Tag Archives: inspiration

The Artistic Journalist

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the artistic journalist_artwork by megan whisner-quinlanWords of wisdom, explosions of color, gorgeous layers, and playful images. You will find all of these in the work of art journalist Megan Whisner-Quinlan. What is art journaling? Basically, it’s a more formalized version of a sketchbook. The goal is to express yourself with small, complete works of art within the bound pages of a journal.

A self-taught artist, Megan recently completed an Instagram-hosted project called #the100dayproject. I asked her to share her work, and answer a few questions about her process!

1_artwork by megan whisner-quinlan2_artwork by megan whisner-quinlanWhen did you first learn about art journaling?
I learned of art journaling about 16 years ago, right around the same time I discovered book binding, as they often go hand in hand.

How long have you been doing it?
I did art journaling for about 3 years until I had children and then stopped because I was so overwhelmed with the early years of motherhood. I came back to it about 3 years ago. Initially, I was just journaling during a difficult time, but then I added some nice designs on the pages and before I knew it the art took over.

Do you lean more towards the art…or the journaling?

Right now I lean towards the art. It really depends on where I am in my life. Art journaling is considered an art, but a therapeutic form of art. Sometimes, I will add more writing if I want to focus on certain elements of my life. Many art journalers use a lot of positive affirmations when journaling.

What are some of your favorite go-to supplies?

I use Ranger Ink’s Dylusions journals, paints and inks. They are specifically designed by art journalers for art journaling. I also love watercolors, watercolor pencils. and gel pens to add detail and background to my pages. I do a lot of collage as well, so used magazines are my favorite source for supplies as well.

Are there any parameters to art journaling? Or is it whatever you can imagine – text, images, sketches, color washes…?

There really are no parameters to art journaling, which is why it is so great and accessible for anyone.

Is it difficult coming up with a concept every day?

I almost never have any plan anytime I sit down to journal. Usually I will generate a direction from an image that is interesting and go from there. More recently I have been prepping many pages at once and just go back and forth between them each day.

How has your journaling changed since you first started posting it on Instagram?

I have only been posting on Instagram since January so It hasn’t actually been too long. But as an artist, you tend to try different techniques and phases all the time. I still feel like I’m “learning” and maybe I always will, so I guess right now at least I don’t feel like I have found my niche yet.

What are your top 3 favorite entries and why?
This is a tough one. I have some favorites, but more interesting to me is when you put it out into the world. You don’t know what will resonate with others. To this day I have always noticed, at least on Instagram, my favorites are often the posts that get the lowest “likes.” I love that. It is actually a comfort, because I know that I am still pleasing myself regardless of others opinions.

You finished your 100 day project, what are you up to next?

Right now I am in an “absorption” phase and am doing a lot of workshops online. I looked up one of the more known art journalers, Teesha Moore, and have been watching her videos. I recently just learned she suffered a stroke in March and is still rehabilitating. It is remarkable to see her progress, and even though she is struggling to regain control of her right hand (and speech) the art she is doing just for her recovery, is beautiful. She is such an inspiration to me, so right now, I am trying to learn as much as I can from watching her and grow even more as an artist.

19_artwork by megan whisner-quinlan

Click here to see this journal entry flutter!

Most Influential

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Bunny Salad courtesy of Betty Crocker and General MillsQ: What books inspired you to do the creative things you do today?

A lot of children’s books have influenced me as a reader, writer, educator, and artist. Some of my childhood favorites have even shown up on the blog (here and here!) But if you’re specifically asking about creativity, there IS one book that towers above all others like a yellow-and-white striped Everest. It’s not a picture book. It’s not a chapter book. It’s not even a fiction book. It’s a cookbook. Betty Crocker’s New Boys and Girls Cookbook to be exact (Golden Press, 1965).

Betty Crocker's New Books and Girls Cookbook image courtesy of Betty Crocker and General MillsI would look at this book for hours. I would slowly flip the pages, eagerly anticipating the arrival of my favorite section. Can you guess which one it was? Yup. “Cookies, Cakes, and Other Desserts.” Here is the cake of my childhood dreams:

Enchanted Castle Cake courtesy of Betty Crocker and General MillsOh where do I start? I was wholly enthusiastic about cake (and those pink pillow mints – wow, do they even make those anymore?). But even more, I loved that someone had taken food and sculpted it into something imaginative and fantastical. Then fearlessly added non-edible items (such as the toothpick drawbridge chains) to complete the picture. Also, they didn’t just photograph the cake on a table. They set the scene with grass, a shiny moat, and a blue sky with cotton ball clouds. And how about this beautiful creation…

Ice Cream Flower Pot courtesy of Betty Crocker and General MillsIt’s an “Ice Cream Flower Pot.” A waxed paper cup, ice cream and crushed cookie “dirt,” candy leaves, and a frigging lollipop flower! You can put lollipops and ice cream together and make it look like a flower pot? My mind was officially blown.

Also earth-shattering was the realization that you could use food to make images of, say, animals parading around a “Circus Cake” (did you notice the little cashew feet and red licorice knot tail on the pig?).

