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. (Psst! Bonus news: Bird Meets Worm is
debuting a NEW diverse children’s book review feature next month!! Look for it
on the second Wednesday in June!)
This
month I’m pleased as punch to be chatting it up with the fabulous Designer/Illustrator,
Barb Zuckerman Chotiner! I’ve been a fan of her
gorgeous artwork for a longtime and was so excited to finally meet her in
person this past February at the SCBWI NY conference! Barb studied graphic design & illustration at
Syracuse University and later received her MFA from the University of the Arts
in book arts + printmaking. Through analog and digital methods, Barb combines
textures, color, shapes and abstract forms. Inspired by the fusion of rules
& repetition (math) and fluidity & freedom (English), she spends her
days drawing, making monoprints, scanning and taking out excessive amounts of
children’s books from the library. (Only a few of which are actually for her
two medium sized children!) You can view more of her artwork here!
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| So super cute!! Let's totally go on a story adventure together! |
A: Oh gosh. Thanks! I have a
background in graphic design and illustration, as well as printmaking and book
arts. My art kind of combines all these areas that I am passionate about. What
I truly love about graphic design is its problem solving nature. When I’m
creating new work, I usually try out a bunch of different mediums and then see
which one is working for the project. I love cutting shapes and making monoprints.
My favorite art materials are caran d’ache crayons - though oddly these don’t
typically end up in my finals. (I feel like I now need to figure out why that
is!) I always do some pencil drawings and sometimes use gouache or whatever
paint is near my desk. Then I take all these random pieces that I’ve created
and scan them into the computer. Then the fun starts—figuring out the
composition. I really enjoy getting lost in the process of making and not
necessary knowing where something is going to end up. (Though it can be a bit
nerve-wrecking at times if it doesn't seem to be working.) Sometimes I feel
like I’m a conductor and all my scans, and prints and drawings are my little
orchestra and I have to make things loud and soft and big and little to make
the piece work. In a sense, I design my art. It’s a lot of trial-and-error and
happy accidents. I have many files with painted textures that I like to try
out. I am trying to be more mindful of starting with a set color story
otherwise I can to go a bit overboard with colors and have to tone it back. But
yes, I do love to mess with color!
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| What a wonderful under-the-sea dreamscape!! |
Q: You are an art licensing super star! Give us the
scoop on your most favorite art licensing project: one from the past and one
from the present. (And don’t leave anything out: we want to know everything
from how the client connected with you to how you created it to where the
finished product ended up!!)
A: My first (and therefore a
favorite) licensed art was this whale art. Initially, I had it posted in an
online forum and I got great direct feedback from a creative director I admire
and respect. She had commented “this is what the world needs” or maybe she
actually said “this is what the market needs” but in my heart I heard “world”
and it inspired me to send it out to companies. It immediately got licensed to
Oopsy Daisy as wall art and it seems to be something that people really like.
This piece was actually 1 in a series of 6. Some of the pieces are on Oopsy
Daisy and the others are licensed to DENY designs.
For the present, I am so
excited to announce that this month I will have 2 pieces of wall art debuting
at TJ Maxx/Marshals/Home Goods. I reached out to a frame company that works
with retailers and luckily they presented and liked my work. I am drawn to birds
and wanted to create a bunch of prints based upon bird silhouettes. (You can
see I enjoy working with silhouettes and layering.) Only 2 of my 3 pieces made
the final cut, but I’m glad two of the “siblings” will remain together. I call
the series Fly Away. The piece on the left is a homage to a place I used to
visit called “the Marine Nature Study Area.” It’s a large nature preserve in
the town I grew up in on Long Island. I like using memories as a base for
ideas.
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| Can you say GORGEOUS?! |
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| This is how the magic happens!! Fabulous! |
A: I’m not sure I have this
answer. As far as balanced...some days are in better alignment than others, but
I can say there is never a dull moment! I have a lot of “Jewish guilt.” I feel
guilty if I’m not constantly working or creating, and I feel guilty when I’m
not downstairs hanging out with my kids and husband. It’s a no-win situation—yet
on the flip side I feel so blessed that I have 2 amazing kids and a supportive
husband and that I am a creative person with a need to make things. I knew I
wanted to be an artist since I was a little girl and am so thankful I get to
live this life.
Things are getting easier
now, as the kids are a little bit older (6 & 8). They can entertain themselves,
but I am now finding myself driving to a lot of places for activities and they
are still at the age where I usually still have to stay with them. I try to be
productive with that time. Sketching...Pinterest research on my phone. I’m
planning to get an iPad pro next month (when the new ones hopefully come out!)
and am looking forward to being able to sketch and play digitally when I’m
waiting at gymnastics & soccer & baseball & juijitsu... To balance
the sports, sometimes after school I will draw or collage with them. I love
watching what they come up with. They don't think. They just do. They just
create. And THAT is inspiring!
I also try to keep in mind
that they are only this little once. My husband recites the quote “the days are
long, but the years are short.” I know I will have many hours to draw in the
future when they are grown, so I remind myself to be in the present and enjoy
their funny conversations and not feel guilty for that. They really are such
amazing, funny little human beings.
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| Adorable with great design details! What more could you ask for?! |
A: It ALWAYS starts with coffee. Then I
turn on WHYY (the local NPR station) & make breakfast and pack lunch for
the littles. Once their bus pulls away at 8:35, I tidy up and make my way
upstairs. Occasionally, I go for a run, but it doesn't happen as often as I’d
like. My workspace is the 4th bedroom at the top of our house. It’s convenient,
but I do hope to one day again have a studio outside of my home. I used to
share a studio space with an amazingly talented illustrator, Brian Biggs
(mrbiggs.com), but once I became pregnant the space (though artsy and cool) was
not very conducive to having small infants. (It was also across the street from
a gun range.) I soon moved out to the “burbs”.
It’s hard working in solitude all the
time. However, now I talk pretty much every day with my “virtual” studio mate,
Terri Kasuba. (kasubadesign.com) We met at an art event in NYC, but actually
only live 10 minutes from each other. It’s so great having someone nearby to
chat with about art, illustration, licensing as well as work/life balance and
being an artist while being a parent of 2 kids. We try to meet up once a week
to talk shop, give and get feedback, or sometimes go on inspirational field
trips to places like amazing gift stores (puccimanuli.com), Anthropologie, and
Longwood Gardens.
I work from 9-3 till the kids come home.
I check my weekly and daily to do list and figure out my day. Usually it is
some combination of design and illustration jobs. At 4, depending on my
workload, I either stop or keep going. I try to do something that is not on the
computer every day—if even only for 10 minutes. At least one of my kids usually
has some sort of activity, so I go there and try to be productive either in my
sketchbook or by bringing trend research or books. I also do a daily project
online, so I have to make sure I fit that in at some point. Right now as part
of the 100 day project, I’m doing 100 days of happy. That was inspired by my
ever smiling 6 year old and her need to draw smiley faces on everything!
I used to be a night owl, but not so
much anymore. (Unless I need to for a work deadline.) I try to go to bed by 11.
I usually fall asleep to a podcast. (I like listening to Rachel Maddow and 99%
Invisible in the evening and Creative Peptalk, All the Wonders, and The Jealous
Curator while I work.)
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| Oh, yeah, baby!! |
A: Perhaps that things come full circle
and things happen for a reason. After college, I was a graphic designer, for
many years. (Though I always kept a sketchbook as an outlet) I lived in NYC,
then Boston and back to NYC. I began to have an interest in greeting card
design and licensing. I signed up for a class at the School of Visual Arts in
NYC and the following morning, after the very first class, was 9/11. My life
changed course. I left NYC for what I thought would be a temporary move to
Philadelphia, but then a few years later I found a newfound interest in and
love for print-making and making books and went back to school for it. While
finishing my MFA I also met my husband. Fast forward a few years, and after a
few art classes I was able to find my voice and finally combine my graphic
design, with my illustration, with my printmaking and begin to earn income from
making/creating/designing art. Last year I was fortunate to illustrate a few
picture books. I feel very fortunate I can make art that brings a smile to
peoples faces as well as be able to “create” for a living and get paid for it. From
my early days of being a junior art director at an direct mail ad agency in
NYC, never would I have imagined being where I am today, but I wouldn't trade
it for anything. (Though I do miss living in NYC!)
Q: Describe your most perfect day.
A: I wake up. It’s sunny.
Drink delicious coffee. Go running. Have a great run. Come back to find my
children playing together having sweet, innocent, and hilarious conversations
amongst their Lego figures, Shopkins and magna tiles. The NY Times has been
delivered and I can lounge on the screened in patio for a bit. An over-medium
egg and fresh avocado toast appear on my table. We all go someplace as a family
and everyone agrees on where we should go for lunch. Its 81 degrees and I can
wear a t-shirt, jeans and flip flops. At some point, I make a drawing (or 12)
and they all turns out amazing! The kids go to bed without too much drama and I
get to watch a show on Netflix with my husband before going to bed. I also
snack on pretzels. I love pretzels!