Horn Book interview!!
And how an Eliza Kinkz scribblez a book!
A few months back I got the opportunity to do an interview with Roger Sutton of Horn Book fame!
It was all about the book I illustrated Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock which was written by the doubly SWEET, and FUNNY Jesús Trejo.
It was dual released in Español as well as El Barrilito Mágico de Papá, and Jesús’s partner Adria Marquez provided the Spanish Translation. Which was awesome as she is from El Paso, and I loved that it gave the book some Texan flair.
During the interview, I was asked about how exactly I create books…here is the magical excerpt below where I rambled like a Mad Lib…which I tend to do when I get excited.
RS: You both do this deceptively casual thing, Jesús, you with words, and Eliza, you with the pictures. I wouldn’t call them childlike exactly, but there’s something cartoonish in a good way about them. Just like the way Jesús tells us the story in a very natural way, it seems to flow very naturally from moment to moment.
EK: It took me a long time to get the line quality where it looks like it just happened!
The way I paint is I draw out an illustration ahead of time, figure out how and where I want the drawing to be. And then I paint separately.
I think it’s something left over from working in animation.
I lay the drawing on a light table, then I put my watercolor piece of paper on top, and then I’ll mark where stuff is supposed to be, but it’s not exact at all.
I will do the whole picture book, every part of it, all at once.
I’ll have all the drawings laid out along all the edges of my studio.
If a certain type of green is called for here, I’ll mix that green, and I’ll go through (and it will be very fast, because I’m trying to make this green last before it runs out), and I’ll just keep going back and going around and around and around until it’s finally all done. I should say that I plan it ahead.
I figure out what colors are going to go where. I have a little map on my computer, but it’s still not exact.
At least for me, because that also leaves something, the sort of chaos of it for a second. There’s a second in there where I’m like, What’s going on? What am I doing? But then I get to that hill, and it’s like a slide all the way down. And then when I assemble the painting from the drawing, I put them together in the computer, it’s always this moment of, What’s it going to look like? And sometimes I’m like, Oh my god, I didn’t even know that was going to happen, and I get so excited.
There’s a moment I love in the book where Jesús is hugging his mom, and it’s like his mom is absorbing his hug, and she’s absorbing some of him.
RS: How it should be.
EK: Yeah, it’s what a hug should be. It’s a happy accident that then isn’t an accident. So I question, is it an accident?
Reading the article made me SO CONFUSED!
I felt like I sounded like I was spinning around in circles the whole time…
which I do not do as BARF.
So I decided I really want to thoroughly explain how I create my chaos as it is definitely easier to understand with pictures. Which makes sense since I’m an Illustrator as well as author. I NEEDS BOTH!
So HERE we go…
At the beginning I will get the manuscript, and doodle all over it as it reminds me of being a kid. I’ll figure out what words will go on what pages. I don’t pay attention to pagination or art notes. So if I ever work with you, know that I will probably cross out any on your manuscript.
My favorite images that appear are the ones that actually make it to the finished book.
Like the ones I circled...
Yep, I don’t want them. Because I’m looking to play with your words.
I don’t want you managing my play, no offense.
As magic comes from play, not from a set of rules to follow.
And the way I work is like a dance. I want to dance with you!!
I want to make our book sing, and I want you to let me be free to play my part in that creation.
AND I want to say my author Jesús Trejo was so giving, and lovely with letting me PLAY!
Now LA LA LAaaaa back to explanation-land!
At the same time I'll be figuring out how the characters look. Honestly, I find this to be the most stressful part of the book process for me. Just so many wonderful options!
Arghhhhh THE PAIN! At some points I’ll feel close to the brink of insanity.
After testing many many MANY looks, I'll start narrowing down my character choices to a few options. BUT, I only choose characters I don't mind drawing again and again...as I want it to be FUN for me. (Red circles start the narrowing down process.)
PRO TIP: I NEVER SEND A DRAWING I HATE. EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER!!!
As every experienced Illustrator knows of the curse that makes your client/publisher choose the drawing you hate. ( I don’t know what that illustrator did to that witch!)
Once I have a few options I could handle drawing for the rest of my like…(seriously who knows what book you may be known for the rest of your days.) The drawings are sent to my Art Director, and the Editorial team who give some final feedback. Sometimes the Author weights in, sometimes they don’t…really varies on the team, and publishing house.
There’s usually a lot of back, and forth from there. For example, they like J3 and I did some revisions like making him look younger, different outfit….The same happens for all the main characters. Revise, and revise until everyone is happy.
(ALSO, this is when the book had a different title! Sometimes there’s some going back, and forth on the title until the deadline. Which I totally understand as the title is the first thing a reader sees. You want it to make them curious, and like they can’t stand not to grab the book!)
From there I do a final character sheet of all characters, more for my reference so I can pay attention to different sizes for consistency.
But, I’m not a fan of staying completely on model. I feel like it’s adds life to not really truly be stringent…as we are all not walking around looking our best at all times!
From there it's on to thumbnails, or I probably have already been working on them in between waiting for feedback on character designs....
What you are not seeing here is me cutting out, and taping down different sequences as I edit. Or sometimes an image has to move to make room for a full spread. It’s like a big puzzle, and my favorite kind to solve. Hmmm maybe that’s why I don’t really ever get into jigsaw puzzles. It’s NOT A DUMMY!
After some rounds of revision with my Editorial Team, it's on to the dummy with the text laid out.
Once the dummy is approved, I get out my paper, and start drawings out much more detailed drawings. I usually print out the sketches, and use a light table. That way I have a base to work off of, but I’m not strict with my line. I allow myself to play, change, or add randomness.
AND suddenly a huge PILE of drawings appears….usually on my floor.
At this point, I start to figure out a color guide for the entire book on my computer.
As it's easier to test colors on the computer, and make sure colors correctly repeat in spreads. I figure out how entire sequences are going to look, or if a color needs to represent certain emotional sequences in the book.
I usually refer to this as my battle plan as well! As I’ll be referring to it the whole time I am painting.
So here’s a big important part of the process as it’s a key piece to my work. As I want to keep the life of the art ALWAYS. But after so much prep, it can disappear in the final art pieces.
So I then take my finished drawing...
and put a fresh sheet of watercolor paper over it, and sketch something like this on that new sheet!
I do this with EVERY drawing as I don't want to be restricted in my paint strokes. AND I DO ALL THESE UNDER PAINTING DRAWINGS AT ONCE!!
As when I begin to paint, it’s painting the entire book at once. As I want the colors of paint I mix to be accurate for the entire book. So eventually my studio looks like this as I lay them all out, and start to paint.
Slowly, but surely it gets done.
Here is a video of the painting madness that I posted on my instagram.
Once they are all painted, I start scanning them in to combine the line drawing, and the painting together in the computer.
This is the part where I get most EXCITED as it's always so fun to see what it will look like, and what happy accidents will be revealed.
TA-DAH!!!!!
From there I'll do some color correction, and digital collage to make sure the image is readable for the book.
Phew! Makes me tired just looking at this, but FELIZ! From here I’ll be assembling each drawing the same way, and eventually sending to my Art Director who will assemble the book! Speaking of…BIG SHOUT out to my amazing AD Amelia Mack who pushed my artwork to a whole new level with this book. And to our amazing Editor Maria Russo!!! There are honestly so many wonderful people to thank here. As many at a publishing house help make a Picture Book special, and each book is truly a team effort.
Hope this gave a BETTER EXPLAINATION then my interview. Feel free to hit me with any other questions in the comments, and GRACIAS for reading!
PS Check out this amazing panel that Roger Sutton moderated about James Marshall back in 2008!