Guest Artist: Author Illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Welcome to Results Day! If you're dropping by for the first time this week, we've been celebrating the work of Author Illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi each day on Twitter and Facebook. She has illustrated many picture books including NAKED! , I'M BORED and the upcoming I'M SAD (June 2018) by Michael Ian Black, as well as written and illustrated WHERE ARE MY BOOKS? and the latest SAM & EVA. I hope you enjoyed sneak peeks, interviews and learning more about her creative process.
I have never met Debbie before. I first discovered her months ago on Twitter. I can’t remember what post led me to her but I do remember quickly becoming a "follower". Her world was brewing with fun, kindness and loads of creativity. She reached out to everyone. Teachers, readers, illustrators, authors, parents, publishers, librarians. I loved her openness and ease. I looked forward to seeing posts filled with pick-me-up cartoons, encouragement, kidlit events and then...food doodles. It was then I strummed up enough courage to reach out to her and ask if she would like to be a Guest Artist on the blog. I really (really!) wanted to see how blobs worked for her and what characters she could create.
When I reached out to Debbie she kindly responded and was completely up for the creative challenge (even with a broken wrist!). I was thrilled she accepted and am eager to share her designs with you but first, a little about where Blobs #113 came from...
...a wintry, evening stroll downtown Royal Oak where every block beamed with light. Each shape I picked came from that light-scape, except when we were indoors having dinner. Can you spot that moment?
Here are the shapes I pulled to create Blobs #113...
Now, a BEFORE and AFTER peek at Debbie's designs...
Let's take a closer look at her playful characters...
This mixed collection makes for one colorful party of characters!
Below is Debbie's interview...
Who was your favorite book character as a child and why?
Douglas Spaulding in DANDELION WINE, because I loved how he thought about things….so many truths, and that made me think more deeply about similar topics. I was also inspired by how he saw beyond the surface of things and people.
Which character in your books was the most fun bringing to life and why?
The Potato in I’M BORED, without a question. I loved how crabby he was in the first book. In I’M SAD, the sequel that comes out from Simon & Schuster in 2018, the Potato is crabby but also hilarious. And I was delighted to recently find out that Michael’s working on a third in the series that I’ll be illustrating: I’M WORRIED.
Where do you find the most inspiration for your characters?
That’s a tough question! It depends on the character and the story. For the little boy named Spencer in WHERE ARE MY BOOKS?, for example, I was inspired by my nephew, Spencer — he loved to read books when he was little.
Which BLOB inspired you the most and why?
All of your wonderful blobs inspired me! I think the one I eventually turned into Little Red Riding Hood was the most challenging, so I found it the most inspiring since I had to work harder at coming up with something I wanted to draw.
Thank you Debbie for generously donating your time and creating characters this week!
Happy Holidays to everyone and check back on January 8th, 2018 for Blobs #114!