It’s been a while since I’ve had a guest post here on the blog, and I’m delighted to welcome author and illustrator Susan Macartney here today! Susan’s debut picture book, Benjamin’s Blue Feet, was published just last month, and she shares with us a bit about her road to publication and her illustration process.
BENJAMIN’S BLUE FEET is the story about a curious, little Blue-footed booby with a special talent for treasure spotting. One day he discovers a mirror. It is his best treasure ever until it leads him to start questioning his appearance. Benjamin goes to creative lengths to change his looks but in the process he learns something very important about himself.
The idea for Benjamin’s Blue Feet came to me two years ago. And with my book released this June that might seem like a pretty quick road to publication. My actual journey… was a truly long and winding one!
As a kid, writing, drawing and exploring were my favourite activities. Then in high school my love of art and writing got some serious competition from the sciences. In the end I managed to do both – first getting an MA in Anthropology and then training as a graphic designer. I worked in graphic design for 20 years and throughout maintained the dream of writing and illustrating pictures books. I was firmly propelled back towards this goal when I connected with the kidlit community …for the second time.
I went to my first CANSCAIP meeting a couple of decades ago, in between overseas postings with my partner’s work. Fast-forward through more stints in and out of Canada and I eventually re-connected with the kidlit community eight years ago at a SCBWI Canada-East conference.
Prospective PB writers – don’t panic! Mine definitely qualifies as an extreme scenario. In terms of a somewhat more normal trajectory, it did take me about 7 years from the time I seriously committed to my PB writing/illustrating goal to arrive at this happy point.
Regardless of where you are on your personal journey, my heartfelt advice: persist and reach out to your local kidlit community!
A little peek into my illustration process:
Trying to decide which art media to use was one of my early illustration dilemmas. I love it all! In the end my current style turned out to be a happy mix of some of my favourites: paper, graphite, ink and digital. I’m excited about using this multimedia style for my story ideas moving forward.
Sue Macartney works as an art educator at The Bateman Foundation. BENJAMIN’S BLUE FEET: Pajama Press – June 2020 is her debut as an author-illustrator. She lives in Victoria, BC.
Upcoming Books: One of 14 contributing artists to A WORLD OF MINDFULNESS: Pajama Press – October 2020 – a book for kids with artwork accompanied by meditative text.