Interview: Joanne Renaud, illustrator

I'm pleased to welcome illustrator Joanne Renaud today for an interview! I first heard about Joanne when she did some pieces for author, Sarah MacLean's website, see the header here! And check out her deviantart site here!

1. Would you say you have always been an artist? Has it always been illustration and the graphic arts you were interested in?

Yes, I was always the class artist, scribbling on the margins of my homework. I loved writing too. This was the '80s and I loved Choose Your Own Adventure Books, and I was really into making my own books. One of the CYOA books I wrote when I was nine was called-- wait for it-- "The Secret of Unicorn Valley." It featured unicorns! And rainbows! And evil Chinese mafia guys!

There was a boy in my class who wanted me to write a CYOA about the Transformers, but I said no because I thought the Transformers were dorky.

2. I see you studied Graphic Design (me too!), is that something you also do along with illustration or do you just do straight illustration now?

I do it occasionally, although I prefer illustration. I designed the logo for "Dark Valentine," a new online magazine dedicated to dark fiction, which was just launched a few weeks ago. You can see it here. Our publisher wanted to use the classic images from Mexican loteria cards-- which are thankfully in the public domain-- and after some discussion we all settled on the freeware Lilith font, designed by David Rakowski. It was great having everyone's input, and I'm pleased with how it came together in the end.

3. What's the illustration process like for you? What happens from initial concept to final piece?

Well, most of the time, I go from the specs or the need of the project, do as much research as I can, work up some sketches, run it by the client, and then go from there. A lot of times when I'm doing multiple illustrations featuring the same characters, I conceptualize them in character sketches, and use that as reference for the rest of the project.

4. What is your favorite medium to work in?

Acrylics probably, but I also like working with colored pencil on occasion. (I used to work with oils a lot in art school, but the fumes are deadly in a small space, and I usually have to work out of my bedroom.) I would like to learn how to paint digitally soon too, although I cringe at the idea of spending even more time on the computer than I already do.

5. What is your favorite thing to draw?

Hot men and cute women in awesome costumes! I also like to do a lot of character portraiture, based on actors I find intriguing-- like Chris Sarandon, who made such a wonderful villain in "The Princess Bride." I used to sketch a lot in cafes and the like, but I've fallen away from that since I started working professionally. I would like to start doing that again, since you see so many interestingly dressed characters in New York .

6. Does a lot of research happen before you put pencil to paper? Do you draw from source material or does it all come straight from your mind?

Research is probably one of the most important stages of what I do, since a lot of times a project is about something I know nothing about, like Mansa Musa, a king in medieval West Africa. Even if it's about something I'm familiar with, like the Regency and 1820s characters commissioned by Sarah MacLean for her website, I need to refresh my 'inner eye' so the images don't come out looking hackneyed.

Research also includes looking at movies, other artists' interpretation of the subject matter, and sometimes even listening to period-appropriate music. I'm about to start on a book about John Henry, and last night I was listening to different versions of the Ballad of John Henry, including a fantastic blues version by Mississippi Fred McDowell.

7. You recently moved from LA to New York City, tell us what that's been like? What's different, better, worse?

Well, the food is more expensive. But I don't have to worry about having a car or insurance, which is nice. I find myself getting out more. In LA, driving everywhere really curtailed my social life, so I ended up just hanging out with three people, and watching way too much TV. It's Saturday night in North Hollywood ? It must be Law & Order time!

The negative: library hours are really short here, compared to what was back in LA. I'm also afraid the independent bookstores left in New York are not up to caliber of bookstores back in LA, which are very genre-friendly. I love vintage fantasy, romance and horror-- the more obscure the better-- and that's a bit hard to come by here. NY indie bookstores are great for literary fiction, which really doesn't interest me.

8. I love your taste, I find it very eclectic, share with us a few things you are into right now?

I've actually been writing a lot lately. Right now I'm working on a gothic romance set in the mid '60s, against the background of the British Invasion and Warhol's Factory. I'm also working on a few short stories for Dark Valentine magazine-- one's contemporary urban fantasy with (non-sparkly ) vampires, and the other's set in ancient Persia. Eclectic? I'm not sure what you mean!

I'm especially excited to be working as Dark Valentine's art director. The amazing graphic designer/illustrator Sarah Vaughn-- who designed the the dress-up doll for Gail Carriger's Soulless, and the Regency dress up dolls showcased on Smart Bitches Trashy Books-- designed our website, and it's gorgeous. She did a wonderful job. Our first issue will be out later this spring, and it will feature a cover painted by me, and stories by the talented Christine Pope, Katherine Tomlinson, Robin Claire Barnes, and many others.

