A.G.: Well, its “just” come out so the impact in terms of my career is yet to be seen. But personally, I’m elated and so is everyone at Chronicle! Its awesome to have a #1 New York Times Bestseller, this is something that has never happened to me. I have had books on the list, but never #1. So we will see where it goes from here, hopefully, this just helps me to keep creating more books, which is what I love to do.
A.G.: As an illustration major in College that bordered pursuing fine arts, I’m a painter at heart. I love using oils and its my favorite medium to work with. But with deadlines, for my first few books I used acrylic because the medium dries quickly. Then I usually do one layer of oil over top of that to give it a polished look. In my later works, I have used water color and colored pencils. For Construction Site on Christmas Night, I used colored pencil and oil pastels in order to stay consistent with the style that Tom Lichtenheld put in place with the first Construction Site book. Oil pastels was a medium I had never used, so it took some time to get used to.
A.G.: I actually signed with my agent Steven Malk, (who is FANTASTIC by the way) when I was a senior at the Columbus College of Art and Design. I emailed Adam Rex (who is also FANTASTIC) just to get some advice about children’s book illustration, and he put me in touch with Steven. From there I would shop my portfolio to publishers in New York until we got a book deal. I have been illustrating books for 10 years now.
A.G.: Well it's VERY unique because the book was already established and had a style in place. I had never drawn someone else’s style for a book so it offered its challenges. Its one of those things where you just have to really critique yourself over and over to make sure you are consistent with the previous books. I have always switched up my style from book to book, so I think versatility is one of my strengths as an artist. Once I got into the project, I started to feel confortable.
A.G.: I will give the simplest answer. “Show the viewer something they’ve never seen before.”
e: That's good! So, what is your favorite or most challenging part of being a creator?
A.G.: I think the most challenging part is just simply what I said in the previous answer, trying to show the viewer something unique, something that will stick with them and is visually stimulating.
A.G.: I just think Sherri Rinker did a wonderful job with the story and its such a great follow up to Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site. Its such a great addition for Construction Site fans!
A.G.: Yes, I actually just finished up a baby book called Brown Baby Lullaby written by Tameka Fryer Brown! My first child inspired me to create images that lead to my first baby book “Littles” written by Kelly DiPucchio.
e: Lovely!
No comments:
Post a Comment