Topic: Blog Tours
Today I have the pleasure of sharing with you a talk I had with Jordan Vinyard, the talented artist that took a picture in Holly's mind and brought it to the surface for all of us to see and love.
1. First, can you tell us a little about yourself? Who is Jordan Vinyard?
Well, I am 25 years old. I am a studio artist, mural painter, and of course an illustrator. I am married to a sculptor, so I am really in an art friendly environment. I work like a maniac, but it feels more like play because I so love what I do. I have a twin brother, who I am very close to. My entire family is amazing and they have all believed in what I do from the get-go.
When I first saw this question, I e-mailed a few of my friends to see how they would describe me. Lol, I got some pretty funny answers : highly energetic, trouble, and funny. Those are probably all pretty accurate :)
2. How do you become involved in book illustration? Was it a dream you worked for or did the opportunity just appear and you went for it?
To be perfectly honest, it kind of happened upon me. I didn't know a lot about illustration before I really got into it.
It all began when one of my professors called me about a posting she had seen from Vivian. 4RV needed an illustrator. I thought about it, and decided that I would give it a shot. I have always been a studio artist, so I really didn't know what it would be like, except that it involved art. That being said, I figured there was no way I could dislike it. What I didn't know, is that I would love it. I continue to work in several areas of the art world, but to add another was quite a thrill. I have a real passion for doing artwork. I love everything about it.
3. Writers so often have a picture already in their mind of characters, how do you work with them to bring those characters to life? Is there some process you follow to draw their image out?
With Holly, it was easy! I felt like the images of the characters popped into my head so vividly right from the beginning. I wanted them to be extremely expressive. I achieved this by making about a billion sketches. I like to work and rework the character until they feel fluid, until they have a real sense about them. Once I am attached to a character, I feel that I can pass this "attachment" on to the readers.
Also, when I was working with their expressions I looked in the mirror a lot. I will do whatever it takes to get the emotion of a character right, even if it means making goofy faces in the mirror!!! My husband happened upon this action several time, often asking me what on earth I was doing. lol.
4. Have you always wanted to be an artist? What steps did you take along the road to get where you are now?
I have always wanted to be an artist. From the time I was about 5 years old I was drawing and painting.
As far as steps along the road, practice. Lots and lots of practice. I had some amazing and inspirational teachers. All of them have been so encouraging. To get where I am now I knew that it would take hard work. All through college I worked my tail off. I even worked so hard on one drawing that I had to go to the doctor because my finger had swollen up so big. He said he had never seen someone with a drawing injury before. He put a splint on my finger and I was banned from doing art work for 2 whole weeks. That was not easy for me to do.
In addition to hard work, I firmly believe in asking questions. I have called artist and literally hounded them about how they go about a certain technique. Fortunately, all of them that I have encountered admired my persistence, and I learned a lot from them.
5. What advice can you give to young artists who may be considering book illustration as a career?
In response to this question, I will pass along a quote that one of my professors gave to me:
" You don't ever need the tricks of the trade, if you actually learn the trade."
I firmly believe this. Learn everything you can about what you are doing. Know the ins and outs of it, even if it means hounding people with questions.
6. Is there anything you would like to share with our readers about yourself, your life or your work?
I think all in all, I love my work. I think that is the common denominator in everything I do. I am passionate about it, and I love for others to be excited about art. I feel like with everything I do, I put myself so completely into it. I hope that the passion for my work comes across to the viewers, and most of all I hope they enjoy it!!!
I think all in all, I love my work. I think that is the common denominator in everything I do. I am passionate about it, and I love for others to be excited about art. I feel like with everything I do, I put myself so completely into it. I hope that the passion for my work comes across to the viewers, and most of all I hope they enjoy it!!!
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Please don't forget to leave a comment for one last chance to win a Trockle totebag here. I want to thank Holly, Jordan and Vivian for allowing Trockle and Steven to stop by and visit with us. I wish you ladies's the best of luck!!
Starting tomorrow, we will be visiting with Susan Wingate, author of Bobby's Diner.
Posted by joyceanthony
at 1:27 AM EDT
