4 minute read
Book art
GREATLIFE | ILLUSTRATOR By the book PHOTOS BY KRISTY REIMER
Local artist Mackenzie Cox, 19, was recently commissioned to illustrate a special project for airdrielife and Genesis Land to celebrate the babies of 2021. The book, which features birth announcements from local families, includes a custom commissioned children’s book by author Leonor Henriquez. Copies of the book are available at Genesis showhomes in Airdrie and can be viewed in digital flip-book format at airdrielife.com
We asked Cox about her experience and advice for other young artists.
Describe your art style I am always working to improve and create my style. My art has notably improved in the last year and that’s always a special time for me, when I see improvement. It gets me excited for how much further I can learn and grow. My art teacher from high school, Mr. Gray, would call it “the Macki style” but I always keep my favourite themes within my work. Bright colours, textures, impasto and childlike wonder. With Baby Bunny Boing I’ve kept my bright, colourful watercolours at play and charming little characters within it. Sometimes as an illustrator it’s about adapting your style to what the author/client wants for their story. As an example for this book, I used more of the colour blue to represent Genesis Land’s relation to the project.
When did you know you wanted to be an artist? I have been drawing and writing since I could remember. My parents told me since I had been with my Papa in the summer after I was born that I had learned how to write and draw with a pencil at only 10
months old because he is an accountant and I had been watching him work and write. When I truly made the decision was after I had written my first book when I was 15. I knew I truly wanted to invest and continue to make art, be an artist and teach art eventually. I knew I could do it then and I have had a drive since to make those dreams come true. So far I’m making them happen!
What was your process for creating the images for the book? I originally gave what I call blueprints to the team and author, story boarding to the writing Leonor had so far provided. This included character designs and development ideas. After everyone was set on which route and colours we were taking I started with pages I could really see in my head.
I individually cut watercolour paper to the right dimensions, tape it down to a board with masking tape and then either trace the blueprints I’ve laid underneath or redraw them in pencil. I use the window or my light box to trace my original plans. Then I outline with a black felt pen. The next step is to erase the pencil and go in with the paint! I usually start with the background and work my way forward to the foreground and characters. After the paint is dry I untape it from the board, number the back with what page it is and then proceed to getting it scanned so it can be placed into formatting for the book. Some pages take longer than others. For this book they ranged from two to five hours each. Fuller images taking longer.
What did you learn about yourself during this book project? I learned that illustrating was something I really wanted to continue doing. Before this book I had only done one other smaller illustrating project and my own books. I ended up falling in love bringing (the) author’s story and characters to life with the art. I learned I wanted to teach art and continue my career in illustrating for others and continue publishing my own books as well. This project was a goal and a dream of mine; a great start to my illustrating career that I am going to continue to pursue. life
airdrielife is pleased to support AIRDRIE READS
Big Sky Author Services and The Feathered Pen are proud to bring back Airdrie Reads.
This summer, five Airdrie champions will each pitch a book, written by an Alberta author, to the Airdrie Reads panelists. Only one will be crowned the second annual Airdrie Reads winner. Combining a passion for books with the drama of reality TV, this online broadcast will inspire our city to read along and judge who they believe should win Airdrie Reads 2022.
Big Sky Author Services and The Feathered Pen are now accepting synopsis submissions for full-length (45,000120,000 words) fiction, memoir and non-fiction books published by Alberta authors at airdriereads.ca.
The winning author and their book will be featured in airdrielife and will also be highlighted on the shelves of several local businesses. Submissions close April 15, 2022.
Stay tuned as the champions, the panelists, the shortlist, and the five competing titles are announced on fb.com/AirdrieReads and @airdriereads on Instagram.
