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Interview

An Interview with the illustrator of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

You change your style dramatically with each children's book you illustrate, like an actor who never plays the same role twice.

You've paid homage, always brilliantly, to Dutch masters, American realists, primitive folk art, Chinese scrolls, and more. Which style do you most enjoy using? What kind of research do you do for each book?
I enjoy any style—it is never my intention to copy a particular look or aesthetic.

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Instead I do a lot of groundwork and extensive research on the time period in order to come up with my own approach or style for a book that I can relate to and use naturally. I have a big reference library, and when that's not enough, I turn to public libraries and private sources, which was the case for Edward.

Do you use models or photographs for the people in your painting?