Krista Brennan's The Storytellers - Q&A

Illustrator and fine artist Krista Brennan’s great attention to detail and colours found inside The Storytellers left us wanting to know more… so, we interviewed her. 

Q: What was it about Robert's story that drew you into illustrating it?

A: I think the whole premise of the story is very personal to me since I'm a creative person myself. I really felt a connection to all the characters, particularly the illustrator Imani. 

Q: At the beginning of this project how did you visualise the concepts Robert Vescio presented through text? 

A: I have a really visual internal life, so whenever I read or listen to anything I see very clear images in my head. Even in answering these questions, I can picture someone sitting in front of their computer reading the answers! Growing up this was very distracting and made focusing really difficult (and I now know it's a part of my ADHD), but it has been such an asset to illustration. So, as soon as I read the text, I can see the pictures forming clearly in my mind. The image on pages 16-17 where Imani is sketching, and the images are forming in front of her in the air is a representation of what it's like for me. Robert also gave some guidance on what he thought the pages might look like, and I would often work with those ideas as a base.  

Q: Do you have an example of a page where you believe you've enlarged on what is explicitly presented in the text? 

A: I'm always thinking about how my illustrations can enhance what is happening in the text, and one of the main things I added was the visual theme of the dragon on various pages through the text. There's not quite a dragon on every page, but I wanted to have referenced throughout in various ways, developing from a small wisp on pages 6-7 to a full dragon on 12-13, and then becoming more solid and real until it's at the entrance to the theme park on page 28.

Q: What page or spread are you the proudest of in The Storytellers and why?

A: I think I'm most proud of the cover, and it captures all the characters in their childhood, when they are first finding their creativity, and brings them together in a way that doesn't happen in the story. I like the warmth and dreaminess of it, and it makes me think of happy moments in my own childhood, climbing trees and being imaginative.

Q: Can you tell us about your design journey and how easy or difficult this particular project was compared to your previous body of works?

A: I always start with storyboard sketches and character designs to get a sense of how things are going to look. Having so many different characters is always a challenge as it means I have to design several people (and each person at two different ages) so it took a little while to get that right. I was also using a new program to paint these illustrations so there was a bit of a learning curve in knowing how to use the brushes and tools properly. The hardest part was the book shop scene on pages 20-21 as I had to paint the cover of each book by hand. I wasted some time trying to work out if there was a short cut way to do it, but it never looked the way I wanted, so in the end I just did them all individually! I think the piece of design I was happiest with was the dragon, because it had a personal significance for me. When I was around 11 years old, I drew a dragon and entered it into an art competition at my school. I didn't win, but only because the judges thought it looked too good and I must have had help from a parent! The dragon in this story is the same style of dragon I drew for that competition, so I'm really happy to think it can finally have a place in the world (and no-one will tell me I had help with it!)

Click here to get your copy of The Storytellers

Click here to watch The Storytellers book trailer

Carla Hoffenberg's Little Shark Lulu is Sleeping - Q&A

We wanted to dive in deep with children’s picture book illustrator Carla Hoffenberg and learn more about her behind the scenes journey with Little Shark Lulu is Sleeping… here is what she shared. 

Q: Since this was your debut children’s book how did you find this experience and were there any new or surprising challenges to overcome? 

A: I loved the experience of making on Little Shark Lulu is Sleeping. It was great working with David, Josie, and Charlotte. It was a real collaborative process, which made it all so enjoyable. We had regular catch ups and I loved hearing their feedback and suggestions. I also really loved drawing sea creatures and doing research — watching clips of sea animals, looking at images of remarkable marine life and snorkelling.  

 

The illustrations took a few months and it really felt like a test of endurance!  I had to be disciplined with my time and make sure that I progressed within the schedule to meet my deadline. In addition, there were so many scenes and characters and I had to be consistent with my style and quality. 

Q: Which page or spread in Little Shark Lulu is Sleeping are you most proud of and why? 

