Krister Eide

Krister Eide:  From the beginning, children’s book illustration and animation have been such a major part of my life that they’ve always shaped my inner world, inspiring me to come up with characters and worlds of my own. I didn’t believe that I could do art professionally until I started taking art classes in high school and found that making art – especially making art that told stories – meant more to me than anything else.

A lot of inspirations are obtainable for me in the art world and that includes those in the past who created evocative worlds such as Arthur Rackham, Maurice Sendak, Tyrus Wong, and Edward Gorey. I also love the works of contemporary illustrators such as Shaun Tan, Jerry Pinkney, Peter De Seve, and Omar Rayyan.

Krister Eide: Today, I do a lot of work digitally but I still like to return to traditional media when I can. There are more happy accidents in conventional media, and something is satisfying about working with pencils, pastels, or paints, but I also love the quickness and editability offered by digital art.

Krister Eide: I’m currently working on two graphic novel proposals for middle-grade readers. Both are set in animal worlds. The first is the story of the Victorian paleontologist Mary Anning (played by a field mouse), who shook up the scientific world in the early 1800s with her discovery of a massive ichthyosaur head on the shores of Lyme Regis at the age of 10. It was a lot of fun to research the personalities and intellectual debates at the time and have them represented by animal characters, such as Baron Cuvier (the father of paleontology) as a crested crane, flamboyant William Buckland (a very unconventional scientist, he first coined the term “coprolite” for fossil poop) as a porcupine, and William Conybeare as an elitist fox. 

Krister Eide: I got started selling artwork before the pandemic. My first con was San Diego Comic-Con’s, Art Show. I loved seeing other people respond to my artwork, so I began sending work to local conventions in Washington state, such as Norwescon and Orycon. Beyond just the excitement of selling my artwork, I love discovering and connecting with other artists at these events.

Norwescon also had a special event for artists, where the guest artist would review their portfolios. Some conventions accept mail-in entries and handle taxes making it easy to submit work and get your art seen all over the country. Even though I don’t travel to all these conventions, I’ve had some buyers contact me through my website or my Etsy store afterward.

Krister: Whenever I think a story might be a good one to choose, I do in-depth research and deep thinking to understand the characters; their motivations, and the events that changed the course of their lives. By looking back into history, you can see how people made good or bad choices – how they faced up to intimidating situations or chose to run away. There’s so much we can learn from history and I hope to inspire others to want to learn more.

My research also involves extensive visual research, using historical photographs, vintage movies, and paintings to capture the visual look of the people, places, and objects of daily life. I approach my graphic novels in a cinematic way, using 3d models to block out camera angles and lighting. I use these rough compositions as a starting point to digitally paint out characters and scenes. When I bring my work to a final form, I want to capture the energy and feelings of the moments.

Krister: I’ve always loved nature, birds, and wildlife. I also grew up with many animal stories that I loved. It was a natural next step for me to imagine stories with animal characters set in all-animal worlds. A few years ago, I also worked as a volunteer in a wildlife rehabilitation center and got to know animals better up close. I loved all the different species and different habitats and societies they came from. I took care of a lot of wild rabbits, crows, and owls and enjoyed all their habits and idiosyncrasies.

Krister: I like working with both 2D and 3D software and think there are advantages to learning both. The 2D software I work with most is Procreate and Photoshop. The 3D software I’ve been working with is Modo, Sketchup, and Vray. 3D software is indispensable for animal character work (it’s hard to find photo references for every perspective you can imagine) and it’s also an essential help in the quick concept design of fantasy worlds that will have a cinematic look. I also find that as I learn more about 3D, it gives me more ideas about staging.

Krister Eide: I’ve been a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators for many years and they are a wonderful group – very welcoming and generous. There is also something for everyone by becoming a member, whether you’re a complete beginner or an established professional in children’s publishing.

Krister Eide: Just get out there and find the fun in your work. Don’t worry about not being ready yet. Just do it. The more you do, the better you will be. The podcast Comic Lab has the advice, “You can’t get worse at something you do every day,” and that’s true.