Interview with Alicia Padron

Alicia as a child

Please welcome Alicia Padron to Karin Won’t Stop Talking!!!

Alicia Padron

What was your favorite book to illustrate to date?

Well it’s hard to pick just one. Books are like people in the sense that each has a different story to tell and is a different experience working on each of them. I love starting out a new project because you never know where it will take you and how you will approach it. It’s always a surprise and I do like surprises. Even though I have enjoyed all my books very much, I have to say that I have a special place in my heart for ABC, Baby Me! (Random House). Maybe it was the topic of the babies that touched me or maybe it was the fact that I had such freedom when working on this book. I have a feeling it was both.

Discuss your mediums and what you like and don’t always like about them.

I work with watercolor and then finish my illustrations digitally in Photoshop.  I’m in love with watercolor and I don’t think I will ever leave it. It’s just so beautiful and full of happy accidents. I also love the freedom of working digital with the magical undo button. That is why I use both.

What don’t I like about them? Perhaps that is hard to get bright colors with watercolor but I have learned my ways with it.  Digital takes a lot of time. Because it allows you to zoom in such a way, I find that you can easily get lost in the amount of detail you can work within an illustration.

How has your family affected your illustrations?

I have to say that I smiled when I read this question. Did not see this coming.

I think is an excellent question. I imagine everyone’s answer to this is completely different but for me, I think my family has affected my work immensely.  I can honestly say that I don’t think I could be a children’s illustrator, or at least the children’s illustrator that I am today, if I hadn’t had my kids.

Being a mom completely changed me and defined me. It is the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me and changed me to what I am today. I think that deep love for my kids and understanding of this bond lead me to be a better children’s illustrator.  I don’t mean that you have to have children in order to be a successful children’s illustrator, I just mean that to me it has proven to be invaluable.

Do you like that technology has turned into such an art medium in and of itself?

Yes I do like technology. I read everyday of people getting worried about technology replacing traditional methods. I really see technology such as a computer for example, as another tool that’s all. There are pencils, pastels, crayons, oils and computers. They are all tools the artists can use in order to express themselves.

Do you find other illustrators to be beneficial for networking and friendships or competition?

Always beneficial! If there is one thing I adore is how amazing and warm the artist community is. I am convinced that artists, writers too, basically are good people. We all just want to help one another. I don’t think we can see this in other careers.

In your past, have you ever been so frustrated that you wanted to quit, and how did you handle that to change it?

No, not really. I love my job and I know for a fact I will do this for as long as my hands allow me to. And then I’ll try to paint with my feet if I have to, haha. I do get stressed out sometimes when working on several books at a time and the deadlines sort of falling very close to one another but that’s just part of this business. I try to take breaks when that happens, let the air and sunshine fill me in.

If you could illustrate any children’s book that has ever been published which would it be and how would you do it differently?

Ok that is tough question. The books I remember is because I really liked them, chances are I wouldn’t want to change them.  I always wanted to illustrate a book where I could tell the opposite story with the illustrations though. I don’t know why but I wish I would get a chance to do that one day. Imagine how fun would it be for Little Red Riding Hood to be in charge of that big bad wolf. ;o)

 

Like to see more of Alicia’s work and keep up with her….

Website

www.aliciapadron.com

Blog

www.lovetoillustrate.blogspot.com

Children’s Illustrators Site

www.childrensillustrators.com/aliciapadron

Twitter

www.twitter.com/#!/aliciapadron

Interview with Laura Raveggi

Please give three artistic words to describe yourself.

Rough, movement, emotion. It’s what I first search in every illustration.

I like to see Movement, it doesn’t matter what kind of medium I’m using (animation, comic strips, photos…). In every picture, even if it’s a still frame, I like to perceive what could come next or how things were first.

Rough lines are very useful to understand it, and most of all it’s amazing to see the sign that the artist’s hand leave on the paper, so personal and unique for each one. Especially in illustrations, it makes me feel better also Emotions, which come out not only by the expression or attitude of the characters but by the draw itself.

What mediums do you use and will you ever switch from using just those?

Basically pencil and paper: I started my artistic experience as an animator and it means that my entire attention was firstly focused on drawing figures and learn how they move in space.

Build a shape it’s important to me to FEEL it’s nature, and give the general impression of that particular draw by character’s expressions. The space in which they move usually comes later.

I love so much rough drawings, so this is the funniest part of the job to me. Actually my drawings can be really dirty and confused to other eyes, but it’s necessary to me to understand how this or that line can give the better look  to my composition.

