Illustrator Interview: Matthew Reinhart

On September 9, 2019August 11, 2021 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!

RVC: 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.

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.

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.

RVC: 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.

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

MR: MAKE FANTASIES REAL.

RVC: Thanks so very much, Matthew!

Illustrator Interview: Floyd Cooper

On September 10, 2018September 9, 2018 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!