Creator Crush – Illustrator Edition
The First Warm Spring Day. Copyright © Phoebe Wahl 2015.
When I’m not painting, snacking, watching reruns of Curb Your Enthusiasm, or having the time of my life at Illustoria magazine, I spend my days surrounded by children’s books. Specifically, at Mr. Mopps’ Children’s Books, one of the finest bookstore establishments in the Bay Area (if not America, the World, Universe, etc). As an artist and lover of beautiful things, my favorite picture books often tend to be the ones with jaw dropping-ly cool illustrations (that is unless it’s The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak). So it’s with great joy that I share my current illustrator favorites with you. I’ve also included some really awesome up-and-coming artists who haven’t published a children’s book yet, but I really hope they one day do. I hope this list inspires you to visit your local bookstore and support these stellar artists.
1. Phoebe Wahl
Phoebe Wahl is my all time favorite illustrator at the moment. Working in various mix media from collage to watercolor and color pencil, all of Wahl’s creation are lush, whimsical, and filled with a love nature. The artist grew up in Washington and graduated from RISD in 2013 before plunging into the illustrator world. Her very first children’s book, Sonya’s Chicken’s is so wonderful-- I recommend it to everyone who comes into Mr.Mopps’. It tells the story of a young girl named Sonya who takes enormous pride in caring for her chickens. When one of her hens is killed by a neighborhood fox, Sonya learns an important lesson about the cycle of life and how to cope with loss. With gorgeously textured collage materials, rich colors, and folk inspired images, Sonya’s Chickens is a truly mesmerizing, heart warming tale you’ll want to reread again and again. It’s no wonder this book was the recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats award for new illustrators! I’m greatly anticipating Wahl’s next children’s book and whatever spectacular creation she spins up next. You can check out her work at http://www.phoebewahl.com/
Cover of Sonya's Chickens. Copyright © Phoebe Wahl. Published August 2015.
Interior page of Sonya's Chickens. Copyright © Phoebe Wahl. Published 2015.
2. Isabelle Arsenault
Isabelle Arsenault is a Canadian illustrator who has worked on over ten children’s books, each more wonderful than the next. Most recently, she illustrated Cloth Lullaby a tale of the life of world famous contemporary artist Louise Bourgeois, written by talented local author Amy Novesky. What I find stunning about Arsenault’s work is how she seamlessly integrates watercolor and pencil line work to create immersive, often extremely pattern-filled scenes.
Cover of Cloth Lullaby. Copyright © Words by Amy Novesky, Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. Published 2016.
Interior page of Cloth Lullaby. Copyright © Isabelle Arsenault. Published 2016.
Though her style has a sense of innocence and child-like wonder to it, Arsenault isn’t afraid of depicting a darker side. In her graphic novel Jane, the Fox, and Me Arsenault dramatic compositions and devilish character portrayal illustrate the anxiety and angst that we all go through as early teens. More of her work can be found at http://www.isabellearsenault.com/
Interior page of Jane, the Fox, and Me. Copyright © Isabelle Arsenault. Published 2013.
3. Esme Shapiro
Esme Shapiro’s work is delightful, fresh, and filled with curiosity. Similarly to Phoebe Wahl, Shapiro is a RISD grad who just published her first children’s book, Ooko. In this amusing tale, a fox named Ooko who has it all, except for a very best friend. So it goes off an adventure to find a companion but instead gets mistaken as an old lady’s dog. Filled with whimsy, flora, and fauna, Ooka is an easy favorite. Shapiro has many many more imaginative, Maria Kalman-esque pieces on her website http://esmeshapiro.com/
Cover of Ooko. Copyright © Esmé Shapiro. Published 2016.
Page of Ooko. Copyright © Esmé Shapiro. Published 2016.
4. Joohee Yoon
Joohee Yoon is a printmaker whose work never fails to amuse and inspire me. She has illustrated two children’s books, The Tiger Who Would Be King and Beastly Verse, as well as House Plant an art book about plants that outgrow their owners. You might also recognize her work as being a frequent feature in the New Yorker and New York Times. With wonderful overlapping colors and wonderful oversized cartoon characters, Yoon’s work overflows with vivacity and humor. If you’re as big of a fan as screen printing as I am, (or even if you’re not!) her illustrations will tickle you in all the right places. You can check out more of her striking work on her website http://jooheeyoon.com/index.html
Living Things interior spread. Copyright © JooHee Yoon.
Interior page of The Tiger Who Would Be King. Copyright © JooHee Yoon. Published 2015.
Interior Page of Beastly Verse. Copyright © JooHee Yoon. Published 2015.
5. Sally Nixon
Sally Nixon, an illustrator working from Little Rock, Arkansas is one of the raddest artists around. Though she hasn’t come out with any children’s books yet (I hope she will soon!), she’s an honorable mention on this list because she’s without a doubt my creator crush. Nixon lovingly depicts the mundane moments in an average girl’s life, like eating late night snacks of chocolate cake, brushing your teeth in the shower, scrolling through instagram, or simply sitting on the toilet. By giving these often overlooked moments extra attention with delicate marker coloring and detailed penmanship, Nixon makes the everyday special. Her illustrations have a feeling of voyeurism, as if for spectators to see what women do when no one’s watching. At the same time, the contemplative boredom Nixon depicts makes her characters so relatable and well loved. Visit her website at http://sally-nixon.squarespace.com/.
Copyright © Sally Nixon.
Copyright © Sally Nixon.
Copyright © Sally Nixon.
Claire Astrow is a publishing assistant at Illustoria and a recent grad from UC Berkeley as an Art Practice major. Check out her bio here and her illustrated work at claireastrow.com.
