Iggy interviews a Professional Illustrator
Brenda Clark is a very talented and recognized Canadian illustrator.
She was born in Toronto, Ontario, and studied illustration at Sheridan College . She now lives in Port Hope, Ontario.
Ms. Clark is known for her artwork in several books including:
the Franklin the Turtle series (which has also been adapted into an animated series) , “Big Sarah’s Little Boots” and “Sadie and the Snowman”.
Ms Clark was named to the Order of Canada in 2014.
When you were a little girl growing up in Toronto, did you spend lots of your time drawing?
Yes, drawing was my favourite thing to do as a child and even as a teenager. I took extra art courses during highschool.
Did you ever dream about being a professional illustrator?
My father encouraged me to become a commercial artist, but I had no idea what type of art would interest me the most until I took the Illustration program at Sheridan College. Part of the course included picture book illustration, which really appealed to my sense of storytelling through pictures.
What did you do to make your dream come true?
My dream was to work at home in my own studio. After graduating, I found freelance work for educational publishers doing illustrations for elementary level text books. This gave me some experience and some published pieces to add to my portfolio. At first I worked inhouse at a publishing company, but after about 2 years I was able to set myself up at home and have been doing that ever since.
Who was your biggest influence?
There was no particular artist that influenced me, but I loved watching animation, especially Disney and also enjoyed the art in comic books. I was amazed by the pictures in our readers in grade one. We didn’t have any children’s books at home, but I quickly learned how to read with the help of the illustrations in the early ‘Dick and Jane’ school books. Those books inspired me I to tell stories with my own drawings.
What is your favourite medium? Crayons, pencils or paints…?
Most of my illustrations are done with watercolour. I have also worked in inks, scratchboard, acrylics and pencil crayon.
What motivates you to create?
I find that using that part of my brain is very satisfying and fulfilling. If I haven’t drawn or painted for a while, it feels like something is missing in my life.
How do you develop your art skills?
As in any other skill, practice is the key. I practiced drawing everything and anything, from objects to plants, people and animals. As my observation skills improved, so did my drawing and painting and sense of colour. Sheridan taught me how to apply those skills and how to prepare art for print and other media, but mostly I learned from experience while working on projects for clients.
Where do you find inspiration?
When I’m illustrating a book or article, it’s the story that inspires me. I interpret the narrative using illustrations that complement the text and become of equal importance to the story itself. For the most part, I use my imagination to enhance the written word. Sometimes I need to use references if there is something I’m not sure how to draw. I have many books with photos and pictures of animals, plants and birds. The more things I learn how to draw, the better.
How is art important to the world?
Art in its many forms is everywhere around us. It’s impossible to think of life without an appreciation for art in some capacity. Whether consciously or not, we are influenced and often moved by painting and design, music, theatre, film, writing and sculpture, etc. It feeds us, often heals us and, in my opinion, is as vital as breathing!
Thank you so much Ms Clark for agreeing to be interviewed for my website. If you're ever in Ottawa, please let me know. I'd love to meet you and I know that my mom would too! Take good care of yourself and I'm really happy that you never gave up on your dream.
