Illustrator Interview: Orlando Ramirez & July's Giveaway

July's Libro del Mes is Cheech and the Spooky Ghost Bus. It is the latest book in the Cheech Marin series and just became available last week. All the books in this series are fantastic for kids, because of their humor, authentic cultural content and excellent illustrations. We'll get you a review of the book shortly, but first, we are happy to bring you an interview with Orlando Ramirez, illustrator of this entire series.

How did you get into the business of illustrating children’s literature? What was your first book project?

I first landed a job as an illustrator at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City where I did hundreds of humorous greeting cards for the contemporary kid’s line. I thought it was a great way to introduce myself into creating products for children of all ages. I also knew several other artists at Hallmark that were illustrating books for several publishing companies, so they inspired me to try illustrating children’s books.

After teaming up with art agency Tugeau 2, I was lucky enough to land my first book project that had a series of four educational books for publishing company, Learning Resources, Inc. These books are all in Spanish: Quico el cocinero, ¡Cuánto nos divertimos!, Roxana de Visita and Bienteveo. They were all a lot of fun and it was a great way to gain some experience in illustrating fun Latino themes.

Can you tell us about the process you take when creating the illustrations for a children’s book? As an artist, is there a particular medium you prefer to use?

Everything starts with research. After I get a manuscript from the publisher, I read it several times and create a list of visual elements that will help me create the mood of the story. I tend to look for research everywhere: on the web, books, magazines or I take my own digital pictures. I specifically look for intriguing details on kid’s latest haircuts, kid’s clothing, specific scenes and I like to keep a library of fun textures and colors.

Once the research phase is ready, I work on some really rough sketches just to get a quick idea on how my main characters are going to look like and the scenes on each page. I use a scanner to scan my sketches in and clean them up in Photoshop before sending them to the Editor or Art Director. Once the sketches are approved, I create a more refined drawing of each page on tracing paper and take them to Photoshop to clean them up and start the color process. I basically use Photoshop to finish each piece by using custom brushes and patterns to create a more pastel "conventional look." I also have a library of colors that I use to keep a consistent look on all my illustration projects.

I pretty much enjoy using Photoshop and digital photography. I used to work on pastels and acrylics all the time but using the computer is a lot less messy. :)

How do you decide how to depict your characters? Do you use people for inspiration (if so, who?) or do you just let your creative juices develop the character?

I pretty much look for anything or anyone to inspire me. I look for inspiration by watching the kids in the playground, kids at the library, kids playing sports at the YMCA and watching television shows with diverse characters. Some shows at the Disney channel are great for getting ideas on the latest kids' trends. I also use my family the most to depict specific characters... I especially use my dog a lot!

[And as] I watch my daughter grow every day, it’s amazing to see how she develops and how funny she can be at such a young age. She’s always doing something new that I can use for inspiration in my illustrations.

Do you use your own experiences as a child growing up in Puerto Rico to help you depict characters or backgrounds?

Absolutely, I have a lot of great memories of growing up in Puerto Rico and they all translate in one way or another in my illustrations. I show these memories and cultural experiences on the background scenes, colors, textures, and multicultural characters. It’s my job to tell visual stories the way I see them and it’s always great to see kids responding positively to these visual details of my childhood through the illustrations.

Why do you think it is important for Latinos to be represented in children’s literature?

Latinos have been representing our communities in a lot of things and it’s important to have strong Latino role models in our society. Not just for the development of our children but also our culture in general. It’s important to inspire children of all ages to understand the importance of learning about the history, culture and contributions made by Hispanics in the United States and the world.

Do you think you might ever consider writing a children’s book – or do you prefer the illustration side of things?

Yes, I have a few "written ideas" on my sketchbook and I want to develop them in the future... It will be fun, exciting, and a challenging task for me to write a humorous children’s book. I’m just very picky with what I do!

I find that illustrating books is a more natural thing for me to do right now.

You have a new book coming out - can you tell us a little bit about it?

My new book is called Cheech and the Spooky Ghost Bus and it’s the third book of the Cheech Marin series. This new picture book is a lot of fun with a lot of new exciting, funny and spooky characters! This time Cheech (the school bus driver) and the Cheecharrones stop by a graveyard and pick-up a few "ghost kids" by accident. Cheech and the Cheecharrones are afraid of the "ghost kids" and try everything they can to get rid of them... Cheech and the kids learn a great lesson that being different isn't always a bad thing. This book is full of FUN and SURPRISES and I’m sure everyone will enjoy reading it.

Anything else you’d like for the LBBC readers to know?

I’ve been a professional graphic designer and illustrator since 1994, and it has been an exciting and fun career. As an artist, my work has appeared in books, greeting cards, advertisements, magazines, and the Internet. I was born and raised in Carolina, Puerto Rico, and I now reside with my family in Florida. For more information about my work, new books, lectures, school visits and workshops visit: http://www.orlandoramirez.com/

Thanks so much to LBBC for the opportunity to share my story on your platform.

And muchisimas gracias to Orlando for letting us interview him. As a special bonus to our readers, we are offering a copy of Cheech and the Spooky Ghost Bus, signed by Orlando, to one of our lucky readers. Just leave us a comment below letting us know what you think about this interview. The giveaway ends at midnight on Wednesday, July 8th, so post your comments before then!

Good luck!