Illustrator
Interview
Q: The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman is an unusual story about a wooden man sent across the country by the kindly Geppetto-like Uncle Ray to see his niece, Tameka. Oliver doesn’t talk, doesn’t eat, doesn’t breathe—and yet he has quite a personality. What did you think when you were called upon to illustrate this particular character and story? Did you find it intriguing? Challenging?
A: I immediately found it intriguing. There were some very basic elements that made it a very attractive to illustrate. Firstly, the main character is a wooden man (I knew right away that the fact that he wasn’t able to talk and such, potentially, gave him more visual impact because the viewer would need to look at him to see what he was doing. There is much more mystery to him because he is not an animated figure, it was a choice I made. I didn’t put a mouth on him for that reason - I wanted him to be expressionless. What I was really looking for was for Oliver to look as if he was positioned by the people who found him, not by himself. The story really is about his journey and the people he affects.
Q: What was your inspiration for the look of Oliver K. Woodman—including the hat and knapsack?
A: I designed Oliver as if I was going to build him. I do a little wood working myself. If I ever got around to it, I like to think I could build an Oliver. I added the the hat and bag because they seemed like they would be useful to someone travelling across the US, hitching a ride.
Q: Your drawings were done in oils over an acrylic under-painting on board. How exactly do you accomplish this? And is the acrylic undercoat responsible for the textured look and feel of your illustrations?
A: I begin by preparing an illustration board by applying an acrylic gesso, then a light umber mid-tone, then transferring my drawing, then I paint all the shapes and images in arbitrary color, in acrylic. Next, when I begin to use oil paint, I will purposely allow some of that acrylic to show through. As an example, on the jacket, there is an ochre color in the sky and around the clouds that I let come through. The blue lines that delineate Oliver are actually the blue acrylic under-painting that’s allowed to show through in the form of line. The texture just develops with the several layers of paint and my brush handling.
Q: Your book illustrations are often done in bold, rich color schemes—in this case with an almost impressionistic color palette—like Monet, only sharp and focused. What appeals to you about these bright, vibrant colors?
A: I paint color in a very responsive way. I try and plan as little as possible. When I do the under-paintings in arbitrary color I see some very unusual combinations, blue trees, purple faces, orange mountains, etc. As I start to apply the oils there unexpected colors all over the place. I respond to that by trying make the “logical” color I might be applying be in harmony with whatever is random. Most of the time it’s bright and vibrant!
Q: Who is the seventeen-year-old boy you mention in your dedication of Oliver K. Woodman and what is the story behind the dedication?
A: You caught me, that’s me. Since this book had that great spirit of travel so much a part of it, it reminded me of what it felt like when I went away to college, leaving home for the first time. I had traveled little and had never even been on a plane. But there I was, “leaving on a jet plane” (that song was actually playing on the radio as my parents drove me to the airport) headed across the country to go to college and begin my adult life.
Q: When you finally get to see the finished version of a book, how do you view your illustrations?
A: I usually pay more attention to the design of the whole book. I don’t look at the art too technically, I look at the illustrations as if they’re in a photo album because it’s usually about a year since I’ve sent the originals off and I’m well into other projects when I see the images again. It’s like seeing old friends.
