Q&A - Patricia Keeler

Patricia Keeler   

www.patriciakeeler-author-illustrator.com

1. Any Good news?

Yay! I've signed a two-picture book deal with Sky Pony Press, www.skyponypress.com. Both books will be published in 2017.

In LIZZIE AND LOU SEAL, Lizzie loves her flip-flops. They go shuffle-shuffle across the rug, smack-smack on the floor tiles, and thwap-thwap down the stairs, as Lizzie drags Lou Seal, her blow-up toy, to the beach. But beach fun turns to beach disaster when Lizzie loses her flip-flops and Lou Seal is losing air.

In the second, UNTITLED book, the little ice cream truck has seen a lot of summers. He parks on a quiet street to nap. BOING! A red ball bounces against him. Spunky is ready to play! The little ice cream truck is game, but competition for Spunky's attention leads to circuit overload. Is there a way to transform this situation?

2.  What is your picture book process?

Thumbnails never work for me. I illustrate actual size from the get-go. I have an 8 foot bulletin board where I post pages as I go.

I start by sketching the main characters with a black colored pencil. I begin anywhere in the story where the main characters are showing a lot of emotion. Then I skip around the story looking for other personality traits of that character. Eventually I do turnaround sketches--front, back and side--to make sure I understand what my character looks like. Next I add backgrounds.

Then I get a coffee and one of those chocolate cookies from Starbucks, and study the pages to reimagine which images would be stronger by replacing the sketched characters or backgrounds with graphic elements.

For example, in the ice cream truck book, the truck breaks down and his ice cream melts. There are lots of pages of the ice cream truck, so I covered half the page with dripping chocolate and placed children with melted ice cream underneath. The truck is not visible, but the meaning is clear.

In LIZZIE AND LOU SEAL, the beach is replaced with an oversized, looming conch shell. The fact that they are small next this huge shell adds drama.   

3. Have you been to any interesting children's book events?

Climbing the stairs to the New York Library at night for a gala event felt magical. My husband, Francis McCall, and I had published a photo book called A HUGE HOG IS A BIG PIG with Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2002. This earned us an invitation to Susan Hirschman's celebration of her brilliant career.

The stars were out, literally, as each author and illustrator was given a blue star to wear. When the stars were lit, we realized how many children's book luminaries were in attendance, and what a pretty light they all made. There was music, a man who typed your life story on a card, and a circus! The performers moved through the crowd creating their acts for talents like Vera B. Williams and Jack Prelutsky. At the end of the night, we all stood on the front steps of the library and watched Susan Hirschman disappear down 42nd Street in a horse drawn carriage. It was a perfect farewell to the founder and amazing Executive Editor of Greenwillow Books. 

4. What is your favorite yummy?

5. Who are your creative influences?

My crew! Thanks, guys!

  My website is:  www.patriciakeeler-author-illustrator.com

Facebook friend me at:  PatriciaKeelerBooks

Follow me on Twitter: @patriciakeeler

or pass me wandering the back alleys in Hoboken

represented by Liza Royce Agency www.lizaroyce.com

www.patriciakeeler-author-illustrator.com

Q&A - Barbara Willcox DiLorenzo

I'm so thrilled to be a part of this group of talented and fun people. Writing and illustrating can be lonely, so to have some wacky critique partners to liven up the day makes the journey more enjoyable.

What are you working on?
Currently, I'm working on a book for Viking called RENATO AND THE LION. I'm also continuing to develop a few picture book dummies that are waiting in the wings once this book is finished.

"Stargazing on the Ponte Vecchio"
© Barbara Willcox DiLorenzo

What is your medium?
Sometimes I paint in watercolors. But then I decide to switch things up and paint in oils. My best work seems to occur when I have a simple yellow 2B pencil in my hand, and I'm just messing around on a wet napkin that is in the process of disintegrating. When I have expensive, $20 cold-pressed watercolor paper in front of me, I freeze a little. But that's what good Photoshop skills are for. I've been using the Adobe Suite since 1998.