Circus Cake courtesy of Betty Crocker and General MillsThose wild and crazy Betty Crocker bakers even used holiday-specific candy…on cakes that were totally unrelated to that particular holiday! Like candy canes on a 4th of July “Drum Cake”:

Drum Cake courtesy of Betty Crocker and General MillsThis taught me that you could look at an object, even a familiar one like a candy cane, and see it used for a different purpose or in a different context. That, my friends, is a pretty abstract lesson to be learned from a cake. I still want to eat those cherries too.

While I did spend an inordinate amount of time pouring over the cookbook’s dessert sections, there was one recipe that caught my eye in the “Salads and Vegetables” section:

Bunny Salad courtesy of Betty Crocker and General MillsOf all the time I spent looking at this book, I only made one recipe from it. One! It was “Bunny Salad.” I begged my mom for the ingredients and proudly assembled this spectacular dish. It was awesome. I had created! I also learned that, alas, I didn’t like cottage cheese very much.

Interestingly, I’m not the only person who was affected by this cookbook in childhood. Cece Bell mentioned it in an interview with Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast blogger Jules Danielson. She specifically cites the “Enchanted Castle Cake” of my dreams, too! If I ever hang out with her, I’m baking one and bringing it with me (pssst! if you’d like to see our story time project for Cece’s book, Itty Bitty, go here).

One final Betty Crocker’s New Boys and Girls Cookbook connection for you. The cookbook features illustrations as well as photographs. I was obsessed with this one in particular:

Red Devil Sundae Topping courtesy of Betty Crocker and General MillsWhen it came time to dress my firstborn for Halloween 2009, what costume did I choose?

Halloween devilCoincidence? I don’t think so.

Book images courtesy of Betty Crocker and General Mills. Many thanks for allowing me to use the images, and for being such an inspiration.

Podcasts! Podcasts! Podcasts!

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bibliofiles artwork by aliisa leeI’m delighted to announce that the BiblioFiles, our illuminating interviews with children’s book authors, are now available as podcasts! Download interviews with Phillip Pullman, Sharon Creech, Candace Fleming, Atinuke, Rebecca Stead, Gary Schmidt, Trenton Lee Stewart, M.T. Anderson, and more!

To visit the main site (which includes webcasts and interview transcripts), click here.
To visit podcast central, click here.

Interestingly enough, it was Lloyd Alexander who inspired this program.

Back in 2003, when I was still in graduate school, I decided to start reading children’s literature to counter all the academic reading I was tackling. Seeking some of my old favorites, I discovered that, happily, some authors had kept writing while I was detoured by college, working life, and graduate school. While reacquainting myself with Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain (“A Fflam thrives on danger!”), I found his 2003 book, The Gawgon and the Boy.

It’s a wonderful story about a boy named David who, after recovering from a life-threatening illness, is tutored by his Aunt Annie (a tough individual he secretly names “The Gawgon,” after the mythological monster, the Gorgon). However, as they spend more time together, the boy realizes what a true treasure the Gawgon is. I found the book to be lively, unique, and utterly heartwarming (later, I learned that it was also semiautobiographical, which makes it even more wondrous). So, at the tender age of 28, I wrote my first letter to an author, sharing how much I had loved reading his book.

And Mr. Alexander wrote back!

So I wrote him back!

And he wrote me back!

I wrote my last letter to him in 2006. I described how I had just moved to New Jersey, having accepted a job at the Cotsen Children’s Library at Princeton University. I told him my greatest hope was to design creative literacy programs for children that would be worthy of the Gawgon. In the back of my mind, I had already decided that I once I got my legs under me, I would invite Mr. Alexander to the library for a visit.

Unfortunately, it was not to be; he passed away in 2007. I was incredibly saddened by the news. While I had already shared, through my letters, how much I loved his books, I would never get to truly voice my gratitude to him. I would never get to ask him questions about his writing and hear his responses. The conversation I wanted to have with him  about his characters, his inspirations, and his experiences was no longer possible. I decided that I needed to find a way to record and preserve conversations with the creators of brilliant, creative, beautiful, funny, and thoughtful children’s books.

Thus, the BiblioFiles. It took some time to get the program up and running, but in 2009, I aired my first interview with the enormously talented Kenneth Oppel. It was recorded in a tiny room at WPRB, a local radio station. Shortly after that, we moved to the University’s new Broadcast Center. Originally, the interviews were aired during the All-Ages Show, a children’s radio program. Then the interviews became webcasts, and our online archive was launched. Now, the interviews are downloadable as podcasts!

It’s my sincerest wish that you find inspiration in these interviews. Perhaps you’ll gain some good advice about writing, hear a character’s voice come to life, discover an interesting behind-the-scenes story, or simply learn what your favorite author’s laugh sounds like! I hope that the conversations evoke deeper connections to the books you love, and introduce you to new books you have yet to discover. Listen, laugh, ponder, discover, but most of all, enjoy.

BiblioFiles artwork by the super talented Aliisa Lee. 

Deepest heartfelt thanks to Dan Kearns, the Princeton University Broadcast Center’s sound engineer extraordinaire.

An additional shout out to Lance Harrington, the Broadcast Center’s resident wizard, for his endless patience and assistance in launching the podcast site!