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 tickled strawberry lemonade pink to be catching up with the lovely designer, illustrator and author, Lizzy Doyle! Lizzy's adorable style and friendly, bright children's books are irresistible! She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2012 with a degree in graphic design. Lizzy began her career in publishing designing books, craft kits, and specialty toys. She is now the creator and owner of Lizzy Dee Studio, where she creates cute characters, patterns for apparel and decor, and illustrations for licensing in her New Jersey home. You can enjoy more of Lizzy's sweet artwork here!
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| Twin new releases for the win!! |
Q: You have TWO new board books in Workman Publishing’s Indestructibles series, Taste the Fruit! and Touch Your Nose! Congratulations! Give us the full scoop on these adorable baby books: how they came to be, your working relationship with your publisher and what makes them extra special.
A: Thank you so much, and I’m so excited to chat with you, Jane! When Workman reached out to collaborate on a new high-contrast Indestructibles series, I did a little *dance* at my desk. I was so excited to dig into a well-established series and put my spin on it.
Workman has a fabulous group of designers and editors that shape the books in an encouraging and inspiring way. Our excitement high-fived through the internet and we got started with concepts and sketches. Taste the Fruit! and Touch Your Nose! focus on bold patterns with bright foods and expressive babies. I hope little ones have as much fun looking at the books as I did drawing them.
(Psst! You can get your very own copies here:)
Taste the Fruit!
Touch Your Nose!
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| What a tasty design!! Yum! |
Q: In addition to your newest titles, you have worked on numerous fabulous baby board books before. What unique considerations regarding color and design must be taken into account when specifically working on children’s books in this genre?
A: Children’s growing minds are drawn to bold, bright, contrasting colors that tell a clear story or show something new to learn. High-contrast black, white, and brights are especially engaging to newborns whose eyesight is still developing. I love drawing the big eyes and little smiles which are also stylistically attractive to little ones. The Indestructibles format makes the art more interactive since the books are chew and rip proof. This makes tummy time way more fun!
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| Baby will have so much much with this book! |
Q: As a freelance illustrator and designer, your portfolio ranges across a variety of markets from children’s books and apparel to package designs and art licensing. How do you balance juggling both promotion and client work in so many different markets?
A: I am fortunate to be signed to the Bright Agency who help me tremendously with curating work. I focus on what is exciting me at the moment and build my portfolio to reflect my current interests. Bright will then send my work to clients or show it off at the many trade shows throughout the year. I also used to work in-house at a few different publishers so I have a lot of friends that I work with sprinkled throughout the industry. The design and illustration community is a very friendly and generous bunch.
Balancing the work is a different story! I am still figuring out my limits on how much work I can handle. I tend to say yes to a lot because it is sooo hard to turn down such adorable projects! I hope to venture into more environmental work. I’m studying plants right now and working on some new art that focuses on the coolest aspects of individual flowers and vegetables.
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| How delightful!!! |
Q: Dish with us about your MOST favorite illustrations projects: one from your past and one from your present.
A: Oooo, this is hard. One of my favorite projects from the past was designing an afternoon tea set with original Alice in Wonderland art. I enhanced the vintage art from a museum collection and arranged the illustrations in new ways on the tea cups, tea pots, mini cake stands, plates, and lots more products. We even got to highlight some of the icons in the art with gold! I use the espresso cups often.
A project from the present that I’m super proud of is my Plants and Pets puzzle with Crocodile Creek. I got to pour my heart into every little leafy detail and hide pets throughout the scene. It’s a greenhouse and pet rescue all in one. My dream come true.
Q: You are an avid collector of oddities and antiques. Tell us a bit about how your collections inspire and influence your artwork as well as which treasure is most beloved.
A: I began collecting antique books at a young age. I was attracted to the printing techniques and the detailed illustrations of plants and animals. I use the antique images in my collage work and draw from the images as reference. There are some unabridged antique dictionaries out there with thousands of pages covered in little drawings and charts. I’m lucky to have two that also double as decorations around the house. I even used some of the collected images in my first book, A B See. I also collect antique cameras, miniature toys, tea cups, and nature items I keep in an enclosed curio cabinet. Grouping and organizing objects together is a theme in my work across multiple styles. It’s satisfying to see an abundance of things working together in a composition.
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| What "eye spy" eye candy! |
Q: Describe your most perfect Sunday.
A: Waking up early and making a hot double espresso, feeding the pets, and taking my puppy for a nice long walk at a nearby nature trail. Being outside and gardening with a nice cocktail would be a great afternoon and just to round out the day, a relaxing read on the porch with the windows open and big cup of tea. Then Monday comes for more drawing and fun projects!
Thanks so much. Lizzy, for chatting it up with us here at Bird Meets Worm! Congratulations on your adorable new books!
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