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Happy 2012, everyone! Welcome to 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks, 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
I hope you rang in the new year just the way you wanted to. It’s the first Sunday of the month, so that means I invite a student illustrator or brand-spankin’-shiny-new illustrator over to share some art and say a few words. Today, I have a new illustrator, whose name is Lia Marcoux<\/a><\/strong> and who graduated in 2009. Let’s get right to it. She’s here to introduce herself, and I raise my cup of coffee to her. <\/p>\n “<\/strong><\/font>Hi. I’m Lia, a children’s illustrator living in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I live with my boyfriend and I’m an adult, which means I get to eat mango crisp for dinner and, in fact, I just did. I decided I wanted to be a professional artist and storyteller after a deep meaningful relationship with the first season of Digimon<\/a><\/em><\/strong> (I wish I was kidding), but while I was attending the Rhode Island School of Design<\/a><\/strong>, my interests shifted from animation to publishing. I work in watercolor and digital media. When I say ‘digital media,’ I mostly just mean the ‘multiply’ blend mode in Photoshop. Once in a while, I throw in a layer mask for kicks, but I rely on the watercolor painting to determine most of the important decisions about the the final piece. I also teach art at Shady Hill School<\/a><\/strong>, which is amazing! My students are skillful and creative, and I leave work every day excited to make art for kids like them.<\/p>\n Here are five paintings from the last year or so — I think the earliest is Cassie Loves Bugs<\/em>. <\/p>\n I remember that this piece pulled me out of something of an art slump, but I had to take an unwelcome break halfway through to go to my then part-time job at a cupcake shop. Being a cupcake shop girl might sound whimsical and fun, but it was lousy at the best of times and even worse when all I wanted to do was paint. I think it’s then that, working in a hurry, you make the snap decision to put an ‘s’ at the end of a Spanish word.<\/p>\n The Haunting of Granite Falls<\/em> is a mock cover for a wonderful book by Eva Ibbotson<\/a><\/strong>. All of Ms. Ibbotson’s stories are wonderful — I think Kevin Hawkes<\/a><\/strong> illustrated the majority of her books (and does a great job), but I’m not sure how the rest of the illustration world can keep their paws off of them. Her stories are visually rich, totally original, and a little bittersweet. I’m a huge reader of children’s literature, and if there were a genie that only granted wishes regarding which projects illustrators could have, I would wish to illustrate a story of hers.<\/p>\n Kids<\/em> was a little series I made for my website re-design. My favorite is the pair of the unfortunate young boy who eats while birds stare at him. The possibilities are endless. Eating a clam cake while seagulls stare! Eating a pretzel while crows stare! Eating a dead mouse while owls let their gaze linger! I’m inspiring myself over here!<\/p>\n The Keep<\/em> [pictured at the top of the post] is a piece where very little of the color composition from the watercolor painting remains. The original of the painting (which I consider to be about the halfway mark of a piece) is mostly grey and red, but when I moved into digital I eventually landed on a desaturated green palette. That’s why I love combining watercolor and digital — I get the texture of the paint and paper, but the specific control of a computer. My boyfriend’s sweater makes an appearance here, as well as a fur coat from Murder She Wrote<\/em>.<\/p>\n Lovebirds<\/em> is my most recent piece — only about two weeks old, actually! I’ve been having a wonderful and busy quarter, but it was nice to take a holiday break and return to personal work. I love doing research, but I’m pretty undiscriminating, so it’s a mish-mosh. The ‘painting within a painting’ (I’m so Inception<\/a><\/strong><\/em> right now) and the girl are based on a painting of a Spanish maiden, which I can no longer find, and the building is German. If you’re an avid reference image collector, I recommend Pinterest<\/a><\/strong>. It’s not for the weak of heart, though. It can own you.<\/p>\n So, here’s your takeaway: read Eva Ibbotson, eat more mangoes, and visit me at my website — www.liamarcoux.com<\/a><\/strong> — or my print shop — www.liamarcoux.bigcartel.com<\/a><\/strong>. Thanks for reading, and thanks to Julie for having me!“<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n Well, that was fun. She made me laugh, and I like her style. In more ways than one. Here’s to Lia’s future as an illustrator, and here’s hoping this isn’t the last we hear from her. <\/p>\n All images are used with permission of Lia Marcoux.<\/em><\/p>\n For any newer 7-Imp readers, that’s my bestest of all friends, Eisha, who co-founded this site with me. She was in town for the holidays, and I got to see her more than once. What a treat. <\/p>\n That picture was taken late — and after I may or may not have had a glass or two or three of very good red wine. It’s a happy tired that I am there. <\/p>\n I hope your holidays were good, one and all. I also hope you’re feeling good about 2012. I myself have my work cut out for me—gotta get back to work, gotta get caught up on email, and gotta do some manuscript edits for this<\/a><\/strong>—but my life is filled with abundant blessings of just about every stripe for which I’m grateful, and I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get crackin’. <\/p>\n I very much enjoy talking illustration and picture books here at 7-Imp (I enjoyed looking back this week on 2011 in this post<\/a><\/strong>), and I’m especially grateful for those who stop by to kick with me every Sunday. And that’s ’cause … well, I’ll speak for myself when I say—at the risk of sounding like Stuart Smalley<\/a><\/strong>—that, when I stop to notice the little gratefuls (as my children call them), it makes life a little better. <\/p>\n I’ll leave you with one more kick — the fact that I just discovered the music of Low Cut Connie<\/a><\/strong>. For real, I know you’re all, Jules is always runnin’ her mouth about music and I think I’ll just skip this blah blah blah on she goes again blah-dee-blah<\/em>, but NO REALLY. Hit the play button, turn it up to eleven, put on your best dance face, and get your swerve on. It’s dance o’clock is what it is. <\/p>\n<\/a>
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<\/center><\/p>\nHappy New Year, dear kickers. I think kicks one through seven for me can be embodied in this here picture on the right. <\/p>\n