 Behind
the Book Interview
Shadra Strickland, Illustrator
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| Kulture
Kidz: |
Tell us a little about yourself.
What are some things you like to do in your
free time?
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| Ms.
Strickland: |
In my free time I usually
work out at the gym (I'm training for a marathon
now), I read, watch movies, or listen to music
with my friends. |
| Kulture
Kidz: |
What role did books play
in your childhood? |
| Ms.
Strickland: |
I've always loved books for
as long as I can remember I've always carried
them around wherever I've gone. |
| Kulture
Kidz: |
What were some of your favorite
books as a child? |
| Ms.
Strickland: |
My favorite book was "The Snowy
Day", by Ezra Jack Keats. I loved the idea
of Pete enjoying his snowy world. |
| Kulture
Kidz: |
When did you first notice
you had a talent for drawing? |
| Ms.
Strickland: |
I've drawn ever since I can
remember. In Kindergarten I drew a picture
of a nurse standing next to a hospital with
an ambulance driving by. It was exhibited
at a show in the Airport here in Atlanta and
when I got it back it was in a nice
black mat. We made a really big deal bout
it and from then I knew I wanted to be an
artist. |
| Kulture
Kidz: |
I noticed you studied fine
art at Syracuse University.
Around what age did you decide I want to have
a career as an artist. |
| Ms.
Strickland: |
When I was in high school I
wanted to be an artist. I always drew pictures
to go along with my projects and after a while,
my friends paid me to draw for them as well.
From then on I knew I wanted to be an artist
but was always afraid of being a starving
artist. To avoid that I studied graphic design
but realized I'd be happier drawing and painting,
so I changed my major to illustration.
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| Kulture
Kidz: |
Do you enjoy teaching art
to elementary age students? What are some
of the highlights of your job? |
| Ms.
Strickland: |
I love teaching art right now.
The best part of my job is getting hugs and
"I love you's" everyday. It makes me feel
really good when I hear students tell me that
they want to come art everyday.
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| Kulture
Kidz: |
When working with an author,
how do you begin the
process of illustrating a book? |
| Ms.
Strickland: |
I usually don't work with authors.
I am given manuscripts by
publishing companies and work with a publisher
and an art director. Once I get the
manuscript I begin by making thumbnail sketches
of all of the scenes, kind of like a
movie. From there I pick the best scenes that
illustrate the story the best and I shoot
reference for those scenes. After that I make
pictures based on the reference that I've
shot. |
| Kulture
Kidz: |
Any suggestions for a budding
illustrator? |
| Ms.
Strickland: |
Don't give up. If illustrating
is what you really want to do, find a way
to make it happen. Don't make excuses and
keep working to make your work better and
better. Oh yeah, draw as much as you can!
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| Kulture
Kidz: |
Thanks
so much Ms. Strickland for your time!
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