Exploring Creativity and Connection with Illustrator Stephen Macquignon

Discover the enchanting world of children's book illustration with Stephen Macquignon, as we explore unexpected connections between scientific thinking, whimsy, and transitioning from comics and animation to crafting magical picture books with watercolor and pencil. Join us for a journey that blends creativity, connection, and the delightful adventures of Oliver the Octopus.

Summary:

In this episode, Dr. Diane invites listeners to explore the whimsical journey of Stephen Macquignon, a celebrated children's book illustrator. From his early aspirations in comic book art to illustrating over eleven captivating picture books, Stephen shares his love for traditional art tools amidst a digital world. Gain insight into his creative process and hear about his latest project featuring Oliver, an adventurous octopus with a charming tale.

Together, we discuss the parallels between art and science, emphasizing the joys of experimentation and revision. We share anecdotes about the late great Tomie dePaola and explore the many ways no one works in a vacuum. This episode celebrates the power of connection, creativity, and shared joy through art.

Timestamps:

• 0:00:03: Adventures in Learning with Stephen Macquignon
• 0:04:48: Putting the whimsy in whimsical illustrations
• 0:07:29: Debts of gratitude to Tomie dePaola
• 0:11:22:   No one works in a vacuum
• 0:14:31:  Connecting the Creative Process to STEM Thinking and Play
• 0:19:47:  A Question of Hope

Links:

• Stephen Mcquignon's Website
• Follow Stephen on Instagram and LinkedIn

#ChildrensBooks #Illustration #StephenMacquignon, #OliverTheOctopus #ArtisticJourney #TraditionalArt #Podcast #Creativity #Connection #WatercolorArt #PictureBooks #ComicsToBooks #ArtAndScience #PlayfulResearch #FamilyConnections #DrDianePodcast #EmpathyInAction #LearningThroughPlay #AdventuresinLearning

Transcript

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SPEAKER_02 0:58

I am so glad you're here with us. So let's talk a little bit about your adventures in learning. How did you become a children's picture book illustrator? I've had the pleasure of seeing some of your work and your illustrations on your website are absolutely gorgeous.

SPEAKER_00 1:14

Thank you very much. I wasn't a great student. I didn't read well and drawing was a lot easier. We didn't have spell check when when I was a kid. So I didn't write very much and drawing, as I said, was so much easier for me to do. And I think that's where I started. But I started off in college wanting to be a comic book or comic strip artist. And it wasn't until close to the end of my four years in at School of Visual Arts that I realized, oh, wait a minute, because I have to take I took a class in children's book. Oh, this is where I should be. So that's how that's how it started with picture books.

SPEAKER_02 2:01

So what draws you to picture books? Like what are the things that you love to draw the most?

SPEAKER_00 2:12

It really doesn't matter the subject matter. As long as there's a nice story behind it, I'll make it work. I do enjoy animals more than people, but I will as long as it's a nice story, I'll I'll work it out.

SPEAKER_02 2:26

And you've done you've done animation as well. Like you worked on Iris sleeps over and some of those visuals. How is that different working on animation versus drawing the pages for a book?

SPEAKER_00 2:39

Well, with animation, you're working with a team of people. I sat in a room with at least 12 other people in the rendering department. Animation was on one side, coloring, which was what I was doing a lot of, was right in the middle of the two. So we worked together. It's a really big group or a respectable size group of people. So it was nice. We figured things out together as a team. So if it failed, it failed because of us. If it succeeded was because of us. So we worked with each other strength. I it's actually something I do miss. So now I you sit in a room by yourself, and that's about it when it comes to uh illustrating for you know yourself or walk. So it's a little different.

SPEAKER_02 3:28

And in a world where so many illustrators seem to be going to the computer and doing a lot of stuff on the computer, I love the fact that on your website you talk about, yeah, I might occasionally open that up, but you tend to be more watercolor and pencil, is that correct?

