Debbie Ohi's Creative Process

Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the author and illustrator of such classics as I'M BORED, SEA MONKEY & BOB, and her lates SAM & EVA. We've been online friends for eons, so I've had the pleasure of watching her career take off. Happily, Debbie is here today to share how she does it...

e: What is your creative process, can you walk us through it?
Debbie: For picture books I am writing as well as illustrating, I start with an idea notebook. I have a bunch:       Some are for sketching and doodling, some are for new book ideas or writing snippets, some are for both. I also have virtual idea notebooks but I lean toward paper notebooks because I find them more conducive to stream-of-consciousness scribbling, brainstorming idea maps and doodling. One of my notebooks is just for poetry; I try to read and write a poem a day.
      Here’s a sample from one of my creative notebooks:       For illustrating, I usually start with figuring out the main characters. I also need to make a decision about what medium to use.For Sea Monkey & Bob written by Aaron Reynolds, I went through a lot of experimentation:       I also work on thumbnail sketches to figure out pacing and overall flow.       In case any other children’s book writers and illustrators find them useful, I’ve provided the templates I use on my blog: CLICK HERE.
      Once I think I’m happy with my basic thumbnail sketches, then I create full-size sketches and start working on those and then send them to my art director (in the case of Sea Monkey & Bob, my art director was the awesome Laurent Linn). When I get feedback from my art director, I’ll work on the next round of sketches. At some point, I’ll get the go-ahead to move to final art.

e: What is your medium?
Debbie: I work with different types of media, depending on the project. For most of my book projects, I have worked digitally. When I work digitally, I use an Intuos Wacom tablet and pen with Photoshop:       But I also experiment a lot with non-digital tools and materials.
      This past year, I’ve become obsessed with fountain pens and fountain pen ink:
      I also love doodling with found objects like used teabags:       and shadows:       and broken crayons: e: What do you think makes an illustration magical, what I call "Heart Art” - the sort that makes a reader want to come back to look again and again?
Debbie: I think that Heart Art makes a reader feel an emotional connection with something in the illustration and (ideally) helps them understand themselves and their place in the world a bit better.

e: What is your favourite or most challenging part of being a creator?
Debbie:
My favourite part:
      When the rest of the world falls away as you lose yourself in the act of creating.
My least favourite part:
      When I find myself stressing about things in the business that are mostly out of my control, and that interferes will my ability to create. I once heard Shaun Tan give a talk at an SCBWI conference about how useful it was for children’s book writers and illustrators to create a “bubble of delusion” in which they could feel safe to create, a mental space in which they felt positive about themselves and their work and knew they COULD do great work.       I have never forgotten this advice and have found it incredibly useful.

e: Is there something in particular about this story you hope readers will take away with them, perhaps something that isn’t immediately obvious?
Debbie: I have learned that no matter how busy you are, no matter what you’re working on, it’s so important to always make time to PLAY.       I have found that if I don’t make time to play, then my creativity well dries up.

e: What are you working on next?
Debbie: Right now I’m:
- Illustrating I’M SAD, a story written by Michael Ian Black that is the sequel to I’M BORED.
- Working on my next solo picture book project idea.
- Working on a new middle-grade novel.
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Thank you for having me on your blog!
Debbie
e: Thanks for stopping by!