#sparkchamber 030121 — Melquea Smith
A perfect portion of just what we needed today as #sparkchamber welcomes quirky illustrator Melquea Smith. Based in New York, Melquea is a children’s book illustrator — and a certified kid-at-heart herself — who adores illustrating magical stories with animals, mythological creatures, and dragons.
In her own words:
“
I’m obsessed with color, magic, and animation. When I was a child, I would watch cartoons, movies, and play adventure-based video games to escape to otherworldly places. I would don ears and a tail and run on all fours with my cat Princess — who taught me all about sneaking into the kitchen undetected. I have influences from too many things to count! The first influences that I can remember clearly are The Lion King, Spyro the Dragon, and Sonic the Hedgehog [and especially Sonic Adventure 2: Battle for my gamers out there!]
My work started off on a little site called DeviantART where I slowly learned how to interact with people online. I took inspiration from various styles which melded into what would become mine. Eventually, I found others who adored drawing anthropomorphic animals like I did! My skills grew and found a fuzzy community to boot!
A few years later, I branched out into exploring art for the fan convention scene, bringing my love of animals and fantasy elements with me. I met so many wonderful people and patrons face-to-face. We geeked over videogames, anime, and cosplays! However, conventions take a ton of energy, travel, and emotional labor. I always had the idea that my work could fit for children's books. It was time to pivot.
I joined a monthly event called Shop Talk hosted by my local region of SCBWI [The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators] and eventually became a member. The first day, I met Maggie, an amazingly optimistic and positive member who swooped me off my feet and developed a critique/accountability group with me, my partner Eric, and my best friend Ashanti.
From then on, I’ve been diving into the craft of making children’s books. It’s not just making pretty pictures — even though I’m ALL for that — there’s a narrative quality to illustrating books. There’s an expertise of reading between the lines of a manuscript and elevating a writer’s story with your artwork and making the story your own.
All of those elements that formed my artistic development are still with me. Going to cons taught me how to sell, market, tell stories, and interact with buyers. Finding my communities encouraged me to let my freak flag fly. I weave all of that into something that's uniquely Melquea.
“
Learn more at her website, and definitely check out the blog. This post about illustrating a children’s book in thirty days, start-to-finish is phenomenal.
1.] Where do ideas come from?
Ideas come from everywhere! But my ideas come from too many places to be honest, haha! It could be a group of colors that makes my heart skip a beat, or my old video games whose immersive worlds surround me with peace and wonder, or a particularly beautiful sunset after a thunderstorm. My ideas are sparks! They ignite more furiously on long car and train rides.
When an idea hits, it forces me to frantically forage for paper to scribble it on it.
I also love the thought of ideas being these mythical little sprites that visit people. If they aren't brought into fruition, or the person takes too long to create them, they flit off to the next person! Ideas are funny that way.
2.] What is the itch you are scratching?
I want to make work that urges someone to pack their bags, leave their lives, and move into the illustration. Sadly, we can’t literally do that, but I have an adoration for magical and stories that give a sense of fantastical, yet peaceful tranquility. Also fun. I mean, what’s life without fun!
3.] Early bird or night owl? Tortoise or hare?
I work in digital and traditional formats. I like creating in the morning even though I prefer nighttime. I adore watercolor, and I love painterly marks. I’m a very sloooow illustrator, but that’s because I’m in the middle of a large transition.
I took a course mentoring under a visual development artist named Chris Oatley, and he and my course-mates transformed the way I create. Now, I like to be deliberate with what I make. But with illustrating children’s books, I need to balance meticulously planning elements and being prolific.
With work blending into home, working on the admin tasks of building my business, content marketing, taking classes, and not being able to shut myself away, alone, it’s tougher to carve space to create. But I’m quickly realizing that if other things are on my schedule, then art making should be as well.
How I keep making art is by literally shutting people out. Even my own mother! [Sorry, ma!] I need to be solitary in the beginning stages of design, idea formation, and fixing anatomy issues. Once all the big decisions are made, then I can have fun losing myself in the brushstrokes.
4.] How do you know when you are done?
Either a deadline or I just have this feeling that it’s done. It’s a bit abstract, and I can noodle on an illustration forever. My most effective method is to sleep on it, and revisit it with fresh eyes. If there’s something in the illustration that bugs me, it has to be fixed. If the deadline’s on my tail and I can live with it, then I'll let it go.
