Day 1 interview- Dani Jones

Interview Day 1

Patrice Barton:
Dani, what was your favorite part of the process
illustrating this book? And your least favorite?



Dani:
I had lots of freedom and time for creating this book, which is always nice. My favorite part of illustrating a book is designing characters. I had lots of fun with the variety of family members and townspeople. I also added a dog character to the book that's not specifically included in the manuscript. It's fun as an illustrator to be able to add little things that weren't there before to help contribute to the story.


I would say my least favorite part is at the very beginning, starting from scratch. I have to formulate a lot of ideas and try to organize them into the layout of the book. The endless possibilities you have when starting a project is exciting, but it takes a lot of brainwork and can be a struggle. I like it better later on when I've got a lot of the problems figured out and can just enjoy the artistic process.



Laura Logan:
Dani, what medium do you work in? Have you always, or was there a progression or change over your years as an illustrator?

Dani:
Mariachi was painted digitally. With the exception of only a handful of assignments, all my work is created on the computer. I had a couple great digital painting classes in college, so I jumped into it right out of the gate. However, most of my art education was in traditional media (my favorite medium is gouache). The way I work traditionally has greatly influenced how I work on the computer - bold colors, lots of texture, etc. I always recommend to artists that they should have a good grasp on traditional media before making the move into Photoshop or Painter.

to be cont'd tomorrow...





Book Giveaway Question:

"In what Mexican state did mariachi music originate?"

A. Sonora
B. Jalisco
C. Durango

(Please leave your answer in the comments section.)