Illustrator Q & A : Joanna Osbourne

1. Jo, the illustrations for Flutterby Baby Book are just beautiful in every way. Your artwork has truly helped bring the book to life. Please share with us how you approached the creative process?

Thank you Rachael I have really loved working with you on this project and to see it come together so beautifully has been a blessing.  I first read your beautiful story and while reading my imagination was painting a picture of soft pretty colours with flowers and butterflies. This became a base that we worked from and developed all the images for the book. Some pages required more thought and detail however we kept a soft approach to the images and this tied in beautifully with the theme of the flutterby babies.

2. Please share with us your background and how you became an artist? It sounds like you have been an artist since as long as you can remember.

I grew up with an amazing grandmother who loved china painting and she taught me along the way different skills and this helped fuel my gravitation towards art.  I loved art in school but didn’t choose to follow this path as a career and instead worked mostly in administration. While pregnant with my first child I would have daydreams of fairies and their adventures so I would write stories and draw illustrations. As my children grew older I would draw colouring in pages for them and this started my love of creating colouring in books.  I continued with my career in Administration for 10 years and finally in 2014 I decided to start drawing again and recreated my colouring in pages and found Zentangling. Now with almost 30 book titles my skills grew and I diversified in to commission work and now here I am with my first book illustration project with you.

3. Do you have a favourite page or illustration in the book, which is extra special to you?

This is my favourite illustration from the book.  I encompasses the book from the stormy skies, the brilliant rainbow, a completed family with the flutterby babies hovering nearby watching over the family. With adversity comes triumph and while the path my not be clear it is a path and it is leading you to the future, whatever that is.  Without Sadness we can’t understand Joy, without Chaos we can’t appreciate Peace and without Loss with how do we Receive? xo.

4. The cover is such a stunning piece of artwork. The cover image actually wasn’t intended to be the cover originally. How did that evolve to become the main image for the book?

The image of the hands was a resolution for a hard page to illustrate. I tells of the struggle and loneliness that can be felt and how it can effect others in the family.  I came up with the hands as a solution the this by suggesting working together and supporting each other. I believe it became the cover because of this message and how strong the image conveys it and it is the overall purpose of this book to be a companion and a support through a difficult time.

5. Lastly, do you have any suggestions or advice for aspiring artists who are inspired by your illustrations?

As with anything we are interested in but need to learn, work on it every day. If you work on something each day and try to make it a little better or even just different you learn new things about yourself and your abilities. If you’re an athlete you train every day, if you’re an actor you rehearse every day, if you’re a teacher you study every day. If you want to be an artist, draw, paint or sculpt every single day. My drawings from 15 years ago are so embarrassing compared to the work I produce today but it is a part of the journey.

A very big thank you to Joanna, our gorgeous and super talented illustrator of Flutterby Baby, Forever in Our Hearts. This book would not have been possible without you. Your love and support, and dedication to the project is so appreciated. We can’t wait to share the book with the world soon. Much love from all of the team. xo