My Wonderful World of Fashion: A Book For Drawing, Creating, and Dreaming by Nina Chakrabarti

Amazon.com:

An interactive coloring book for fashionistas of all ages, My Wonderful World of Fashion is packed with beautiful and sophisticated illustrations specially created by the leading fashion-illustrator Nina Chakrabarti. The book encourages creativity, with illustrations to color in and designs to finish off, as well as simple ideas for making and doing (how to make a sari, turn a napkin into a headscarf, dye a T-shirt, and so on). Covering clothing, shoes, bags, jewelry, and other accessories, the illustrations span both vintage fashions—drawing on beautiful and interesting objects from past ages—and contemporary designs from the illustrator's own imagination. 'Did you know...?' features that give brief historical notes encourage children to be inspired by history and by other cultures. A wonderful celebration of fashion, the book will appeal to fashion addicts from 8 years plus.

My Wonderful World of Fashion is flat out awesome. Though it is marketed for children 8 and up I thought it was fabulous. I think anyone interested in sketching, fashion, illustration, patterns or just a cool book to look at for inspiration for drawing would appreciate it. It sure made me want to sit down and draw.

Chakrabarti definitely has a talent for showcasing so much all under the umbrella of fashion. From a brief history of fashion to intricate patterns to giving people the confidence to create their own there is a diverse range of activities in this book. I love how detailed or simple her illustrations can be. They are beautiful and very inspiring.

My one suggestion for this book would be perhaps a different sort of binding that allowed for the book to lay open flat on its own for ease of use. I also think that after awhile the binding might crack. Personally I wouldn't want to make one mark in the book because it is so beautiful on its own but would love to perhaps make a copy of a page so I could complete the activity that way without ruining the book but the binding doesn't really allow for that. Tear out pages would have also been a great idea. The pages are definitely thick enough that they could hold up to coloring.

Overall I am extremely impressed with Chakrabarti's illustrations and ideas and I will definitely be watching to see what she comes up with next.

My Wonderful World of Fashion was released on September 23rd.
Genre: Coloring Book/Illustration
4.5/5 Stars
Review copy provided by Amazon Vine
Nina Chakrabarti website
Sample Spreads

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera by Ron Schick

Amazon.com:

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera is the first book to explore the meticulously composed and richly detailed photographs that Norman Rockwell used to create his famous artworks. Working alongside skilled photographers, Rockwell acted as director, carefully orchestrating models, selecting props, and choosing locations for the photographs--works of art in their own right--that served as the basis of his iconic images. Readers will be surprised to find that many of his most memorable characters-the girl at the mirror, the young couple on prom night, the family on vacation-were friends and neighbors who served as his amateur models. In this groundbreaking book, author and historian Ron Schick delves into the archive of nearly 20,000 photographs housed at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Featuring reproductions of Rockwell's black-and-white photographs and related full-color artworks, along with an incisive narrative and quotes from Rockwell models and family members, this book will intrigue anyone interested in photography, art, and Americana.

I've always been a Norman Rockwell fan, I think it runs in my family on my mom's side! I remember back in high school going to an exhibit of nearly all of Rockwell's the Saturday Evening Post covers and just seeing the vast amount of work he's done and not being able to pick a favorite. Some artists create in such a way that is isolates the everyman from their work but Rockwell's work was very open to all. It touched on the high and low points of society at the time and it just makes you smile.

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera was like a reintroduction to his work, seeing the photography that was used to create his paintings helps you see and appreciate it in a whole new light. I love the way the book is set up. The work is shown in chronological order showing the final painting along with up to several of the original photos and some information and quotes about the piece. More than I would have liked (especially in the Advertisements and Commercial Commissions section) only the photo is published and I would have liked the painting to be there as well, not sure why there was that change in format. It's easy to page through or read from cover to cover. The size of book (about 11.5 x 9.5 inches) allows some of the photography and paintings to be blown up quite large which is a must. One of my favorite spreads is for The Gossips which shows a chain of communication/gossip and on the second page all 30 photos are set up side by side as they are in the final painting.

While Rockwell was very hands out in setting up the photo shoots, he had photographers take the picture for him and never looked through the lens himself. He actually was a model for some of the photography along with people he hired or people he just knew. It's interesting to compare the photograph with the final painting side by side. To see what elements have been changed and what was painting exactly like pictured.

Overall a great book for any Norman Rockwell fan!


Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera was released October 22
Genre: Art & Photography
4/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher