Featured Illustrator (and Author) : Lori McElrath Eslick

The Mitten's newest banner by Lori Eslick

Kendall, Hallmark artist, aneurysm, plein air, Favorite Inch: Featured Illustrator Lori Eslick

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet artist and writer, Lori McElrath Eslick.

Photo by Jennifer Green

You’ve said as an early student your favorite time was when you got to draw and paint, so you were an artist from the start. Did you like the colors, the shapes, the tools, the paper? What drew young Lori into the world of art?

Crafts. I loved to do crafts. 

I didn’t necessarily have the right tools to make art while growing up. I loved to draw, and paper around my rural house was at a premium. Meaning with 4 kids, we all fought to get our hands on paper. 

My brothers and I loved cartoons, such as Charles Schultz and in our teens: Mad Magazine. Maybe that tells you too much about my artistic leanings. I love the line-work of these artists, and did grow to love drawing. 

And drawing (according to my Kendall professor) is the basis of all art.

Kendall College of Art andDesign was an obvious choice for an artist. Were you painting with watercolor and oil in high school? Was there any concern that you were choosing the life as a “starving artist”?

When I talk at schools (to anyone, really) I will tell them that I’d never met a ‘working artist’ except my art teachers in high school/middle school. So the concept of making a living as an artist wasn’t on my radar. 

I feel particularly happy to tell young people “I am here to tell you…that I am a working artist, you can do this too!” Of course it is hard, it wasn’t easy for van Gogh (extreme example warning!) either. However it is a burning desire for me (most people, my opinion) to create. I do ‘get that’. 

As far as painting, my high school art teacher was a very good teacher, and it was he who encouraged my parents to send me to Kendall. So I applied and presented my high school art portfolio, and got in to Kendall. 

Magpie postcard

While there I did illustrate my projects in watercolor, not so much in acrylics. The oils came much later, when I could afford to invest in the paint & supplies. So I guess you can say that I am (mostly) self taught in both oils and watercolor, because our illustration classes didn’t teach us “how-to’ with the various art mediums. 

Rather, our instructors taught us a lot of drawing and design. We accomplished it with the materials of choice. I chose to illustrate in collage in pen and ink often, as it was the least expensive way to get my illustration ideas across. 

You helped change a policy at Kendall. How?

At the time when I was at Kendall, the office of ‘placement’ only lined up three companies (most likely the companies contacted Kendall) to interview us graduating Illustration students. 

They were: a sign company in Indiana, American Greetings Card Company, and Hallmark Greeting Cards. We could sign up to interview for only them. 

I questioned them only lining up 3 companies at the time.

Fast forward times have changed: I was a speaker/portfolio reviewer this past Fall at the college, and the Children’s book illustration class there invited myself  and several other working illustrators that same week to come in to talk about our careers, and the possibilities for illustration students. 

I am happy to also report that I told the students about Bologniafiere and one of the students entered right then and there!

You were recruited by Hallmark Cards. Did that mean you had to move to Kansas City? Laurie Keller also followed that path. Did you two meet somewhere along the way?

Hallmark did interview me at Kendall, and then they flew me in to Kansas City: their headquarters to interview me there. Which I did, and because it was my first plane ride I didn’t interview well. Meaning I was still a little nerved up (shall we say) from the airplane ride over Lake Michigan, and had to excuse myself from some of the face to face interviewing. Yet, as I also share with students, the portfolio speaks for itself. Or at least it should.

4x6 postcard image

Ironically, Laurie Keller and I had a very similar path, a year apart (I’m older, she’s wiser): same small town, we both went to Kendall (different years) she and I were hired and consequently worked at Hallmark also different years, as I left prior to her starting. 

However, I continued working for Hallmark freelance and she was in house…we shared some friends at Hallmark even. But we didn’t meet till we both met at a West Michigan Bookstore signing. And as nice as she is: she explained that she’d heard about me at Hallmark, etc. 

Since Hallmark recruited artists around the country, you got to know the few artists who were from your state. Alas, we didn’t meet till we both moved back to Michigan, and back to the Muskegon area, as I’d said: where we are both from.

You were born a “blue baby,” due to poor circulation. You were having a routine exam when a bulge in a valve indicated an aneurysm in process. Your mother had died during surgery for a brain aneurysm three years previously. How did you prepare yourself for heart surgery?

Young Lori

Oh, you have seen my TED X Muskegon talk (about this)! 

Yes, I was born a blue baby, the circulation was poor as my bicuspid heart valve should have been a (normal, like everyone’s) tricuspid valve. Fast forward after lots of  doctors ‘watching’ that valve, and it never ‘interfering’ in my life to a happen to catch an aneurysm (s) of the type that killed the actor John Ritter. 

Because aneurysms are silent killers…just boom, and well you know. My mom had a headache and the brain scan showed a difficult to fix aneurism in her brain stem. My two surgeries have held me in ‘good stead’. 

And what I can say is that we never know with our lives…what is around the corner. So it is best to do good (also turns out that doing positive things for others is good for our own hearts) and what we wish to do with our lives. Like Children’s books for the most important people in this world: CHILDREN!!

To answer: I am very lucky that the aneurysms were monitored and   they were found/scanned ‘at surgical size’ when they were found, yet not emergency surgeries. 

I am fortunate that the University of Michigan Frankel Heart Center (the good guys) did my open heart surgeries and now monitor the aneurysms (I had and the ones I now have) as well as my heart valve that was replaced with a pig valve. 

Sydney paints

I am blessed to have a team at U of M that MRI scans me regularly, because now there are and will be no surprises, and possible surgery fixes. I now know three people who have died suddenly of undetected heart aneurysms, at young ages, sadly. All 3 adults were very healthy runners, hikers, etc. 

So I say all of this to let you all know if you have a family history of aneurisms get checked out, as this is genetic. 

I am uncomfortable sharing this with you all, as, 2 things: we all go through something, I am aware this is hard for me, and you have your difficulties that you are going through…life gets tough for all of us!  

Secondly, I am sharing more health information to possibly help someone. If you have a family history of aneurisms, please look into your genetics. If this information is of use to you, my message maybe helpful to you, or a family member and friends are family too, I only say this to help. Please, because we need you!!

It was scary to go to the same hospital that my Mom did and consequently died of the surgery not working out for her. Scary to be scanned in the same department, even. And I am claustrophobic too! 

You’ve told the story of searching the doctor’s office for something, anything, to take away the anxiety of an impending dangerous operation. You found the photo of a bicycle leaning against a fence and sketched it in your artist’s journal. How did this help calm you?

I was more surprised than anyone! Yet, I did know to bring my sketchbook, which is pretty telling, no? Who brings a sketchbook to a heart surgeon’s appointment, especially the appointment to tell me about my impending open heart surgery? 

I found the picture on the wall, a bicycle in France and sketched it, immediately I felt myself grow calmer, more relaxed. Drawing is something I do to practice my art with ‘down time’, but this was epic. No idea that it would help me so much.  

I have now taken to bringing sketchbooks to waiting rooms such as the MRI waiting rooms, and leave instructions for the folks who are going to have a scan for whatever they are going through to write or draw in them. 

The results are stunningly, heart wrenchingly, beautiful! A tech at University of Michigan ‘watches’ over the books. If one fills up, she alerts me, etc. The drawings and writings that people do in the sketchbooks are such a saving grace, I know.

You were on deadline when this unexpected operation happened. THE GOOD FIRE HELMET’s story had more significance, spoke more deeply to you, after your successful surgery. Can you talk more about it?

THE GOOD FIRE HELMET is a story about the death of a dad: a fireman, without mentioning what his two surviving sons are afraid of, but one of the boys saves the other from drowning. 

Sometimes we (like the boys in the story) are afraid of things unseen, like the fear of dying. I often feel so very fortunate that the aneurism (s) were found, and repaired. And in the open heart surgeries, I am so very fortunate to have a surgeon, and to be able to have and survive the surgeries. Especially since I personally have known 3 people who have died young of undetected aneurisms. 

The story almost always makes me cry to tell it to the children in the audience. As children know fear, and they also know courage. The fireman author: Tim Hoppey wrote the story to honor a friend who died in the twin towers; he was also a first responder there as well.

I think more seriously about the projects and the work I do take on as our lives are very short. If we can do the art & writing that we really want to do, what a wonderful thing! If and I do art/illustration for my work, what a wonderful thing I get the honor to do! I am grateful to be illustrating for ‘product’ too.

You are famous for your plein air painting. You’ve got a small wooden suitcase that opens up into a tripod and pallet and paints and stand for your canvas. When did you first paint in nature, in plein air?

You stumped me with this question, as I cannot remember when I first brought paints out of doors to paint with. I didn’t have the fancy (and it still is, though I acquired it some time ago!) box. It is now over 20 years old and the maker has come up with fancy add ons … but I’ve found the simple “Guerrilla” brand box serves me just fine. 

Lori plein air painting the Pacific Ocean

I always loved nature, observing what it has to show us. As a college student I became aware of the Michigan Magazine, the art director was the now famous children’s book illustrator: Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen
…and I wanted his job! In a round about way, I got ‘his job’, as I am a children’s book illustrator, and have painted many a wildlife painting. 

To answer: I remember drawing from life as a teen. I would try to find paper to draw with (not abundant at my home growing up), and pencil or pen and draw flowers or animals and both were in abundance on our 40 acres. 

Not an abundance of neighbors, really none except the kids a country block away who I babysat for… so I really did ‘hone in on nature’. Now I find I cannot get enough of trying to paint her.

You’ve got more than 20 books that you’ve illustrated, for publishers large and independent. What are some of your favorite illustrations?

Carrying the Future

My very favorite painting that I’ve done, has been published in the picture book, MOMMY POEMS edited and written by John Micklos, Jr. It was also chosen and in the Society of Illustrators.

 I’ve had lots of wonderful confirmation that the painting is good. It is titled “Carrying the Future”, and it is still my favorite paintings that I’ve done. 

Most all of my paintings are for sale. Most of the paintings of my kids such as the cover of DOES GOD KNOW HOW TO TIE SHOES? are not for sale. As an illustrator I think it helps to not think in terms of our art as ‘precious’, because it is initially done ‘for other’. 

Some other favorites of mine are emotional works inside/interior paintings,  for various books, I find it fun that kids get our best art. I imagine a child reading along and being ‘gifted’ our best art, while they learn to read. 

In the story: READ FOR ME, MAMA, by Vashanti Rahaman, I like the painting that I did showing the Momma telling a story to her son. The picture book is about a Mom who ends up confessing that she doesn’t know how to read, always gets me in the heart when I tell this story because we all know someone who ‘struggles’ with their reading. 

I like a cover art painting that I did for Cricket Magazine titled: Lost Lake.

Lost Lake

One of my favorites that received the Magazine Merit Award from SCBWI was for a painting done titled, “Paints”, no surprise that I really enjoyed painting “PAINTS”.

You introduced Ruth and Leslie Helakoski to the concept of the “Favorite Inch.” Please explain.

O.k. but this may take a while…

I got my first illustration job at Hallmark Greeting Cards in Kansas City, MO right after Kendall College of Art and Design. Yay! 

While there another artist friend and I would be very critical of our own artwork (even before our work was critiqued by our bosses!) 

BALLAD FOR MLK

So we came up with an idea. Whenever we took a look at each other’s work, we would ask each other, “what is your favorite inch?” In this simple way we didn’t focus on the whole, or one area that wasn’t working to our liking, we found the favorite part first. 

We started our thing, and it did help us to feel better about our work to first find our “Favorite Inch” of the art rather than cringe immediately about the whole work. 

As a mentor to Leslie (Initially, as a SCBWI sponsored event) and in our writer’s group I introduced both Ruth and Leslie to this Favorite Inch concept. 

When I teach a class, I point out to the students, it seems rather a thing for us to find what doesn’t work first, but we can also find what DOES work first. And celebrate that!

Your work has been displayed in the Bolognafiere Annual Exhibition in Italy. How did it come to be for your paintings to end up in an international art show? Were you able to go yourself? What was the result?

Yes, I did get into the Bologniafiere in Bolognia, Italy! It has been one of the highlights of my career!! And if you have the means, and are (as we all are!) into children’s books the Bologniafiere features picture books from around the world. It is so wonderful to see book art and its varieties and expertise from around this world, it is so inspiring! 

Pumpkins as displayed at the
Bologna Art Fair

The painterly art that I did for the Cricket Magazine, cover art and interior story titled, WHO GETS ALL THE PUMPKINS?, I entered myself (I still am my own agent) as really I’d gotten a lot of wonderful feedback about the illustrations for the story I’d illustrated from the Children’s book world, such as: Trina Schart Hyman who was formerly the Art Director for Cricket Magazine Group. As Trina kept up with the magazine after leaving this position, she wrote to tell me she liked the illustrations. 

So at that time I sent the originals (the entry requirements) to Bologna. And when I received the notification that my art had gotten in, my family and I decided to make a trip to Italy. My husband (high school teacher) and our daughter had to go  back to the USA to resume  school, but I stayed on the next week to attend the fair after the ‘spring break trip’ of our lifetime. 

I had illustrated my very first children’s picture book in watercolor for LION Publishing, UK publisher, and was already working on the picture book for Eerdmans Books For Young Readers: DOES GOD KNOW HOW TO TIE SHOES? when I attended. So my portfolio helped to introduce myself as a much easier proposition, because I now had two books under my belt. 

And of course having my art in the Illustrator Exhibition was a grand conversation opener. I did meet several American Publishers, such as Boyds Mills Press, and after Bologniafiere, I have illustrated 3 books with them. 

It also was a great way to meet many editors, I met Arthur Levine (full circle) at the Bologniafiere…he recognized my illustrations at the Bologniafiere Illustrator’s Exhibition.

How do you use a camera to aid in your painting? What is your favorite camera to use?

I do use my own photos, and love to use my Canon digital camera. As then I can adjust the photos on my Mac computer to my liking. I also use my smart phone now…most often. Sigh. It’s handy, what can I say? 

I’ve also illustrated for a long time so I feel certain that I can adjust my artwork a lot to make it work. And since my style is loose and not ‘photo realism’ it is o.k. if the photos are not including all of the information, I know how to make it up. 

Most often everything is made up…the life of an illustrator is so dependent upon knowing how to do so. In other words: take the information and make the composition work, rather than using the photos and their ‘composition’ only. 

Awkward, one word to say it will not be a great composition…if you are dependent upon photos including everything you wish to see. It’s our jobs as an illustrator to make it the best image, with all of our tools. Boy, I didn’t expect to say so much about cameras. ;)

You have compared using oil paint as “butter. Who doesn’t love butter”? How do you determine whether to use oil or watercolor for a particular subject? Are there other mediums you use as well?

I love all sorts of art making mediums. All of it is ‘a candy store’. At a recent exhibition of my art, an artist friend mentioned, “I didn’t know that you do pastel!” Well I do, and I have a minor in printmaking too,  but I tend to pick up watercolors or oils whenever. I do enjoy the wonders of that oil paint ‘butter’. 

To choose what works best for an illustration job is one of the pure joys of illustration. It is hard (for me) to say what dictates the reason. Sometimes it is what I wish to ‘challenge’ myself with when I choose to paint an illustration in oils vs watercolor. 

Or the size of the job. The details such as illustrating a job in watercolor because I wish to paint more details. But I tend to handle oils very loosely like watercolor, and I know this because many people have assumed that my oils are done in watercolor. Butter, is good, no?

For oils, to let illustrators know: I use a dryer medium-like liquid. It is smelly, but it will help to surface dry an oil almost overnight. I have a large scanner, and I can scan the painting that soon. So I am not (usually) worried about drying time with the oils for an illustration.

You’re mostly known for your art, but you’ve said, for you, the picture comes first, and then the story. Do you have stories you’ve written?

I keep working on picture book manuscripts. And have been published as an author in magazines. I have lots of manuscript/stories I juggle. 

Mehndi article in Cricket

One time I approached Cricket Magazine to ask the editor if they’d ever published anything about Mehndi, as I became familiar with Mehndi after illustrating a poem in the picture book I’d illustrated for WordSong, Boyds Mills Press titled: BAREFOOT, POEMS FOR NAKED FEET. 

The poem that got me wondering about the same subject matter as a non fiction story. I approached the Editor who I work with as an illustrator at Cricket,  who then replied that they hadn’t ever (to that point) done a story about Mehndi, and asked me to send a proposal. 

Which I did, they accepted the proposal, and I wrote a “How to do Mehndi” a non fiction story. Even included “how - to” make a cheap version of Mehndi paste using food coloring for kids who might not be able to purchase the store bought paste. Science experiments always geek me out…especially when they involve colors!

I keep trying as I say to the picture book illustration classes that I teach, “if you don’t try, it will not happen”.  So keep after it, and I will happen for you too.

Your art has been exhibited around the world. How do you prepare a painting to go from your home studio to somewhere like Italy or Japan?

The wonderful folks at Bologniafiere pack the art to travel on…for me, probably using my packing materials. And all has been returned to me in great care. Publishers are also careful in their handling of my art.

To answer: Foam core. You can purchase foam core at the dollar store. Pack something tight, meaning make sure it is not going to slide around in its box. Make sure it is covered in water resistant plastic, so as it will not get wet. Scan the art so as to have a copy of the art in a printable size, because it has been rare for me, thank goodness, but it is a risk to send it off. Insure it, as I have (unfortunately) had paintings lost, and stolen. I say this, yet, again if you don’t try, (to submit your art) it won’t happen.

You’ve spread your passion for art to artists young and old. How do you fashion a lesson plan to take your years of varied experience and distill it to a couple of hours?

Thanks so much, the passion is real (me and art), and I do wish to inspire others to find their passions. Life is short and I find that I tend to smile (like a loonie, sometimes, reference to Monty Python) while I work. 

I plan with the students (that I imagine) in mind first, for instance: I teach with beginners in mind, providing a template to paint from and then invite the students to ‘do their own’ thing. Open ended-ness. 

I remember as an art student feeling ‘talked down’ to if a teacher should do so by ‘telling rather than inviting’. I most often offer the idea jump offs, and how to handle tools, like watercolors, and allow students to show me what they know (NEVER by putting them on the spot, just my observations) and wish to convey as they play (do art), and my job is to guide with my demos…and of course: encouragement. 

I love to encourage others to do what they love. Encourage people to do their art form.

 

 

Two classes I am teaching in Picture Book Illustration coming up:

A Watercolor Workshop, World Building and a Character, with Lori McElrath Eslick

@ the Arts-place in Fremont, Michigan, Feb. 8, more info. 

https://www.ncca-artsplace.org/event/watercolor-workshop-with-lori-eslick/

A Picture Book Illustration 3 day class! Taught by Lori McElrath Eslick, Special Guests: visiting Eerdmans Books for Young Readers Editor and Art Director!

June 10 – 12, 9 AM – 4 PM, Lowell, MI

https://lifeprocesscenter.org/events/lori-mcelrath-eslick-childrens-book-illustration-mini-class/