Finally I work on colors, digitally most of the time, sometimes colored pencils and watercolors. I like to experiment new media and I’m always searching for new ideas and inspiration, but still it’s important to me that the sing of pencil is definite and visible. Anyway I think the funniest part of this job is trying new things and find new solutions… my last experiment was with spray colors…

What is your favorite piece and why?

The Wizard of Oz. It’s a little different form the style I usually use (when working you always have to stay close to commercial rules) and I’d like to work on it and make it more definite and personal… having enough time to do it!

I’m still searching a personal style, for as an animator I learned to adapt my hand to different character’s designers styles, and this is good, but it also made me love too many things and that makes harder to choose only one!

If you could re-illustrate any book in the world, what would it be and how would you do it differently?

Oh well, this is a hard question. I love so many books and stories… and illustrators! I often feel enthusiastic for so many things I don’t think I could choose one only. The first answer coming out of my mind is “The Canterville Ghost” by Oscar Wild.

I really like nonsense, humor and dark stories, so I think I’d be excting to test my style and drawing skill on this kind of story. Probably I’d make some surrealistic black and white illustrations… oh god, now that I’m thinking about it I HAVE to add this to my (already full) things-to-do list!!!

What keeps you motivated to keep illustrating? Are your goals to become a children’s book illustrator or magazines, cartoonist?

It’s simply drawing. It’s what I love to do, I don’t care the way it could come out, I just know I want to draw all my life and live of my job, if I can manage to!

Sometimes it’s hard but I hope I can go on as long as possible.

I said that I started as an animator, and that’s what made me know children’s illustration world.

I worked for a tv serie for children based on the beautiful illustrations of Anna Laura Cantone, so I started to study how to build illustrations and test my skills in creating a complete “still” world image, instead of drawing single little pieces and put them together to create movement. I know usually the contrary happens, so it’s a little strange to me, this sort of “coming back method”.

Anyway, animation and illustration are too totally different ways to intend drawing and to compose a picture, but I love both equally, probably because of this difference.

What is it like being an artist in Italy?

I don’t think there’s any difference in methods, or lifestyle being an artis in Italy then in any other part of the world. What everyone of us do is simply connect to the Web and start searching, following, sending mail, show the portfolio… it’s amazing to work with so many far places in the world just staying at home.

To me the basic difference is your “visual” education: in Italy we’re surrounded by artistic monuments and wonderful buildings (and I live in Florence!). It’s normal to wake up and go and breathe classical art everywhere. We live in it, we sleep and go to work surrounded by artistic thins that become an expectable part of our environment… It sounds amazing but I think actually it is not. To me, anyway, it’s kind of heavy.

I feel I can’t really appreciate what I have around me, because it’s so beautiful and because of that so overwhelming on everything else.

Sometimes you have the feeling there’s no place for anything more than the PAST, and I think it’s the main problem of Italy:  we don’t feel pushed to the future, but static.

If you’re not careful, that could mean the end of your personal artistic expression.

Describe the ups and downs of being a freelance artist.

You’re free to decide how to manage your time and it’s your choice to do or not a certain job, and that’s good for an artist. It’s also wonderful to know and meet new nice people everyday… but they’re many problems too.

The worst is that it’s difficult to be respected as an artist and as a worker in the same time. Every artis can tell you this: people often think that if you are an illustrator you’re supposed to draw – or do what you do – only because you like it. And why should that mean that I don’t have to be paid for my artwork? If I’d be a pilot should I be supposed to make planes fly only because I like it?

…  but in the end being a freelance artist allows you to do what you REALLY want to do, and that justify any problem you can find along the way.
Please find ways to connect with Laura below.

Facebook:

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pip%C3%AC-Pup%C3%B9-e-Rosmarina/153690582740

Interview with Illustrator Sue Rundle-Hughes

Please enjoy my interview with illustrator Sue Rundle-Hughes.

Meet Sue

Does living in the United Kingdom differ for you as an illustrator than other illustrators you know in the United States?

I don’t think there’s much difference (although I can’t speak for editorial illustration, as I haven’t worked in this area). Possibly, there’s slightly more opportunities for illustrators in the United States than United Kingdom. For example, from an art licensing point of view, the USA hold more big trade shows than the UK (such as Surtex) and as a result, there’s more opportunity for illustrators to showcase their work. However, I think the internet has made things easier. Recently, I’ve had more job offers from the United States that the UK! My present job is for the USA and I have licensed my fairy art with a USA company, MyTagArt. The Internet has definitely made it easier to work for different countries and, as a result, the illustration business seems pretty much the same in the UK and the USA.

