A November of Mini-Interviews and Giveaways-Week 2, Mikela Prevost
Welcome back everyone! Today, I have a very special guest in the blog studio. Every day people, EVERY DAY, this lovely lady navigates the treacherous terrain of a toy strewn living room, goes above and beyond answering the call of a lunch starved hubby, keeps her hair looking THAT great ALL THE TIME, and yet, and YET she still manages to produce the amazing art you’re about to see. I have loved her art since I first saw it and managed to con her into giving me a print (neener, neener) and to top it all off she cracks me up, which we all know here at Laura Jacobsen Illustration is one of my top five criteria for awesomeness. You can find her on Twitter and her website Mikela Prevost Illustrations so please put your hands together for the lovely and talented, Mikela Prevost! O.K. let’s kick off the final questions of Mikela’s blog tour with a toughie:
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?
When I was a kid, I really did want to be an artist. It was the only
thing I was good at, the only way the popular girls would pay me any
mind. I was too uncoordinated for sports, dyslexic with
numbers – so math was out, but if you needed a drawing of tree or a
foot, I was your girl.
What is your favorite food?
Ahhhhh….that is a struggle right now. I’m desperately trying to
eat healthier, exercise, hydrate, blah blah blah, but on the days
when my willpower is broken I eat…a blueberry scone…or a mini
pizza made with a puff pastry crust. Baked goods WILL be the death of
me.
What from your own childhood most influences your art today?
Great question! The work I do really unconsciously stems right
out of colors and patterns from being a little tyke in the late 70′s.
I’m not particularly FOND of that time period, design wise, but it
just kind of leaks out. I’m also trying to recapture little moments
that happen in childhood. They may not be necessarily my memories, but
the same sentiment or feeling I had is there.
What do you like the least about being an illustrator?
I think just maintaining the disciple of actually making art! I agree
with Molly Idle, you get so excited that someone picks YOU to make art
but then the reality sets in of actually making it. Suddenly your
drafting table seems so ominous and uninviting in contrast with
laundry; laundry is easy to sort and requires little to no actual
thinking. Yes, laundry must come first before one can work on a paid
illustration job. Laundry…then I must organize my drafting table,
then work on the illustration…
What do you like the most about being an illustrator?
I love the moment of just sketching out ideas that leads to a fit of
the giggles. At that moment, I am so happy to have amused myself with
my drawing that I can’t stop smiling/laughing. Those are awesome
moments that will forever exist in the pages of my sketchbook, where I
can return to whenever I need a boost or a laugh.
I also love the happy accidents that happen when painting. Normally
when I finish an illustration, I’m typically unhappy with it (you
know, worst critic thing) but there is sometimes an area that I
painted/drew that I just LOVE. Forget the rendering of the figures,
the emotion, the color, the pattern – but that – that left chair leg -
that is HOT!
Thank you so much Mikela, and for something else HOT, check out this fantastic original illustration that Mikela will be giving away to a randomly chosen lucky viewer on Monday November 14th. It’s real paint on real paper folks-you can’t buy illustrations like that anymore. Here’s how you can start or add to your very own children’s book original art collection:
For your chance to win- you can leave a comment here.
Or…
Follow Mikela on Twitter and RT @mikelaprevost Enter to win an original illustration #giveaway
