Welcome
to my monthly interview feature! I’m so excited to be interviewing all the
fabulous artists, illustrators and designers I’ve meet over the years (both
personally and virtually!) 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’m thrilled to bits to be catching up with my fellow
Tugeau2 artist, the sweet Illustrator, Shirley Ng-Benitez! I am a huge fan of
her absolutely adorable artwork! Shirley loves to draw! Since
’98, she’s owned Gabby & Co., a design/illustration/handlettering firm and
has worked with wonderful clients in the technology, greeting card, medical,
toy, design and publishing industries. She creates with watercolor, gouache,
pencil & digital techniques and is living her dream, illustrating and
writing picture books in the Bay Area, California with her family. You can view more of her artwork here!
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| Who doesn't love pie?! Especially when it comes with friends! |
Q: Expressive characters are at the heart of picture books that
connect with young readers. And your characters are SO adorable and convey a
lot of emotion! Take us thru how you develop and design a character for a
children’s picture book.
A: Thank you Jane, I
appreciate your kind words about my characters!
For picture books, I first
start with thinking about the main character’s personality and emotion. If the
character is scared, then I start visualizing what it would feel like to be
scared. I will do a combination of things before and during my sketching of the
character, which include googling images that represent “scared”, and “acting”
scared and looking at a mirror while doing so. Sometimes I will ask my youngest
to “pose” for me and it’s great to be able to just do a quick free-sketch while
she’s holding a pose. I sketch and sketch until a gesture or expression, or the
feeling comes through. If it’s for personal pieces, I tend to randomly sketch
and move the pencil until something pops up…it’s quite fun when there’s a face
or some kind of shape that starts developing into something or someone
recognizable! :)
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| A winter wonderland indeed! |
A: Thanks so much Jane! I
started my daily sketching about 6 years ago after I attended a SCBWI
Illustrator’s Day in San Francisco and heard Amy June Bates speak about her own practices. Her advice to all of us was to “draw, draw, draw, and then draw some
more.” I really took it to heart and have found that I really find such
relaxation and enjoyment from sketching each day. I use plain white copy paper
on a clipboard and use Ticonderoga #2s.
Through the years, to help
provide prompts on what to sketch, I’ve made personal challenges, such as
“sketch-a-day-for-a-year-and-post”, or “animal alphabet”; or I participate in
Inktober, “the 100 day project”, and “Illo Advent,” which all have stretched me
to sketch with different goals in mind. I’ll focus on light & shadow,
composition, and more recently, narrative-driven illustrations.
Inspiration comes from so
many sources, but I must say, my daily walks at the park with my dog, Zsofi,
help me to clear my head and think through project issues, and other concepts
for personal and agent projects. The park is also home to cattle, so it’s been
such a treat to see the newest members of the herd every season. Living in
California, especially with all of this rain, has made for some beautiful green
hills, creeks and cloudy skies and sunsets...it’s been truly wonderful.
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| So sweet & cozy! |
A: I have to say that my favorite project from the past was Emily Lost Someone She Loved,
by Kathleen Fucci, 2015. Kathleen Fucci, wrote a beautiful story, which became
an award-winning grief book for kids, and continues to help so many who have
lost a loved one.
My favorite latest project
is How Do You Say I Love
You?—an upcoming board book from
Little Simon by Hannah Eliot, which I thoroughly enjoyed illustrating as it
introduces very little children to different ways to say “I Love You” from all
over the world.
I must say that I have
really enjoyed illustrating all of the projects I’ve had the honor of
illustrating and have found so many in this industry (publishers, authors,
printers, marketers, editors, art directors, book designers, my agent, her
staff) who have really been wonderful working with while creating books with
purpose.
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| Doesn't this just give you the warmest warm fuzzies?! |
A: I’ve been very inspired by this movement and wish to praise the
incredible efforts of Lee and Low Books. From their site, their mission: “To publish contemporary diverse stories that
all children
could enjoy. We decided to steer clear of folktales since they tended to be
about people who lived a long time ago. In contrast, we wanted our books to
emphasize the richness of today’s cultures. We also avoided talking animal
stories, since there was nothing new we could bring to this genre. And we
pledged to make a special effort to work with unpublished authors and
illustrators of color.”
I am so honored to be
working on their latest imprint of early chapter books called “Dive Into
Reading,” which have cast a diverse group of children called the Confetti Kids.
Also from their site, I love the message to parents, educators, and guardians: “We also believe that books should inspire
young readers to imagine a diverse world that includes them, a world in which
they can see themselves as the heroes of their own stories.”
I’d also like to praise the
efforts of the We Need Diverse Books organization—and for the
incredible resources found there.
In my personal efforts to
share the new Dive Into Reading imprint with my local schools and libraries, I
found it very difficult to break through the established bureaucracy of book
purchasing in my public school district. The decision to include new books is
left to the purchaser, who makes purchasing decisions based on established
booklists, which may not have the very latest offerings of diverse books. I’m
unsure how much public schools know about where to find diverse books and their
interest to include them in their libraries, though I am hopeful that they do
and are. Ultimately, I would love to see these books in the hands of all public
school children, and it would be great to have an easier method to get the
books to them by furthering the need for diverse books and information on where
you can go to find them.
Q: What is your dream project?
A: My dream project is actually two dream projects: 1) to
author/illustrate a story that resonates and touches people of all ages; and 2)
illustrate a Golden Book. Wowee—that would be so amazing!
Q: Describe your most perfect Sunday.
A: Sleeping in an extra hour or two at most, then fixing my cup of
Peets coffee, I’d open up the blinds to reveal a beautiful sunshiny day in
Poipu, Kauai; or the Bay Area, California. I’d work a few hours on my story,
sketching, and painting, and then take a long walk with my girls, hubby, and
pup; eat a great late lunch or early dinner; and then settle into a painting at
night…perfection!