frozen, Transformers, My Little Pony, DC superheroes, LEGO, and more. Which one were you most stoked to work with/​for purely on a personal fanboy level? 

MR: Star Wars is my number one, with Transformers a very, very close second.  Both franchises very much inspire me to this day.

See the source image

RVC: Those are two of my favs, as well. Speaking of things that inspire us, tell us–what was it like working with picture-​book legend Maurice Sendak?

MR: It was an incredible experience for me. Here I was, this young inexperienced artist collaborating with this legend, Maurice Sendak! I was sort of blown away at his openness to listen to my opinion and vent his own insecurity with his work. Many artists are insecure about their work, no matter the level of success.

Maurice had an irreverent sense of humor and he always tried to shock me with what he could say. I’d seen and done pretty much everything, though, so I was rarely fazed. I miss him and will always be thankful for our friendship.

RVC: And what about working with Tomie DePaola?

MR: Tomie was wonderful to work with and really a fast learner. Once we gave him the specifics, he ran with it and made his artwork at lightning pace. He’s continued to be a friend and inspiration.

RVC: In one of your YouTube Pop-​Up Master Class videos, you mention how some of your best work emerges from playing around with paper. When you’re deep in the throes of paper experimenting, how much paper might you go through in a single workday?

MR: Eek! I don’t want to think about that!

Most of the time, the paper I use and toss is in messy pieces so it’s unusable when I need to toss it. I try NOT to throw paper away if I can do anything about it, but if I had to guess? Hmmm … 3–4 letter-​sized sheets during those times of unbridled paper experimentation.

RVC: What’s the most common misconception about pop-​up books?

MR: The common misconception is that pop-​up books are silly little books for kids. No book is ever silly, unless of course, they’re meant to be! Often folks tell me they’re shocked by how complicated, impressive, and sophisticated some of the titles I’ve worked on are. They want to keep the books all for themselves and not share them with their kids, which I think is hilarious. I just try to make a book that’s interesting for everyone, including myself.

RVC: What have you not yet done in a pop-​up book that you’d like to try?

MR: Scented elements! I’ve always wanted to make a food pop with scratch-​n-​sniff pop-ups.

You heard it first–Stinky Pops by Matthew Reinhart, coming sometime soon!

RVC: In all your experience with the world of picture books (of which pop-​up books are a part), what has surprised you the most?

MR: I’m surprised that despite all the advances of entertainment technology, digital media, and online story content, kids still like to curl up with a book. Reading a book is a personal one-​on-​one thing. There’s something about turning each page, holding the book, and taking it wherever.

School book fairs are as popular and important as ever. Books still matter–and I’m happy for that, as are all book-​makers, without a doubt.

RVC: It’s time now for the much-​ballyhooed, always-​interesting, and rarely-​equaled SPEED ROUND! High-​octane questions and potent-​pithy answers, please. Are you ready? 

MR: Yup!

RVC: Favorite type of cheesecake?

MR: Dulce De Leche Cheesecake or Oreo Cheesecake–pretty much any sort of candy or sweet (aside from fruit, which should never invade dessert, in my opinion) you can add to cheesecake is fine by me.

See the source imageRVC: Craziest “paper” you’ve ever worked with?

MR: Tyvek–that untearable, waterproof “paper” used to make FedEx envelopes/​packs and homewrap.

RVC: Crayola color that doesn’t yet exist, but you wish it did!

MR: Phosphorescent lime green.

RVC: Most unexpected source of inspiration for your paper art?

MR: Anything, to me, can be inspiration–so I wouldn’t characterize something that inspires me like that at all.

RVC: Favorite pop-​up book created by someone not named Matthew Reinhart?

MR: Hmmm… that’s tough. There are a lot! I’d say number one is Haunted House by Jan Pienkowski.

See the source image

RVC: Three words that describe what being an artist means to you?

MR: MAKE FANTASIES REAL.

RVC: Thanks so very much, Matthew!

Author/​Illustrator Interview: Fred Koehler

On By Only Picture BooksIn Author Interviews, Illustrator Interviews4 Comments

See the source image

This month’s Author/​Illustrator Interview is with Fred Koehler, who first got on my radar at the 2017 SCBWI regional conference in Miami. I was sitting in the back row for the Heidi Stemple and Jane Yolen Picture Book Intensive, and this quiet, red-​haired dude slipped into the chair behind me as the event started, and he ended up doodling/​drawing/​sketching the entire time. During one of the breaks, I finally asked him who he was and what kind of work he’d done, if any.

