Interview with Wendell Minor, Illustrator

by Roberta Collier-Morales

“My primary focus is to remind children that nature is essential, it’s always been my feeling that if we lose touch with the natural world, we lose touch with ourselves.”
~ Wendell Minor

Wendell Minor, Illustrator

There are a few nationally recognized organizations that foster the art of illustration: The Graphic Artists Guild, SCBWI, and The Society of Illustrators. These three are, at present, the best known and most prestigious. This fall we have the honor to introduce a nationally loved illustrator, and past president of The Society of Illustrators, Wendell Minor, to our Rocky Mountain Chapter of illustrators and writers.

Minor has illustrated over 2,000 book covers, numerous children’s books--including The Call of the Wild, Snow Bear, America The Beautiful, Mojave, Heartland, Grand Canyon, and Cat, What Is That--are a few of the many titles you might be familiar with. He also illustrated covers for best sellers like Truman, The Prince of Tides, Beach Music, Fried Green Tomatoes, To Kill a Mockingbird, Julie’s Wolf Pack and Terms of Endearment. For a visual reference, pictures and interviews, visit his website: www.minorart.com.

After graduating from the Ringling School of Art and Design, Minor started his career working with book publishers in New York City. For the past 35 years, his love of nature, his classic and whimsical styles, and his affinity for environmental issues have been reflected in the subject matter of his books. He and his wife, Florence, travel throughout the United States taking photographs and doing hands-on research as preparation for illustrations for his latest books. Because he writes as well as illustrates, Minor has a great deal of valuable information about the industry to share. He works 14-hour days, has book projects scheduled for the next four years, and is always thinking ahead. “A picture invites the viewer into it and offers a sense of mystery. It lets the viewer become part of the process. A good picture, like a good story, is timeless,” says Minor.

A master artist is also timeless. Talking with Minor is especially enlightening as he has the wisdom of experience and insight into the business of publishing, as well as enormous talent.

Some questions are the interviewer’s; some were passed on to her.

Do you have an agent or have you ever worked with one?
I prefer a direct line of communication between my client and myself. I don’t think there is anything wrong with having an agent, but I happen to like the business aspect. I started with book covers, and didn’t do any children’s books for several years. Now, because of my experience in publishing and because my wife is my business partner and can review contracts and do much of the paperwork for me, we function as a team. Agents generally want you when you’re already a saleable commodity. I’ve always been a hands-on person, so handling the business of my career is important to me. No one cares as much about what I do as me.

You mentioned in the interview on your website that you choose to work in watercolor and gouache most of the time. Do you have a favorite paper or illustration board to work on?
I use Strathmore Bristol 400 pound, it’s archival, and is one of the most utilitarian surfaces out there. It has a rough texture and I use it for both mediums. But the reality is, the medium doesn’t matter. Don’t look for magic in the materials, they’re incidental to the expression. It’s your work, your own skill at drawing, composition, color, and finding an expression of who you are that makes a piece of art work.

What is the purpose of The Society of Illustrators and the benefits of being a member?
Lunch if you’re in the area! It’s a good place to meet with editors. Being a member also supports a non-profit organization that’s over 100 years old that affords illustrators a place to visit, exhibit, get discounts, meet clients, see members exhibitions…Did you know it’s the home of the original picture book art show for children’s books?

Are there other professional organizations you’d recommend to illustrators?
The Graphic Artists Guild, American Institute of Graphic Arts, American Watercolor Society, Pastel Society are all good organizations, but are best suited to meeting other colleagues.

What art publications would you recommend to illustrators?
American Art Review is a fine arts periodical dealing with classical painting. Also, the School Library Journal, Book Links, Hornbook and Publishers Weekly. We use these magazines as a way to keep abreast of who’s publishing what, what the competition is up to. ALA book list is another one, they all carry reviews--the Kerlan collection of children’s literature. Publishing is all about big business, its number driven, not like it used to be.

What can you tell me about the changes you’ve seen in publishing during your career?
Computers have made a difference, companies can have in-house people who can manipulate art or create work cheaply. Read The World is Flat to get a good overview of the interconnectedness of everything that’s going on. Mergers and acquisitions have turned publishers into huge corporations--the dollar and numbers, licensing, movies, toys…spin-offs are all a big part of the ballgame now. You have to think on your feet. I’ve learned to function as a packager--it’s lots of work--most people don’t realize just how much work goes into each project. I put together the proposals, presentations, do all the research…The pie hasn’t gotten any bigger, but the slices have gotten thinner because of computer games and so many other options, young people aren’t reading like they used to. There are tremendous changes in our society psychologically. I sustain and create my own website, do my own promotion--two thirds of our time is spent marketing; it used to be the other way around. Having your own website is important. Don’t just send a postcard, send a postcard telling people to look at your website.

For illustrators in rural areas where classes and schools are limited, do you know of any self-improvement materials you’d recommend?
Read Leonard Marcus book, Dear Genius--he is a lecturer and historian. When I moved to New York 1968, Brad Holland was a big influence for me. I don’t believe you can learn everything from a book, but I read every biography of every artist I could get my hands on--it helped me build my own sense of what being an artist meant. People need to find answers for themselves. You have to learn to trust your gut instinct and go for what makes your heart sing. Nature is a difficult sell these days--but this is what makes my work important to me. I have learned to stick to my own instincts and that I have to stick with what I want to accomplish.

You seem to have different styles for different types of books, many publishers say that an artist should develop ONE recognizable style and stick with it. How do you feel about that?
There’s no one-blanket answer to this. Christmas Tree is a book that’s both fun and fancy--it challenges a child’s imagination but is 180 degrees different from my Buzz Aldrin book. My survival as an artist is about content of the book not style. When style exceeds content, you have a problem. The content of your message helps the style evolve in such a subliminal way that you’re not even aware that you HAVE a style. Focus on composition, color, and refinement of drawing and medium--it’s essential to be a craftsman first. Challenge your sensibilities; spend time painting and drawing and developing your own craft.

Do you have any thing else you’d like to share with us? Some good advice?
When’s the last time you went to the children’s department in a bookstore, wrote down publishers, artists, and writers to know what the industry is doing? This is overlooked most of the time. Not every publishing house is the same; some ideas sell better at one house than another. You don’t take a cartoon book to a publisher that doesn’t do cartooned books.