SPEAKER_00 3:45

Correct. Yeah, uh, I did try some Photoshop at one point. Actually, my old animation boss, he introduced me to Photoshop years ago. And he said, everybody's going this way, you should try it. So I started scanning my art, putting it in, coloring it, and it I liked it, but it I miss watching color dry. And then I got a critique from uh uh Giuseppe. He uh he gave an art director named Giuseppe, he uh he s he said to me, Have you ever tried watercolor? And I said, Hmm, maybe and I was already thinking about going back to watercolor. So I said, Yeah, I I could try watercolor. So and then I never went back except for occasional correction or you have to sm uh fudge it a little bit, so I will go open up my Photoshop, but that's about as far as I go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:43

Well, and everybody sort of has their own style, and I think that you've cultivated your style. Can you describe describe your style a little bit for our viewers or our listeners?

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Oh uh let's see, it's it's all this is always a little tough. It's it's been called whimsical. It's it's also been called quiet work I do. I mean, I basically I work in colored pencils and and now I've been working mostly in brown ink with washes of watercolor on top of it. Yeah, describing it's always been one of my toughest.

SPEAKER_02 5:27

Do you have a do you have anything you're working on right now?

SPEAKER_00 5:31

I am I am working on an idea called Oliver. It's a octopus who is bored. He's living at the New York aquarium and he sees something that catches his eye, and he's to leave the aquarium and venture off into the outside world. It ends up that he is in the mermaid parade at Cusconi Islands right next to the aquarium. So he c basically blending in, and I actually am forcing myself to draw humans for the first time in a few years, so that's been fun to do. And then from there he goes on to he as is it's still a lot of it's happening in my head. I have some of my notes written down, but it's so from from the parade, he wanders into Tony Island itself. He sees the Wonder Wheel. There's a child who's interested on going on the Ferris, you know, the big Wonder Wheel itself, but he's she's too short. And he might be afraid of fights. I haven't figured that out yet. And then from there they both go on to the w wheel and he sees it's a whole wonderful world, and then he gets onto the F train and he heads into Manhattan, and that's how I'm ending the story.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Oh, that sounds really fun.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

So it's it's lighthearted, it's not a huge arch in the story, and so it's it I'm enjoying it. I I posted some of the art and I keep tagging the aquarium to see if they will if they're interested in the idea.

SPEAKER_02 7:05

That's fun. Well, hopefully they'll pick it up because that I would read that. It sounds intriguing to me.

SPEAKER_00 7:10

It's a nice yeah, it's a nice idea. I'm really I've been playing with it for a few months now, so it's it's good.

SPEAKER_02 7:17

So now when we met, Barbara was talking about her new book that she had done with Tommy DePala's last manuscript.

SPEAKER_01 7:26

Right.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

You uh you were s you were the first runner up in the Tommy DePaula art contest or for the Tommy D'Apolla Award. Can you describe sort of what that award was and what difference that made to your career and to your work?

SPEAKER_00 7:43

Uh it was it was actually because it it was his last one he was uh dropping. That was the last year he was doing it. Let's see if I can remember that far back. I remember getting the email. And the and I've done the contest multiple times in the past, and I've received an email saying to me, the first lines of it was, I'm sorry you did not win the Tommy DePolo Award. And I said, Well, okay. And I shut the email down. And then I said, Wait a minute, I've never received the email before. So I went back and opened it up and realized I was the first runner up. It it really was a joy to to get it. I was feeling kind of low at that point, and I wasn't sure if I want to continue with illustrations. It's just a tough road, and that really just made me excited again and put uh some hope into my work and somebody appreciating it and uh and said, Okay, I can do this. So that it was wonderful that way. Were you able to I love Tommy?

SPEAKER_02 8:49

Were you able to meet Tommy?

SPEAKER_00 8:51

I've met Tommy multiple times. We met at the conference. He was one of the highlights at a one of the winter conferences that I went to years back, and he the conference itself was kind of and but we had this illustration group, and there he was in the center talking to everybody, and I said and I forced myself to go say hello because I was you know nervous. And so he was there, we were talking, and he was telling us about the whole business and the ups and downs, and and that's where her first I think it was that one he was mentioning Bronte as a story that he had. But from there I saw him at other conferences, I did other uh con contests of his, and we got to know each other along the way. So it was really nice. And from time to time I would send him an email, ask him a question, and he was always nice enough to respond.