Fred kind of shrugged and said he’d done “a few things” and “had another thing coming out,” but didn’t give any indication that he was talking about his illustration work on “things” like One Day, the End and This Book Is Not About Dragons, as well as his own author/​illustrated books How to Cheer Up Dad and Super Jumbo.

Way to slow play it, Fred.

Just in case you don’t yet have the full 411 on the fun coolness that is Fred, here are Five Fredtastically Freddifying Facts to help you out. Only one fact is an “alternate fact,” meaning 100% completely fakeroo-​false. (If you can’t tell which one’s the fabricated falsehood, I’ll dish that answer in the finale of this interview.)

See the source image1—He’s got a dog named Cheerio Mutt-​face McChubbybutt.
2—There’s an official Penguin Kids promo video for How to Cheer Up Dad where Fred gets hit in the face with Silly String and then a whipped cream pie.
3—Fred broke the Guinness World Record for having the largest traveling children’s book.
4—Fred bet me I couldn’t work 13+ words that begin with F in a single short bio-​style paragraph.
5— Fred’s real-​life misadventures include sunken boats, shark encounters, and a hurricane.

Need a bit more to REALLY feel like you know Fred? Here’s a KidLit TV video where he shows you how to draw a puppy!

With that, we’re ready. We’re set. It’s time to Fred it on!

Website: https://www.ilikefred.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/superfredd
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/superfredd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fred_koehler_/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7135838.Fred_Koehler

RVC: Let’s begin with the place where so much begins for you—Mitchell’s Coffee House. What’s the dealio?

FK: For me, every work space has a vibe and a specific energy. That energy might be emotional, psychic, kinetic (or it might all be in my head). Since I started going to Mitchell’s in college, it’s always been “home turf,” where good vibes flow and I can even go back behind the counter and refill my coffee if it’s busy.

RVC: You’re also pretty darn active in social media in a way that people seem to dig. What’s your seems-​to-​be-​working philosophy?

FK: My formula is simple: Be open about my failures. Joke about them and learn from them in real time. I don’t go for perfect because my life is generally a mess. Perfect isn’t authentic or believable.

RVC: One of the constants in your path to success seems to have been SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). Share how that organization played a part in your own journey. 

FK: I prefer to be a lone wolf, but I’m slowly realizing that you have to have community. For the publishing world, there’s no better community than SCBWI. Loads of like-​minded people, great instruction, and specific opportunities to connect with publishing dealmakers.

RVC: Any tips on how SCBWI can help launch the careers for other authors, illustrators, and author/​illustrators?

FK: I recommend showing up to make friends, not deals. Then you start to see it as a lifelong journey, not some prize you’re racing to win. You can find peace with where you’re at, and still keep the fire lit to get where you want to be.

RVC: Let’s pin this down. You’ve done illustrating. You’ve done author-​illustrating. So, do you consider yourself to be a words-​first or pictures-​first story creator? 

FK: I sold my first two books as author/​illustrator. But before that, I wrote some really terrible stuff including a novel-​that-​must-​not-​be-​named-​and-​will-​never-​be-​published. Most stories play out in my head like a movie, complete with narrative voiceover and camera direction. I can choose to write down what the narrator is saying, sketch out what the camera is seeing, or even dive into the head of one of the characters and describe the story through their perspectives and biases.

All of that, in a nutshell, is my superpower.

See the source imageRVC: One of the benefits of being an illustrator is that you can justify a lot of trips for photographic/​visual reference. (Okay, writers do this too!) When you illustrated Matt Forrest Esenwine’s picture book, Flashlight Night, you went a bit overboard with the research. What did you do to prepare you to illustrate that book?

FK: Well, the manuscript called for castles and waterfalls, old ships and foreign shores. So, I did what any illustrator would do and hopped a flight to Manchester so I could bum up and down the UK for a few weeks and find photographic reference for all of these illustrations. I did it all the cheap–youth hostels and public transit.

