Annie Patterson Interview, May 2011

Students from Mrs. Carver’s fourth grade class at Edison Elementary School, Tonawanda, NY asked Annie Patterson, the illustrator of Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out!, the following questions and Ms. Patterson graciously replied.

•  Do you like to draw?  What is the most fun about drawing?
• Yes, I love to draw! I have been drawing most of my life. I carry paper and pencil with me most everywhere I go. That way, if I get stuck somewhere I always have something to do. The most fun thing about drawing is when I surprise myself with a better drawing than I expected.

• What is the most difficult part of being an illustrator?
  Part of an illustrator’s job is to make pictures for someone else, and since they are usually paying you to make the pictures, it is important to make them just as they would like them to be. Sometimes it is difficult to get a drawing just as they would like. Especially with non-fiction stories, it is important to get details correct and this can take lots and lots of research and re-sketching.
• Tell us about a problem that you had with illustrating this book.  How did you work it out?
  My biggest challenge in illustrating this book was painting the night scenes. It is difficult to get watercolor paint to appear very dark, especially when it dries. It took many, many tries to get the paintings how I wanted them. And I still think I could have gone darker on some of them! Another challenge was getting the turtles to look accurate. I studied books about Loggerheads, and watched videos of them swimming, and looked around the internet for pictures to reference.  I emailed a woman who patrols sea turtle nests in Florida, and she let me use some of her photos of hatchlings for my illustrations. That was fun and helpful.

• Do you have any turtles?  Or any pets?
  I don’t have any turtles, but I do love them, especially since illustrating Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out!
  I have one dog, his name is Nuq, short for Nanuq which means Polar Bear in Inupiaq. We live at the top of the state of Alaska where Inupiaq is spoken by the native people here. I really want to have more pets someday when we move to a warmer climate. Nuq is a Samoyed, he has thick bright white fluffy fur, so he does well in this climate. I have 5 year old daughter and a 2 year old son, and they both would like to have more pets too. For now, they have lots of stuffed animals!

• How long does it take for you to illustrate a book?
  It takes me about 3 months to sketch and plan the book, and another 3-6 months to paint the illustrations. I usually am working with a publisher and they have certain dates that the work needs to be finished by, otherwise I would probably take a lot longer because I tend to want to make the illustrations just right, and that means re painting them if I don’t like the first try.
• When did you decide to become an illustrator?  How long have you been an illustrator?
  I decided to become an illustrator while I was in art college. I enrolled in the Art Institute of Seattle after high school, and just loved it, and learned a lot about the many careers an artist can have. I’ve been illustrating about 10 years now. I hope to continue for many many years to come!
• Where and how did you learn to draw?  Did you take many art classes?
  I mostly learned from practice, from looking at art that I like, from tracing cartoons that I liked as a child. When I was younger, I read the book ‘Charlotte’s Web’ and loved the illustrations so much. I had a big cedar tree stump in my backyard, and I would climb up and sit at the top with my yellow Labrador dog and draw scenes from that book. I took art classes in middle school and high school, and then went to art school for college. I had teachers who encouraged me and that helped me decide to go to art school.
• What media did you use to create your illustrations?  Do you have a favorite media in your work?
  For Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out! I used watercolor, pastel, and gouache which is like watercolor but a little bit thicker and ‘opaque’ which means you can’t see through it. I used the pastel and the gouache for highlights and details on top of the watercolor. My favorite medium is watercolor. I love it!
• Do you know the author?
  No, I don’t know April. I worked directly with the art director at Charlesbridge Publishing. I have read some of her other books and am a fan though!
• Are you pleased that your book is on the Charlotte Award ballot?
  Oh, yes! It means a lot to me to have people enjoy a book that I illustrated. I am happy that more children will learn about sea turtles and maybe grow up to help them.

Thank you so much for asking these great questions!  Happy reading!

Annie Patterson, May 2011

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