"Reflection"
© Barbara Willcox DiLorenzo

"Moments Before Opening"
© Barbara Willcox DiLorenzo

Who are your creative influences?
I love Peter de Seve's work. He visited my class at RISD when I was a student, and I absolutely fell in love with his characters. His faces are unbelievably expressive. Seeing his work on the New Yorker is always a treat. I also love John Singer Sargent's oil portraits and watercolors of Venice. Capturing the essence of a person or a place without including every detail is exciting to my eye. For humor, I was raised on Bill Watterson and Mad Magazine. Contemporary picture book makers inspire me, but I hesitate to name names because there are so many awesome people out there. I'm truly excited to see the book format for children's literature grow and evolve instead of being stifled by technology. This is an exciting time to be a book maker.
That said, I do have a dark side too. Edward Gorey is another one of my heroes. Sometimes my dark sense of humor dribbles out onto a cartoon, like the one below. This was born on a day when I felt discouraged, and looked up to see a vulture circling above. It made me laugh.

Your picture book process: do the words come first or the images or both?
My process is a bit of a mess. I start with images. Then I add words. Then I change the images. Then I change the words. Then I throw things. I usually end up by eating chocolate and scrolling through Facebook noting all my friends with shiny new book deals. After that, I regroup, and somehow the work comes together. Isn't that how it works for most people?

If you were an animal what would you be?
A mermaid.

"Late in the Studio"
© Barbara Willcox DiLorenzo

What is your favorite yummy?

I used to be able to answer this question freely. But I am tied to too many professional chefs to be able to single out one particular dish. So I'll just go with chocolate mousse–made by no one chef in particular. Just regular chocolate mousse.

"Leona Was Not Like The Other Hens"
© Barbara Willcox DiLorenzo

Website: www.barbaradilorenzo.com

Illustration Blog: Paint & Paper
Follow me on Twitter: @wavepaint

Q&A - Diana Ting Delosh

Before I introduce myself via the Drawn to Picture Books' Q&A, I'd like to say how happy I am to be a part of this group. FYI: we will be posting weekly on wednesdays by noon, introducing ourselves over the next few weeks.

What are you working on?
Currently, I'm working on a few stand alone illustrations, sort of as a warm-up before I dive into my picture book dummy.

Groundhog Waltz

© Diana Ting Delosh

What is your medium?
Ink, Watercolor, Pencil and Photoshop. Currently, I make my lines with: brush pen, marker, Rapidiograph pen. Sometimes there's pencil showing through for texture and subtle delineation. I mostly paint in the colors with water soluble colored inks. Sprinkle in some Photoshop magic and voila!

Little Red

© Diana Ting Delosh 

Who are your creative influences?
To name just a few, on the illustration side there's Beatrix Potter, Richard Scarry and Maurice Sendak. I think you can see some of their influence in my art.  Then on the writing side, there's Jane Yolen and Ray Bradbury. This is not to say I write like them just that I aspire to beautiful lyrical writing. There are also gazillion other illustrators and authors whose works I adore but I think the artists and writers of my youth are the ones who made the strongest impression on me. My childhood art heroes definitely helped me develop my visual language.

Nerdy Chick
© Diana Ting Delosh

Your picture book process: do the words come first or the images or both?
I tend to daydream my stories until they're more concrete. And then it depends on the story, which comes first: the writing or the drawing. Most of the time when I try to write down the story the words evade me. Sometimes I draw out the story in very rough, hairball sketches and add captions.  Then do more drawings and go back and forth between writing and drawing until I have something cohesive. Every now and then I begin a story with the words. My current project started with the words.

Ballerina Bunny
© Diana Ting Delosh

If you were an animal what would you be?
Rabbit. If I were to draw myself as an animal I would immediately personify myself as a bunny. Perhaps it's the Beatrix Potter influence.

Strawberry & Cream Cupcake
© Diana Ting Delosh
Hope it's chocolate cake underneath that cream.

What is your favorite yummy?

Cake, preferably chocolate.

Fox Dreams
© Diana Ting Delosh

Website: dianadelosh.com

Illustration Blog: The Hare Illustratere

Follow me on Twitter: @dtdelosh