While Drawing In Her Treehouse: Illustrator Roxane Stoner

It's the second week of the blog tour. Thanks to all those that are hopping along with us! 

 Today I'm very excited to have Roxane Stoner with me on the blog. She's one of the illustrators of It's NOT Just A Dog! I have had such fun collaborating with her. She has a sensitivity to line and color that really resonates with me.

Short Bio:Since Roxane was very young she has been on a quest for the sake of art. It has taken her many places. She was born and raised on the French Riviera and came to the United States over thirty years ago. She lived in Eagle River, Alaska, for 15 years. Here she enjoyed the wide open spaces and the tranquility gave her grounding peace, a "living meditation." She now lives in a century old home in Tacoma, Washington.

If you'd like to connect with Roxane you can find her here:
Website
Google+
Facebook
Tacoma Arts Studio Tour
Contemporary Quilt Art Association
The Sketchbook Project
The Pilgrim Studio
1. Tell us about how you became an artist. Did you always like to draw? 
I don't remember a starting point when I became obsessed with observing this beautiful world around me and wanting to capture my feelings down on a piece of paper. I have always been with a pencil in my hand and the happiest when creating something with my hands.

Marc Chagall

Hundertwasser

2. Name two artists that inspire you.
Marc Chagall and Hundertwasser


3. When and how did you know you wanted to illustrate a children's book?

It has always been in the back of my mind but the opportunity had not presented itself before Sandra Moreano asked me to help her illustrating Pam Torres' "It's Not Just A Dog".

4. Describe your illustrating style and how it has evolved.

I am not sure to have a style per say as you would hope to accommodate the need of various projects but I would say that pen and ink, gouache, watercolors would be my choice of mediums.

Want to win
a signed illustration,
click here.

5. Tell us about the process you used to create the illustrations for this project?It was a joint venture with Sandra Moreano and Pam Torres to develop what "Madison" and the other protagonists from the book should look like. We met many times and tried different approaches. Once established it was pretty easy to come up with images and execute them. 

Vernacular Protection
by Roxane Stoner

6. Books are a collaboration between the writer, illustrator, editor and formatter. What should writers understand about artists? What does an illustrator need to know about the story?
The writers are putting so much trust in the illustrator to find the perfect look for their characters. In order to have a good experience they should give clear messages on what they have in mind in order to be happy with the outlook. Pam Torres was very helpful on pointing out what she didn't want and then letting us free to run with the project with only enough feedback and guidance to keep us inspired. We also kept the communication going throughout to better understand each other.

7. What time of day is your favorite time to work?
I don't have a set time. When I have that special "need", I work. Luckily that feeling is always there.

8. Describe your workspace.
The attic of a 120 years old house is my Studio. It is set up as a fiber art and drawing studio. I have a small balcony where I look over Commencement Bay on one side and huge black locust trees in front which give me the feel of being in a tree house amongst the birds.
9. What did you find most challenging about this project?
Trying to contain all the ideas in manageable formats.

10. What do you hope to do in the future?

I would love to do it again of course. I would also like to perfect my technique in order to be more versatile. Also I would like to be more articulate with words in order to illustrate my images with them, kind of building a book in reverse.

Thanks Roxane! 







If you haven't stopped by the blog tour here are the stops.


June Blog Tour Schedule and Links

Week One

2- Randomly Reading

3- R-Cubed’s Reads and Reviews

4- Book Dreaming

5- Ordinary Girlz Book Reviews

6- The Write Game

7- Indigo Quill

Week Two

9- Always In The Middle

10-I Am A Reader

11-Beach Bound Books

12- Mommies Reviews

13- Susan Kaye Quinn

      The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

Week Three

16- Rockin’ Book Reviews

The Write Path

17- The Owl’s Skull

18- Literary Rambles

19- Social Cafe Magazine

20- This Kid Reviews Books

Week Four

23- That’s Another Story

24- Pretty Opinionated

25- The Reader’s Perch

26- That’s Another Story

27- Reads 4 Tweens

Week Five

30- Tales Between The Pages

July 1st- Buried In Books