Welcome to my new monthly
interview feature! As an illustrator, especially one who is a longtime member
of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, I am blessed to
have a large circle of wildly talented friends, who are fellow artists and
writers. And I’m so excited to begin interviewing them and sharing their
artwork and experiences here on Bird Meets Worm. Look for a new interview on the first Tuesday of every month.
To kick of my new interview
series, I talked with my good friend, the fabulous Illustrator, Carlynn Whitt.
She and I first meet several years ago thru the SCBWI. Carlynn
has been drawing and painting since she was a little girl growing up in East
Texas. She earned a degree in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of
Design and currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and young son.
Carlynn is represented by Steven Chudney of the Chudney Agency. I highly recommend you visit her amazing artwork!
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| Carlynn & her son, Eli. |
Q: Tell me about your new children's picture book! (You can purchase it here!)
A: My new picture book is THERE’S A BABY IN THERE! by Dandi
Daley Mackall, published by Amazon Children’s Books (formerly Marshall
Cavendish). It’s a “getting-ready-for-baby” book about a little chimp, who has
a hard time believing that his new brother (or sister!) really is in his
mother’s belly.
Q: What was the process like working with the editor and art
director on the book?
A: It was very positive—they were so supportive from start to
finish. I worked most directly with the art director, Anahid Hamparian. She
kind of let me have free reign for the first round of sketches, just to get my
ideas out on paper and let my own vision take shape. Of course, there were lots
of edits and revisions that ended up taking place, but it was great to have the
go-ahead to play around on that first pass.
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| Carlynn's NEW picture book! |
Q: What are your top 3 favorite children's books and why?
A: Such a hard question! I think the answer would probably
change depending on the day, because I’m always falling in love with new books.
Right now I’m going to say:
1) Kevin Henkes’ KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON for the beautiful
black-and-white illustrations and the poetic simplicity of the story;
2) Alice and Martin Provensen’s OUR ANIMAL FRIENDS AT MAPLE
HILL FARM for the way their farm really comes to life through the colorful
folk-arty pictures and the tiny details in the text; and
3) Any and all books by Roald Dahl with illustrations by
Quentin Blake. In my mind they are the perfect pairing of author and
illustrator. They are both brilliant in their own right and even more so
together.
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| Illustration from "There's A Baby In There!" |
Q: With a 3 year old and another baby on-the-way, how have
you navigated the challenges of being an Illustrator Mama?
A: Well…some days are better than others! I think I’m still
figuring it all out. The trick is to try to be fully present with my son when
I’m with him, and present with my work when I’m in the studio. Nothing is worse
than feeling like I’m giving only half my attention to either one or the other.
Some days that’s going to happen and there’s nothing I can do about it. But to
the extent that I can, I’ve really been trying to create the time and mental
space to give both my kid and my art the focus they both deserve.
Q: What and who would you say has inspired your artwork the
most?
A: Great question! I think my art is the product first and
foremost of a family—my parents especially—who always encouraged my creativity
and nurtured my artist self. And visually, I’ve been inspired by too many
sources to pin it down to just one or two. I love looking at both fine art and
illustration, as well as packaging design and paper products and typography and
old advertisements and children’s toys…really anything with an image on it is
grist for the mill.
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| Illustration from "There's A Baby In There!" |
Q: Describe your perfect Sunday.
A: I’d wake up early (but not too early!) and make pancakes for
my family. Then we’d go to church together and maybe have lunch afterward
somewhere outdoors, if it was a pretty day. My husband would take our boy to
the park in the afternoon so I could get in some good studio time…then maybe we
would all go for a walk on the beach and have dinner back at the house. While
my husband cleaned the kitchen, I would read bedtime stories to my son, tuck
him in, and he’d fall asleep right away. Then we would crack open a bottle of
wine, a couple of beers, or perhaps a pint of Ciao Bella chocolate hazelnut ice
cream and snuggle up on the couch for a good movie. And we’d be in bed by
eleven to wake up ready for the hectic rush of Monday morning!
Thank you so much, Carlynn! XO