Monday, November 12, 2012

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!

14 comments:

  1. Great interview Nancy! it was terrific learning more about Samantha and her approach. Thanks!

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    1. Thanks so much, Jack. You guys work so hard and make miracles!

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  2. I love learning about the process each illustrator uses. I also love this sentence: "I'm not a full-time illustrator, but rather a full-time mom, so I don't think I ever have a typical day." I don't illustrate but that I can relate to!

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    1. Oh, Donna, can't we all! I have a feeling that Sam puts her heart into being both.

      Thanks for your comment.

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  3. Hi Nancy,
    Thank you for featuring Samantha today. I love the fox and tiger pictures you used to show off her talent. She certainly had great models for Britt and Bella.
    Hi Sam,
    Nice to hear about your methods. I must thank you again for the terrific illustration you did for my "A Moveable Feast" in GAK. It is so expressive of the story; even the butterfly and caterpillar illustrations are perfect.

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    1. Yes, Barbara, I think her animals are perfect, too. We are so lucky she is part of the GAP family!

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  4. Hi Nancy and Sam (name I love), It's interesting to see the book from the artist's perspective. When I write, I see my stories come to life as "movies" in my head. Then I hope the story will come off that way to the readers, from both words and pictures. Thanks for the insight and lovely artwork.

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    1. Penny, It's so interesting to see how authors and illustrators visualize things. Your manner is fun to hear about as well.

      Thanks so much for your comment!

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  5. Thank you Nancy and Samantha, I enjoyed hearing about how you set up for your illustrating. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks so much for your comment, as always, Susan!

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  6. I also had the pleasure of a book illustrated by Sam. - Growing Up Dreams. Wonderful artist and a joy to work with. She gifted me with two of her original watercolors and I am so proud to own them.

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  7. What a wonderful gift! Yes, Sam is a marvelous artist!

    Thanks for your comments, Sue.

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  8. What beautiful work, Sam! Nancy thank you for the interview and sharing some more of Sam's talent with us.

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    1. Such a lovely comment, Kai. Thank you so muuch!

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