You do Needle Felting. Can you explain your process with this and what got you started with this?

I started needle felting after watching my friend make a needle felted rabbit earlier this year. I was fascinated at how she made it without stitching or gluing and I asked her to teach me. There are two types of felting: wet felting and needle felting. Wet felting is made by laying out wool fibres and then wetting, soaping and rubbing them together, which bonds the fibres together. Needle felting is dry felting. It’s a bit like sculpting with wool, using a special barbed needle to bond the wool fibres together and some thick foam to protect the surface of the table. I use wool called merino tops or roving. You have to stab the wool in a straight up and down motion (otherwise the tip of the needle might break), until the wool begins to felt together and becomes firm, (also being careful not to pierce the finger – ouch!), and I shape it as I work. If I’m making an animal, I’ll make the head, ears, body and limbs separate and then ‘stick’ them together using the same method with the needle. My first attempt was a poor excuse for a mouse, but my second ‘felted friend’ (as I call them) was better and I was hooked and hopefully I’m getting better I started off given them to friends, but I now sell them locally and I’m hoping to start an Etsy shop soon to sell both my needle felted animals and prints of my illustrations. My friend and I are also planning to sell them at a Christmas craft fayre (fair) this year.

You have a wonderful range of styles, do you find you tend to lean more towards one or the other and do you feel you are better at one more than the other?

I wish I only had one style that could instantly be recognizable as ‘me’, as illustrators are always being advised to have just the one style. When I first started out working for educational publishers, clients would ask for different styles depending on the brief, which is why I think I have different styles in my portfolio! Also, my choice of ‘tool’, i.e. pen or traditional paintbrush or painting digitally with my wacom, also determines my style. When it comes to line drawings and colour illustrations, I find the realistic paintings easiest to produce but for pure enjoyment, my favourite style is the stylized illustration, such as my fairy cake designs and ‘Mary had a little lamb’. I would love to develop this further. I also like water colour sketches

What brought you to draw fairies as they seem to be an important part of your work?

My mother reminds me constantly that as a small child I would love to sit at the bottom of the garden watching and chatting to ‘fairies’. She said they were really just May flies and not fairies at all, but that’s her opinion… a three year old knows best, lol. I originally learnt about fairies from fairy tale books, particularly my favourite book, which my aunty and uncle bought me, called ‘Best Loved Fairy Tales’. I adored the illustrations in it and I looked at them for hours. This lead me to the works of Rackham and I fell in love with his fairy illustrations. Later I discovered Alan Lee and Brian Froud’s book ‘Faeries’ and my fascination with fairies has grown from there. I love their ethereal, ‘otherworldness’. Painting them is a form of escapism for me. I also love drawing wings and I like to (gently) study the wings of insects, from beautiful butterflies and dragonflies to tiny little may flies. They look so delicate!

You are involved in an after school club, can you share more about that program?

The after school club caters for children from the ages of 4 to 11. There are three adults in charge, and for two hours every evening we involve the children in different activities like sports, games and art and craft. I specialize in art and craft. I try to do different things with the children every day, for example: modeling with clay, making jewelery, finger puppets etc and painting and taking the children out sketching. The children prefer painting best: I usually give them a theme to paint, such as ‘garden’ for instance. They adore mixing the paints and making colours and we put on overalls and get very messy. It’s good fun. They inspire me as they have wonderful imaginations and I’m constantly being surprised at their talent. Sometimes, the children ask me to post their work on my blog. I’m hoping to do more of that when the new term starts

If you could re-illustrate any book, what would it be and why?

That’s hard, as I love so many books. Can I mention a few? My favourite book as a teenager was ‘Little Women’ and I would love to illustrate this. I loved Jo and her escapades and I can envisage lively, sketch style black and white line drawings. I would also love to illustrate a book of fairy tales, for reasons I mentioned before, or ‘Arabian Nights’ because of the beautiful colours. Another book I would love to illustrate, as I am Welsh, is ‘The Mabinogion’, which is a collection of welsh Celtic tales of legend and mythology. I have always been attracted to mythology and King Arthur type legends and so ‘The Mabinogion’ would be wonderful to illustrate

Please visit Sue and see more artwork and learn more at the following places.

