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Q
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How
old were you when you knew you wanted to be an illustrator? |
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A
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I was in
kindergarten. We were all drawing trees. Everyone’s
looked like green lollipops on brown sticks. I remember being
somewhat indignant that trees had BRANCHES! So that’s
how I drew mine—with branches and big puffs of leaves
and birds’
nests! I think that I liked the attention I got from my teacher,
who noticed that my tree didn’t
look quite like the others. I’ve
always been around art. My parents met in art school. My dad
was a graphic designer, and my mom studied costume design. |
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Q
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How
long does it take to make a Highlights cover? Is it hard
to do? |
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A
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I
never count the hours on a job (unless I’m
getting paid by the hour). A job has to be done right—and
however long it takes, it takes. When you’re
doing something you love, it is a labor of love. That said,
yes, it takes a fair amount of time, and it’s
challenging—but fun.
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Q
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Do
you have a favorite color?
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A
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I
love most all colors! My favorites? Most greens, teals, oranges.
I’m
not a big fan of ultramarine blue. And I can’t
stand bright yellow! |
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Q
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Who
is your favorite artist? |
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A
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I
have several . . . Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Johannes Vermeer,
Grant Wood, Amedeo Modigliani, and most all of the Flemish
artists. I also love the work of Hollywood costume designer
Dorothy Jeakins. She worked on The Sound of Music,
The Music Man, South Pacific, and Joan of Arc.
I own about a dozen of her original movie sketches.
In the
world of children’s
artists, I like Gennady Spirin (I own one of his very small
illustrations—he’s
amazing!), Nancy Ekholm Burkert, Etienne Delessert, Leo and
Diane Dillon, and Maurice Sendak. I’m
sure I’m
leaving someone out! |
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Q
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What’s
your favorite thing to draw? |
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A
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People—especially
wacky characters! I love to draw kings and queens! I get lost
in the details of their faces and their historic costumes. I
hate to draw anything that has mechanical parts—like bicycles! |
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Q
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Did
you go to school to become an artist? |
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A
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Yes,
I graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California—the
best four years of my life. I COULD DRAW AND PAINT ALL DAY!!!
What a refreshing change from high school (or even grade school,
where I got in trouble all the time for drawing when I was supposed
to be paying attention). |
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Q
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Do
you have any pets? |
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A
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Not
currently. My cat, Crawford, died two years ago. I had her for
seventeen or eighteen years. |
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Q
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What
advice would you give a young artist? |
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A
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I
know this is trite, but—don’t
give up. And practice—daily! And love doing it. |
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Q
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When
you were a kid, did you read Highlights? |
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A
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ABSOLUTELY!
My brother and I got a subscription every Christmas from an
aunt and uncle. I LOVED Hidden Pictures! And it is a BIG thrill
to actually be doing work for Highlights! The magazine
was so important to me during my growing-up years. |
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Q
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Are
there times when you can’t think of anything to draw? What
do you do? |
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A
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Not
often. There’s
really not enough time to paint all the ideas that float around
in my head. When I do get stuck, I get very frustrated. I
find that going for a walk, working in the yard, or just taking
a bit of time off helps. I re-approach the artwork with fresh
eyes—and I often spot many mistakes that need correcting!
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