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I should say that Julie, who started her career as an abstract painter, is an author<\/em>-illustrator, actually. Earlier this month, she saw her writing debut, though previously she’s illustrated others’ books. You can read more below about The Artist and the King<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, her author-illustrator debut and what Kirkus<\/em> calls in their review “a nod to art\u2019s twin powers of subversion and of transformation.” It was published by Alazar Press<\/a><\/strong> (whom we have to thank for re-printing Ashley Bryan’s compilations of Black American spirituals, but Julie talks about that below too). <\/p>\n Let’s get to it, and I thank Julie for visiting. (I’d like to take this opportunity, by the way, to thank Julie seven-thousand-fold for her blog about children\u2019s book illustrations<\/a><\/strong>, which she writes with artist Shelley Davies<\/a><\/strong>. Oh, how I’ve enjoyed it over the years.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Are you an illustrator or author\/illustrator?<\/font><\/p>\n Julie<\/font><\/strong>: Author\/Illustrator. <\/p>\n Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Can you list your books-to-date?<\/font><\/p>\n Julie<\/font><\/strong>: Illustrator of the following:<\/p>\n Author\/Illustrator of The Artist and the King<\/a><\/strong><\/em> [April 2014].\n<\/ul>\n Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What is your usual medium?<\/font><\/p>\n Julie<\/font><\/strong>: Photoshop.<\/p>\n Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Where are your stompin\u2019 grounds?<\/font> <\/p>\n Julie<\/font><\/strong>: Pittsboro, NC. Population 3,743 (2010 census).<\/p>\n Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Can you tell me about your road to publication?<\/font> <\/p>\n Julie<\/font><\/strong>: I started my career as an abstract painter, and I still paint abstractions from time to time. I was once in a Whitney Museum<\/a><\/strong> exhibit with Carroll Dunham<\/a><\/strong> (Lena\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> dad) and the Starn Twins<\/a><\/strong>. That was a lifetime ago. <\/p>\n As an illustrator, I\u2019m self-taught. I started tinkering with Adobe software that a friend gave me not long after I had children. It was satisfying to be creative in a way that was accessible to my kids. In 2006, the High Five<\/a><\/em><\/strong> magazine and Boyds Mills Press editors found my illustration portfolio on childrensillustrators.com<\/a><\/strong>. The art directors and editors of Honesdale, PA, gave me my first assignments. <\/p>\n Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Can you please point readers to your web site and\/or blog?<\/font> <\/p>\n Julie<\/font><\/strong>: www.juliefortenberry.com<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n My abstract work can be seen here<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n Artist Shelley Davies<\/a><\/strong> and I blog about children\u2019s illustration here<\/a><\/strong>. (Shelley finds the best stuff.) We recently started a Facebook page, too: www.facebook.com\/childrens.illustration.9<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Any new titles\/projects you might be working on now that you can tell me about?<\/font> <\/p>\n Julie<\/font><\/strong>: I have a new Sadie<\/em> book coming out in September (Sadie, Ori, and Nuggles Go to Camp<\/a><\/strong><\/em>) and one more Sadie book in the pipeline. I\u2019m also writing and illustrating an easy reader. <\/p>\n 1.<\/font> Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What exactly is your process when you are illustrating a book? You can start wherever you\u2019d like when answering: getting initial ideas, starting to illustrate, or even what it\u2019s like under deadline, etc. Do you outline a great deal of the book before you illustrate or just let your muse lead you on and see where you end up?<\/font> <\/p>\n Julie<\/strong><\/font><\/strong>: My process varies, depending on the editor. Some editors send layouts with the words in place and detailed instructions; others leave the layout up to me. For Eve Bunting’s<\/a><\/strong> Pirate Boy<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, I was free to create the page turns, to choose what to illustrate, and even to choose the dimensions of the book. I hand-drew little story boards to figure out how to pace the pictures. The sketches and final illustrations were done with Photoshop (using a mouse). <\/p>\n As for The Artist and the King<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, the project started when my husband recounted a tale about WWII. The Danes, he said, had made Nazi orders unenforceable when they all opted to wear the yellow star. Really this is a myth, but I wished it were true. That idea of people working together to undermine a tyrant became the seed for The Artist and the King<\/em>, and the yellow star became a dunce cap. <\/p>\n Of course, because I was writing for children, everything else changed too. My friend, the writer Kathleen O\u2019Dell<\/a><\/strong>, helped me with the first couple of drafts (and by “couple,” I mean twenty). Almost from the start, the illustrating and writing happened simultaneously. The pictures sparked the words and vice versa. In fact, the entire road to publication was intertwined with the writing and rewriting process. I submitted a dummy of the story (by emailing a link to a web slideshow) to several editors and received feedback. One editor in particular outlined ways for improving the story. Still, after revisions, she wasn\u2019t quite ready to commit to it.<\/p>\n
Illustrator Julie Fortenberry<\/a><\/strong> is visiting 7-Imp today, and as you can see above, she brought her breakfast along — Cheerios with blueberries and coffee with milk. It looks just right to me (and healthy to boot), and I’m ready to chat with her over coffee. <\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/kareben1.jpg\")
Those of you familiar with the work of Kar-Ben Publishing<\/a><\/strong> (a division of Lerner Publishing Group), who publish new children’s books with Jewish content each year, may instantly recognize Julie’s work. As you’ll see below, she’s illustrated many of Jamie Korngold’s<\/a><\/strong> stories about a Jewish girl, the cheery and ever-resourceful Sadie. <\/p>\n<\/a>
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Okay, I’ve got more coffee, and it’s time to get a bit more detailed with seven questions over breakfast. I thank Julie again for visiting 7-Imp.<\/font> <\/p>\n
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<\/em>Pirate Boy<\/a><\/strong> (Holiday House, 2011).<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/pirateboycover.JPG\")
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