Blog:    http://www.suerundlehughes.blogspot.com/

Hire an Illustrator:   http://hireanillustrator.com/i/sue-rundle-hughes

Twitter:     http://twitter.com/Suerundlehughes

Website:   http://www.suerundlehughes.com/

Discovering Vivian Nguyen – Artist Interview

Please welcome Vivian Nguyen to Karin Won’t Stop Talking! I’m thrilled help all my visitors discover just a little about Vivian and display a few pieces of her artwork.

• First off, is it best to “label” you as an illustrator or artist?
Oh, it really doesn’t matter to me  The word “artist” is pretty all-encompassing, while “illustrator” tends to be more specific by trade (which is even hard to define these days, since illustration is so broad).  I admit to being a bit all over the place, so I won’t be picky

• What mediums do you work with?
For most of my personal sketches, I’ve been gravitating lately towards pencil and watercolor washes, simply because I like the look and feel of it…and it’s a loose, expressive, and quick way of working!  I also like to use acrylic as another traditional medium…the fast drying time is nice, and there are many different ways in which you can work with acrylic to yield different results.  For quick turnaround – especially with any professional work – I usually make use of the computer, drawing and coloring digitally.  I try to be as adaptive as possible, depending on the nature of the project.

• How do you make/set aside time to do your artwork?
Haha…the objective of setting aside time to do my artwork is definitely a work-in-progress…I’m nowhere close to mastering it  Whenever possible, I do try to fit my personal artwork into my schedule.  Whether it’s taking time out to sketch with some friends or working on a portfolio piece, I try to see it as a healthy necessity.  But again, this is something I’m still working on…it’s so easy to get wrapped up in other daily priorities.  I have quite a few personal projects waiting on the back burner, so I need to be better at this!

• Do you set goals for yourself?
While I do keep large goals in mind, I’ve been trying to set more “baby step” goals lately.  This applies to both my art and my life.  Being a bit pragmatic & cautious by nature, I tend to get overwhelmed easily by really big-picture goals.  Personally, by focusing more on “baby step” goals, I can work towards larger goals in a more feasible fashion…and allow myself to celebrate little milestones and accomplishments along the way

• Do you think living in California makes you a different artist than one that lives in Maine?
Well, I honestly don’t think it makes me a different artist inherently – since being an artist can be defined in so many different, subjective ways – no matter where you live.  If anything, I’d say that the external resources and influences may differ geographically, which might play a part in one’s artistic career choice.  For example, artists living here in California may have more direct access to the commercial/entertainment industry than most regions – and because of this, many artists here may feel inclined to move in this direction.

• Is there an artist you have looked up to, either as a child or now?
Wow…this is a tough one…I look up to so many artists, including many of my friends and teachers  If I have to give an example…let’s see…currently, I absolutely enjoy Enrico Casarosa’s work.  He is a story artist for Pixar, and his book The Venice Chronicles is a favorite…I just love his drawings.  They are so stylistically personal and real.  I’m also a big Charles Schulz and Peanuts fan, for similar reasons.  There’s something to be said about the quiet emotion, honesty, and rawness that can be seen in their works.

• What is the most rewarding thing about being an artist?
It may sound trite, but I do believe that any real reward is derived from knowing that you may have touched someone’s life (including your own) in any way through your art…whether it stirs a laugh, tear, memory, dialogue…that’s the human connection…being able to express yourself in a unique way and being able to relate with others.  I also do believe that everyone has an artistic/creative talent in one form or another…some may just find it at different points in their lives.

• Your website, VivanDesigns.com is miraculous, what pushed you into displaying your artwork to the public? Was it a scary risk to put your work out there?
Thanks so much for your kind comment.  As with most anything subject to public scrutiny, it is a bit scary to put yourself and your personal work out there – but, needless to say, having a web presence is a necessary way to promote yourself in a very accessible way these days.  I’m actually still in the process of updating my website this summer (I am not a good example of someone who regularly updates their site!), but I’m glad that it has helped to promote some of my work thus far.

• I noticed you continue to perfect your work by attending workshops, have they been helpful?
Yes, it’s been very helpful attending drawing workshops, participating in sketch outings, taking classes…I’ve recently decided to be more proactive in these areas to improve/hone my skills…these are some of the “baby step” goals, to which I was referring above.  Taking part in some of these things is about practice, mileage, catharsis, building confidence, career development…and a great way to meet many other like-minded, talented artists!

