John Owens' ONE SUMMER UP NORTH

I don't know if you've noticed, but there seems to be a flurry of books about reconnecting with nature during this pandemic. I find them equally relaxing, calming, and charming. Like this one, ONE SUMMER UP NORTH by John Owens. He stopped by to share the process behind making this wonderful hand-held adventure. e: What inspired ONE SUMMER UP NORTH?
John: In the short time I’ve been canoeing, trips to the BWCAW (Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness), a unique wilderness area in northern Minnesota have inspired me for a variety of reasons. My inspiration comes first from being physically challenged as in paddling across lakes and portaging between them, navigating, camping, and being attuned to the ever-changing weather. Most lakes in the BWCAW are not open to motor activity, and so the experience takes me into a wilder environment, inspiring me to contemplate our planet and improve my own stewardship of it. Finally, exploring new vistas is a major in-spiration. Many of the scenes in the book are based on or inspired by actual areas I’ve been. These all compelled me to share and illustrate a visual story hopefully in an evocative way.

e: What was your creative process/medium, can you walk us through it?
John: The process starts with sketching scenes I want to show, images I have in my head or referenced from photos I’ve taken.These sketches may start very small as thumbnails in my sketchbook but eventually end up at full scale. As the story progresses these scenes might change dramatically, they might stay the same, or they might be edited out when the story form is seen together as a whole. Some of the images I liked most were edited out for the sake of the storyline.
Working on process also includes lists and studies of what I want included in the story, such as wildlife, flora, mood, color scheme, etc. I take photos for reference, and have a good memory for certain kinds of scenes and even moods I’d like to replicate. One example of mood that comes across well in the book is a scene on a cliff top picking blueberries in the bright afternoon sunlight. A friend and I stopped at a similar spectacular spot, picked berries and relaxed before paddling on to our destination. The medium I used for this book was colored pencil (Faber-Castell Schwartz Black) to draw in all the scenes and values on Bristol board. For this particular book I wanted the richness of the marks to show and using this particular col-ored pencil provides the very rich dark I was looking for with loads of texture. The limited color palette was added later digitally. e: What was your path to publication?
John: I’ve been pursuing illustration since college when I earned a B.A. in graphic design. After working for a few years, I returned to school for my M.F.A. in fine art. I was always one of the designers who liked to draw more than design, but had no specific avenue to get me where I wanted to go. After working with two amazing advisors, Frank Stack, and William Berry, I pursued teaching and free-lance illustration always with the thought of working on a picture book. One early inspiration for me is a book called Writing with Pictures by Uri Schulevitz. I was also for a time a member of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), and did extensive research on getting published, along with attending a couple of conferences. In the summer of 2011, I took a week long course with noted Caldecott winning illustrator, Eric Rohmann. This course was where I gained confidence and learned more about character de-velopment, and emphasising mood.
      I took on this picture book, ONE SUMMER UP NORTH, after visiting the BWCAW for the third time and getting hooked on canoe-camping. When I submitted my material to the publisher, I had very clear and specific thumbnail layout sketch-es of the whole book, most of the pages were sketched out to scale, along with two finished color examples showing final technique and style.
e: Is there a unique or funny story behind the creation of ONE SUMMER UP NORTH?
John: The look and style of the book could have turned out much different. In the process of creating the imagery I toyed with using other techniques and ap-proaches that ranged from cartoony to a more painterly approach. In the end I wanted to use a drawing medium that reminded me somewhat of lithographic mark-making. 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?
John: The BWCAW is a special place for me, and to many people not just in Minnesota but around the world. I didn’t grow up in Minnesota and so came to this area late in life. The first year I moved to Minneapolis I took a class at the local REI on how to navigate and visit the BWCA. It took me another 15 years to ac-tually do it! Once I visited I went back, on my third trip I decided to create the book. Most picture books that draw me in personally are evocative of some shared experience, place, or time. Though many people looking at the book may not have been camping or canoeing, (especially in the BWCAW) in some way If I as an illustrator can accomplish providing that evocative experience in my pictures I’ve succeeded in achieving my goals. Hopefully the book will in-spire new generations to actually visit the BWCAW. e: How do you advertise yourself (or do you)?
John: Mostly through word of mouth, my web site, and social media. www.johnowensdraws.com. (Here's a self-portrait.) e: What is your favorite or most challenging part of being a creator?
John: My favorite and most challenging part of creating a picture book is working on the process. My illustration has always been very heavily drawing based. From sketching little ideas and forms to creating full size illustrations I find the whole process satisfying and challenging. I guess you could say, it’s the journey not the end. e: Is there something in particular about ONE SUMMER UP NORTH you hope readers will take away with them, perhaps something that isn’t immediately obvious?
John: That the BWCAW is a unique area to visit, and a wilderness area worth preserving for future generations. Most people looking at the book will fall into two camps, those who have experienced exactly what I’m portraying, and those who haven’t. I hope this sparks an interest in learning more about this spectacular area if they haven’t and bring back good memories to those who have.

e: What are you working on next or what would be your dream project?
John: What I’m working on next is my dream project, ONE WINTER UP NORTH. This opportunity to show the BWCAW in all four seasons is my ultimate goal and Winter is the next challenge. Stay tuned!

e: Can't wait to see it!

Check out the new Educational Companion to the book! CLICK HERE


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