These
are some of the interesting questions children have asked
Elisa Kleven about her life as a children's book author and
illustrator.
How do you make your books?
Before I make finished illustrations, I make what is called a book "dummy",
which is really a rough draft of the book. I plan out the book
in pencil and paste in the words. I send the book dummy off to
my editor, who looks it over with the art director. Once we agree
that everything is okay, I go on to make the finished pictures.
What are your illustrations made with?
I use all sorts of art supplies to make my pictures: watercolor, colored
pencils, ink, even crayon. I also use a lot of collage- bits and pieces
of paper or material which I glue on to my pictures to give them texture
and pattern.
Rosalba and her Abuela flying from "Isla" |
Why do so many characters fly in your pictures
and stories?
I have always wanted to fly -- really fly, like Peter Pan, not just
travel in an airplane. Making my picturebook characters fly is the second
best thing. (My brilliant editor at Dutton Children's Books thought
I'd be a good illustrator for the story ABUELA, by Arthur Dorros, because
she knew I loved to draw angels and flying people.) Many of my own stories,
such as THE PAPER PRINCESS and SUN BREAD, also feature figures that
fly.
Did you go
to art school?
No, I went to the University of California at Berkeley, where
I studied literature. I also studied at the Graduate School of
Education, where I received a teaching credential. After teaching
for several years and reading lots and lots of books to children,
I realized that I wanted to make my own books.
Book
illustration seemed a natural choice for me: although I had
never studied art formally, I had always loved making things
with my hands. I was lucky to have had both a mother and a grandmother
who were artists. My mother made etchings and prints out of
bits of metal and ink, and my grandmother made statues out of
clay. Both of these artistic women encouraged my creativity.
They often took me and my sisters to museums, and gave us art
supplies for birthday and holiday gifts.
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