The Beginning of Kokoni Magazine
In 2017, two master of fine art graduates from Edinburgh College of Art established PIED Studio to explore their love for illustrations and designs. In order to share their passion for picturebooks with other people, and to support picturebook creators, they then created Kokoni Magazine, a quarterly published magazine about the art of making picturebooks. In each issue, readers can find interviews of established and emerging picturebook artists, articles about picturebooks, news, new talents' submissions, tips for making picturebooks, step-by-step and games about creating picturebooks. Kokoni means "Here" in Japanese, it means: "no matter who you are, a professional, an emerging illustrator and author, a hobbyist, or a picturebook reader, Kokoni is happy to lead you to admire picturebooks from different perspectives from here, from Kokoni!"
Kokoni Magazine
Courage
is what we need to launch a new project, to start a new journey, to try new things, to ask and answer questions, to overcome difficulties, to know yourself, to love and forgive and to make the world a better place.
KoKoNi Press
Editor-in-Chief Boris Lee
Design Director I-Shan Chen
IT Manager Justin Chen
Issue03 Contributors Elizabeth O’Dulemba, Yivon Cheng
Editor's Note
Everything starts with life.
by Boris Lee
This is the third issue of the sample version of Kokoni Magazine. Following the previous two issues, in this issue we continue exploring how illustrators face their difficulties when creating picturebooks. This time, we have interviewed an American established picturebook author and illustrator Elizabeth O’Dulemba, and she kindly shares her thoughts on why picturebooks are important, and how she dealt with difficulties. We also interviewed a Taiwanese emerging illustrator Yivon Cheng to talk about the relationship between her life and creating picturebooks. Besides interviews, in this issue we have prepared a “playground” for you. Follow the tips, you can create your own picturebooks! Now, enjoy this issue and have fun! If you have any opinions about Kokoni Magazine, please feel free to share with us: hello@kokonimagazine.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Signature
Before becoming a picturebook creator, Yivon was an animator. To her, picturebook is a direct way to tell a story. From her point of view, although it takes less much time to finish a picturebook than making an animation, a p i c t u re b o o k s t i l l c a n “achieve good quality or effects in art and storytelling�.
Meet The Rising Star x Yivon Cheng
But Transform Personal Feelings into Stories. Taiwanese Illustrator & Animator. Currently studying MFA in Illustration at the University of Edinburgh Web: www.yivoncheng.com E-mail: fangbr725@gmail.com Instagram: @ von_cosmos
Now for me, a good picturebook is both aesthetically pleasing and communicating ideas clearly.
Kokoni- What is a good picturebook? “Picturebook is a kind of book contains words and images which resonate well with each other,” says Yivon. “And the definition of a good picturebook really depends on how the reader can receive, and personal preferences.”
And if the ideas or concepts are inspiring, that is even better.
From personal feelings to art.
Yivon likes to create works that are very close to her personal feelings or life. “I enjoy the intimacy between the story and me,” she says. "Therefore, I could express well based on my intuitions about it.” However, sometimes, the close relationship between her and the story is a kind of torture. “I feel I put all my energy and thoughts, life into it. And doing this is exhausting, especially spiritually, “ says Yivon. When she feels exhausted, she walks away from her work to do something else in order to recharge, and then goes back to embrace it again. Yivon always searches meanings and emotions in her works. To her, they are “very important parts of humanity”, which she values a lot. Yet, it doesn’t mean that she wants to do something containing moral principles. “For example,” she says, “the book I am working on is based on my feeling about emptiness. It is quite sad.”
“Actually, lots of my starting points relate to melancholic emotions.“ It’s not an easy task to make good picturebooks, Yivon says she always encounters difficulties during making them. She tells us that she has “a mixed personality of perfectionist and highly intuitive person.” In the book which she’s working on, Yivon wants to create two levels of meanings in the story.
However, as a picturebook usually is 32-pages long, she finds that it’s a challenge to tell the story well and to include everything she wants within that length. The storyboard, therefore, has been revised for five times and she still thinks it is not 100% perfect.
Facing difficulties and being inspired by them. Nevertheless, Yivon quite enjoys the moments when there are difficulties, because that means she has chances to reflect and to lear n new things, and there is something she can improve.
“I think I am quite new for being a picturebook maker,” she says. “ Therefore, those difficult situations make me excited in a positive way.”
When the difficulties happen during the process of creating, Yivon always returns to the initial thought or feeling which she feels stuck with. She may also reflect on her original urge to make those books. But the situation won’t be the same if the difficulties happened in the middle of publishing process, or if publishers had thought differently about her works. At the end of the interview, Yivon shares her thought about reading picturebooks. “A picturebook is easily accessible and acceptable,” she says. “Also, its content can go normal, nice or deeply inspiring.” Recently, she loves reading Jane, the Fox & Me, a beautiful picturebook written by Fanny Britt, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. The book now is another source which helps her overcomes the difficulties while being a picturebook creator. -Kokoni.
