27 Mar Blythe Russo: Illustrator and Brand New AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR!

I am so excited to welcome Blythe Russo, illustrator of our upcoming book, A FLOOD OF KINDNESS (WorthyKids, April 13, 2021), to “Writing Outside the Lines.” I LOVE how she illustrated it, and I can’t imagine how much work must have gone into creating these illustrations. They are perfect for this story. 

Welcome, Blythe! 

Tell us a little about yourself. Besides all the work you do, I read about your quest for the perfect chocolate chip recipe. When you find it, please let me know. 🙂 

BR: Hi Ellen, thank you for having me on your blog!  My name is Blythe, and I am from (and currently live in) Ohio, right outside Cincinnati. I’ve also lived in Florida (I attended undergrad at the University of Miami) and Georgia (I earned an MFA in Illustration at SCAD and worked in Atlanta for a few years). I currently work part-time as a decorator/baker, but in the past, I’ve also worked as a puppet-builder and graphic designer. When I’m not working, I’m thinking up projects to keep me busy. I’ve recently begun learning to knit via YouTube tutorials, which has been fun. I enjoy sewing and crafting and basically can always be found making some sort of creative mess.

EL: Wow! I am impressed with people who can do all that. I can knit a scarf if I don’t actually have to end it. 🙂 I know that A FLOOD OF KINDNESS required a different type of illustration than most of your other work. Did that concern you? How much direction did you get?

BR: After I agreed to do the book, I had a call with the art director, Eve, where we discussed what the team was thinking regarding the illustrations. They had a very specific vision for A FLOOD OF KINDNESS. They wanted the book’s illustrations to be sketchy and loose, combined with a limited color palette – ultimately giving the book the look and feel of being in a storm. So, we collaborated. The book – on the illustration end, at least –  was basically a big experiment with lots of trial and error, but I think it ended up successful. Yes, it was different from the normal way I work, but not completely out of my wheelhouse. Just a different approach. The imposter syndrome definitely kicked in at various points, and I questioned why I was approached for a project in a style/look I didn’t typically work in. But the WK team obviously had faith in me, and my agent is always the most encouraging, so that was that. I tried to transform any concern I was feeling into seeing the project as an opportunity to diversify my skill set.

EL: I am SO glad they had faith in you because, as you know, I love how it turned out! Can you briefly walk us through the process of illustrating that book?

BR: Well, since I’m an illustrator, I’ll show you!

After character designs were decided upon and I did a sample image for the cover, I moved on to roughing out the entirety of the book. This was the approved thumbnail/storyboard for this spread. I usually do roughs in Photoshop because it’s quicker and easier to make edits.

After the rough sketches were approved, I started final art. I did all the final sketches using a red col-erase pencil on Strathmore sketch paper (It has a little bit of tooth that adds some texture to my sketches.)

I then scanned the sketch, converted it to grayscale, and cleaned it up in Photoshop.

I did the watercolor on a separate layer. I knew I’d be combining everything digitally, so there was no need to have one nice, original painting. Having lineart and color on separate layers also allows for a quicker fix if I were to make a mistake (which *never* happens ←sarcasm).

After I was finished with the watercolor, I scanned that as well and layered it onto the lineart in Photoshop.

I added some details digitally, such as rain, waves, highlights, etc.

I then played around with saturation levels. As you know Ellen, the tone in the story progresses from somber to hopeful, and we wanted to convey that same transformation with the use of color throughout. So as the story progresses, more color is revealed within the spreads.

I ended up adding a bluish tint layer over the grayscale on all the spreads to give them a little more depth and to add to the “flood/water” theme of the book. (The basic grayscale was looking a bit flat to me.)

This is my favorite spread from the book. I have no idea why. I just really like the composition and how it turned out.

EL: This is amazing! I love learning about the process. I like that spread too. I think it visually shows the emotions of the characters so well.

Now let’s talk about what’s next! Please tell us about your new book that you both wrote and illustrated. Congrats on that!

BR: Thank you so much! I am super excited about my debut as AUTHOR/illustrator (eek!). SLOTH SLEEPS OVER comes out in Spring 2021, and it’s ultimately a friendship story about being true to oneself. The main character, Sloth is invited to her first sleepover but feels a little deceived since very little sleeping happens at sleepovers. I can’t wait for it to be out in the world and in children’s hands  – it’s both thrilling and terrifying.

EL: I will definitely be getting this book for my grandchildren. I can’t wait! Please let us know where we can find out more about you.

BR: My website is www.blytherussoillustration.com. (It has been recently updated which is a miracle in itself.) I am active on both Twitter and Instagram and you can find me on both @blythe_russo. Please say hi!

Also, Ellen and I are doing a virtual book event through Brazos Bookstore for A FLOOD OF KINDNESS on April 24th at 3:00 CENTRAL time.  We would love for you to join, click the link below to register.

https://www.brazosbookstore.com/event/virtual-ellen-leventhal-flood-kindness

EL: Yes! We would love you all to join us at our launch. If you can’t come and are still interested in the book, it is ready for pre-order and will be on shelves April13. (Sorry for the self-promotion, but when you see Blythe’s illustrations, you will be impressed!)

https://www.worthykids.com/titles/ellen-leventhal/a-flood-of-kindness/9781546034582/

BR: Thank you so much, Ellen!

EL: My pleasure! Looking forward to launching A FLOOD OF KINDNESS with you and buying SLOTH SLEEPS OVER!