{"id":2545,"date":"2013-04-09T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2013-04-09T06:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2545"},"modified":"2013-04-21T20:11:38","modified_gmt":"2013-04-22T02:11:38","slug":"seven-questions-over-breakfast-with-anna-raff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2545","title":{"rendered":"Seven Questions Over Breakfast with Anna Raff"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PhotoHere’s something I’ve failed to say but have intended<\/em> to say for nine days now: It’s National Poetry Month<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n

Know one way you can celebrate? You can grab a copy of J. Patrick Lewis’<\/a><\/strong> World Rat Day<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Candlewick, March 2013) and read it to your favorite child. Sub-titled Poems About Real Holidays You’ve Never Heard Of<\/em>, it’s an entertaining collection of weird holidays you won’t exactly see on your favorite kitty cat or Dilbert calendar. <\/p>\n

The book was illustrated by Anna Raff<\/a><\/strong>, children’s book and editorial illustrator who was once, as you’ll read below, a children’s book designer. Anna’s joining me for breakfast today, giving me and my Imp readers a look at lots of her art, rats and beyond. And what a treat it is. At turns playful, mischievous, and sweet (but never cloyingly), her dry-humored art entertains. (Case-in-point, for one: The Wild Turkey you’ll see below.) <\/p>\n

“Most mornings at this time of year,” Anna told me, “I have steel cut oats, cooked with raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg over some yogurt and a cup of coffee and sometimes a banana-based smoothie on the side. Oh, and grapefruit. I’m crazy about grapefruit. In the brighter, warmer months, the oatmeal is replaced with homemade granola. Several years ago I started giving it to my clients as a holiday gift. Before working on World Rat Day<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, I called it ‘bird food’ (a reference to my bird blog<\/a><\/strong>), but as of last year, it has become ‘rat chow.’ Hopefully, that doesn’t effect anyone’s enjoyment.” <\/p>\n

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(Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

I’m game for some rat chow, as long as there’s coffee involved. I’ll get the basics from her before our breakfast chat, and I thank her for visiting. <\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/strong><\/font><\/center><\/p>\n


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Anna’s self-doodle<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Are you an illustrator or author\/illustrator?<\/font><\/p>\n

Anna<\/font><\/strong>: Just illustrator at the moment. <\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Can you list your books-to-date?<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Anna<\/font><\/strong>: Sylvia’s Spinach<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Katherine Pryor<\/a><\/strong>, published by Readers to Eaters, 2012; World Rat Day<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by J. Patrick Lewis<\/a><\/strong>, published by Candlewick, March 2013; Things That Float and Things That Don’t<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by David A. Adler<\/a><\/strong>, to be published by Holiday House in Fall 2013. <\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What is your usual medium?<\/font><\/p>\n

Anna<\/font><\/strong>: I draw sumi ink washes, adding details with radiograph pen, pencil, and other media — and then I assemble and color them digitally. <\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Where are your stompin\u2019 grounds?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Anna<\/font><\/strong>: I live in New York City. <\/p>\n


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Illustrations from David A. Adler’s <\/a><\/strong>
<\/em>Things That Float and Things That Don’t<\/a><\/strong> (Holiday House, Fall 2013)<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Can you tell me about your road to publication?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Anna<\/font><\/strong>: I was a children’s book designer for about 15 years at various trade publishers and The Metropolitan Museum of Art before deciding to go back to school for Illustration. Once I graduated in 2009, I wasn’t getting any illustration work\u2014especially in children’s publishing\u2014so I decided to create a project which required me to draw every day and which would eventually build up a body of work that showed my sensibility. That became Ornithoblogical<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (images below), a blog where I posted an original bird drawing everyday in 2010. (I do it more sporadically now, although I did a full week of ducks<\/a><\/strong> a while ago.) <\/p>\n


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Wild Turkey, Ornithoblogical No. 564, 2012<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


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Quotable, Ornithoblogical No. 479, 2012<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


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Chicken Heart, Ornithoblogical No. 526, 2011<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


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In General, Ornithoblogical No. 177, 2010<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


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Seaside Nap, Ornithoblogical No. 124, 2010<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

The illustrations started out pretty simple without much point of reference beyond what I felt like doing that day. But as the year went by, they progressed into more visual play on words including bird breeds, figures of speech<\/a><\/strong>, holidays, etc. Unbeknownst to me, someone at Candlewick was following the blog and in mid-2011 sent me an offer to illustrate World Rat Day<\/em>. <\/p>\n


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Meteor Shower<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


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Wilderness<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Can you please point readers to your web site and\/or blog?<\/font> <\/p>\n

Anna<\/font><\/strong>: <\/p>\n