(c) Heather Brockman Lee, heatherbrockmanlee.com
Welcome, Heather! So excited to have you here to talk about the making of your gorgeous picture book, A Poem Grows Inside You, written by Kattie Hawes!
Thanks for the invite!
Your illustrations inside A Poem Grows Inside You are so colorful and full of joy! I just LOVE them! Will you please share a little about the book's illustration-journey?
Of course! Every book has a story, the story that happens before the story. Actually several stories because everyone involved in making a book has their own story for how they came to be part of it. My story for this book begins with--it was the first time a traditional publisher offered me a picture book to illustrate. This was HUGE! Something I had been working towards for a few years, and the theme and manuscript and publisher were all so appealing to me, I could not have been happier.
That is huge! But wait a minute, if A Poem Grows Inside You, which was published by The Innovative Press in October 2022, was your first book with a traditional publisher, what about Hattie Hates Hugs? Wasn't it published by Beaming Books in April 2022?
Interesting, right? That timing situation came about because, for one thing, publishing can be like that; but in my case, it happened because of the pandemic. Let me explain.
I got the offer for A Poem Grows Inside You in March of 2020...
Yup. I remember standing outside the elementary school while my dog and I waited to walk my daughter home from school, I had just gotten off the phone with my agent, and was looking forward to spring break with my kids…. which ended up lasting a year and a half. Because of those Uncertain Times. (Remember when every sentence started with “In these uncertain times”?) The Innovation Press decided to delay the book for a year, which made perfect sense as absolutely no one knew what was coming at us.
Thanks for the invite!
Your illustrations inside A Poem Grows Inside You are so colorful and full of joy! I just LOVE them! Will you please share a little about the book's illustration-journey?
Of course! Every book has a story, the story that happens before the story. Actually several stories because everyone involved in making a book has their own story for how they came to be part of it. My story for this book begins with--it was the first time a traditional publisher offered me a picture book to illustrate. This was HUGE! Something I had been working towards for a few years, and the theme and manuscript and publisher were all so appealing to me, I could not have been happier.
That is huge! But wait a minute, if A Poem Grows Inside You, which was published by The Innovative Press in October 2022, was your first book with a traditional publisher, what about Hattie Hates Hugs? Wasn't it published by Beaming Books in April 2022?
Interesting, right? That timing situation came about because, for one thing, publishing can be like that; but in my case, it happened because of the pandemic. Let me explain.
I got the offer for A Poem Grows Inside You in March of 2020...
Yup. I remember standing outside the elementary school while my dog and I waited to walk my daughter home from school, I had just gotten off the phone with my agent, and was looking forward to spring break with my kids…. which ended up lasting a year and a half. Because of those Uncertain Times. (Remember when every sentence started with “In these uncertain times”?) The Innovation Press decided to delay the book for a year, which made perfect sense as absolutely no one knew what was coming at us.
How well Uncertain Times, all caps, fits the Pandemic. Was it hard to wait for the publishing train for A Poem Grows Inside You to get back on track?
It was hard to wait, but also everything was hard and I was very busy doing things like buying too much spaghetti squash because what if the stores ran out of spaghetti squash. And it gave me a long time to think, and to experiment with different mediums. And without that time, I doubt I would have discovered the process I used for this book. Above is an early style guide I made once I decided on a medium, to show the publisher the technique I had in mind and the character design. We made a few tweaks, including the color of the raincoat.
It was hard to wait, but also everything was hard and I was very busy doing things like buying too much spaghetti squash because what if the stores ran out of spaghetti squash. And it gave me a long time to think, and to experiment with different mediums. And without that time, I doubt I would have discovered the process I used for this book. Above is an early style guide I made once I decided on a medium, to show the publisher the technique I had in mind and the character design. We made a few tweaks, including the color of the raincoat.
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I notice your thumbnails in the above image. Is that how you start the illustration process for a picture book?
For me, everything starts with thumbnails, which is probably the hardest part of the process--lots of talking to myself and tugging on my hair and making cups of tea I never finish. But once they are done, I feel like I have a roadmap to follow. I get lost really easily, so I love maps. Now, for that technique I mentioned. I really don’t know if I would have discovered this without the pandemic keeping us all at home and giving me so much time to experiment. I would trade not knowing this for COVID never having happened, but here we are.