SPEAKER_02 9:46

That is so special. You know, I I met him just the one time he came to Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook, New York, where we were, and he did a signing for the kids, and it was this teeny tiny bookstore, and it was so intimate and lovely. And he, you know, his you could tell his hand was hurting, like he had a a wrist brace on, but that didn't stop him from allowing the kids to hug him and crawl in his lap and you know, do all the things that kids are prone to do because he just exuded that love and that warmth and made me realize we need more of that in the world today.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

Oh, we certainly do. Yeah, the last time I saw him was at Bookset Wonder, he did The Quiet. Was it The Quiet? Yeah, The Quiet, I believe, was the last book he might have illustrated. And it was really nice. I I knew he wasn't feeling well or doing well even back then. So it was just nice to spend some time with him and have a good laugh and and uh but he really had those kids and enjoying the story as well, because of the whole loop in front.

SPEAKER_02 10:54

He was a natural storyteller, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

Yes, he was. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:58

So Steven, nobody works sort of in a vacuum. We all have people that we look up to or folks that help to smooth our way, whether it's serving as idea bouncers or, you know, the people who bring us hope when we need hope. Who sort of makes up that circle for you?

SPEAKER_00 11:17

I am part of a critique group, which has been helpful. That even when you don't post anything to be looked at, it's nice just to listen to what other people are saying. So that's been a great help. There's always friends. Friends are wonderful. I have a group who I also met from the conferences from Canada. And you know, sometimes I would throw them a message and then I'll get a ton of feedback from that. I said, What do you think of this? And then you look, I even asked my mom, who doesn't have art skills, but if she can understand what's going on, then I'm on the right track. And you know, yeah, I also have other friends and artist friends so in the area who I can bounce an idea off of if I need to.

SPEAKER_02 12:04

So And I know you were trained at art school. I remember being struck when I was talking to Barbara about, you know, she was trained by reading books and libraries and things like that. I'm wondering, are there particular children's book authors or illustrators that have had more of an influence on your work? Like ones that are sort of your go-to or that you love to look at?

SPEAKER_00 12:27

Well, Tommy was one of them, Maurice Vendek. Working at uh at the animation studio, I fell in love with William Steide, Bernard Weber. Those two uh have a Beatrice Potter is another one. You know, Winnie DePoo, you have uh Shepherd. And so yeah, Shepherd was very early, even before. And also I love like uh Snooby. So that that line work that Schultz did was fantastic. And then later on, I didn't have a lot of children's books growing up. I actually still have them, the ones I have on my shelf. There's only like that many. But Dr. Seuss came later.

SPEAKER_02 13:09

And uh so I love that. So what are you working you you're working on your book about the octopus? Are there any other books that you're illustrating right now?

SPEAKER_00 13:19

No, no, that's the only one. It and actually it's not there. But I'm trying to figure out exactly how to lay it out. I got ex I got a little excited with it, and I actually illustrated like eight drawings without realizing how to turn the page. So now I'm going back to figure out how to make it all work. So I probably might be probably changing. And I do need to take a trip to Coney Island and I want to take the the Ferris wheel and I need to go to the aquarium and take a lot of photos. It I do like to use reference. And uh, even though the the internet's wonderful, it's not like I can be there. So it's easy enough for me to just show up and take photos.

SPEAKER_02 14:00

Well, you know, and that's something that I'm thinking that kids and parents and teachers may not realize about the artistic process, is that just like you do when you have when you write a story, when you're illustrating something, you also have to go back and do revisions and figure out certain elements. You know, you test it out. And it's sort of like what I talk about with STEM and Steam. You set up an experiment, and if it doesn't work, what do you learn from it and how do you revise it and make it better? And I imagine you've got a lot of revision that you're doing in the work that you do as well.

SPEAKER_00 14:32

Yes, yeah. We you definitely have to be willing to go back and redo it. It's it's the rule. And I uh, you know, some people don't like to, but I find that if I do it go back two or three times, it gets better. You figure out your colors, you figure out how things composition, and you might just actually, even though you might love a drawing, it may not actually fit. And you might have to just put it aside and keep going and leave it at that.

