As we get closer to the spooky season, it seems apt that we begin to spice in some of the spookier books! Today I'm pleased to share my chat with Veronika Kotyk, illustrator of Spooky Celebrations Around the World, who reveals her process for creating the stunningly vibrant illustrations. Don't be spooked, dive into this celebratory book with me!
About the book:
Welcome to the spookiest, and most fun, book of celebrations from around the world!
You'll have heard of Halloween, and maybe Día de Muertos, or Obon too, but did you know there are spooky festivals all over the world?
Across every continent there are festivals that celebrate and honor spirits. Children will delight in discovering the stories behind these 21 amazing celebrations.
You'll have heard of Halloween, and maybe Día de Muertos, or Obon too, but did you know there are spooky festivals all over the world?
Across every continent there are festivals that celebrate and honor spirits. Children will delight in discovering the stories behind these 21 amazing celebrations.
Let's talk Veronika Kotyk!
LTPB: How did you become the illustrator of Spooky Celebrations Around the World? Did any imagery or visual themes pop-up in your mind when you first saw the manuscript?
VK: I have always been fascinated by the fun and aesthetics of Halloween. Although we didn't celebrate it when I was growing up in Ukraine, I was captivated by its magic in movies. The experience of trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, creating costumes and homemade treats felt magical and unifying.
When I moved to Canada, I was amazed by how Halloween brightened up the gloomy, cold autumn days and brought a new level of excitement and connection with people.
When I saw the first pages of the manuscript for Spooky Celebrations Around the World, it hit me like a lightning bolt! I realized that Halloween was just the beginning. There are so many old, rich, and unique traditions around the world that honour the dead. I was incredibly excited to explore some of them through the book and hope that our readers will have a similar experience.
LTPB: Can you talk about some of the research you did on each celebration to get the illustrations as accurate as possible? Were there any celebrations in particular you were excited to illustrate?
VK: We had a dream team working on this book! Matt Ralphs gathered all the vital information, exciting facts, old legends, traditions, and recipes. Alice-May and Laura, our editor and designer, collected visual references and guided me throughout the creative journey. I combined all these stories and information with my 'artistic ingredients,' and that’s how we brewed this magical book.
There were several traditions completely new to me, but life has a way of bringing the right people into your path. For example, my friend's husband, who is Korean, explained the gift-giving traditions and preparation of Chuseok treats. He shared visual materials that helped me understand the holiday better. Moments like this enrich my work and bring me closer to my friends and their cultures.
It's hard to choose just one holiday that excited me the most. How can you choose between the spectacular Fête des Masques with its wooden masks and the deeply spiritual and fun Fet Gede? I dream of experiencing at least half of these amazing celebrations in the next ten years!
LTPB: What did you find most difficult in creating this book? What did you find most rewarding?
VK: The most difficult part was maintaining the magical and spooky tone of the book without veering into science fiction. There was a temptation to add extra spookiness with elements like flying UFOs, werewolves, and movie monsters. However, since this is an educational project, it was crucial to keep it spooky yet realistic. Alice-May and Laura played a key role in helping me avoid crossing that line.
The most rewarding part was seeing the reactions of my friend's kids when they saw the author's copy. It's tough to compete with video games and social media, but they were fully absorbed by the book. The excitement on their faces was priceless!
LTPB: What did you use to create the illustrations in this book? Is this your preferred medium? How does your process change from book to book?
VK: I'm a big fan of mid-century modern, constructivism, and art nouveau. I wanted to create illustrations that were not only fun but also visually appealing for both kids and adults. I started with quick sketches, figuring out which scenes would go on each book spread. It's a bit like film directing—choosing the key scenes from the story and putting them all together.
After the initial sketches, I created a limited colour palette. For me, colours are like a tuning fork for a musician; they help keep everything organized and, combined with shapes, create magic. My process is pretty straightforward: I start with plain white paper and a soft pencil for the rough drafts, then move on to digital finishing in Procreate and Photoshop.
In every book, I try something new, whether it's adding more texture, rough paint, or sketchy lines. But my love for bold colours and sharp forms remains consistent.
LTPB: What are you working on now? Anything you can show us?
VK: I have always been fascinated by the fun and aesthetics of Halloween. Although we didn't celebrate it when I was growing up in Ukraine, I was captivated by its magic in movies. The experience of trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, creating costumes and homemade treats felt magical and unifying.
When I moved to Canada, I was amazed by how Halloween brightened up the gloomy, cold autumn days and brought a new level of excitement and connection with people.
VK: We had a dream team working on this book! Matt Ralphs gathered all the vital information, exciting facts, old legends, traditions, and recipes. Alice-May and Laura, our editor and designer, collected visual references and guided me throughout the creative journey. I combined all these stories and information with my 'artistic ingredients,' and that’s how we brewed this magical book.
There were several traditions completely new to me, but life has a way of bringing the right people into your path. For example, my friend's husband, who is Korean, explained the gift-giving traditions and preparation of Chuseok treats. He shared visual materials that helped me understand the holiday better. Moments like this enrich my work and bring me closer to my friends and their cultures.
VK: The most difficult part was maintaining the magical and spooky tone of the book without veering into science fiction. There was a temptation to add extra spookiness with elements like flying UFOs, werewolves, and movie monsters. However, since this is an educational project, it was crucial to keep it spooky yet realistic. Alice-May and Laura played a key role in helping me avoid crossing that line.
The most rewarding part was seeing the reactions of my friend's kids when they saw the author's copy. It's tough to compete with video games and social media, but they were fully absorbed by the book. The excitement on their faces was priceless!
VK: I'm a big fan of mid-century modern, constructivism, and art nouveau. I wanted to create illustrations that were not only fun but also visually appealing for both kids and adults. I started with quick sketches, figuring out which scenes would go on each book spread. It's a bit like film directing—choosing the key scenes from the story and putting them all together.
VK: Unfortunately, I can't show any unfinished projects, but I can reveal that next year, in addition to Spooky Celebrations Around the World, the dream team and I will be working on a new book about Winter Celebrations. I'm really excited about this project!
LTPB: If you got the chance to write your own picture book autobiography, who (dead or alive!) would you want to illustrate it, and why?
VK: It's really hard to pick just one illustrator! I would split the book into as many chapters as possible and have a different illustrator work on each one. I'd love to see Miroslav Šašek, Grasya Oliyko, Matt Hunt, and Olga Shtonda bring their unique styles to the book. They all use bold colours, crisp shapes, and quirky characters, which would bring my story to life.
LTPB: If you got the chance to write your own picture book autobiography, who (dead or alive!) would you want to illustrate it, and why?
VK: It's really hard to pick just one illustrator! I would split the book into as many chapters as possible and have a different illustrator work on each one. I'd love to see Miroslav Šašek, Grasya Oliyko, Matt Hunt, and Olga Shtonda bring their unique styles to the book. They all use bold colours, crisp shapes, and quirky characters, which would bring my story to life.
A million thanks to Veronika for taking time to talk about this spooky book! Spooky Celebrations Around the World publishes TODAY from Phaidon Press!
Special thanks to Veronika and Phaidon for use of these images!
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