ILLUSTORIA Launch Party
Come join us to celebrate the launch of ILLUSTORIA!
Get your hands on our first issue! Meet the staff, color and craft, clink some glasses. Free goodie bags for first 50 kids, so come early. Enjoy snacks, a free photo booth, a chance to win a raffle prize, plus readings by Illustoria's art director, Elizabeth Haidle, and a fave local author, Amy Novesky. We look forward to growing our community of artists, writers, makers, educators, librarians, retailers, and friends--so come join!
When: Saturday, September 17, 2016 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM (PDT) / activities + bubbles + snacks throughout / talks + readings at 3pm / raffle prize drawing at 4pm
Where: Minted Local - 222 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94108
Please RSVP to let us know you will be coming.
Many thanks to our amazing event sponsors, Minted & Sakura of America:
FAQs
Can I invite friends?
Yes! We encourage you to spread the news to all your creative friends and their creative kids.
What activities can we expect for kids?
There will be coloring and crafts, a tattoo station, a free photo booth, and readings from our premiere issue.
Will we be able to purchase issue 1?
Yes! We'll be selling our first issue and you can also purchase a discounted subscription to the magazine.
What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?
Minted Local is just a 1-minute walk from the White House Garage lot and a 4-minute walk from the Montgomery Street BART station.
Where can I contact the organizer with any questions?
Contact hello@illustoria.com with any questions or to RSVP for a large party.
Jules of 7-Imp reviews ILLUSTORIA on Kirkus
Read the full feature on Illustoria on Kirkus Reviews.
I have admired Julie Danielson from afar for a very long time. Many of you likely know her as "Jules" from her amazing blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, which is a goldmine of inspiring, eye-opening interviews with today's most beloved children's books authors and illustrators about their work and the creative process. I was so excited (and a little nervous) to hear that she was interested in reviewing Illustoria on Kirkus Reviews, and simply overjoyed to know that she gives Illustoria her thumbs up. Jules gets right to the heart of why I started the magazine, and how utterly gratifying it is to share a love of books and reading with kids. Read the review, and read Illustoria!
We Heart Sakura
Who doesn't love a maze?! But with a selection of colorful Gelly Roll Pens at our side, doodling and writing takes on another level of playful pleasure. Photo © Melissa Kaseman
When Michaela Yee at Sakura of America heard about us through a Facebook post, she connected with us right away. Aside from the fact that we have an amazing friend (Patricia Wakida of Wasabi Press) in common--one of those connectors of people who attracts artistic, talented, energetic, generous souls into her life--we both knew right away that Sakura and ILLUSTORIA were going to get along like playground pals at recess.
Mark working on the Archidoodle activity for issue 1, with his trusty Micron Pens of course.
While Sakura as a company is nearing its centennial and ILLUSTORIA is just a newborn pup, we have a lot in common. We believe in quality materials, access to artistic expression for all, and keeping creativity alive in both grownups and little ones. I must admit, as the new kid on the block I was already smitten with everything that Sakura represented. Art supplies are one of those pleasures that need not be guilty! Micron Pens are a staple in our house, with my architect-maker husband constantly sketching with his number 01s and 02s and on up the spectrum. The Pigma Sensei Pens are never far out of reach of my 10-year-old comic artist in the making, and my youngest can't get enough of his collection of Gelly Roll Pens.
Paper and ink are so important to me as a reader and as a publisher. I made sure to test out our uncoated interior stock for maximum drawability before we hit the press. The Gelly Roll Pens truly glide smooth as jelly on the pages of our mag, and the ink dries beautifully too--so no unsightly smudging when you flip the page! Photo © Melissa Kaseman
We pretty much as a family tote them around to every and all long car rides and dinners out. I personally use a selection of all the above to capture my wandering thoughts and doodles. There's really something so satisfying about putting not just pen to paper but really lovely ink that glides oh-so smoothly and beautifully. The words and illustrations somehow look more intelligent and attractive on the page. Really, it does!
A selection of colorful Gelly Roll Pens on our table beckons the creative (and silly!) spirit in all of us.
For Sakura, then, to see this new fledgling indie press and believe in us from the start--with no track record to show of but a lot of heart, enthusiasm, a dedicated team of contributors and a mission to inspire artistic expression, they proved to me that they are true supporters of the creativity cause. Their motto celebrates the "Power To Express" and we at ILLUSTORIA couldn't agree more. May we all tap into our own artistic expression and find the tools that work best for us individually, for our own daily creative practices.
A very hearty thanks to our issue 1 sponsor, Sakura of America, for your support of us and your dedication to creative expression in all ages!
Creator Crush: Cece Bell!
When the book EL DEAFO begins, Cece is 4. When it ends, she is about 10 or 11. Cece used these photos to help "age" the bunny version of herself as the book progresses. Photos and art © Cece Bell.
I first heard the adorable name "Cece Bell" spoken of while working as an editor at Lucasfilm. At the time, I was co-editing Tom Angleberger’s Origami Yoda series. I’ll never forget Tom visiting our offices and gifting me an origami R2-D2 that he folded himself. There were many perks of working at Lucasfilm, and receiving an origami Star Wars character by Tom in all his stookiness was most definitely, geekishly one of them. But I had no idea that I would soon meet Tom’s wife, Cece Bell, and be blown away by her own amazing work as a children’s book author and illustrator. I met Cece only briefly at a BEA in New York a couple years ago, where she was signing galleys of her book El Deafo. The booth was crowded with Cece fans and the galleys were quickly disappearing, but I was fortunate to snatch one up.
Illustration © 2014 by Cece Bell; Design by Caitlin Keegan and Chad W. Beckerman. Published by Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams.
When I returned home to California, I couldn't wait to get El Deafo into the hands of my eight-year-old daughter. As I predicted, she gulped down the book in one sitting—meaning she did come up for air several times to point out some particularly hilarious excerpt from the book. (“Mom—look down your shirt and spell ‘attic’!”) The rest of the time she stayed quietly and contemplatively behind closed doors, unwilling to pull her eyes from the page—just as her mom did (sometimes teary-eyed with sadness sometimes teary-eyed with laughter) on that plane ride back to Oakland. When months later she and I discovered El Deafo in all its full-color, award-winning glory at the bookstore, we were overjoyed by its brilliance. It didn't occur to us that we had been missing anything at all in the uncolored proof.
When Cece's character can't hear anything, the speech balloons are empty. Art © Cece Bell.
El Deafo is a phenomenal graphic novel memoir based on Cece’s childhood experiences with hearing loss and hearing aids. It also chronicles her quest to find true friendship. The graphic novel format is a perfect medium for Cece's story, where pictures and words (in some cases, the lack of words) powerfully demonstrate what her character is experiencing.
The elaborate Phonic Ear hearing aid and microphone set-up had Cece feeling like a superhero with superpowers! But most of the time she just felt like a confused kid. Was she deaf? And what did that mean? Art © Cece Bell.
Read Cece’s firsthand account on the making of El Deafo in our premiere issue and learn about her creative process as an artist and writer. In the meantime, here's an extended version of our Q&A with Cece.
Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?
I grew up in a little city called Salem, in the southwestern part of Virginia. Now I live in an old church just a half-an-hour away, but more in the mountains (and therefore, in the boonies!).
What were you like as a kid?
I was driven to do well and pushed myself hard. I wanted people to think of me as “that smart girl in our class” instead of as “that deaf girl in our class.” I loved making people laugh, especially my older siblings. My sense of humor veered toward the absurdist...and the naughty!
What were some of your favorite childhood books?
Our Animal Friends of Maple Hill Farm by the Provensens
The Meanest Squirrel I Ever Met by Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Ed Emberley’s drawing books
Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad series
Judy Blume's books
Beverly Cleary's books
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
When did you know you wanted to be an artist and writer?
I started to figure the art stuff out in college. I had always loved drawing, but never really saw a career in it until I saw other kids making a go of it. As to the writing, no one would hire me to illustrate their children’s books, so I realized I had to write my own books and make my own path.
Who or what inspires you?
My husband, author/illustrator Tom Angleberger, is a huge source of inspiration. He's so encouraging...and he's so good, which triggers my competitive reflexes to be better and to make more stuff.
When do you feel your most creative?
In the morning, when the house is quiet and nothing has happened yet.
Do you have a favorite type of pen, or brush, or paper for drawing with?
I like lots of media and have to admit that I love drawing on my Wacom Cintiq. I love to draw LINES so simple pen-and-ink is a favorite. Gouache! Watercolors! But no oil paints, ick. If I could make a book with illustrations made of felt and colored thread, I'd do it. Love that stuff.
What advice would you share with young aspiring artists?
If you aren't enjoying it, don't do it!
Thank you, Cece, for your words of wisdom and for sharing El Deafo with us!
Who We Are: Genny McAuley
illustration by Agnes Lee
Name: Genny McAuley
Location: San Francisco, California
Profession: Book Peddler at Chronicle Books & florist
Genny with Grumpy Cat
Favorite artist/illustrator: Jon Stich & Oliver Jeffers
Best book you've read in the past year: The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau
Kids' book you could read every night: Weird Parents by Audrey Wood or Bears on Chairs by Shirley Parenteau
Best memory of being a kid: Going on road trips with my family. One time, we all went camping in Yosemite and after the first night, my mom and I decided we were too cold/the ground was no fun to sleep on so we left the boys in the woods and drove to my grandmother's house for the rest of the long weekend. I like camping now, but it was fun to fly by the seat of our pants and surprise my grandma with a visit from her girls!
Favorite weekend activity: Weeding the garden with my 18-month old nephew
Song currently on repeat: (this is embarassing) "Sorry" by Justin Beiber and (this isn't so embarassing) "Standing In the Shadow of Love" by The Four Tops
Genny dressed as an 80s hip hop cat (duh)
Favorite meal: A giant nicoise salad and chocolate coconut ice cream for dessert
Last time you made something with your hands: Yesterday! I put together many bouquets and hand-wrote notes for their recipients
Fun fact about you: My left eyebrow was born turning down at the end--it's grown up that way, too, and everything turned out all right!
Making a Magazine: Inside Issue 1
Snapshot of our Issue 1 Contents
Some of you have been asking about what you can expect to find in our premiere issue. After some months of feeling like an overprotective mama bear guarding her treasured babes, I'm finally ready to let these cubs roam just a tiny bit away from their cave.
In issue 1 you'll find interviews with Aaron Becker, Caldecott Honor award-winning author/illustrator of Journey; Newbery and Eisner award-winning graphic novelist Cece Bell; and chef Rayneil De Guzman of Ramen Shop Oakland. You'll read original essays by artists including the celebrated singer, violinist and master whistler Andrew Bird. You'll also discover original comics, illustrations, and stories by a list of swoon-worthy contributors including Lark Pien, David Goldin, Zack Soto, Laurel Snyder, Molly Maeda, Martin Cendreda, Andrew Jaffe, Katherine Tsina Bird, Zack Giallongo, Lisa Maloof, Leela Corman, Thien Pham, Teri Sloat, Brave the Woods and more. With activities, book reviews, music recommendations and a recipe to boot, kids and grownups are sure to find inspiration in these packed 64 pages of joyful visual storytelling and creative expression.
It's impossible to choose favorites, but I'm quite proud to be premiering Elizabeth Haidle's Literary Giants as Kids series, with the first of this 2-page Docu-comix featuring Maya Angelou and her remarkable story from silenced child to internationally renowned poet. I'm also especially thrilled to be sharing Cece Bell's story about the making of her graphic novel memoir, El Deafo, with an audience of young readers who will surely be as moved and inspired by Cece's making-of story as they are of her unforgettable, brilliant book.
Get ready: in just a couple months, these cubs will be off and running, roaming their way into your city, town, and (if you subscribe) mailbox. For now, I hope our issue 1 contents give you a sense of the fresh, new ideas we've been brewing up here at ILLUSTORIA and entices you to join us!
Who We Are: Marc Weidenbaum
illustration by Agnes Lee
Name:
Marc Weidenbaum
Location:
The Richmond District, San Francisco, California
Profession:
writer/editor
Favorite artist/illustrator:
That's a tough call. I'm purposefully only listing here the names of people I've never worked with. For superhero comics it's been a tight race between Frank Quitely and Chris Bachalo for a long time, with David Aja and Adrian Alphona also prominently in the mix.
Chris Bachalo gets some young X-Men into surreal trouble.
In a more "literary comics" realm, right now I'm pretty fixated on Jillian Tamaki and Jason Shiga — Shiga especially as a visual-narrative thinker. Honestly, there are so many great artists working these days, I'd have a hard time keeping this list to under 50 names. In manga, I spend too much time lost in the work of Jiro Taniguchi and Yuichi Yokoyama. There's are so many I'd put as these folks' equals. We live in a Golden Age — oh, Golden Age is taken, so make that Platinum Age — of insanely fluid, original, varied comics art.
And speaking of surreal, here's a very dreamy image by Jillian Tamaki.
Best book you've read in the past year:
I don't think I've super-loved any of the books I've read in the past year. The best is probably Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. Starts off with a planet-wide catastrophe, and then speeds into the future.
Kids book you could read every night:
A Summery Saturday Morning by Margaret Mahy. Not all rhyming books are created equally. Some just rhyme, more as a matter of course than out of some sort of artistic purpose. Some rhyming books, as well, are more musical than others. This one inspires singing as much as reading. We've got a good little faux calypso (faulypso?) thing going with this household favorite.
Best memory of being a kid:
I grew up in the suburbs of New York City, out on Long Island. My favorite memory is something my parents used to do with us a lot, which was to go to Manhattan where we'd visit art galleries during the daytime and then head at night to Chinatown for dinner, usually Sichuan food. I've pretty much constructed my adult life so it takes my childhood memory and makes it a daily reality: a mix of artistic pursuits + spicy food. We also camped a lot when I was a kid, which is where this throwback photo of me originated:
Maybe this is from the summer when a Crater Lake ranger taught me the word "aesthetic."
Favorite weekend activity:
A packed day with my five-year-old, hitting museums and playgrounds, doing everything in the city by bus and foot.
Song currently on repeat:
"Saddest Continent on Earth" by Nonkeen (a band featuring keyboardist Nils Frahm) from a recent album called The Gamble.
Favorite meal:
If I have to choose one, dim sum.
Last time you made something with your hands:
Does it count that I've been constructing a modular synthesizer for the past year or so? Probably not. Frankly, I don't do this enough. I need to learn to solder.
You'd be amazed how much fun a 5-year-old has with these bleeps and bloops.
Fun fact about you:
As of this summer I will have lived in the Richmond District of San Francisco for 20 years (not counting the four I lived in New Orleans, from 1999-2003). I've lived in three homes here, each one closer and closer to the ocean.
Children's Book Week Roundup
Children’s Book Week is 97 years old this year, and ILLUSTORIA is brand spanking new! But the nice thing about children’s books is that they bring together the young and the old, the new and the nearly-forgotten. So I thought I might take a moment and talk about a few of my favorite new and upcoming picture books, and also some older books that those titles bring to mind.
The Airplane Book, by Lisa Brown
What Do People Do All Day?, by Richard Scarry
Remember the joy of being a kid, sprawled on the floor for hours, staring at Richard Scarry books? They gave me the sense that if I just stared long enough, I’d totally understand the world, with all its various details and motions and people and parts. Well, The Airport Book by Lisa Brown gives me that very same sense—that if I read it again and again, I might genuinely comprehend all the details and inner workings of the airport. (And let’s be honest—kids LOVE airports.)
When Green Becomes Tomatoes, by Julie Fogliano; illustrated by Julie Morstad
A Child’s Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stephenson; illustrated by Tasha Tudor
I can still recite the poems I read in A Child’s Garden of Verses. In fact, I still probably mumble "The Swing" at least once a month, whenever I walk past a playground. And though the subjects here are different—Julie Fogliano’s new poems are all about the new buds and cold snow and falling leaves of the four seasons—I can’t help but wonder if kids today won’t be mumbling them in a few decades. Julie Morstad’s pictures are poetry too, and a perfect match for the grace and natural delicacy of When Green Becomes Tomatoes.
A Hungry Lion, or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals, Lucy Ruth Cummins
Pierre: A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue, by Maurice Sendak
These two books are very different, but I can't ever read about a hungry lion without remembering Sendak's Pierre. Both books marry sweetness and darkness, and both books end up in a slightly different place than readers might at first expect. There's also a generally classic feel to Lucy Ruth Cummins' art, and the book's design. I intend to give A Hungry Lion as a baby gift, as I've often given Pierre. Children need a little healthy fear in their lives.
Good Night Owl, by Greg Pizzoli
Owl at Home, by Arnold Lobel
I dare any fan of Arnold Lobel to stare at the cover of Good Night Owl, and not immediately think of another owl, tucked into bed.
From Owl at Home, by Arnold Lobel
Greg Pizzoli must have known this, and I admire his chutzpah. In fact, the two books are very different. Pizzoli’s story of an owl who can’t fall asleep because of a mysterious noise doesn’t offer quite the melancholy of Arnold Lobel’s tearwater tea in Owl at Home, but Good Night Owl is a wonderful book for early readers, and will make a perfect bedtime story for a jillion kids who can’t (or don’t want to) sleep.
This Is Not a Picture Book, by Sergio Ruzzier
The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle and Who Was in It, by Carl Sandburg; illustrations by Harriet Pincus
I can’t exactly put my finger on why Sergio Ruzzier’s new book, This Is Not a Picture Book, reminds me of The Wedding Procession of the Rag Doll and the Broom Handle and Who Was in It, an odd picture book from my youth. But I love them both. In Ruzzier’s tale, a funny looking duck finds a book with no pictures, but then discovers how the experience of reading can conjure vivid images all the same. The Sandburg book is a strange tale of two household objects getting married, and really, couldn’t be more different. Yet—there’s something in the off-kilter landscapes Ruzzier creates, and the slightly surreal creatures, that leaves me feeling similarly (and wonderfully) discombobulated.
LAUREL SNYDER is the author of many award-winning novels and picture books for children and a mom to two boys. Her most recent titles include Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova, illustrated by Julie Morstad, and Seven Stories Up. Visit her at laurelsnyder.com.
Process: Designing ILLUSTORIA's First Cover
Introducing...our cover for the premiere issue of ILLUSTORIA!
After a long cover design process during which we conceptualized, developed, reiterated and debated for many months, we had that "A-ha!" moment when we saw this version. We think it's contemporary and fresh with a DIY feel that speaks to who we are: a totally new kind of magazine for kids & grownups.
As we worked on our cover, we asked ourselves: how do we spark the curiosity and interest of a 9-year-old and his or her parent? Will artists and writers find camaraderie? Will teachers and librarians see value? How do we stand out from the crowd with a single image and just a few words?
It was a real identity challenge and pushed us to make an authentic statement about who we are and what we value through pictures and words—which is what our magazine is all about, after all.
For those who want to get beneath the surface, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the making of our very first cover.
Step 1: Settle on a logo!
Our very first logo, which we still love and use sometimes.
This is the logo we were very happy with for quite some time. Interestingly, when we applied it to a mock-up cover we learned that what worked on stationary and business cards felt out of sync with our visual aesthetics, which had evolved over almost two years of incubation and development.
We wanted our logo to show off a DIY attitude and be, as one of our team members put it, “perfectly imperfect.” Our aim was to not stray too far off course from the original which, as mentioned, we were still smitten with.
Logo variant #1
Logo variant #2
Logo variant #3...which we really liked.
We finally settled on a design close to the more understated original but with a bit of an edge.
Final logo. We opted for the simplicity of b & w + red.
Step 2: Cover art!
We went through several really strong cover mockups that were quite beautiful. But beauty isn’t everything and we needed to make an instant connection on an emotional level too. That happens through tone, mood and an original voice which can be really hard to pinpoint. We wanted to say to our readers-to-be, “This is good stuff. We have something unique to offer you. Look and linger a while.” Even, “You and I—we’re gonna become quick friends, I can tell.”
The experiment that inspired our cover art.
It's strange how you sometimes find inspiration--or rather, it jumps at you--when you least expect it to. Our creative director, Elizabeth Haidle, was working on an ILLUSTORIA gift card. Out of convenience she used an existing piece of art to create a placeholder fake cover, meaning to swap it out later. But seeing the image and the logo together…something immediately clicked for us. A happy, happy accident.
I asked Beth to illustrate a young reader in the same pose, perhaps with a book in her hands. Within a day she came back with several cover options that instantly said to us, “Watch out, world—there’s a new kid (err, magazine) in town!”
These were gorgeous though I'm sad to say we ended up nixing the egg being laid in midair!
We experimented with a colored background and hand lettering. Along the way we corrected the trim size, which was off in the first iterations. See how minor details take time to finesse?!
Step 3: Integrating text and art
We experimented with showcasing our featured articles through words and pictures—sometimes only pictures. A high priority for us, as a magazine that celebrates visual storytelling, was to integrate the text callouts with the cover art in a way that worked together seamlessly. I didn’t want the text to feel secondary, and we certainly didn’t want the art to get cluttered by too much editorial content. It was important for the callouts to not be dry and overly informative. They needed to engage and appeal to both kids and grownups.
As much as we adored the thumbnail images, they distracted some from the simplicity and impact of our main illustration. It was a tough call, but ultimately the word balloons won out. We continued to futz around with the typefaces and hand lettering and even corrected a typo that had (admittedly) been overlooked for weeks, until we settled on...our winning cover!
Step 4: Make it look effortless
Our final cover
So get to it and spread the word! Order and subscribe to ILLUSTORIA and ask your local bookstore or shop about stocking it. You won’t be disappointed by all the good stuff in the packed 64 pages of each issue. We're just scratching the surface of what may become a wonderful, lasting friendship with all of you: our coveted readers-to-be.
Made By You: Call for Submissions!
Stella, age 5. "A made-up animal" with polka dots and a bow on its head.
We at ILLUSTORIA love kid-art! And we're pretty sure that chances are you do too. There's nothing like the pure joy, fantastical imaginations and uninhibited creativity found in kids. As the master painter Picasso once said, "It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child." Ahh, to think and create like a child again!
Our MADE BY YOU gallery page showcases kids' artwork in the form of drawings, collages, comics, paintings, pencil sketches, calligraphy, poetry, crafts...you name it! As grownups to creative kids, everyday we find inspiration in the beauty, silliness, simplicity, complexity, irreverence and unfiltered aliveness of the creative expression of kids. Here is a place to show off those images and to share a bit of the love and fun.
We welcome you to contribute to this shared gallery space for a collective, daily dose of joy and inspiration. What are your creative kids up to? What's on their minds and being made with their hands today? We would be thrilled to see. Please send contributions to madebyme@illustoria.com and we'll share them here...or for a chance to see it in our print magazine.
Who We Are: Elizabeth Haidle
Name:
Me & Eli
Location:
Portland, OR
Profession:
Freelance artist & musical saw player (& Creative Director of ILLUSTORIA)
Favorite artist/illustrator:
recent discovery: Nathaniel Russell; also Jillian Tamaki, Brecht Evens, Emily Carroll
Best book you've read in the past year:
Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One with the Universe, by Yumi Sakugawa
Kids’ book you could read every night:
What Was I Afraid Of? by Dr. Suess
Best memory of being a kid:
Dressing up as a ham sandwich for Halloween, made with scraps I scrounged from my dad's studio. My head stuck out of a bite mark at the top. I had a little trouble climbing on the bus & standing during the ride to school, but it was worth it. Absolutely zero other people were a ham sandwich that year.
Favorite weekend activity:
3-course breakfasts. Also anything involving a hammock.
Song currently on repeat:
"The Very Thought of You," by Billie Holliday; I just know everything's gonna be alright when Billie sings.
Favorite meal:
Last time you made something with your hands:
Accordian fold mini book entitled: 'Inner Donkey'
Patterned postcards using eraser chunks as stamps
Fun fact about you:
I'm terrible at wrestling and my son always wants to, so I made up my own moves. One is called 'Cheek Pin', where you press the other person down by smushing your cheek really hard against theirs. Also they are maybe paralyzed by laughter, which helps. Another is called 'Cashmere Head Clamp' and requires one to be wearing a cashmere robe. Which I wear often.
Andrew Bird's First Instrument
Photo: Merlijn Torensma
We are thrilled to be featuring singer Andrew Bird in issue 1 of ILLUSTORIA! Singer, songwriter, musician and master whistler, Andrew shares with readers how he began playing the violin at age 4. From the process of learning alongside his mom to becoming a father and uncovering how to guide his own son, Andrew's contribution is a must-read for music lovers and creative thinkers of all ages.
illustration by Leela Corman
Who We Are: Hannah deBree
Name:
Hannah deBree
Location:
Oakland, California
Profession:
Mom of Stella and Djuna, and Director of Marketing + Social Media for Illustoria
illustration by Agnes Lee
Name:
Hannah deBree
Location:
Oakland, California
Profession:
Mom of Stella and Djuna, and Director of Marketing + Social Media for ILLUSTORIA
Favorite artist/illustrator:
I love the installations and artist books of Christian Boltanski, Sophie Calle, and Ann Hamilton. I'm also a big fan of Kambui Olujimi's work; he's a friend and an amazing and prolific artist. One of my favorite illustrators is Adrian Tomine.
Best book you've read in the past year:
Another hard question… I can never pick just one. A few favorites from the past year were My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgaard, The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson, and A Manual for Cleaning Women, stories by Lucia Berlin.
Kids book you could read every night:
Zachariah OHora’s No Fits, Nilson! It’s a quick and fun read. OHora is another favorite illustrator.
Best memory of being a kid:
Some of my favorite memories are from a trip my family took to Europe when I was eight: swimming in the Aegean and lounging on the black sand beaches of Santorini, eating endless gelato in Florence, riding the tube in London. I loved it all.
Favorite weekend activity:
Going to the farmer’s market with my husband and kids. We see friends and family. We buy fresh produce. We listen to music. It’s great.
Song currently on repeat:
It’s not new, but I keep going back to this live version of Julian Casablancas singing “I’ll Try Anything Once.”
Favorite meal:
Sushi. Ramen. Tacos. Pizza from Boot and Shoe Service. The pork chop from Wood Tavern. Any of the salad options at Penrose. Steak. I have so many favorites.
Silly monster by Stella
Last time you made something with your hands:
I drew silly monsters with my daughter yesterday, and made vegetable soup last night for dinner.
Silly monster by Hannah
Fun fact about you:
I started playing the cello at age 4 1/2.
Hannah playing the cello, age 5
A Sneak Peek at ILLUSTORIA
illustration by Agnes Lee
Talented artist Agnes Lee not only illustrated the team portraits gracing our About page, but she developed a mini-world-within-a-world for ILLUSTORIA. You'll see our roots in Oakland and some fantastical landscapes that are pure delight. Agnes' mini-world will appear in Issue 1 as a large-format b&w coloring spread.
Who We Are: Joanne Chan
illustration by Agnes Lee
Name: Joanne Chan
Location: Berkeley, CA / hometown: Oakland, CA
Profession: Mom of Sonia & Marcas and publisher of ILLUSTORIA
Happy Together: Marcas, Mark, me, Sonia
Favorite artist/illustrator: Pina Bausch and Hayao Miyazaki
Best book you’ve read in the past year: A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Kids’ book you could read every night: Spider & the Fly by Tony DiTerlizzi (because we really do), Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett & Ron Barrett, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown.
Best memory of being a kid: shaking the blossoms off our plum tree and pretending it was snowing in Oakland; generally being out in the backyard and helping my dad water the garden, picking and eating apples, plums, mandarins, loquats and the sweetest cherry tomatoes on earth…catching butterflies and, sad to admit, putting them in jars to admire.