SPEAKER_02 15:02

And I imagine there's a certain amount, and you kind of alluded to it just now with your research, that there's a certain amount of play that goes into illustrating as well. You know, being playful because you're writing for kids or you're drawing for kids.

SPEAKER_00 15:15

Right. Yeah, actually it's how I first met Barbara, who was at another conference, and she was doing a w breakout session, and it was all about finding references. And that and she's just amazing how deep she was going on this one particular subject that we all needed to do an illustration for. And somebody went to her, said, How did you find all this? And she said, Well, the internet. And I I said, Well, I just called the school. It was on uh Arthur Conan Doyle, and it was about his time at school. And she went, What? I said, I reached out to the school and they gave me the photographs I asked for. And and then her and that's how her and I met.

SPEAKER_02 15:55

Oh, that is so much fun. Well, and that's sort of there's a play to that. I mean, it's sort of you're the game is afoot, you're researching Arthur Conan Doyle, and so you start solving mysteries. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

When it comes to research and when it comes to finding, I do fall into that rabbit hole and I will start like the amount of pictures of octopuses I have is quite amazing at this point. Because they just keep on that click here, save this, click that, say this. Which is good. What else is that but also like watching videos and and somebody and now I can't remember the name of the book. It was about an octopus that was living at an aquarium. I don't think it's that old. And they said, Oh, you might like to read this. And I'm like, Oh, okay. So it was about this octopus which which was aging and and uh and it helped me be okay with the fact that this octopus is able to walk out of his captivity without a problem because the other one was able to do it, so mine can do it as well.

SPEAKER_02 17:03

So fun. Well, I love the fact that you're doing that. So I'm gonna ask just a couple more questions. You live in New York City, and I loved this title on your website. It made me laugh. You might be the among the best professional mis masseuses in New York City.

SPEAKER_00 17:24

Yeah. Actually, we we like uh massage therapists. All right, okay. Yeah, masseuse has a derogatory term to it, so we're so we try to keep away from. Yeah, actually, I was at one point, it was written years ago that I was one of the top massage therapists in Manhattan. So, and there's people who still claim that I'm the one of the top massage therapists in Manhattan. And I haven't practiced it for 30 years.

SPEAKER_02 17:52

That's really cool. And I imagine that you would get to meet so many different people from so many walks of life as a massage therapist as well.

SPEAKER_00 18:00

I've met some really wonderful creative people along the way. And it's it is it is fun. It's nice to help people out that way. You know, it's just every I I work on people, everything from just stress levels to injuries and stuff in between. So bro I used to work a lot on Broadway people at one point, and that was nice because they need their bodies to perform, so they were coming to get help. So I enjoy that a lot. It it's it is rewarded. It's it's very different than books and pictures, you know, it's because it's really right there in front of you.

SPEAKER_02 18:38

Well, it gives you a well-rounded approach to life.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

Yes, it does.

SPEAKER_02 18:44

So last question for today, Stephen, and it's a question I like to end every podcast with. What currently brings you hope?

SPEAKER_00 18:51

Friends and family for the two. I uh I hold on to them dearly. Because uh right now we just kind of seem to need it. Even ones who don't exactly see your way, it's okay. You know, we I will enjoy playing it's a card game from Italy called Scopa. I so enjoy when I go to see my mom, we play scopa. I enjoy laughing with my brother, I enjoy going out with my friends and spending time with them. It's you need to do it. It's so important.

SPEAKER_02 19:21

That's a really good reminder that we need connection in these days, and we draw that connection from our family and friends from our communities and then from the way that we play and touch the world around us.

SPEAKER_01 19:36

Exactly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:37

Well, I will drop a link in the show notes to your website. I encourage everybody to check it out and to go to your library and check out Stephen's book. Stephen, I am so glad you joined us on today's Adventures in Learning, and I can't wait for more people to get to know you and the beautiful art that you make. It is truly winsome and reassuring in so many ways.

SPEAKER_00 19:59

Thank you. I really enjoyed doing this. This is this is my first podcast.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

Well, you are an ace and a champion, and I hope that it is the beginning of many others for you. Stephen, thank you. If you like what you're seeing, please subscribe, download and please. If you want to get a few,