What's the technique? Do tell!
It starts with sanded paper--the kind usually used for pastels. I am not a pastel artist, so I can’t even remember where I got it. It’s literally sandpaper, very fine white sand glued to a paper backing. When I painted on it with acrylic gouache, it would behave like watercolor or gouache depending on how much water I added, and going over that with colored pencils created a rich, bold line and a texture I fell in love with.
It is a gorgeous technique!
For me, everything starts with thumbnails, which is probably the hardest part of the process--lots of talking to myself and tugging on my hair and making cups of tea I never finish. But once they are done, I feel like I have a roadmap to follow. I get lost really easily, so I love maps. Now, for that technique I mentioned. I really don’t know if I would have discovered this without the pandemic keeping us all at home and giving me so much time to experiment. I would trade not knowing this for COVID never having happened, but here we are.
What's the technique? Do tell!
It starts with sanded paper--the kind usually used for pastels. I am not a pastel artist, so I can’t even remember where I got it. It’s literally sandpaper, very fine white sand glued to a paper backing. When I painted on it with acrylic gouache, it would behave like watercolor or gouache depending on how much water I added, and going over that with colored pencils created a rich, bold line and a texture I fell in love with.
It is a gorgeous technique!
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So once you got the thumbnails sketched out, the character designed, and the technique chosen, how did you begin putting the book all together?
Some books start with the cover, and with others the cover comes last. It all depends on the publisher and their marketing schedules. This book came cover-first, and I decided to paint the background and character separately so things could be tweaked and nudged in photoshop. I have done this for all my book covers so far. You really get the benefit and security of working in layers while still using traditional media. Above are a few more process-images.
Did you enjoy illustrating Katey Howe's lyrical words?
I really loved painting this book! Katey’s words are just wonderful and I would find her phrases repeating in my head as I painted various spreads. And the Innovation Press has been such a fantastic publisher to work with, with great taste in books I might add!
The making of beautiful picture books like A Poem Grows Inside You is a collaborative effort to be sure! And now it's out in the world!
It's wonderful. and I hope many creatives, young and old alike, will enjoy reading it and sharing it with others as much as I did illustrating it!
I'm sure they will!
Some books start with the cover, and with others the cover comes last. It all depends on the publisher and their marketing schedules. This book came cover-first, and I decided to paint the background and character separately so things could be tweaked and nudged in photoshop. I have done this for all my book covers so far. You really get the benefit and security of working in layers while still using traditional media. Above are a few more process-images.
Did you enjoy illustrating Katey Howe's lyrical words?
I really loved painting this book! Katey’s words are just wonderful and I would find her phrases repeating in my head as I painted various spreads. And the Innovation Press has been such a fantastic publisher to work with, with great taste in books I might add!
The making of beautiful picture books like A Poem Grows Inside You is a collaborative effort to be sure! And now it's out in the world!
It's wonderful. and I hope many creatives, young and old alike, will enjoy reading it and sharing it with others as much as I did illustrating it!
I'm sure they will!
Heather Brockman Lee grew up lost in her imagination, and has been an artist ever since. After spending her childhood underfoot in her father’s painting studio and earning a BA in Fine Art, Heather worked in several design industries including glass art and textiles. She has since shown her fine art in galleries, shows, and publications. She fell in love with visual storytelling while reading to her children and embraced children’s illustration as an invaluable opportunity to use her passion and skills to make a positive impact on the world. If you can’t find Heather at the drawing table or on her iPad, you will find her spending time with her family and dog, hiking the beautiful Rocky Mountain foothills near her home in Colorado, or hanging out with the bees in her garden. Learn more about her at heatherbrockmanlee.com
There's something wonderful inside you. It's waiting for the rhythm of the rainfall, the courage of the sun. It's there in the dark, ready to root, to grow, to sprout, to bloom. Written by Katey Howes, illustrated by Heather Brockman Lee, and published by The Innovation Press, A Poem Grows Inside You is sure to encourage creatives of all ages to nurture their talents and boldly share them with the world.
Purchase your copy today!
Purchase your copy today!
Heather's interview is based on a post first published on her blog, Paper View. Images are used with Heather and her publisher's permission.
