{"id":2147,"date":"2011-06-05T00:01:22","date_gmt":"2011-06-05T06:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2147"},"modified":"2011-06-05T07:01:55","modified_gmt":"2011-06-05T13:01:55","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-222-featuringup-and-coming-illustrator-rachel-levit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2147","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #222: Featuring
Up-and-Coming Illustrator, Rachel Levit"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Dude. What is that poor child going to do? That ginormous creature is hungry. I don’t know the answer, but perhaps one day we’ll see them in a picture book. It’s the first Sunday of the month, and that means I shine the spotlight today on a student or brand-new illustrator. Today I welcome a student. Her name is Rachel Levit, and here she is to tell you more about her work and how she hopes to make picture books one day (thereby increasing our chances of discovering the fate of the ice cream cone). <\/p>\n

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“My name is Rachel Levit, and I am currently studying illustration at Parsons<\/a><\/strong> in New York. I come from Mexico City, and it was also my dream to study art abroad. I am lucky enough to be pursuing such a creative career; it combines everything I love: drawing, designing, storytelling and more.<\/p>\n

This last year, I really got into children\u2019s books. I am inspired by artists such as Gustave Dor\u00e9<\/a><\/strong>, Anthony Browne<\/a><\/strong>, Tove Jansson<\/a><\/strong>, Hilary Knight<\/a><\/strong>, Fran\u00e7ois Roca<\/a><\/strong>, amongst others. Books are very important to me, and I definitely hope I\u2019ll be making many of them throughout my career. <\/p>\n

I keep hearing how competitive and scarce the editorial world has become, especially in the children\u2019s book field. But, I think that at the same time the internet has become a hub for illustrators and artists sharing their work freely, and that can be exciting too. It’s like a community. <\/p>\n

Anyway, I have one year left to graduate, and I\u2019m excited for the future! For now you can take a look at my blog<\/a><\/strong>, where I post things related to my work.”<\/em><\/p>\n

This is Frederick, the character of Little Mister<\/em>, a children’s book Rachel wrote this semester. “I made him out of sculpey,”<\/em> she writes at her blog, “so that I could draw him from various angles. Fred doesn’t like being a kid so he dresses and acts like an adult. Cheer up Fred!”<\/em><\/p>\n

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“On the weekends, he would go with his grandpa to the barbershop to get a trim.”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

Here is an image from one of Rachel’s zines, The Hat<\/em>: <\/p>\n


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Big thanks to Rachel for visiting 7-Imp this morning. She has a bit of a Lauren-Castillo<\/a><\/strong>-meets-Marie-Hall-Ets<\/a><\/strong> vibe goin’ on. Best of luck to her in her career. <\/p>\n

All images are copyright \u00a9 2011 by Rachel Levit and reproduced with her permission.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Note for any new readers: 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. <\/p>\n

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1)<\/strong><\/font> I like Rachel’s wee story called The Hat<\/em>, even if it’s sad. <\/p>\n

(P.S. To quote the omnipresent mid-’90s bumper sticker, mean people suck. Especially ones who laugh at really cool hats from your mama.)<\/p>\n

2)<\/strong><\/font> See how up above Rachel referenced illustrator Fran\u00e7ois Roca? I found this online. I don’t know what the hell he’s saying, though I took high school French, but a) I like hearing French and b) I like looking at his art. <\/p>\n