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dodged icebergs …”<\/em>
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\nIt’s the first Sunday of the month (welcome, August!), so I have a debut author-illustrator today. But she’s also local talent (local to 7-Imp Land, that is), and I always like to shine the spotlight when I can on local picture book-creators. <\/p>\n
Amanda Driscoll’s<\/a><\/strong> first book, Duncan the Story Dragon<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Knopf, June 2015), is the story of a dragon who loves to read. As you can probably guess, his problem is that, though his imagination catches fire when he reads, so do his books. Quite literally. All Duncan wants to do is finish a book. So many plots; so many questions. “I want to read those two wonderful words,” he says, “like the last sip of a chocolate milk shake … ‘The End.'” Eventually, Duncan finds a friend to read to<\/em> him, but I won’t ruin the entire story for you. <\/p>\n Amanda is a graphic designer<\/a><\/strong> and artist and lives in Louisville, Kentucky. She’s here today to tell us more about herself, this debut picture book, and her work. I thank her for visiting. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Duncan story \u201cspark\u201d began long ago with my own love of reading. I remember as a child (and still today) being utterly transported by books. As a writer, I wanted to convey that feeling to kids. As an illustrator, I love visually interesting characters, and the image of a dragon lodged in my mind. Then one day, the two ideas merged and Duncan the fire-breathing, book-reading dragon was born. Once I had the character, the plot came easily. Sparks fly when you combine fire breath and flammable books! I start with pencil sketches. First thumbnails, then larger, more detailed drawings. Once the sketch is finalized, I scan it and open it in Photoshop. I tweak it a bit, and then use the sketch as a background layer, applying color, texture, and line over top of it. I love working digitally, because corrections are so much easier. I have to admit, \u201cundo\u201d is a wonderful thing, and I use it liberally.<\/p>\n The process with Duncan<\/em> was interesting, because the character changed a great deal (for the better) from my early sketches to the final dummy. Duncan began as a fairly traditional dragon, but transitioned into a more kid-friendly, child-like character. People often tell me they love his untied red high-top sneakers. So, of course, I wear red high-tops to my book signings. (Although I tie mine. I\u2019m clumsy enough without untied shoes.) Story inspirations generally come from my children or from my own childhood. When I was a kid, if the sun was up, we were outside. Our imaginations transformed the world around us. I would love for my books to share some of that experience with today\u2019s more electronically-connected generation. And although my kids are teenagers now, I frequently draw from the many memories of their younger years.<\/p>\n Regarding artists who inspire me, can I answer \u201ceveryone\u201d? There are so many talented illustrators that it\u2019s really difficult to narrow it down. I\u2019m a big fan of Dan Santat<\/a><\/strong> and was thrilled Beekle<\/a><\/strong><\/em> won the Caldecott. It\u2019s a beautiful book, and I love that he works digitally. I adore Patrice Barton\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> expressive characters, texture, and line work. Marla Frazee\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> talent is mind-boggling. I admire John Rocco<\/a><\/strong>, Jon Klassen<\/a><\/strong>, Loren Long<\/a><\/strong>, LeUyen Pham<\/a><\/strong>, Peter Brown<\/a><\/strong>, Peter Reynolds<\/a><\/strong>. … I could seriously go on for days. I am currently illustrating my second book, Wally Does Not Want a Haircut<\/em>, due out next summer from Knopf. It\u2019s about a sheep who goes to great lengths to avoid his first shearing, which leads to some hair-raising situations. (Sorry, I couldn\u2019t resist.) This story was directly inspired by my exploits with my own children\u2019s haircuts, or lack thereof. The humor is wacky, but it still has the warmth and heart that I strive for in all my stories. It\u2019s been wonderful working with the same editor and art director as I did with Duncan<\/em>. I hope my stories have a positive message sent in a subtle manner. Kids are smart. They can spot a preachy story a mile away. But if you can teach them with subtlety and humor, there\u2019s value in that. I\u2019m a huge believer in kindness and compassion, and I hope my characters always convey those morals.<\/p>\n DUNCAN THE STORY DRAGON. Copyright \u00a9 2015 by Amanda Driscoll. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York. All images reproduced by permission of Amanda Driscoll.<\/em><\/p>\n Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 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. New kickers are always welcome. <\/p>\n
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Duncan trudged back to this cottage.”<\/em>
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Really. Truly.”<\/em><\/center>
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