Samantha Bell--Artist for All Seasons

 It is my great pleasure to have as my guest today, Samantha Bell. She is a fine illustrator of children's books, and she works in many media, including watercolor. Sam was the illustrator who brought Bella and Britt to life in the Bella and Britt series, (Guardian Angel Publishing) for which I am eternally grateful!

As every writer of children's books knows, the written word is only half of the book.  Without the illustrator's talents, the book is not a book at all.  The illustrator brings it to life.  Gives it bones upon which to hang the story.  When I think of Britt and Bella, the words I wrote telling their story are not what comes to mind.  Rather, it is the girls themselves--the lovely, spunky, fearless girls that Sam's creative talent brought to the series.

NS  Please tell us about your earliest illustrating. School, even earlier? How did it happen?

SB  My very earliest illustrations were for a story I wrote when I was about seven years old. The story (or stories, rather -- it was a series!) was about the adventures of a cat named Kitty De Dums. I typed them up on half-sheets of paper and added an illustration to every page.

NS  Your illustrations are so lifelike. Do they come from models, your head, both?

SB   I'm all in favor of reference material! :) I find models for the people I illustrate and use reference photos for the other things in the picture. I love using models, because then the children who pose for me can literally see themselves in the books!

My typical process is this: After reading the manuscript, I work out a story board for each page, deciding what will be in each illustration. I do this with little scribbles, and I'm probably the only one who can tell
what the scribbles are supposed to be. From this, though, I know what I'll need for each illustration -- models, animals, objects, etc. -- and then go from there.

NS   What is a typical day like for an illustrator? Do you have a studio?

I'm not a full-time illustrator, but rather a full-time mom, so I don't think I ever have a typical day. With four children at home, my day might go like this: Wake up, work in some illustrating time, get the family up and going, run through the day's activities of schoolwork, appointments ,lessons, errands, housework, and meals (with a little illustrating time squeezed in again), get folks off to bed, and illustrate some more. I have some really good lighting in my studio, so I can work late at night if I need to. And my studio? A tiny room at the front of our house that used to
be the nursery for my youngest. We just call it the "art room", because sometimes my kids work on projects in there too.
 
NS   You illustrate animals so beautifully, too. Do you use some real animals as models?

SB  It's harder for me to work from life when illustrating an animal; that is, unless it's sleeping! So I find or take my own reference photos, coming up with a collection that shows the animal from lots of different angles so I have enough to work from.

 NS  The illustrations you did for the Bella and Britt series are so gorgeous. I feel that I know these girls as well as my own children. I am always amazed at how well you capture their personalities. How do you do it?
SB  It must be my models! When I meet with the girls, I take along my storyboard and tell them what I need them to do. They are so much fun to work with! They "act out" the story as I take a million photographs --they are so patient!