I had just about every adventure that the characters had in the book. Made friends. Got lost. Even bled a bit. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

RVC: You’re fortunate enough to call kidlit queen Jane Yolen a friend and a mentor. What are some of the most important lessons that she’s given you, explicitly or implicitly?

FK: Jane is famous for all sorts of great advice for writers. My favorite is about luck. She figures that luck makes its own path through the ether, wandering where it will to bless the heads and hearts (and wallets) of mortals at its own whimsy. But she also figures that there are things we can do as creatives to invite luck in, to nudge ourselves toward its path. Hard work is at the top of that list. If you’ve got a house in order and a bag packed when luck knocks on your door, you’ll be ready to join it on an adventure.

See the source imageRVC: Since we’re talking about relationships with writers—what’s the best part about being married to another writer? (For those who don’t know, his wife is YA novelist Sarah McGuire, author of the terrific books Valiant and The Flight of Swans.)

FK: This is kind of deep, but one amazing thing about Sarah is being able to know her through the books she reads and writes. When she tells me how the Chronicles of Narnia sent her racing through her home, opening cabinets and closets trying to find an entrance, I know that we share a sense of the numinous. Or if I read a scene she wrote about, let’s say, betrayal, I could feel how deeply that knife cuts for her. An honest writer lays bare their soul on the page, warts and all. Who else gets to read and fall in love with another person’s soul? We’re a lucky pair.

See the source imageRVC: Speaking of novels—talk a bit about how you moved your kidlit career from purely picture books to including a middle grade novel like Garbage Island (The Nearly Always Perilous Adventures of Archibald Shrew).

FK: Story came to me most naturally through words, so novels were my first love. I was just awful at writing them. But the format of a picture books honed my ability to tell a story succinctly and to add depth and meaning in the negative space. So, when I sat down to pen a novel after working on numerous picture books, I had a new sense of vision for what it could be.

Writing coach Joyce Sweeney taught me a lot about novel craft. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Writer360 Breakout Novel Intensive as the training that filled in additional gaps in my novelist toolkit. And to bring everything full circle, that proactive work nudged me into the path of luck in the form of a publisher excited about whatever I came up with next. And when luck came knocking, I was ready.

RVC: Let’s look forward. You’re under contract to write The Sailing City (Boyds Mills Press, 2020), which is the sequel to Garbage Island. Can you share a little bit about that new book?

FK: The second novel was harder than the debut, and it’s still in first pass editorial so it’s hard to really even say. I half expect to get a letter saying, “Dear Fred, This sequel is an exceptional way to waste months of everyone’s time and 60,000 words.” But I’ll let you know.

RVC: You’ve been warned. I’ve been warned. All the elephants in Fred’s picture books have been warned. But here we all are—it’s time for THE SPEED ROUND! Fast Qs and equally fast As, please!

FK: Bring it!

RVC: Tater tots or French fries?

FK: Tots.

RVC: Best Saturday afternoon activity: fishing, writing, or drawing?

FK: I’m a fisherman first, artist second.

RVC: Coolest Harry Potter spell that doesn’t yet exist?

FK: Abra-​ka-​dinner.

RVC: The #1 picture book writer you’d LOVE to illustrate for?

FK: I don’t care who wrote it. Just send me a manuscript that’s equally brilliant, unusual, and impossible.

RVC: Best compliment by a child reader?

FK: I got a letter recently from a reader who loved Garbage Island, and subsequently started picking up trash in his neighborhood so it wouldn’t end up in the ocean. Does it get any better than that?

RVC: Three words that sum up your relationship with kidlit.

FK: Let’s stick with “brilliant, unusual, and impossible.”

RVC: Thanks so much, Fred! Much appreciated!

**For those of you who needed to cheat to figure out which of the Fred Facts is false, it’s #4. The over-​the-​top F business is all me. Blame OPB.

 

 

Illustrator Interview: Floyd Cooper

On By Only Picture BooksIn Illustrator Interviews1 Comment

This is an exciting time for OPB–it’s our FIRST EVER illustrator interview. Yay!

Even better, it’s with the amazing Floyd Cooper who I got to meet and listen to at the Orlando SCBWI conference this past summer! Double/​triple yay!

For those how somehow don’t know all about Floyd … he’s the Coretta Scott King award-​winning illustrator of more than 90 books for children. Floyd started his career in illustration at Hallmark. After a successful career in the industrial side of art, he made the leap into picture books with Eloise Greenfield’s Grandpa’s Face in 1996.

