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What was your favorite book growing up?
I would have to say THE BIGGEST BEAR was my favorite with GREEN EGGS AND HAM and IF I RAN THE CIRCUS running a close second and third.
Have you always been a book illustrator?
I have been an artist as long as I can remember. The first book that I illustrated was in the sixth grad when I illustrated DR.DOOLITTLE for a class project. |
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Are there other artists in your family?
Yes, my Aunt Jolene is an artist and was my first role model. My Grandma Carter always had art projects and supplies on hand for my visits.
When did you create your first pop-up? What was it?
My first pop-up was the book WHAT'S IN THE CAVE? I had worked on pop-ups with other paper engineers before that,
but WHAT'S IN THE CAVE? was my first solo project.
Do you have a pop-up role model?
In the beginning of my career Jan Pienkowski and David Pelham were my role models.
How do you choose the subjects for your pop-ups?
I try to choose subjects that allow me the most creativity in the way that I use words, art, and paper engineering. Bugs, for instance, allow
me to use fun words like Giggling Green Grasshopper. Then I draw a wild looking grasshopper and make it hop or make its wings open with paper
engineering.
What is the most difficult pop you have ever attempted?
The most difficult pop that I have ever attempted to have manufactured is one that I have been working on for the past couple of years. Its called
Wiggle Wobble Widgets and as soon as I have simplified it enough you will see it in a book. My favorite pop-ups are simple structures used with exciting
ideas.
Where did you come up with the Bugs idea?
In an interview with a college student I was asked to describe a day in the life of 8-year-old David Carter. I told her that I would spend hours on end
searching the foothills and fields around my home in Bountiful, Utah, for rocks and boards. When I found the rocks and boards I would lift them up in hopes
of finding bugs. Maybe this is where the idea came from. It is hard to explain where ideas come from. Sometimes they just seem to pop into your head. The trick
is to then communicate that idea with others.
How did you conduct your research for CHANUKAH BUGS?
When I first considered the idea, I talked with friends of ours who celebrate Chanukah and they introduced me to their Rabbi, who told me the story of Chanukah.
I then went to the bookstore and bought every book that I could find that mentioned Chanukah and read them all. I also visited a couple of web sites that had information
on the celebration.
Do your children inspire your creativity?
Yes, my children inspire ideas and now that they are getting older they are also editors and art directors. I show them my work in the early stages, and they
tell me what they think with brutal honesty. If they ask me to read it again then I know I am on the right track. Both Molly and Emma have made good suggestions
that I think have made my books better.
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