• How has your degree from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and your job at Spin Masters Toys propelled your personal art/illustrations goals?
I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend Art Center, where I learned many invaluable skills and had the privilege of studying under many wonderful instructors.  Working most recently at Spin Master gave me the hands-on experience to not only further develop the skills I acquired at Art Center – but also to gain more knowledge and experience in product design and development, which can be very applicable to other areas of art.  But most importantly, I’ve had amazing support from my parents, family, and close friends – which was a big factor in propelling my art goals in the first place…I’m very grateful to have wonderful, loving people in my life who keep me going.

 

Please check out the app available for download which features Vivian Nguyen’s Little Do They Know strip.  
http://www.furrysoft.com/books/vivdesigns

And for a look at all (archived) Little Do They Know strips.

http://vivdesigns.blogspot.com/search/label/Little%20Do%20They%20Know

• Visit Vivian Nguyen at these locations:
Website:  www.viviandesigns.com
Blog:  www.vivdesigns.blogspot.com

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/viviandraws
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/vivdraws

Behind the Enchanted Easel. Who is Nicole Esposito?

Meet Nicole!

I’m delighted to introduce Nicole Esposito, artist/illustrator, for the first interview on Karin Won’t Stop Talking.  

 

 

Nicole, please give us three artistic words to describe yourself:  

 

passionate, creative, precise 

 

Does where you live affect what and how you draw?  

I don’t necessarily feel that my location really affects my work. I try to create art for children who live anywhere and everywhere…as long as it brings a smile to their little faces  

caring is contagious

What mediums do you use and will you ever switch from using just those? 

 

For my children’s illustrations, I use acrylic. I find it works best for me because I can lay color down and build on top of it in a quick fashion. Whereas with oil or watercolor, the drying time is much longer in between applications. Also, I like the vibrancy of the acrylics for my illustrations and the bright and fun colors they provide. I am skilled in all mediums, however and do use various ones for my fine art projects.  

 

Does your job as a preschool teacher help your creative/artist mind?

 

I do feel that being a preschool teacher for the last 15 years has definitely helped me to become a better children’s artist/illustrator. I spend most of my days with these creative little geniuses who inspire me constantly. I can’t tell you how their little faces light up when they wake up from their naps to see me sitting there painting my newest creation. That is the greatest reward I could ever hope for. If it works for them, then I know I have done some good work!  

How has your bachelor of fine arts degree affected your artwork?  

 

I would say the actual piece of paper with the “degree” on it hasn’t really been too helpful. It is the education that has helped. Although, I have to say, that I swear I was drawing in my diapers so I always had that creativity in me from when I was a child. Going to art school only helped to fine tune what was already there. I once heard someone say that your “gift” is the thing you do best that requires the least amount of effort. I believe that to be true and I believe that I have been given a “gift” to use and I will continue to use it to the very best of my ability. Creating art for children is the greatest “gift” I could ever receive. No degree or piece of paper can add or take that away from me.

Ryan in winter

Your ark work has a very light and airy style to it. Have you ever thought of doing the opposite?  

It has taken me a bit of time to develop my own “style” of illustrating. I don’t think I would change it because it works for me and actually, I don’t ever really give it too much thought. It just kind of flows out of my pencil. I know have many simple shapes in my work, such as circles. I feel this really works for little kids. Simple shapes, bright colors…happy feelings!  

When you start working on a piece, what is the end goal you have for it?

 

That question is probably the easiest one for me to answer. The end goal for me when I am done with a piece is to make a child happy simple, but true!  

 

What is your favorite piece and why?

 

My favorite piece to date (although I do have a few) would have to be “Alistair and the spy-glass.” This piece came along as a contribution to Illustration Friday (a website which gives a word to illustrators once a week to help creativity) for the word “infinite.” The first thing that came to my mind when illustrating that word was outer space. Then I thought of a little boy and his pet turtle…and voila…little Alistair and his bright red spyglass. I LOVE the simplicity of this piece and the contrast of colors. I am hoping one day to be able to write/illustrate a whole book based on this illustration.  

Alistair and the spy-glass

 

If you could re-illustrate any book in the world, what would it be and how would you do it differently?  

If I had to pick a book to re-illustrate, it would be my childhood favorite “Charlotte’s Web.” How I loved that book as a little girl…and still do. The story was so sweet and captivating to me. I would love to do it up in my signature style and make little charlotte into one of my sweet little characters.  

 

To discover more of Nicole Esposito’s artwork or to contact her please visit her at:  

catch me if you can

Website: http://www.theenchantedeasel.com  

Purchase: http://www.enchantedeasel.etsy.com  

Blog: http://www.theenchantedeasel.blogspot.com/  

JacketFlap: http://www.jacketflap.com/profile.asp?member=nicki