Since then, Floyd has worked with bestselling authors such as Jane Yolen, Nikki Grimes, and Virginia Fleming. In addition, Floyd has illustrated and authored many of his own books, such as Jump!: From the Life of Michael Jordan, and the ALA notable book, Coming Home: From the Life of Langston Hughes.

About working in the world of kidlit, Floyd says: “Giving kids a positive alternative to counteract the negative impact of what is conveyed in today’s media is a huge opportunity.”

Website: www.floydcooper.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/floyd.cooper.12
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/floyd-cooper-652b2511

RVC: You’ve used the word “voice” a lot when talking about those involved in the making of picture books.

FC: As illustrators and writers, I believe we’re born different–we’re wired differently. For both types, you’re always working with voice. You’re using the various languages you’re blessed with–your creative sensibilities. We use these things to communicate what we hope to say in the language of art and text.

It’s so wonderful when it comes together, and I can’t think of any other thing on earth where these two disciplines come together into one unit, one package, and have such a unified voice.

RVC: When did you first realize that you were an artist–that you had a creative voice?

FC: For me, it started early. I was three years old. This was in Oklahoma–Dad was building a house, and one day, there on a piece of Sheetrock on the side of the house, I scratched a big, wonderful illustration of a duck right on it. Of course, no one else saw a duck because it was drawn by a three year old.

I saw the duck quite clearly.

From that point on, it affected the way I looked at the world. I’m sure that my style, and how I create my art, all goes back to that day and the time I had to erase my duck.

RVC: Share a bit about what your post-​duck childhood was like.

My mother told me stories and we read a lot of books together. I remember my first book–a Little Golden Book called The Fire Engine Book. From reading this and so many other titles, my imagination was constantly fed, and it helped me on the path of expressing myself visually.

When I was seven, for my birthday, someone knew my predilection and I got my very first art supplies. A tray of colors and a scraggly brush. I used that to start making pictures.

RVC: Was it smooth sailing from then on?

FC: Not at all. There were 11 elementary schools in north Tulsa, and I attended all of them. We lived in low-​income housing–there was a lot of moving. Each school I went to, I had to make new friends, and make new connections. I found very early on that I could find myself a friend by showing the art teacher my drawings and paintings. I learned the currency of art–the value of it. Art helped me get by.

My teachers started to notice my work and whisper good things into my ear. And you know what happens when teachers say good things in a kid’s year.

The more they said, the more I painted, and I painted my way right into the University of Oklahoma thanks to a scholarship. And from there, I got my first job working at Hallmark.

RVC: Weren’t you warned away from working for Hallmark?

FC: Well, my professors thought it was a poor option. I liked to say that it was a great job, but you wouldn’t want to live there.

During my two years there, I never did get a chance to make a greeting card–Hallmark turned everything down. Every time something of mine got turned down, though, I found myself a reason to go the art supply room and totally load up. So in a sense, it all seemed to work out.

This was one of many important life lessons.

RVC: Free art supplies are awesome?

FC: Absolutely.

RVC: Despite never making a greeting card, how important was that time at Hallmark for your own development as an artist? 

FC: Hallmark regularly brought in illustrators to give workshops to their REAL artists, and I wasn’t supposed to go. I was just a revamper, after all But I had two friends from Brooklyn working with me, and when the big artists came, we all snuck into the seminars and workshops. That’s how I met one of my heroes, Mr. Mark English. He’s a prominent illustrator from the 80s and 90s. He was the king of illustration in those days. He helped me out a good bit, and we ended up working on some big projects together.

The way it worked was that I’d do the black and white, and sometimes the color too, and the famous guy comes in and signs his name to the whole job. I was willing to do that because he was Mr. Famous.

My days at Hallmark, though, were numbered once they saw me working with Mark English. It wouldn’t be long before I had my first big sale and was off to New York to do my own art full-time.

RVC: That’s partially because you weren’t actually an artist for Hallmark , were you?

FC: That’s right. I worked in a department called revamp, where you take art from the vault and change it, erase it to make it more marketable. Little pigs became little dogs. And peonies became daisies. Whatever the market conditions needed, the revamp department would deliver.

