Without fail, every time I open a new picture book I immediately look for its unique design elements. Is the dust jacket different than the case cover? Are the endpapers decorative, and do they hint at events in the story? And, of course, what do the illustrations accomplish? To me, it's imperative that the images carry their own unique story apart from the text, and the illustrators who can walk that fine line between staying true to the written text and adding in another layer of story are worthy of praise.
Let's Talk Illustrators is a series that explores the methods, media, and inspiration illustrators use to create visual worlds and narratives in children's picture books. I hope to shine a light on the skillfully conscious and wonderfully accidental details that pull us back to our favorite picture books time and time again.
Here are the illustrators I've had the pleasure of interviewing so far:
Ged Adamson
Basak Agaoglu
Chris Appelhans
William Bee
Jonathan Bentley
Thi Bui
Ruth Chan
Matthew Cordell
Antje Damm
Suzanne Del Rizzo
Mariachiara di Giorgio
Hélène Druvert
Carson Ellis
Deborah Freedman
Emily Gravett
Rebecca Green
Guridi
Rebecca Hahn
Katie Harnett
Ryan T Higgins
Janet Hill
Molly Idle
AN Kang
Jon Klassen
Joseph Kuefler
Suzy Lee
David Litchfield
Corinna Luyken
Deborah Marcero
Tim Miller
Daniel Miyares
Zachariah OHora
Kenard Pak
LeUyen Pham
Greg Pizzoli
Christian Robinson
Alessandro Sanna
Francesca Sanna
Júlia Sardà
Esmé Shapiro
Sydney Smith
Joe Todd-Stanton
Anna Walker
Brendan Wenzel
Bethan Woollvin
I occasionally chat with authors as well:
