Last year, I completed illustrations for my first picture book. The Runaway Piggy, written by James Luna (Piñata Books / debuts Nov. 30, 2010) is a Latino take on the Gingerbread Man story, featuring a Mexican sweet bread cochinito (piggy cookie).
I had been sending postcard samples of my art to Piñata Books (an imprint of Arte Público Press) every six months or so for several years. I had never heard a peep from them until I received an email from the production manager asking if I would be interested in providing Piñata with a “character concept” for a new bilingual picture book called, The Runaway Piggy. I was thrilled! There were other artists trying out for the same job (four illustrators total, I later found out). Piñata would choose one illustrator based on the character concept they submitted, and that person would win the contract to illustrate the book. I jumped at the chance to break into children’s picture book illustration -- a long-held dream of mine.
In order to execute the black and white character concept “audition” drawing, Piñata provided me with the manuscript and requested that I select a scene from the story to illustrate. I purposely chose a scene of medium complexity -- one that showed a lot of action, yet would not require a huge crowd or an aerial perspective. I worked almost one month on the research and creation of the drawing I would ultimately submit.
One of the biggest challenges for me with that first drawing was that the story was set in an inner-city neighborhood. I had avoided rendering buildings or cityscapes my entire artistic career. I had always been most comfortable drawing and painting “organic” earthy figures and shapes. Well, I needed to say goodbye to comfort and face my fears head on. I knew if I were going to draw buildings, I would have to find a way to make the buildings work for me, to somehow translate them into my own style. One morning, on a walk through my neighborhood in Venice, Calif., I took a turn down Abbott Kinney Blvd. I noticed the unique mixture of quaint and artsy-hip architecture, which created an atmosphere of a city street with a small-town feeling. I took out my notebook and pen and made sketches of my favorite doorways, windows and awnings. When I got home, I began doing the rough sketches for my concept drawing. At first, the buildings looked too stiff, as I had feared. That is when I stopped to look at other picture books for inspiration. This usually helps me free up and loosen up. It worked -- the solution was simple! I would curve the lines of the buildings and streets and make them just as alive and organic as any of the figures. The ske
2 Comments on Illustrator Laura Lacamára talks about her picture book The Runaway Piggy, last added: 11/24/2010
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Laura, Thanks for sharing the details of how it all happened!
Gonna have you autograph my copy when I see you next! xo suzy
Muchisimas gracias, Rene !!
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