Favorite weekend activity: making granola and watching the kids play pirate-Harry Potter in the yard (a trip to the art museum at some point is a plus)
Marcas as pirate-Harry Potter with Dumbledore's staff
Song currently on repeat: Three White Horses by Andrew Bird (at home) and Piggies by The Beatles (in the car)
Favorite meal: any pasta dish made by Mark shared with family and friends, darkest chocolate and mint tisane for dessert
Last time you made something with your hands: lavender satchel necklace + denim tote bag + pencil case for Sonia’s 10th birthday
Birthday lunch note
Fun fact about you: I once choreographed and danced in a duet (with my dearest friend) in an abandoned subway tunnel in Brooklyn.
What I Did Before I Moved to ILLUSTORIA
Image by Matt Madden
So, one day you wake up and realize you've been editing comics for almost a quarter century. It's unclear how that happened, but it can happen.
As we get going here at ILLUSTORIA its founder, Joanne, asked me, as the magazine's Editor-at-Large, to talk a bit about where I’m coming from. Way back in 1992 I was a very junior editor at a music magazine called Pulse!, which was published by Tower Records, based in West Sacramento, California. I'd moved to Sacramento from Brooklyn shortly after college to take the job. My main role at Pulse! was editing and writing non-fiction coverage about music and musicians. I also edited the letters page.
One issue, in 1992, I introduced a small illustration by a local young comics artist, then still in high school, to the letters page. Much of our letters section was dedicated to people sending in lists of their “Desert Island Discs” — those are the 10 albums they'd want with them if they were stuck alone in the middle of the ocean. This is before MP3s and streaming, and before the advent of the Internet browser for that matter. That all kinda makes me feel old, but when you're working on a magazine for kids, as we are here at ILLUSTORIA, a sizable age gap comes with the territory.
An early comic from Pulse! magazine by Adrian Tomine, from 1992
That young cartoonist, Adrian Tomine, turned his illustrations into a monthly strip for Pulse!, a strip he maintained after graduating from high school to attend college. Around the same time, Justin Green, a couple generations Tomine's senior, began a musical strip of his own in the magazine. Titled Musical Legends, it was a trip down Memory Lane, and roads further still off the beaten path.
Other comics joined the work of Adrian and Justin. The back page of the magazine was given over to additional monthly comics I edited. The first was by Peter Kuper, and a host of fine talent followed in his wake. I'm proud that it included early (and early-ish) work by Frank Santoro, Jason Lutes, Barry McGee, Ellen Forney, John Porcellino, Jorge Colombo (perhaps best known these days, like Adrian, for his New Yorker covers), Jessica Abel, Tom Hart (author of the recent heartbreaking memoir Rosalie Lightning), Brian Biggs (who these days is drawing many books for kids, including the Frank Einstein series written by Jon Scieszka), Ed Brubaker (a writer who no longer draws, and whose Winter Soldier storyline informed the new Captain America movies), Tony Mostrom (who did all the portraits for those two Paramount Records box sets that Jack White put together), Brian Ralph, Leela Corman, Megan Kelso, Matt Madden (that image up top is from a comic he did for Pulse! back in 1999), and many others. Some already-accomplished artists also participated — including P. Craig Russell (of Elric, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, and so many other comics), Archie's Dan DeCarlo (he drew an actual Josie and the Pussycats story for us), as well as Carol Swain, Chris Ware, Carol Tyler, R. Sikoryak, Bob Armstrong, and Gary Panter among them. (There's a nearly complete list at my website, disquiet.com, if you're interested.)
A back-page comic by R. Sikoryak for Pulse! magazine, from 2001.
Writing about music, crafting stories about music (and occasionally movies), was my job at Tower Records, and the comics I edited were a means to accomplish that job in a creative way. Sometimes the comics (that’s “comics” broadly defined — some were abstract visual works with barely a hint of narrative) were themselves by musicians, including Marcellus Hall, Damon Krukowski, Naomi Yang, and Jack Logan.
Later on I ended up working in comics unto themselves, as Editor-in-Chief of the U.S. edition of the most popular manga magazine in Japan, Shonen Jump, where I had the honor of working closely with editors at the Japanese publication, and getting to meet and interview many of the magazine's greatest talents, including Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball), Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), and Eiichiro Oda (One Piece). I learned a lot during my time on Shonen Jump, about cultural differences, national literatures, long-term narrative continuity, facial expressiveness, and depicting action. It was a tremendous time.
A cover of the U.S. edition of Shonen Jump magazine, from 2010
I've edited other comics projects along the way, including a four-part series for Red Bull Music Academy that involved light touches of animation, and that allowed me to engage with a talented Japanese manga editor and a pair of manga-ka (that's Japanese for "manga creator"). These included the story of MF Doom seen as a superhero comic, from writer Gabe Soria and illustrator Dean Haspiel; a childhood incident of DJ Krush’s, as drawn by Haruhisa Nakata; how Damo Suzuki met the band can, as told by illustrator Connor Willumsen and writer Zack Soto; and a profile of Japanese synthesizer legend Isao Tomita by writer Jordan Ferguson and illustrator Yuko Ichijo.
And I had a kid of my own, which is why I was, as a relatively new parent, doubly excited when Joanne invited me to be a citizen of ILLUSTORIA, which I like to think of as a diverse and sprawling city-state built out of comics and other illustrated stories: whether you draw or write or read, you're a full-fledged member of society here. I love Joanne’s sense of comics as a subset of what we're usefully thinking of as “visual storytelling.” As I write this little blog post we're working on the finishing touches of our first issue. I'm getting to assign work to some people I worked with decades ago, some that I've wanted to work with for decades, and some who are fairly new to comics, or at least new to me. In some cases we’re commissioning comics and other art by people who already draw for kids, and in others — and this is especially of interest to me — we’re reaching out to people whose work we admire and wondering if maybe they’d like to consider a kid as their audience, perhaps for the first time.