A: I am most proud of the ‘Octopus Spread’. I feel like it demonstrates the most storytelling and I came up with a side story for this spread. (Crab thinks that Octopus has invited him for a romantic dinner. He doesn’t realise that he is dinner.) I also particularly love drawing sunsets and this spread gave me the opportunity to do that. I introduced a shimmering, sparkling, sequenced dress, which was really fun to draw. 

Q: As animals have been an occurring theme in your body of work; for this project, what was your favourite animal to illustrate? 

A: Firstly, I loved drawing Lulu and her parents. I was excited to not portray a shark stereotype, but rather portray them as a friendly, endearing species. There is so much to love about sharks, and I wanted that to shine through in my illustrations.  

 

The ‘Mini Mantis Shrimp’ was a close second. I don’t normally think of crustaceans as attractive, but this spread changed my mind.  This animal is colourful and charismatic, and I learnt the lesson that, if you really look, you can find beauty in anything.     

Q: Can you elaborate on your design process for this story and the tools that you used? 

A: The most important part of the process was the initial, sketching phase. This really helped me to get to know the animals and get a sense for how to represent them. I did countless sketches of each creature that appears in the book to get familiar with their anatomy and how they move. This allowed me to consider how to show them doing different actions, with varied expressions.  

 

After this phase, I was able to place my characters in thumbnails and think about the storytelling aspects as well as composition. The next step was formalising the illustrations and creating line drawings.  This is generally the most painstaking for me as it requires a lot of concentration and “precision”. 

 

Once everyone was happy with the line drawings, I moved on to what I consider the most fun part – adding colour to the spreads. This is the stage where I add life, details, elements of joy storytelling and some Easter eggs.  

I used the app procreate for the illustrations. I find it easy to use and it allows me to maximise my drawing time. I stole every free minute that I could to illustrate this book – sometimes even the 10 minutes that I had in the car while waiting to pick up my kids. Also, there’s no set up or clean up time! 

 

Q: How did the artistic decision to have the sea creatures dressed in colourful outfits develop and is there meaning behind it? 

A: The first spread I did was the Sperm Whales wearing PJs (even before the thumbnails). The suggestion to have them wearing PJs came from the authors. I fell in love with the idea of the animals wearing clothes, and it immediately conjured up images in my head. It was so much fun putting clothes on the whales that I just had to do it for all of them. I find that putting clothes on animals really helps them become more relatable to kids, and it was fun for me to add clothes and accessories to enhance their personalities. Also, it would’ve been a little bit inconsistent, if only the Sperm Whales were clothed.   

 

At one of my recent school visits, one of the kids said, “They have to be wearing clothes, because you wouldn’t want them to be naked in a kid’s book.” 

Sketches of Shark Lulu

Click here to get your copy of Little Shark Lulu is Sleeping
 
Click here to watch the book launch of Little Shark Lulu is Sleeping now! 

Award-winning illustrator Gay McKinnon heads overseas for IP!

An illustration by Gay McKinnon from The Smallest Carbon Footprint in the Land & other eco-tales has been selected to showcase at the Book Illustrators Gallery (B.I.G) exhibition in Singapore during the Asian Festival of Children’s Content!

The Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) is a collaborative event of creators and producers with parents, teachers, librarians and anyone interested in quality art and literature for children. The Festival offers various workshops, masterclasses, professional conferences and public events for writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, teachers and children to learn and develop their craft.
AFCC impacts over 1.5 billion children, as well as their families, teachers and professionals involved with their development.

AFCC runs from 30 May- 4 June, 2014 at the National Library Building in Singapore.

Gay McKinnon is a freelance writer and illustrator, as well as a glass artist and lecturer. She currently resides in Tasmania, where she sells her work through galleries and markets.  The Smallest Carbon Footprint in the Land & other eco-tales is Gay’s first children’s book. She is thrilled to have been included in the B.I.G Exhibition in this years AFCC.

Gay will be joined at the Festival by international award-winning authors Sally Gardner, Andrew Weale and Gillian Torckler. A big congratulations to Gay for this brilliant opportunity!



For more information on The Smallest Carbon Footprint in the Land & other eco-tales, visit 

http://ipoz.biz/Titles/SCF.htm 

or to learn more about AFCC, visit http://afcc.com.sg/2014