“My story may look simple at the first glance, but I want something more profound that could draw readers back to the book again, like the Little Prince or the Hedgehog in the Fog.�
Pass The Experience Down x Elizabeth O. Dulemba
Elizabeth O. Dulemba
Award-winning American Author, Illustrator, Teacher, Speaker Currently studying PhD in Children's Literature at the University of Glasgow Website: http://dulemba.com E-mail: elizabethdulemba@mac.com
Passion comes through in play. Elizabeth is an established picturebook creator and a writer. She not only creates picturebooks, but also teaches at university. Elizabeth is always happy to share her knowledge, her rich experience with creating picturebooks is helpful for everyone who is interested in this profession. We are happy that we can interview her and to know her thoughts about making picturebooks.
Kokoni- What is a picturebook? To m e , p i c t u r e b o o k s a r e a unique art for m akin to perfor mance art. They are interactive and aren’t complete until a reader is turning their p a g e s . I l ov e t h a t a s p e c t of picturebooks. T hey are simultaneously storytelling and a sharing of imagination. There’s really no other artform quite like them.
Kokoni- Why did you become a picturebook creator?
The ones I experienced as a child brought me so much joy, I knew from a very young age that if I could recreate that joy in others through my art, I would be happy.
Kokoni- In your opinion, what is a good picturebook? So many elements come into play! First, the cover must intrigue you. The endpapers should entice you and begin to pull you in. Once in the book, the story should hit a sweet spot on several levels for the vast age-range of readers it will have, children to adults. And the images must continue to entrance and make you want to turn the pages. I hate to be trite, but Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are remains a classic for all these reasons. A more modern picture book that I think does this well would be The Journey by Francesca Sanna.
Kokoni- Please tell us about your works and what made you decide to create them. A clarification is necessary here. Not everything I create sells, so there is a big difference between what I create and what actually hits the market! Some projects that haven’t sold have involved transgender dinosaurs and political protests. Whether or not they sell, I like creating stories that make people think. I have prided myself on inclusivity in my work since day one. Children’s books are the gateway to opening minds before they form the walls society builds.
Kokoni- Have you ever encountered any difficulties during making picturebooks?
My favourite quote is by Mem Fox. She said “Writing a picture book is like writing War and Peace in haiku.” Indeed, picturebooks are one of the hardest genres to get right, both in story and in illustrations. But while they are always a challenge, it's my passion to keep creating them!
I have prided myself on inclusivity in my work since day one.
I knew from a very young age that if I could recreate that joy in others through my art, I would be happy. Kokoni- What is your source of strength to support you making picturebooks when there are frustrating difficulties?
The confidence in knowing that I have wanted to do this my entire life and I would do this even if my creations never sold. I am a storyteller, both in words and images. It’s who I am.
Kokoni- How would you get along with those situations?
Stubbornness and determination. I am a dog with a sock. I don’t let go.
Kokoni- Do difficulties inspire you or give you any ideas? How? Hmm. Maybe not. Although, I have found that putting an idea/story in a drawer, sometimes for several years, can help shake it out when I come back to it later.
I am a storyteller, both in words and images. It’s who I am.
They (Picturebooks) must be digested, thought over, and reflected upon. And that is for all audiences!
Kokoni- From your point of view, why should people read picturebooks? The irony is in your question. You don’t just read picturebooks, you consume them. They are visual feasts. If they are written well, they imply layers of meaning. They must be digested, thought over, and reflected upon. They are much like visual poetry. And that is for all audiences!
Kokoni- Could you recommend a picturebook which could help you overcome the difficulties? I mentioned The Dot by Peter Reynolds and Kelly Light’s Louise Loves Art.
Creating a storyboard is a very important work for picturebook creators. A storyboard helps an illustrator develop the sequence of pages, plan the pace, design viewpoints and compositions. There are numerous storyboards behind every good picturebook.
Playground
Front End Page
Cover
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Title Page
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Since this is the first issue of Kokoni Magazine, let’s start with the storyboard. Please use the following storyboard to create your stories, and the theme is “Start”. Once you have finished, feel free to post on your social media platforms and share with us! We will choose one story and give you a special offer! We are sure all your stories will be nice, can't wait to enjoy them!
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Create Your Story!
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Back End Paper
Tip: 30
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1.Generally, a picturebook has 32 pages (16 spreads), the cover is page 1. The story usually starts from page 6, but you can try to start your story or give some clues in the front endpaper, just like many great illustrators do. 2.Pay attention to the gutters, don’t let them ruin your illustrations! 3.Try several times to create a beautiful story!