A November of Mini-Interviews and Giveaways-Week 1, Molly Idle
Thank you, thank you! We’ve got a great show for you here today. We’ll be whipping up spicy guacamole with Chef Boris, and learning to make our own thumb hats with kneaded erasers, but first, please join me in welcoming children’s book author/illustrator, mom, Mrs. and java junkie, Molly Idle!
To learn more about Molly you can follow her on Twitter, FaceBook, and her website: www.idleillustration.com After the interview, read on for how to win a giveaway from Molly!
1.) When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you want to be an artist or something else? If something else, what changed your mind?
I’ve always loved art and considered being an artist, but there were a number of years when I was a kid that I really wanted to be a marine biologist, and work as a whale trainer at SeaWorld. My uncle worked at Sea World, in Orlando- and I was so enamored with the idea of working with the amazing animals there. Eventually, in learning about the daily routines of the trainers, I discovered that they worked out in the gym 3-4 hours a day to maintain their athletic prowess… that hit me in the face like cold water in the “splash zone”. I’m much more bookish and stationary than that by nature. Sad but true. Then, as fate would have it, I saw Disney’s The Little Mermaid” and I thought… hey, I don’t have to swim with whales… I could DRAW them instead! The rest is history…
2.) What is your favorite food?
Oooo… I LOVE food. It’s a toss up between my Dad’s home made tacos, and chocolate!
3.) What from your own childhood most influences your art today?
Movies and books that I watched and read as a child seem to be permanently etched in my brain. And often, I will see hints of them in my work: the pacing of a piece, the palette of a scene, the expression on a character’s face…
4.) What do you like the least about being an illustrator
The thing I like least, is also one of the best things… a true love/hate relationship… a new job. I absolutely love it when a story of mine finds a home with a publisher. After all of the dreaming and doodling, to know the story will make it into print is exhilarating! But, that also means that the idea isn’t just a daydream in my mind anymore- there are deadlines attached, and revisions, and marketing… All of them lead to a much better book than my “imaginary-daydream” book would ever have been if it had stayed tucked away in my brain… but the pressure of the ticking clock is there. So, I’d say the clock in my studio is my least favorite thing…
5.) What do you like the most about being an illustrator?
The “AHA!” moment- when a new story or image pops into my head! The thrill of a new story to tell, a new character to draw… a whole new world of possibilities…
Molly is giving away a copy of her book, Santa’s Workshop and a signed print from the book. The winner will be randomly chosen from all entries, and announced Monday, November 7, 2011.
Ways to enter:
- Leave a comment below
- Follow Molly on Twitter @mollyidle and copy this retweet on your status:
RT @mollyidle Enter to win a signed print and a copy of Santa’s Workshop #giveaway - Follow/Like Idle Illustration on Facebook
