Talking with Artists

by Pat Cummings

A look at how today's most popular children's book illustrators got their start features the words of such beloved artists as the Dillons, Lois Ehlert, Jerry Pinkney, Chris Van Allsburg, and others, offering the story of their lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art

96 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 1992

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! As a creative person, I really enjoy hearing about where some of the best creatove minds got their start and what allowed them to get to the point they are currently at in their lives.

I'm not an artist, nor do I long to be one professionally. I enjoy drawing and painting, having taken a little bit of art in high school (I got out of it, twice, because of the teacher and just the idea that every piece had to have some kind of meaning or point instead of just being something I imagined or had a desire to put onto paper). I'm not very good at it and I haven't mastered a lot of the basics. Where I want to excel at, more than anything, is writing. Writing creatively. Hearing these words from different illustrators who also sometimes write their own books was especially helpful to me and inspirational to me, particularly since I've seen some of these illustrator's art in books I read as a child. It's just nice to see how a childhood talent can become something more. I would love to see a book like this centered around children's authors, or any author in general.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just reread this (it's a quick read) primarily for the chapter on Tom Feelings, an artist and illustrator I studied in graduate school. I have no aptitude for art, so this is interesting--reading how artists got started, where and how they like to work, what, if anything, inspires them, and so on.