The next time you’re shopping for a greeting card, look closely. There might be a ghost image.

RVC: So you had to erase your duck, and Hallmark paid you to erase greeting card art. It seems like that all played a large part into the distinctive subtractive style you use today.

FC: You’re talking about oil wash on board. I put a thin coat of oil paint on an illustration board with a 1‑inch brush. When it dries, I use a cheap, stretchy eraser to create shapes into the background. You can create a bit of color by adding some white paint, and even more with crayons, acrylics, and oil color.

There are many different approaches to age-​old problems. This is mine–a 50-​cent eraser.

I love erasers. I have a big collection of erasers at home. I have ink erasers, pink erases, even a Spongebob eraser. But my favorite? A cheapo stretchy one.

RVC: So let’s talk about your interactions and influence on artists of today. Many of them–especially artists of color–look up to you. What do you say to young people when they admit they’re starting to think about maybe becoming an illustrator?

FC: Always keep a sketchbook with you. Draw all the time.

Plus it’s very important to have a good education as well. Make sure that every discipline is well-​represented in your studies–don’t just double-​down on art. It all helps you become a better artist.

RVC: Let’s say that someone has studied widely but has now finally committed to art. Now what? What’s the #1 struggle that illustrators face when looking to break into the picture book world?

FC: The secret to success in picture books–the secret channel–is getting an editor. Having a relationship with a good editor will offer you career longevity.

You may get a book published. You may self-​publish a book that does well. But nothing beats having an editor at a publishing company who believes in your work and battles for you and your work when people don’t get it. These editors often find ways to keep you working.

RVC: So how do we get one of those saints editors?

FC: Get connected with professional organizations like SCBWI. That’s a great start. Then go to conferences like SCBWI and others–that’s how you can meet them directly. Attend the workshops and seminars. Get yourself and your work in front of them.

As preparation for meeting editors, though, you need to build your technical craft. That comes from hard work, dedication, and reading lots of books. You should read every book you can get your hands on. Inhale them.

At some point, you’ll know the market really well. That’ll guide you as to who is publishing what, and help you see where you might fit in the overall scheme.

RVC: Your overall scheme includes your wife, Velma, being your agent. What’s the best thing about that?

FC: She understands me. Even if you have an agent who isn’t your spouse, having an agent IS like having a spouse. It’s like a marriage–it’s a relationship.

RVC: It’s time for … The Lightning Round! Ready? GO! Favorite guilty pleasure reading?

FC: I love biographies. I make them too, but I’ve always been quite a history buff–especially sports books, and sports history.

Currently, I’m reading Sally Jenkins’ The Real All Americans–it’s a wonderful story. She’s so great at building this big panorama of huge historical events, how they all relate, and how we can see them through the Native American’s eyes and through the settler’s eyes, too.

RVC: If you’re playing hooky versus making art, you’re most likely …

FC: Watching DVDs or playing solitaire. It depends on where I am, and what kind of break I’m taking.

If it’s a major break, I like to run at night. I used to play tennis quite a bit, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been on the court.

RVC: Favorite Crayola color?

FC: Grape.

RVC: If you didn’t create that duck way back when, and you never went down the path of art, what would you instead be doing today?

FC: I was a consumer of The Weekly Reader in third grade, and I remember reading a lot about the US Navy hospital ship, the SS Hope.

I always had a desire to be a doctor. And all of my aunts and great aunts wanted that for me, too. I was good with my hands and I was fairly bright, so they always had it in their minds that I’d go to med school to become a surgeon.

Of course, I ran into issues with high school chemistry and, well, art was always there. I didn’t even know I could make money as an artist. But I learned quickly that you can make doctor money as an illustrator.

RVC: What’s the greatest compliment someone can give you about your art?

FC: That they like it enough to buy my book. It’s always a great compliment sometime choose to pay money for something you created.

RVC: Name someone you’d most like to work with on a book.

FC: I’d LOVE to work with LeBron James on a book. I’ll take Steph Curry, too. I’m a big basketball fan.

RVC: What about Draymond Green?

FC: Oh yeah. He’s fierce on the court–he can be a real bug in your bonnet there–but he’s definitely a guy you want on your side.

RVC: And you’re an illustrator any picture book author would want on their side, too. Thanks for sharing your story here, Floyd!