Let's Talk Illustrators #383: Lauren Tamaki

I got a chance to chat with Lauren Tamaki, illustrator most recently of A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests, written by Caroline Adderson. We talked about what Lauren uses to create her illustrations and how her process has changed across her impressive roster of books. Enjoy learning more!

About the book:

Bashō, a 17th-century poet on an evening walk, stops to rest next to a murky old pond. Here, readers may expect he will encounter the frog that inspired his renowned poem:

Old pond--

Frog jumps in

Splash!

But before the frog came the mosquito, who smells blood: "My life?" she whines, "It could fill a book of poetry!" And before the mosquito came the lily, who perfumes the air, hoping to be immortalized in a poem. And before the lily came the carp, who flutters her tail in the poet's face.

In a twist that would have delighted Bashō, a Zen Buddhist, the fame-seeking creatures cause only their own suffering. Instead, the inspiration for Bashō's poem comes from a frog that only wants a morning swim. Splash!

Check out the endpapers:

Let's talk Lauren Tamaki!

LTPB: How did you become the illustrator of A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests? What were the first images that popped into your mind when you saw Caroline Adderson’s text?

LT: Groundwood’s wonderful editor Karen Li reached out and I couldn’t resist! Caroline Adderson’s charming text jumped, wafted and buzzed off the page. I could hear the characters so clearly. The first time I read the manuscript was out loud to my husband on a camping trip! Maybe it was the very real mosquitos I was dealing with but it was that creepy character that flew fully formed into my brain.

LTPB: What did you find most difficult in creating this book? What did you find most rewarding?

LT: Fresh challenges arise with every book! This is my third picture book and this time I set out to create the paintings without too much digital intervention. There was the additional curveball of the story taking place at night; I primarily create my line work on white backgrounds. We also couldn’t use white text for production reasons, which meant I had to create areas that were light enough to read the text but dark enough that the nocturnal mood was maintained.

LTPB: What is the first thing you do when you receive a new project? How do you make a conscious effort to tailor your illustration style to each new manuscript?

LT: The first thing I always do—whether it’s an editorial commission or a book—is research, research, research. Books have a longer lead time and require much more reference and I revel in maxing out my holds at the library and just… looking at stuff for a while. I love listening to podcasts and watching movies about the subject as well - pretty much anything I can get my hands on!

In terms of style and medium, I always let the project guide me. Seen and Unseen couldn’t have the playful tone of Pond, for example. Seen and Unseen had to feel layered and complex and I wanted Pond to look like a haiku reads: succinct but still lush.

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?

LT: I used acrylic ink for this book and acquired a new-to-me blue because I couldn’t mix the exact shade of indigo I wanted. I use acrylic ink because the applications are endless: it can be washy like watercolour, dense like gouache, it can be used in a nib… I’ve been obsessed since college!

I’ve been working as a commercial illustrator for over a decade and I’m still finding my footing when it comes to creating books. Non-fiction requires much more research and documenting of sources, whereas Pond was all about capturing a mood. Seen and Unseen required about a year and a half of pure research and Every Peach is a Story was based in the emotion of the father daughter team who wrote the book.

I hope one day I can have a streamlined process, but that doesn’t sound like me. I get bored easily!

LTPB: What are you working on now? Anything you can show us?

LT: I am working with my great Seen and Unseen editor Ariel Richardson and the fab Design Director Jennifer Tolo Pierce over at Chronicle on a new non-fiction book! It’s about how books came to be, from oral tradition to now. There’s nothing I can show right now, I’m in my swimming in research phase.

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?

LT: Oh wow! Maybe Gyo Fujikawa? Alice Neel (even though she didn’t do picture books)? Or William Steig? Honestly I’d like to draw it myself. Hopefully I have a life that’s worth an autobiography.

Thanks so much to Lauren for talking to me about this powerful book! A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests published from Groundwood Books in October!

Special thanks to Lauren and Groundwood for use of these images!

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