A November of Mini-Interviews-G. Brian Karas
As I mentioned in our first interview, Arizona has attracted many wonderful illustrators seeking sunshine on their gnarled and frostbitten drawing fingers, but sadly we do occasionally lose a few. Many of you are no doubt VAGUELY familiar with a certain illustrator by the name of G. Brian Karas. Brian used to reside in our sunny valley before heading back east, and I was lucky enough to have been part of an illustrator’s group he belonged to that would meet occasionally at a local bookstore. (I know, “How’d you swing that?” you ask. Well, bug the right people long enough and they’ll let you tag along just to shut you up. That or take out a restraining order–it’s a fine line.) I can remember listening to Brian talk about one of his current projects and being just blown away that this well-known artist was so willing to share his process and answer questions from a newbie, no, not even a newbie, a WANNA-BE newbie. I credit Brian with teaching me a lot in those few meetings (including where to get good transparencies printed in Phoenix. Who remembers transparencies? Yes, yes this was a long time ago. Sigh), and have immensely enjoyed name-dropping in the years since: “Oh, Brian Karas? Why, yes I know him, he used to live in Arizona you know.” So whether you live near or far, please join me in welcoming and getting to know G. Brian Karas.
1. Describe yourself in five words:
Curious. Reticent. Wholehearted. Daydreamer. And the word, if there’s one, for someone who likes a good laugh. 
2. Now, please tell us how you got started in picture book illustration (in more than five
words)…
The answer to how I got started is the same as the answer to where I got started — in art school. I saved some of my work from then. In many ways it’s like what I do today. At that time I was working out problems like how to handle media and visually express ideas — that’s all we did for four years. My school, Paier School of Art, had a strong drawing and painting program firmly rooted in Realism. We learned how to draw and paint realistically but I was more interested in less representational work. Abstract painting, graphic art, folk art — work that wasn’t being studied much in our illustration department. My interest in children’s books began much earlier, but for different reasons. I loved reading. I loved books. I had no idea when reading picture books that being the artist of one was something I could ever do (or that anyone did, they just were.). That idea occurred to me in my first year of art school. I had many fine teachers and several were respected and well known book illustrators — Leonard Everett Fisher and Jean Zallinger to name just two. They introduced me to the world of children’s publishing and I knew right away that was a way to combine my two strongest interests — drawing and reading. 
3. If you had to describe your work in terms of your artistic influences, you would say it is…
…a difficult question. My work is influenced by comics, tribal art, folk art, modern art, Chinese art, Romanticism, modern design, music, children’s books, children’s artwork, nature and about a hundred other things.
I don’t think of myself as making one kind of art. For children’s books it’s really the story or book idea that guides me to what I look to for inspiration.
4. Of the six fundamentals of 2D design (line, shape, volume, perspective, shading, and color):
a. Which is your greatest strength?
Line or shape, I have a hard time separating the two. 
b.Which poses your greatest challenge?
Volume. In art school, in figure drawing, my teacher said my work looked more Asian, or Eastern, I don’t remember exactly. I didn’t know what he meant. I think what he was saying was that my eye saw volume but rather than use of shading, perspective and other techniques I tend to associate with classical Western art I relied more on line and shape to define the volume I was seeing. To a large extent that’s how I continue to work. Flat but not on one plane.
5. Given that illustration is different from many day-to-day jobs, how to you manage your time and maintain a daily routine?
I’m list driven. I have lists for everything. I’m overly organized and I have to be busy. I feel anxious and guilty when I’m not working. It’s like a pie with three slices. Right now my work slice is about 45% and home life 65%. Quick math will tell you my own personal slice is running a deficit of -10%. Not an ideal balance. I’d love more pie for myself but trying to cut equal slices is not always possible. My creative time gets scheduled just like bill paying time and other mundane chores but somehow that works. 
6. What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given as an illustrator?
Many years ago when I was a brand new freelance illustrator with a portfolio I felt good about, I showed my work to Steve Heller at the New York Times Book Review. He zipped through and said, “No content. There isn’t anything happening in these pictures. They look nice but they don’t say anything. We’re a newspaper and we work with ideas.” That stung. I was unappreciative and actually annoyed that he gave me a critique I hadn’t asked for! It took me years to realize what a gift that was. It changed the way I thought about my illustration, that it doesn’t matter how my images look, it’s what they say and how effectively they do so that matters. I also think of what Miles Davis once said (of musical notes). If you hit a wrong note, it’s the next note you play that determines if it’s good or bad. That can apply to painting, illustration, and everything else in life. 
7. What new projects have you got coming down the pike?
A lot of book projects. Some are stories of mine, others are written by other authors. There’s a real mix of subjects — an old oak tree and the changing world around it, a rainy day in the city, whalers and whale watchers, farms, food and fish. All are fun and interesting and every one a challenge in its own way. Also on my desk are small characters I’m carving from stone. They’re part of a story that’s emerging around them. It’s a personal project at this point.
8. When being interviewed, what question annoys you the most? :->
I get annoyed at myself, not the question, when someone asks me who my favorite artists or books are. My thinking shuts down and I suddenly can’t recall the names of the people or things most important to me and/or my artwork. I’m not unappreciative of what they mean to me, just scatterbrained. I think I’m going to start writing those answers on my hand before any more interviews. 
