Don, I am absolutely thrilled that you accepted this online interview! If you could, I have developed some questions for AACBWI readers:
You indicate that JJ of Good Times influenced your art career. What specifically did you like about his character's paintings?
Professional football player turned artist, Ernie Barnes, is the real artist behind the "JJ" TV character. I'm sure you remember the painting "Sugar Shack" which served as the opening image to the TV show. I love Barnes figurative style of artwork. He elongates limbs, exaggerates body movements and his compositions have an irresistible rhythm and mood. He has influenced many of today's artist, myself included. Other artist like Frank Morrison and Kadir Nelson's work is very Barnes influenced.
But at the time, it wasn't so much the style or beauty of the paintings that had an impact on me. The JJ character created art that included positive images of black people and was prominently displayed on TV. He was black, young, talented and doing great things with his art. That spoke to me.
What challenges do you have, if any, when creating non-human characters and human characters?
When creating human characters, most times I hire models and take lots of photographs to draw from. That way, even if I'm using a cartoon style, I can get the anatomy accurate. If I need a person to stand on their hands while combing their hair, I can get a photo of them doing that. Try to get a frog to do that! So with animals I have to really stretch my imagination and use some creative license with the anatomy. That's also why I sometimes create clay or computer models of the animal characters.
The most challenging thing about creating human characters, for me, again is anatomy. Some people, like say James Ransome or E.B Lewis handle anatomy beautifully and make it look easy. For me, anatomy is a real challenge. I think that is why I have developed more of a stylized almost cartoon-ish realism rather that a portraiture realism. In my world, heads can be oversized, eyes can be spread far apart and body proportions can be distorted without question. But no matter what style is used, fingers have to look like fingers or the whole image is thrown off.
How do you come to formulize a human character of another race (besides African-American)?
Study the subject. Many editors feel that it is best to use a black person when illustrating black people, that black people somehow have a greater sensitivity or know-how when illustrating for their culture. I disagree. Any good artist has to do their research. If I'm illustrating a story with Hispanic characters, I need to be sure that people I use as models are of the right ethnicity. I need to show my sketches to Hispanics to get their feedback. I have to study my subject.
What type of software do you use for your computer-generated characters?
Almost all the work I do on the computer starts as a pencil sketch. The sketch is scanned into the computer and used as a template in various computer programs (with the exception of 3D where I literally build the model within the program). I prefer a digitizing tablet over a mouse. I use a variety of software often combining them. For example I may create a basic image in Illustrator, then convert that image to Photoshop where I can add some painterly effects. Some of those programs are Adobe illustrator and Macromedia Freehand, which are object oriented, vector based programs. I use Adobe Photoshop and Painter for raster or bitmapped images and I use Raydream and Poser for 3D. I have been in the process of learning Flash for animation and will someday do an animated picture book on CD.
Which would you prefer, CG characters or traditionally drawn characters and why?
I don't really have a preference. I think whatever best tells the story and provides the most appropriate outcome is what should be used. I've seen some very successful books created on the computer(David Kirk, David Diaz) and some less successful ones, too. I like variety in my own work, so I'll work with paint for awhile, but then I'm ready got do something digital. Making changes to final art is so much easier when the art is digital. I sometimes find myself finalizing a painting that hasn't come out just right and wishing that I could "command-z" or "Photoshop" it.
My daughter absolutely loves Say Hey! A Song of Willie Mays. I understand you used your brother as the model. What was HIS reaction to that and would you use your brother for future models?
I'm honored that she likes my work. That's why I do what I do. My brother sort of resembles Mays and has an athletic build, so he made a perfect model for the Mays character. I probably would not use him or any of my brothers again only because I've moved away from Iowa where they all live and where I created SAY HEY! I currently live in Austin, Texas. My brother Brian's reaction was to shiver. We photographed some of those scenes on the roof of the downtown YMCA in Des Moines, our mutually favorite hang-out (we are both gym-rats). It was about 15-degrees outside that day. I wanted to shoot the scenes outside for lighting purposes, but it was much too cold to be outside too long without a jacket. So from the roof, I could give him some photo direction, we'd make a run for it, take some shots and run back for cover. My brothers, I have three, are very supportive of me and all have served as models at some point. I also used the 3D program called Poser, which uses a virtual figure.
What are your words of wisdom for aspiring artists?
To steal a line from Nike, "Just do it." That may sound simplistic, but really, it's just that simple.
Don't give up. Practice and perfect your skills. Take some art lessons. Do your research to find out who your market is and send samples to those companies. Look up artist on the internet whose work you admire and contact them. Ask for their advice. The internet makes this easy. Get your education, of course, but if you can't go to school for some reason, develop your skills on your own and let your artwork lead the way.
Be honest with yourself about the marketability of your artwork. If your work isn't marketable, don't give up, better your skills through practice. Early in my career, I pursued the publisher of one of my aunt's books. My aunt is acclaimed author Eleanora E. Tate. I submitted sketches to her editors and they rejected my art. I was frustrated with the editors and with my aunt. "She's a big-time, big-name author, how come she can't persuade them to give me the deal anyway?", I thought. But as I look back at my work at that point in my career, my artwork wasn't developed enough for book covers. I needed to push my skills even further. When my skill level increased, I got a book deal on my own.
