Featured Illustrator Katie Eberts

MEET KATIE

This questionnaire goes back to a popular parlor game in the early 1900s. Marcel Proust filled it out twice. Some of our questions were altered from the original to gain more insight into the hearts and minds of our illustrators. We hope you enjoy this way of getting to know everybody.

  

1. Your present state of mind?

Looking forward to the future.

2. What do you do best?

Details.

3. Where would you like to live?

I love where I live in the upper peninsula, but if I had to choose somewhere different, the idea of living abroad in London sounds fun!

4. Your favorite color?

Purple

5. Three of your own illustrations:

          

6. Your music?

The Shins, Bleachers, Andrew Bird, Taylor Swift

7. Your biggest achievement?

My first illustrated book was a cookbook called Fresh Made Simple that I worked on with my friend Lauren K. Stein and published by Storey Publishing. I’m really proud of it.

8. Your biggest mistake?

Dropping the ball on marketing my work when times were good. It makes the slow times even slower.

9. Your favorite children's book when you were a child?

The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman

10. Your main character trait?

Optimism

11. What do you appreciate most in a friend?

Getting together and feeling like no time has gone by, even if it’s been a year or more.

12. What mistakes are you most willing to forgive?

Mistakes made in the moment without thinking.

13. Your favorite children's book hero?

Anne of Green Gables.

14. What moves you forward?

Excitement for the next thing.

15. What holds you back?

Second guessing and procrastination.

16. Your dream of happiness?

A summertime picnic with my friends

17. The painter/illustrator you admire most?

Rebecca Green. I just love her work.

18. What super power would you like to have?

Flight

19. Your motto?

Onward and upward! 

20. Your social media?

I’m just on instagram - @katieebertsillustration

Featured Illustrator Cody Wiley

MEET CODY

This questionnaire goes back to a popular parlor game in the early 1900s. Marcel Proust filled it out twice. Some of our questions were altered from the original to gain more insight into the hearts and minds of our illustrators. We hope you enjoy this way of getting to know everybody.

1. Your present state of mind?

Stressed and anxious!

2. What do you do best?

I’d have to say it would be overthinking everything. I’m also an ok cartoonist.

3. Where would you like to live?

I’ve been planning my move out to LA for over a year now and it’s so close I can taste it!

4. Your favorite color?

Orange!

5. Three of your own illustrations:

6. Your music?

While I’m working, I usually listen to podcasts, like My Favorite Murder, My Brother, My Brother and Me, and 99% Invisible. I’m also a musician, so I find that if I’m listening to music I’ll get too distracted, but I love bands like Young the Giant, The Wombats, The Strokes, and Streetlight Manifesto.

7. Your biggest achievement?

I’ve been self-publishing my own comics for almost two years now.

8. Your biggest mistake?

Not starting to take drawing seriously sooner. I really didn’t start trying to improve until my senior year of high school.

9. Your favorite children's book when you were a child?

Curious George

10. Your main character trait?

Not taking things too seriously or always trying to find something goofy in everyday situations.

11. What do you appreciate most in a friend?

Honesty!

12. What mistakes are you most willing to forgive?

Everyday human error.

13. Your favorite children's book hero?

Hilda from the comic series of the same name by Luke Pearson.

14. What moves you forward?

Fear!

15. What holds you back?

Also fear!

16. Your dream of happiness?

I would love to be a show runner on my own original animated series!

17. The painter/illustrator you admire most?

Currently, I’d have to say Luke Pearson!

18. What super power would you like to have?

The ability to never have to sleep. Think of how much you could get done with all of that extra time!

19. Your motto?

“Just do it” – Nike

20. Your social media?

Website: ‪https://mcodywiley.com

Instagram: @mcodywiley

Twitter: @mcodywiley

Featured Illustrator Lori Eslick

MEET LORI

This questionnaire goes back to a popular parlor game in the early 1900s. Marcel Proust filled it out twice. Some of our questions were altered from the original to gain more insight into the hearts and minds of our illustrators. We hope you enjoy this way of getting to know everybody.

1. Your present state of mind?

HA! Good, as I am painting lots of plein air paintings, which are just a pure joy to work on. Plein air painting is a learning experience…but well (to tell you the truth) It’s a great way to warm up to doing my illustration work. I am included in a plein air art show with other juried artists who are painting plein air the Land Conservancies of West Michigan. The show benefits them as well.

2. What do you do best?

Paint without deadlines. And sometimes I paint best with a short deadline like while painting in the plein air, where you must paint fast, as the sun waits for no one.

3. Where would you like to live?

I love living where I do. Really. But if I could, it would be on Lake Michigan, but I cannot complain about my 6 mile commute to the Muskegon state park.

4. Your favorite color?

Cobalt blue, the color of the sky, often.

5. Three of your own illustrations:

All are personal paintings, and they tend to represent the 3 different types of styles of illustration that I do.

6. Your music?

Mostly classic rock. Sting, Stevie Wonder really get me to sing along, in the studio alone, of course as singing is not my ‘gift’.

7. Your biggest achievement?

My/our two kids. They are a wonder and huge inspiration to me. They both make me think of Max in Where the Wild Things Are, and this makes me smile.

8. Your biggest mistake?

Not taking more classes when I worked at Hallmark as they paid for tuition.

9. Your favorite children's book when you were a child?

Charlotte’s Web.

10. Your main character trait?

I just love art, and so my family and most of my friends know this about me, and I’m also known for being ever the artist…as I seem to always have my sketchbook with me (for instance). And as a character trait, I am pretty shy. But I’ve learned over the years to push myself beyond my comfort zone. This tendency to push myself has helped me to overcome many things such as shyness, to better achieve my goals.

11. What do you appreciate most in a friend?

A kind person and seems most often a good listener is a kind person. So I appreciate most in a friend, a great listener who is kind.

12. What mistakes are you most willing to forgive?

A wicked sense of humor. Not even sure if this is a mistake or the answer to question 11 (for me).

13. Your favorite children's book hero?

‘The Swamp’ in the James Marshall’s: “Miss Nelson is Missing”.

14. What moves you forward?

Practice painting moves me forward, such as plein air painting.

15. What holds you back?

Hesitation.

16. Your dream of happiness?

Writing and illustrating my own children’s book stories. With art shows of plein air studies too. So both doing the best art that I can for children and to get to be the best I can be for children, therefore I continue to practice with fine art. Nailed it (the happiness question) !!!!

17. The painter/illustrator you admire most?

- Painters: Carol Peek, Dean Mitchell, artists/illustrators: Laurie Keller, Patti Gay, Rob Hatem (Rob’s blog: Lovemhatem) all very different artists and proud to call them all my friends.

To choose one painter/illustrator: whom I admire the most, it would be Wanda Gag (Millions of Cats).

18. What super power would you like to have?

Time travel power(s).

19. Your motto?

Two mottos, one for artists:

“Keep a sketchbook on you, draw as often as you can”

One for all of us: “a sense of humor comes in handy, almost always”

20. Your social media?

Website: www.EslickART.com

Pinterest, Painting a day: https://www.pinterest.com/eslickart1/lori-eslick-painting-a-day/

Pinterest, Lori Eslick Paintings: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/eslickart1/lori-eslick-oil-paintings/

Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-eslick

Lori painted two banners and they both deserve to be shown, here is the other one.