“a girl once lay dreaming, dreams of saving the moon”

these words are from LILY’S MOON, but I found inspiration in Maurice Sendak’s MOON JUMPERS to get the right feel for the book:

I’m all about process, and lately, i’ve been feeling the pull to rediscover my favorite children’s book illustrators/books. Working at candlewick has me surrounded by pictures books, good and (gasp) not so good. But nonetheless, I’ve made some discoveries old and new that I’d like to share:

1. Hiroe Nakata

I heard of this illustrator last summer from a friend actually, but rediscovered the ducklings while perusing the children’s book section at Curious George in Harvard Square. I adore the characters, and the palette. Hiroe is a new addition to my book inspiration and I’m excited to explore more.

2. Mary Blair
She’s obviously, a color genius, character guru, and universal icon in the illustration world. But I’d love to highlight her Golden Book work with Ruth Krauss that I was looking at today (Oh, and Krauss is another guru of her time). The stories are simple, true, and embody this kind of americana in their positive message and sing-song quaintness. Mary Blair is the comfort-food of picture books, the Americana comfort that kids and adults alike need in the current topsy-turvy US.

3. Ezra Jack Keats
Keats was the first to show me that illustrators are artists first. To paint a picture as an artist, when you’ve had enough practice, means you will design well. And Keats’ pictures are crazy mixed media creations with depth, composition, and simple sophistication that brings children’s books to a higher level.
Plus, when you have a boy and his pup, what more do you need?

4. Jamie Harper
http://jamieharperstudio.blogspot.com/

My interests peeked in this Candlewick illustrator find, when I got a peek at her newest work for Miles to Go. Her characters here look more confidently drawn, and experimenting with cut paper, pattern, and collage has given her books new life! I love Miles’ map shirt, his little car, and the house endpaper the mostest.

That’s all for now. I must return to the redesigns for my website. The new blog header is a good inclination of what the portfolio will look like!

As always,
all good things