I am so happy about today's interview. A couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing and blurbing a wonderful book called, "Prince Preemie". The author, Jewel Kats, wrote the book inspired by her nephew who was a preemie.
I love books that give a communication tool for others to help raise awareness and understanding for children and family living with special needs.
Sadly, Ms. Kats passed away before we had a chance to invite her on the blog, but her extremely talented illustrator, Claudia Marie Lenart, was kind enough to join us to talk about the book as well as her career as an illustrator (for those of you out there interested in breaking into that arena).
Enjoy our chat, and please check out both the book as well as Claudia's webpage and social media.
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Welcome to the blog, Claudia!
Please share a bit about your background with us.
I am a former journalist turned artist/illustrator and soon
to be author. I live in the Chicago suburbs. I worked as a community journalist
for more than 20 years, both on staff and as a freelancer while my son was
young. My second career as an artist began 5 years ago when I discovered needle felting. When I was laid off from
my media job due to downsizing, I decided to pursue art full time.
Wow! You certainly have a lot of experience.What or who inspired
your current profession as an illustrator?
My career as an illustrator was the coming together of bits
and pieces of my life. I always loved art and I was always creative. I spent a
lot of time drawing as a child and teenager. I especially liked to draw
people’s faces, eyes, and of course, horses.
In college I liked to paint in watercolors and as an adult I dabbled
with colored pencil art. I found my
artistic passion about 5 years ago when I discovered needle felting. I love
taking a pile of wool and transforming it into a little animal that seems
lifelike.
While I had long daydreamed about some day writing and
illustrating a children’s picture book, I had not made any steps in that
direction. But by providence, Jewel Kats found me through my Etsy store. She
asked me if I would illustrate her next book. I read the book, and cried. Jewel’s
writing is emotional and I agreed to the project. I illustrated three books for
Jewel.
My style of illustration is influenced by illustrators of
the “Golden Age” of illustration. I collected and sold antique children’s books
for some time and love the vintage look. However, since I illustrate with wool
as my medium, my work is truly original.
That is so fascinating. I'd never heard of needle felting before. That's fantastic! And the end results are just beautiful. Speaking of Jewel, I had the pleasure of
reviewing and blurbing the book, ‘Prince Preemie’. Sadly, she isn’t with us any longer. What was it like working with her, particularly
on this project?
Jewel was a light in my life. She trusted my artistic
instinct and gave me free rein with the illustrations. She was also very
positive and encouraging. Prince Preemie was special for her because it was
written for her sister and nephew, who was born prematurely.
That is so wonderful. It is refreshing to work with people who not only love what they do but truly care about those around them, particularly those working with them on a project close to their heart. What was your
favorite part about working on ‘Prince Preemie’?
I especially enjoyed putting together the nursery scene with
the teeny tiny teddy bear and the tiny bluebird/cloud/crystal mobile. And it’s
all blue and I love blue.
I loved that scene too. And blue is my favorite color. Take us through your
process for creating the right illustrations for the books you work on?
After reading the book, I consider each page and what is the
most interesting/emotional aspect of that page. Then a scene pops into my head
and I draw a very rough draft.
Once I start creating the characters and the backgrounds
with wool fiber (which I hand dye) the illustrations evolve. I also spend a lot
of time searching for inspiration on Pinterest and Google. For instance, with
Prince Preemie, I spent a lot of time looking at photos of castles, both the interior
and exterior.
Brilliant. Pinterest is really good for visual inspiration. I venture over there from time-to -time myself. Do you do any other
sort of artwork aside from children’s picture books? If so, please tell us
about it.
I create realistic animals from wool – bunnies, squirrels,
dogs and more. I also create wool paintings of children and animals. The
process I use is needle felting, which is taking a clump of wool roving,
rolling it and then poking it repeatedly with a barbed needle. It is like
sculpting with wool. The wool paintings I do are also 3D, but it is more like
painting with wool.
That sounds so interesting. I think I might have to look into that. What advice would you
give to someone who is interested in pursuing this career?
It is hard for me to give specific advice as to how to
pursue illustration, since my path was not typical. However, I do think you
need to follow your passion and don’t try to copy someone else’s art. Be true to
yourself. And always aim to keep improving your technique.
Great advice, thank you. Do you do any writing
as well, or do you just stick to illustrations? Would you create your own book
from start to finish if you had the opportunity?
Yes, I do have some children’s books in various stages of
becoming. My first book as author and illustrator will be published by Loving
Healing Press in April. It is, “Seasons of Joy: Everyday is for Outdoor Play.” The illustrations are wool paintings
of animals, flowers and trees paired with verse that expresses the joy young
children experience playing outside in nature’s seasons. The book was inspired
by Waldorf schools where the kids play outside every day. I have fond memories
of my son, now a young adult, and his school mates doing all the outdoor activities
the children do in the book.
Your book couldn't be in better hands. Tell us what you do
in your spare time for fun.
I love nature activities like hiking with my dog in the
forest preserves and kayaking on my neighbourhood lake. I love gardening, both
flowers and edibles. I also play guitar and fiddle with photography.
Wow! You are so multi-talented! The last question is
one I put out to everyone who joins us here on the blog. Do you have any Pearls
of Wisdom we can take home?
It is never too late to learn new skills. If you always
wanted to do something, go for it.
Those are fantastic Pearls, Claudia. And thank you for joining us here today, sharing your talent and wisdom with us. You truly are very influential. I can see why Jewel was so drawn to you. Please come back when your book comes out. We'd love to have you back.
Be sure to check out Claudia's website and catch her on one of her Social Media connections. You won't be disappointed.
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Claudia Marie Lenart is a fiber
artist from northern Illinois. She experimented in the arts and handwork since
childhood and while pursuing a career as a journalist. She finally found her
true muse when she discovered needle felting. Her soft sculpture characters are
created by repeatedly poking wool and other natural fibers, like alpaca, with a
barbed needle. Claudia pioneered a distinct style of illustrating books using
needle felted wool to create illustrations as well as a variety of other
techniques including wet felting and pressed wool painting.
My Links:
Website: http://claudiamariefelt.com/
Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ClaudiaMarieFelt
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Claudia-Marie-Lenart/e/B01E4HTKOQ
Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/ClaudiaMarieFelt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/clwords
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clwords
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