Questions from authors and illustrators

Here are just a few of the questions from kids that Cyd has been asked over the years. Maybe you'll find an answer to yours!

Are you rich?... If I grow up to be an illustrator, will I make a lot of money?...

If your goal is to grow up and be rich, I think that I would choose another career! Children's book illustrators do what they do because they love it so much. I feel awfully rich when I get to take off in the middle of the day and go to a movie, or go to my kid's games—even when most parents might be working. When you get old like me, you realize that money doesn't always make you feel rich, and the lack of it doesn't have to make you feel poor. If you enjoy your work so much that it feels like you're playing, then it all balances out. Find what you love and be smart...the money will take care of itself.

What's your favorite book that you've drawn...What's your favorite color...What's your favorite thing to draw?

I Love You, Stinky Face.

People think my favorite color is purple, but it's not...I really don't have a favorite..I use them all!

I like to draw anything that you don't see around in the real world very often (swamp monsters, dragons, moons with worms, angels, and space aliens...stuff like that!)

When did you do your first book?

When I was in college, I worked at the television station after class. We had lots of kindergarten classes taking tours of the station. My boss asked me to make a book called, "What is a TV station?" which gave information on how a television show gets to your home. We published it and this was the first!

After I graduated, I illustrated some school text books, and then, I worked for Hyperion (Disney) for my first trade book, Tickle Day.

Do you have pets?

I always have pets! Not long ago, I counted the number of dogs that I've had in my lifetime...I think it was about 34. When I was a kid, I had lots of pets. The best ones were the goats! Right now, I have a dog named Maya, and 3 very furry cats, Fig, Talulah, and Simone. I like to hug the guinea pigs and rabbits at the pet store, but since my teenagers and I don't have time for any more pets, I always leave them there.

How do you make your art?

I use a little bit of everything! Opaque and transparent watercolors, Prismacolor pencils and other colored pencils, pastels, oil paint and sometimes even White-Out (makes great stars and snow!) I sketch on either marker paper, or just plain copier paper from the office supply store, and for my finished work, I paint on a heavy french watercolor paper most of the time.

The best thing for any artist to do is experiment. Buy samples of different materials, and just spend time playing with it all. See how everything works...how the paint works on different papers...how the pencils lay down on the surfaces. This way, you'll find out what you like the most...what's the most comfortable, interesting, or fun!

My child is very talented. Should I get him art lessons? How can I encourage him?

Buy reams of copy paper...clean white sheets from the office supply store. Keep generous supplies of bright colored pencils (like Crayola or Prismacolor), markers, pre-mixed paper mache, clay, glitter, feathers, rubber bands, popsicle sticks, yarn, glue sticks, smooth pebbles (for rock people) and anything else that can be glued together to make a lot of fun. Buy those "how to draw" books at the art supply store. Paint the walls with chalkboard paint!!!

Kids are so much more creative than we can imagine. Let them try everything and encourage them always. Never, EVER, say things like, "who's ever seen a purple tree?" or "the sky is supposed to be blue," or even "maybe you should draw it this way." They have plenty of time in their lives to grasp the reality part of life....let them have fun for a while.

You can try structured art classes if you want, but if the child doesn't really enjoy the class after a few weeks, bring him back to the coffee table in the living room and cover up the rug with newspaper! Art classes can be very frustrating to some kids...even when they have loads of talent. Creative geniuses generally don't fit into structured environments, so look for a teacher that really knows how to inspire her students.