This month I'm tickled spring azalea pink to be catching up with the lovely Colombian author-illustrator, Juliana Perdomo! I'm total fangirl for Juliana's gorgeous picture books and bold, bright style! She has a background as a psychologist, and as an art therapist she found her passion for children’s literature while working with children through storytelling and drawings. Her work is diverse, personal, a bit retro, joyful, with a Latin touch. Juliana's books include Sometimes All I Need is Me (EJK Writer’s Honor), El Cucuy is Scared Too with Donna Barba Higuera and Can You See It? from the senses series with Susan Verde. You can enjoy more of Juliana's work here!
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| Ooo! What a lovely artist in a lovely space with lovely art! |
Q: I adore your bright, bold illustrations! Chat with us about your creative process—how do you begin a project? What mediums do you like best? And how do you bring it all together for a finished illustration?
A: Thank you! That is very kind of you to say. I start every personal project with an idea. It feels like a spark in my mind, and it happens after seeing something as simple as a beautiful feather laying on the ground, a childhood memory, a smell, a song or something I read that I find interesting.
Sometimes I imagine the idea as an illustration, maybe a character or a landscape. Other times I imagine the words first, and then I connect them with the drawings. I think it is really important to register my thoughts as soon as possible, so I don’t forget them. It’s great to carry sketchbooks around. If I work as an illustrator with another author, I love to read the words many, many times.
I imagine the temperature—is it going to be a cold or a warm palette? How the characters interact with each other through the pages. It helps to draw a very rough sketch to distribute the shapes on the pages first and slowly bring them to life.
I mainly work digitally now, I love using my tablet because the possibilities are infinite. I use simple shapes and then add many layers of textures that I create from photos, or personalized brushes.
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| Yes! Fish and flowers and bird! |
Q: Your home is Bogotá, Colombia. Tell us a bit about how your city and your country inspire your art style, characters and stories.
A: I was born in a culture full of colors, music, dancing, wild animals, fruits, fun flavors, changing weathers according to the altitude and a huge and loving group of people. I feel like I can’t separate that part of me in my work, so it always comes through. It is the core of my inspiration. Since I create from what I know, I feel the stories and illustrations are more sincere.
Q: You have ten published children’s book with four more coming in the next two years! (Wowza! Very exciting!) What do you think is the key to creating children’s books that both kids and parents fall in love with? And how has your background as a psychologist and art therapist influenced your perspective on creating children’s books?
A: I think the key is to always put your heart in everything you do. Love comes through our creations. If you’re not feeling good, it is best to wait and go back to it when your mind is peaceful and centered. I try to treat every project like a cherished treasure, a space I honor with gratitude until it feels joyous.
I feel everything we learn and go through in life always influences our creative projects. As a psychologist and in art therapy I learned to connect with children through storytelling, for many it came so easily to express through words or pictures, and picture books were such a powerful tool as well. I think being so close to different kid’s realities definitely improved my stories and perspectives for creating books.
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| Indeed!! What a powerful sentiment! |
A: My favorite children’s book project from the past, is Sometimes All I Need is Me. It was such a personal story; I feel like it was a part of my heart for many years, and to see it come to life as my authorial debut, and having such a beautiful response from others, has been very moving.
My favorite projects from the future are the senses book series with Susan Verde and How to Eat a Mango with Paola Santos. Both authors and stories resonate so much with my soul.
Q: The field of children’s book publishing is highly competitive. In what ways do you practice resiliency as a creative professional?
A: To be honest I haven’t felt the competition. It is one of the things I feel grateful for about this job. People in this industry are so nice and kind! I love how supportive they have been and I am so lucky to be surrounded by so much talent; everyone inspires me so much! I think there’s an audience for everyone, each style is different.
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| How dreamy! |
Q: Describe your most perfect Sunday.
A: My perfect Sunday would be out in nature with my tribe—husband, son and dogs. We would walk and explore the bewitching greens, have fun, eat sandwiches and lemonade, maybe find a river, and a heart melting sunset.
Thank you SO much, Juliana, for chatting it up with us here at Bird Meets Worm!!