I was born and raised in Cincinnati which is where I currently live with my husband, and my zoo animals: 1 dog, 2 cats and a bearded dragon!
What qualifications make you a children’s book illustrator?
I graduated with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Illustration at Indiana Wesleyan University in 2015. Before and since, I’ve been working on personal projects ranging from children’s book illustrations to gallery shows.
Were you always interested in drawing as a child?
Always! I remember drawing constantly as a kid. My high school teacher came to me on a school visit and said that she would let me draw while in class because she knew that I would be paying attention and saw potential in my work.
Were you a good artist as a child, or did you learn as you got older? Did you take professional lessons or learn on your own?
I was a self-taught artist until I went to college where I focused on anything and everything related to art and learned all of what I could at the time. I didn’t take part in any art classes or even take part in art competitions until I went to Bob Jones University for their H.S Art Competition. I thought I was decent at drawing when I was little, but I learned in that art competition that I wasn’t as good as I thought. After that, I dedicated myself to drawing better and practicing constantly.
Is there a book you remember as a child that really caught your eye in terms of illustrations?
When my Papa passed away many years ago, I remember going to his house and cleaning/organizing his living room area. While sifting through his past in a box, I found a book left on the floor with nothing but Norman Rockwell paintings inside. I remember sitting on the ground and scanning every detail and carefully turning each page. To this day, I wish I would’ve kept it, but it had left an impression on me that changed how I viewed art and how I render every detail.
Do you have a particular style?
My brother always says that my style is close to impressionism when it comes to how I paint, but I’d say my style is more along the lines of the traditional artist, mixed in with a little digital work. I grew up enjoying the style of Norman Rockwell’s characters and their facial expression and how the story is told in one image.
What would be your favorite genre to illustrate?
My favorite is fiction, but any genre that would allow me to illustrate a child’s imagination. To me, illustrating what a kid is thinking allows me to draw in detail, which I absolutely love to do!
What types of media do you work in and why?
Currently, I work in acrylics, with a mixture of digital textures and touch ups. I like physically making/ painting something, so I don’t want to focus on the digital aspect very much. Especially since almost all books now are strictly digitally rendered. I find that I’m more proud of my work on the physical rather than the digital.
What is your goal as a children’s book illustrator?
My ultimate goal is to create children’s books consistently so that I will be able to capture events that bring growth and wonder to the imagination and to leave an impression on the readers to be able to see the beauty in all aspects of life.
Do you work on one project at a time, or multiple?
Currently, I am working on multiple children’s book projects at a time. Normally I would only work on one at a time and sometimes they may overlap a little, but not too bad so far!
Do you work well on a deadline or do you prefer to work at your own pace?
At the moment, working on a deadline works well for me, especially if I’m working on multiple projects at the same time. I can manage my time spent on one project for a couple of hours or a day, and then I work on another project next. It would be nice to work at my own pace; However, I work a full time job on top of illustrating children’s books so a timeline helps me pace.
How long does it take you to illustrate a children’s book?
It depends on the project, such as what the overall size of the book will be, color or black and white, and how many panels (or pages) the book will have. On average, it will take me about five to nine months for me to completely plan out, paint/draw, scan and edit, and finally send the final panels to my designer for him to edit whatever is needed before sending them off to the printers.
What is your process for creating characters and setting for a story?
Right now, I’m working with self-published authors and I go by what they describe. They give me a description of their protagonist or other characters in their book, as well as send me pictures to reference their ideas of the character. As far as settings go, I have them send me their manuscript along with their ideas on how they imagine the scene.
What is your process for working with an author?
I try to make the process easy for the author; I explain each step one at a time so as to not overwhelm the author, especially if it is their first time publishing a book. Once the manuscript and their character descriptions are sent to me, my steps from beginning to end are: character development, rough sketches, refined outline final, and color final.
How do you manage any changes that might need to be made?
If I have any issues with anything in the process, for example, if the text of the author’s story doesn’t match their description of the scene they envisioned, I would contact them and ask which to refer to.
Another example is if there are too many scenes of the same place for three panels straight, I would give the author other options to choose from that may break the monotony and keep the reader’s attention. Ultimately, it is up to the author since they worked hard on their book and deserve to get what they have envisioned for their book.
Do you ever add your own artistic vision to a story?
Yes. If there is a scene an author described that may not fit well with the story, or if they have no idea what they had in mind for a certain scene(s), I will give my input by sketching it out on a thumbnail, which is a tiny box with nothing but lines and placements on where the character(s) will be placed along with a detailed description of each thumbnail.
Do you do research to incorporate into your illustrations?
Always. I want to make sure I’m incorporating every/any detail that is relevant and necessary to the author’s story. I don’t want to miss anything that kids and adults, who will read the book, may relate to the story.
Do you have experience illustrating maps, or how would you represent a place on a map?
I haven't done much as far as illustrating a literal map, but in this book, I have shown, or represented, places where Nancy Grace has gone. Examples are when she was moving from place to place at a young age, I represented her move in a form of postcards. I also showed how when she was older visiting astronomers, I had her hopping across the U.S with dotted lines to represent her travels and how hectic it had been to reach towards her goal; ultimately having the readers visualize the challenges Nancy Grace Roman faced in her life as an astronomer.
How do you make sure your illustrations appeal to all ages of readers?
I make sure I know from the start what age group the book is for as well as what style of art (whether it is super detailed to simple shapes) from the author.
Have you illustrated other children’s books?
Several! Six are published, such as “Love to be Loved,” By Emma Maiorana and my own personal book “Sacred Gift” about the meaning and visuals of the thirteen flag folds in military funerals. Another will be published soon, and currently I’m Illustrating two others with a possible third in the works!
I like to run with my German shepherd and workout in my spare time. I also started to take part in acting classes so I can work on my oratory skills.
Is there anything you would like to add?
For those who are thinking and wanting to go into the field of Illustration; it is an extremely tough field to get into and is not for the faint of heart. Meaning, you as the artist, need to have patience, knowledge and understanding:
- Patience in knowing that it will take you years to finally get into the field, to be recognized by bigger clients all the while trying to grow your career, family etc.
- Knowledge in the fact that you are always learning, always bettering yourself, and always being the best that you can be to the children’s book industry; to be able to leave a positive lasting impact on those who read your books.
- Understanding that even though you may have finally landed that job you always wanted, you as the artist need to continue working, to continue growing, and to continue to learn and better your skills as an artist.
For more information about Gayle Cobb, visit her webpage at www.gcillustration.com