G. Brian Karas has illustrated many books for children, some written by him and some by different authors including Norton Juster, Susan Orlean, Issa Kobayashi and Margaret Wise Brown. His books have won numerous awards including a Boston Globe/Horn Book honor, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book, a Christopher Award and the California Young Readers Medal. His books have been published in eleven different languages and his work has appeared in national and international exhibitions. Before writing and illustrating books his artwork appeared on greeting cards and in magazines and newspapers. Brian lives in New York in a small village on the Hudson River.
Visit Brian at:
www.g.briankaras.com
www.facebook.com/gbriankaras
A November of Mini-Interviews-Kevan Atteberry
Fifteen years ago, I was invited to join an email list serve for illustrators. I could scarcely have been called one at the time, but found myself welcomed nonetheless by a warm and witty group, all willing to share the ups and downs of this career path. One of those illustrators was Kevan Atteberry. To call him “witty” would be an understatement. His dry, off-beat humor has left me collapsed with tears of laughter streaming on more than one occasion, and this humor comes through in all of his work. Oh yeah, and he’s also the creator of Clippy. Yes, THAT Clippy. You won’t need any assistance enjoying this interview though, so please sit back and get to know the “odd is good” world of Kevan Atteberry.
1. Describe yourself in five words:
Odd. Anxious. Scattered. Self-deprecating. Procrastinacious. Yes, I made that last word up.
2. Now, please tell us how you got started in picture book illustration (in more than five
words)…
Even as a small child, I always wanted to illustrate children’s books. And write them. As an adult and as I faked my way into the graphic design field, I kept my illustration roots close at hand and tried to incorporate illustration into my design work where and when I could. “You know what would really make this logo awesome?? A Dragon!!” And I always had the thought of illustrating kid lit in the back of my mind. Joining the SCBWI in the mid 90s helped me immensely. There were/are all these experienced people willing to share. It was a veritable gold mine. I tapped that knowledge, volunteered for our local chapter, and continue to do so today. I think surrounding your self with others pursuing like-minded goals can only work to your benefit. 
3. If you had to describe your work in terms of your artistic influences, you would say it is…
My artistic influences come from a variety of different disciplines; visual art, music, movies, writing. I don’t think my work is directly reflective of the pieces and artists I hold in high regard, but my sense of irony, humor, the absurd have certainly been influenced. My illustration technique has bits and pieces of so many illustrators I’ve loved and I hate to compare it to any one or two artists in particular for fear of failure in comparison. But I will say, that the illustrator/writer I would most like to give props to would be Walt Kelly. His wit, his writing, his character development were so complete. They all worked so well together. Being able to tell fun, sometimes absurd stories with little or nothing to read into them, and at other times had thinly hidden agendas that worked without affecting a strong story was genius. All delivered by endearing characters in a world that you wanted to explore and be a part of yourself. I would love to be able to do what he did. 
4. Of the six fundamentals of 2D design (line, shape, volume, perspective, shading, and color):
a. Which is your greatest strength?
Probably Volume – but even that I’m not totally comfortable with my efforts.
b. Which poses your greatest challenge?
Perspective. I understand the basics, but implementing it, my mind and sensibilities work against me. I’m always impressed when illustrators forgo any normal sense of perspective. It is very hard for me to do it realistic, and it is also very hard for me to not pay heed to it. Sigh.
I’d also mention here that I have “Line Envy.” I am constantly taunted (in my mind) by those with great line work. I’ve never been happy with my line work other than when I was working in black ink. 
5. Given that illustration is different from many day-to-day jobs, how to you manage your time and maintain a daily routine?
It is particularly difficult for me and getting harder because I have a wife who has a continuously declining disability and who needs more and more of my time. I moved my studio home from downtown a year and a half ago to be here for her. I try to get up at least three hours before she does and get a good chunk of work done then. After that, there is really no routine. I work as much as I can between interruptions and doing all the chores around home. It has impacted my work time greatly but I manage. I think we all manage the best we can for our own situations. I don’t believe there is any ascribed consensus on time management for creatives.
6. What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given as an illustrator?
Draw. Draw, draw, draw. I know that is kind of cliché, kind of obvious, but there’s a reason: it works. Never be without a sketchpad, pencil, pen, whatever tools you need to bang something out while waiting for the dentist. Or the waiter. Or riding a ferry. Or on an airplane. Wherever, whenever. And this, I speak of first hand . . .
definitely do not become so dependent on your digital illustration tools you stumble when you go back to traditional, tangible media. 
7. What new projects have you got coming down the pike?
I have a new book coming out late summer next year; HALLOWEEN HUSTLE by Charlotte Gunnufson. I’m working on a few unsold projects that I am excited about, including (maybe) a graphic novel. And I’m rebuilding my website, making postcards, other miscellaneous marketing efforts . . .
8. When being interviewed, what question annoys you the most? :->
Curly fries or regular? It is such a difficult decision.
www.facebook.com/kevanatteberry
Kevan has been illustrating since he was knee-high to a crayon. There are few things he loves more than a well-told, well-illustrated story. He has illustrated many books for children, including Tickle Monster, Frankie Stein, and Lunchbox and the Alien. 
A November of Mini-Interviews-November 19-23
Welcome, welcome to the third week of our mini-interview series. Yes, it is Thanksgiving week, but we will NOT be taking the week off. The interviews will continue on as scheduled, and we know you are very thankful for that. So in between finally tackling those ceiling cobwebs, putting out the guest towels that are too pretty to use so everyone just wipes their hands on their pants, and baking up the three different kinds of pie (pumpkin, pecan AND apple), please take a moment, pour a beverage of your choice and join us this week while we sit down and visit with:
David Christiana on Mikela’s blog
and Kevan Atteberry on Friday back here with me!
