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, writers and
designers. And I’m so excited to be 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.
This month I am catching up with the wonderful
Illustrator, Christina Forshay. Christina and I meet during my time as the
Co-Coordinator of the SCBWI Westside Illustrators Schmooze and it’s been a
pleasure watching as her career in children’s publishing has sparked and taken
off.
Christina was born and raised in sunny California, where
she lives with her husband and two children. She graduated from the California
State University Long Beach with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. She
is the Illustrator of two fabulous picture books, The Really Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare and Goodnight Baseball. You can visit more of her artwork here!
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| Christina's first picture book! |
Q: Your first picture book
is The Really Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare. Can you share what
the experience of creating this book was like from start to finish?
A: Because I started working
on The Really Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare about six
weeks after my daughter was born, I knew I had to be very organized and
efficient with my time. The Art Director I worked with, Nick Tiemersma, was
very, very supportive and great to work with which helped make the process run
smoothly.
The story was already laid
out in terms of page turns and pacing, so I took it from there. Once I had the
look of the characters nailed down, I went straight into thumbnailing the book
to make sure it flowed from spread to spread. I believe we went though a round
of revisions before I started with the tight sketches. One more round of
sketches and it was off to final art from there!
I had an absolute blast and
I'm glad my first foray into the "trade book world" was such a
positive one.
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| Rough, sketch and final art from The Really Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare. |
Q: At different times in
your career you have represented yourself and have also been represented by an
art rep. What would you say are the pros and cons of each?
A: When I was just starting
out as an illustrator and didn't have an agent, I was mostly self-promoting on
portfolio websites that require a paid membership fee, like Childrens Illustrators. I got a lot of requests, but most of them were for
self-publishing clients who didn't necessarily know how the industry worked.
Being so new at illustrating myself, I didn't exactly know how the industry
worked either. I wasn't really getting the jobs I'd envisioned for myself. But
in a way, it was good because I had to figure out how to write my own contracts
and work with clients from the ground up. With every project, I usually learned
a valuable lesson or two about how to strengthen myself as a freelancer and as
an artist.
A couple of years into my
illustration career, I was represented by an illustration agency. Working with
a rep can be a very good thing, especially because of the established
relationships they maintain with clients. Agents/reps can get your work seen by
the right people—something that you have to be very diligent about doing
yourself if you are not with an agency.
What are some things I've
noticed that might be a drawback to having an agent? Well, are you willing to
give up a percentage of your fee (usually 20-30%) to your agency? Another
thing to watch out for is whether the agency has a large stable of artists.
Unless you're consistently submitting new work to the agency for them to shop
around, you might get lost among the shuffle.
This sounds really corny,
but just like anything in life, it all boils down to how much time and effort
you put into your career. From your craft to the business-end of things, I've
found it's about the hours and energy you spend being productive. Even if you
have an agent, you still need to be constantly creating. It's not about resting
on your laurels because someone is out pounding the pavement for you. As a
repped artist you still have a responsibility to create new work between paid
projects. Constantly creating new work whether you have an agent or not is one
of the keys to staying relevant in this type of industry.
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| Character sketches for the Hare. |
Q: As an Illustrator Mama
myself, this is one of my favorite questions: With two kiddos at home, in what
ways do you balance motherhood with your career?
A: I don't know if I'll ever
have a true balance in my household! Especially when working on a
deadline, something's got to give. Generally, it's housework and my sleep! My
husband is a firefighter with a crazy, and sometimes unpredictable work
schedule, so the best I can do is work late at night after the little ones have
gone to bed.
What I'm really trying to wrap
my brain around is the fact that I have to be productive in little spurts of
time. I LOVE to have hours at a time to get lost in my work, but it just isn't
doable very often around here. There's always a situation I need to referree:
somebody's wailing their head off, somebody needs me to find the ONE teeny, tiny
Lego (that might or might not have been vaccummed up), or someone's trying to
squeeze our rather large dog into a princess dress.
However, when I'm on a
tight deadline and really need to get large chunks of work done, my parents and
my mother-in-law are close by and always willing to help. I know once my
youngest starts kindergarten (it's an all day kindergarten here), I'll be able
to have a better and more predictable amount of time to work.
All in all, balance just
doesn't really happen on a daily basis around here, and I have to really
concentrate on blocking out the guilt I feel when I'm not being the
"supermom" that today's society expects us to be.
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| Christina's NEW book, now available from Capstone Young Readers. |
Q: The word on the street
is that you have a new title coming out this spring. Tell us all about it,
including what marketing efforts you are making for your book!
A: The latest book I
illustrated is called Goodnight Baseball, written by Michael Dahl
and published by Capstone Young Readers. It's a sweet little story that follows
a young boy and his dad throughout a day at the ballpark.
As far as marketing efforts
go, I've been speaking with my local librarians and local bookstores to see if
I can do some illustrator visits. I'm also trying to use social media to get
the word out. Other than that, I've been brainstorming and trying to learn more
about how to self-promote. It's definitely an area I need to pay more attention
to.
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| Sketches & final art for Goodnight Baseball. |
Q: So often the advice to
working Illustrators is geared toward either Newbies or Veterans. As an
Illustrator who is solidly in-between these two phrases, what advice do you
have for other Illustrators in a similar position?
A: I really feel that I'm
still in the beginning phase of my career and that I'm learning something new
with each new project that comes my way. I still believe that learning new
skills and registering for industry-related classes, workshops and seminars is
really important. Another thing that really keeps me moving forward is creating
and nurturing an artistic community for myself. Illustration is such a solitary
endeavor that keeping in touch with other illustrators via monthly meetings or
even Facebook and Twitter helps me to feel a sense of "okay...I can do
this".
Q: Describe your most
perfect Sunday.
A: Oooh, I've always loved
Sundays! My perfect Sunday would start off with a beaming sunny day. We'd head
to the beach for a nice, brisk walk. Then, we'd head over to a cozy
little restaurant and have a nice breakfast.
Suddenly, the weather turns
and it begins to rain!
We'd head home, put on an
old black and white movie and take a blissful nap. Once everyone is awake, we'd
lounge around, and spend the rest of the rainy day reading, coloring, painting,
and sewing while fresh cookies bake in the oven.
Thank you so much for this
opportunity Jane! Answering these questions has given me a chance to think long
and hard about where I've been and where I'm going as I walk along this
creative path.
Thank you, Christina! Congratulations on your new book! Hooray! And don't forget to check out Christina's shoppe full of exciting art prints!