Anyhow, that’s what I was up to before I became a citizen of ILLUSTORIA, and what I’m up to now. We hope you’ll join us. And if you need to reach me, I’m at marc@illustoria.com.
Lark Pien Sketches Before Building
These are rough initial character studies for a four-page, full-color piece that Lark Pien did for the debut issue of Illustoria. She loved the idea of sharing this in advance of the magazine's publication because, as she put it via email, "the thumbnails inform people on the process of design and making comics." Her four-pager is titled "Dream Before Building."
These are rough initial character studies for a four-page, full-color piece that Lark Pien did for the debut issue of ILLUSTORIA. She loved the idea of sharing this in advance of the magazine's publication because, as she put it via email, "the thumbnails inform people on the process of design and making comics." Her four-pager is titled "Dream Before Building."
A Good Children's Story
We at ILLUSTORIA couldn't agree more with the message of this quote. Our aim is to gather stories, art, comics, and interviews that can be enjoyed by kids and the young at heart.
This lovely illustration is by the talented Elizabeth Haidle, our resident artiste extraordinaire. Visit her at ehaidle.com.
We at ILLUSTORIA couldn't agree more with the message of this quote. Our aim is to share stories, art, comics, interviews, book reviews, music playlists, and activities that can be equally enjoyed by kids and the young at heart.
This lovely illustration is by the talented Elizabeth Haidle, our extraordinary creative director. Visit her at ehaidle.com.
The ILLUSTORIA Story
Hello and welcome to Illustoria, a place for visual storytelling and DIY culture. Two years ago when I was a children’s book editor at Lucasfilm working among some of the most amazing storytellers in film, television, comics and books, I had a vision for a new type of magazine for kids—one that would celebrate stories, art and creativity. A magazine that, like any good book for children, could be equally enjoyed by grownups.
Handmade book by Marcas, age 6
Welcome to ILLUSTORIA, a place for visual storytelling and DIY culture. We commission and celebrate the works of established and up-and-coming artists, writers and makers. Our commitment is to providing a high-quality print magazine that inspires and delights creative kids & their grownups through original stories, art, interviews and activities. This is the origins of our story:
Two years ago when I was a children’s book editor at Lucasfilm, I had a vision for a new type of magazine for kids—one that would showcase stories and art while giving readers insight into the creative process. A magazine that, like any good book or entertainment for children, could be equally enjoyed by grownups.
Why a children’s magazine at such a precarious time for print? For one, for the love of print. But also because I really wanted to see this vision out in the world. As a mother of two working in the field of children's book publishing, I felt fortunate everyday to be collaborating with amazingly talented illustrators, comic artists and storytellers. At Lucasfilm I was surrounded by passionate people who shared a love of storytelling in all forms--through writing, illustration, animation, film, television, performance and music. It was around all this creative energy that I felt compelled to express something unique and true to myself. I was ready to create something meaningful that I could not only bring home to my kids, but share with them.
I wanted an experience where kids and grownups could enjoy comics and stories together, be exposed to contemporary artists and makers working their crafts out in the world, discover the next best song to put on repeat, find a fun new recipe to cook up for dinner, feed their imaginations and get inspired to make, journal, draw, craft and express something unique and true to themselves.
I was also witnessing the incredible renaissance taking place in the realm of children's books. Like wildflowers spreading on the High Line, new ideas and styles and voices were thriving. For all the agonizing over the decline of print publishing, there came a surge of high-quality picture books, graphic novels, chapter book series and early readers. Artists and writers declared a new playing field with the picture book manifesto. New indie presses and established houses dared to go against the tried and true and readers began to find books without pictures, graphic retellings of classics, oversized books that don't fit spine-out on bookshelves, books that enchanted big people as much as they did little people, books without happy endings and books that said something brand new and made us wonder.
Also all around me I saw a proliferation of quality print magazines that put content, design, and artistry above ads and mass production. These were magazines that I couldn't get enough of, that I wanted to pore over, collect, share and keep on my coffee table forever. They were founded by fellow staunch lovers of print who captured an audience eager to slow down and take in well-curated, beautiful, intelligent stories and pictures.
I was sure that a well-designed, thoughtful, contemporary children's magazine--one that celebrated visual storytelling and artists as much as it did a DIY ethos--was not only missing but would be welcomed by a new generation of parents and young readers. Where was the publication, like all those wonderful children's books, that I'd want to read and feel inspired by as much as my own two kids would? I couldn't wait to shepherd the idea to life.
Now, here we are in 2016 and that vision, the magazine, is taking shape. I have an awesome group of folks realizing and creating ILLUSTORIA along with me, whose smart ideas and playful perspectives have made it something bigger and better than I could have imagined. With backgrounds in design, comics, illustration, writing and publishing, they share a belief in the power of stories, art and creative expression. We are hard at work on our first issue, all about beginnings. In it we learn from Cece Bell about the making of her graphic novel El Deafo, discover how Andrew Bird prototyped a make-shift violin at age 4, glimpse into Aaron Becker's process illustrating Journey. On top of that we have original contributions from dozens of new and familiar artists and writers in the form of illustrated stories, comics, DIY activities and more.
I hope you follow along on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and make sure to sign up for our newsletter so you get the latest ILLUSTORIA news in your inbox. If you like what you see, please consider a subscription or a gift subscription for a loved one to our magazine. I would be thrilled to have your company as we see this vision through and embark on this new adventure.
Happy Reading!
Joanne