Interview with Lisa McCue – Children’s Book Illustrator

Last month, I published a post about one of my favorite children’s books, Sweet Dreams, and mentioned that one of the reasons I love it so much is because of Lisa McCue’s wonderful illustrations.  Lisa agreed to do an interview with me for One Book Two Book, and I’m very excited to share it with you! 

One Book Two Book: Where did you learn to illustrate?

Lisa McCue: I guess I have been illustrating my whole life. As far back as grade school teachers would tell me that my drawings looked  like they should be in children’s books.  I focused on art in high school and attended the Hartford Art school for two years, then transferred to UMASS graduating with a BFA degree.

One Book Two Book: What tools do you use?

Lisa McCue: The types of papers and paints differ from project to project. I like to work mostly in water colors, acrylics, and scratchboard . I  love trying  new mediums and techniques. This keeps painting Fun and interesting. I always joke that I’ll squash berries if it gives me the effect I’m looking for.

One Book Two Book: How did you get started illustrating children’s books?

Lisa McCue: You can say I was in the right place at the right time. While on Christmas vacation from college, I was introduced to a visiting author, Loek Kesstels  from Holland, who had just finished writing a children’s book.  Her publisher had not selected an illustrator yet, so she encouraged me to send them a sample of my art, and they liked it!  My first book,  “Het Olifantje Dat Dansen Wilde” (the elephant that danced wildly), had to be translated from Dutch to English for me so that I could illustrate it.

After college, I interviewed with a company called Publishers Graphics knowing only that they had something to do with children’s books.  I was so excited when I left the interview with a two year contract to work for them until my boyfriend (now husband) read the contract and informed me that they didn’t want me to work for them, they wanted to work for me! They were an artist agent. What do you know, I had an agent before I new what an agent was. I have been  busy illustrating children’s books  ever since.
 
One Book Two Book: What has been your favorite book or series of books to illustrate and why?

Lisa McCue: I have many favorites, but all of the Fuzzytail books that I did for Random house defined me most as an illustrator. I am so happy that I will have some new Fuzzytail books with Random House out in 2009. I also love working on the Corduroy Books.  Corduroy was created by Don Freedman 40 years ago, and I grew up with the original Corduroy books.  I felt really honored to be asked to be the new illustrator for Corduroy, and to give Corduroy a new more contemporary look.  It was also fun to be given the freedom to create a whole world for Corduroy (his friends,  home and school). One of my career highlights was a personal letter from Lydia Freedman, Don Freedman’s wife, expressing her delight in my rendition of Corduroy and his friends.  It is so exciting that the “world of Corduroy “ is now being licensed, and you will be seeing Corduroy and his friends as plush toys and on many different products.

One Book Two Book: What inspires you as you begin a new project?

Lisa McCue: The story itself has to be the inspiration. I always read through a story several times. Eventually I start to visualize the pictures in my mind. It’s as if I am already looking at the finished book. Then its easy, I just copy what I see in my head. Often the simpler story with few words are the hardest to visualize, but also the most fun because they allow me more freedom. I love to include things that are familiar to me, parts of my home or neighborhood,  children and pets. I often hide family names in the pictures as the brand name on an item or worked into the texture of the grass or tree bark.
 
One Book Two Book: “Sweet Dreams” is one of my favorite children’s books.  Can you share a bit of the story about how you came to create such wonderful illustrations for that book?

Lisa McCue: “Sweet Dreams” is one of a series of “Busy Bunny” books that I developed with Readers Digest . The idea  was to create a family of sweet lovable bunnies  experiencing simple life lessons together.  We wanted  the characters to by fun loving silly and playful, characters that would appeal to both boys and girls.

One Book Two Book: What are you working on now?

Lisa McCue: I am working on the fifth “Cork and Fuzz” an easy reader for Viking,  a new Corduroy  book “ Corduroy Helps Out”, and the best ever, three new stories that I have written myself – two for Random House “Fuzzytails A B C” and “Fuzzytails 1 2 3” as well as one that Sterling is publishing “Quiet Bunny‘s Night Song”. 

“Quiet Bunny’s Night Song” is  a very interactive story that uses all of the sounds key to early speech development skills and pre- reading/reading milestones.   It is a story that children can take part in, and it encourages your child to listen, formulate and produce targeted sounds while having fun - great for class rooms.
 
One Book Two Book: What advice can you give to children’s book authors to help them find and approach an illustrator for their books?

Lisa McCue: Find a publisher, and they will find the illustrator. This is the biggest mistake new authors make.
 
One Book Two Book: What advice can you give to artists who want to illustrate books?

Lisa McCue: Get an agent. Publishers are busy people, and they don’t have time to look at thousands of artists. They rely on the agent to have already done that and be representing the best. Besides you want to be spending your time illustrating, not trying to get work.

You can read more about Lisa McCue and see some of her children’s book illustrations on her agent’s website: Lisa McCue, Herman Agency.