Be prepared for rejection. Everyone isn't going to like your artwork. Some people will be mean in critiquing your work (as in my most recent Publisher Weekly review) but that's ok, because some people will like your art; those are the people you'll make a living from.
Thank you so much Don, for your wisdom, talent and humility. If someone would like to contact you as an illustrator, how can they reach you?
Thank you for the interview. The best place to start is on my website at www.dontate.com. There you'll see some of my biography, artwork, and information about school visits and contact information. Check out just some of his picture books below!
How long have you been writing?
Thank you for having me, Sabra. I have been writing on and off for about ten years, but got steadfast with it after 911. I realized then that I hadn't done all my goals set by me in my years as a youth. The result of that is my first published book.
How did you come up with the title of your book?
The title came about because my then five year old son, Anthony, talked to his hands and pretended they answered back while I shopped at the mall with my wife. A shopper noticed him doing that and approached me, then made a comment that she thought it was so neat how my boy did this and that how happy she was to see that he wasn't misbehaving and running through the store. Her comment stuck with me on that day, so promptly wrote the book.
Who are your favorite children's authors?
I grew up on Dr. Seuss back in the day. I like the Little Bill series. Both authors have a fun way of teaching about life. I set out to do the same thing with my title, hoping to convey family unity, and the patience one must have when raising a child. My plan is to buy and read books by authors that are in book clubs that I am a member of.
What obstacles did you face when publishing your book and how did you overcome them?
My only obstacle faced was procrastination. One day while flicking through channels with my remote, and passing each channel about five times, the C-Span books show was on talking about POD (Print On Demand). I listened in and made my decision that I wanted to go that way. I looked up POD companies and 1stbooks (now AuthorHouse) caught my attention. I sent out for a brochure and was sent a contract. The whole process took about a year because of Galley corrections. Once that was completed after the sixth Galley, everything was a go.
What is your take on mainsream publishing verses self publishing?
So many people have a story to tell. Mainstream publishing only allows but so many authors into the system because of a quota. What I mean by that is, if the quota is six authors, then that is all that will be allowed to be signed up. Soooo, they tend to publish the same few authors every year. POD is different because there is NO quota like that...so far.
Who drew your illustrations?
Besides writing, I draw too. I drew my own illustrations. I have been drawing for about twenty years. I enjoy drawing with ink and pencil, so my artwork on my book and in it are a testament to my technique.
Where did you gather your research from when first developing your storyline and book creation?
I am just a creative person naturally. My son is also creative. His friendship with his hands was my inspiration, I just added a bunch of subplots around it. Cool, huh? lol.
Did you have a mentor?
My mentor was my 8th grade creative writing teacher. She spotted that my stories stood out amongst the other students and that my stories often out did the students in higher grades. She sort- of- kinda mentioned it...in front of the whole class. All eyes pointed at me, I sank in my seat, but it was a proud moment for me, and a turning point in my life.
What advice would you give those aspiring children's writers?
My advice to a children's author is to be yourself when writing and be different than the rest. Oh yeah, be as quarky as you wannabe. I used Beta Testers before I released my story in order to find my niche audience, so I suggest getting your family to check out your work as well as a few trusted outsiders in order to see if those special important emotional parts of your story cross over correctly. Do they laugh or smile at the laugh and smile parts? Do they feel sad at the sad parts? (things of that nature) Also, it would be helpful to join book groups such as AACBWI to learn from other Authors, Editors and Illustrators. Getting your book out there would be a lot easier if you do these things.
What are your words of wisdom for aspiring writers or illustrators?
The answer to that is to understand that like any business, you must put your time and money into it to make it grow. Self publishing is a way for you to grab the bull by the horns. You would be the dealer who deals your cards to you, not an outside force. Life is your journey, so enjoy being the conductor it.
About the Author and The Book:
Lee Brooks learned to enjoy creative writing in his youth while growing up in the Los Angeles, California, where Creative Writing and Journalism classes tested his skills as an avid writer. He loves Comedy and Sci-Fi and has written a humorous childrens' book titled: Talk To The Hands; Anthony's Days Shopping With Mom and Dad, a story where Anthony talks to his hands, who he has named, Lefty and Righty, while shopping at the City Mall with Mom and Dad. Initially, Anthony does not like the idea of going shopping. Up comes Lefty and then Righty to make sense of their days shopping at the mall. Lefty is protaganistic while Righty is antagonistic and gets Anthony into mischief. But, in the end, Anthony makes new friends while at the mall, who are just as uncanny as himself and learns to enjoy his time at the mall with Mom and Dad and he becomes a local hero.
Talk To The Hands; Anthony's Days Shopping With Mom and Dad is is a chapter book geared towards middle school aged children and is 144 pages.
