Guest Blog
Two Little Boys and a Mummy Who Can
By Maria Mian Goncalves
The love of illustrating

I love to draw—that’s the only thing that comes to mind when I’m asked how I manage to find time to write or illustrate children’s books while being a mum to two cheerful, mischievous and amazing boys under the age of three. It’s like a craving! I must find time for it. Simple. What drives me to sit down and scribble out some drawings; is that the desire to do it so strong that if I don’t I might just burst! I’ve always been a creative person and one of the ways I can express myself and just be me is when I’ve got a pen, pencil or paintbrush in my hand. It’s a release for me: an opportunity to escape to a new world. I find it something similar to reading a good book, which allows one to imagine oneself inside the story. So, even if it’s just in between swiping (yet another) building block or toy car off the floor and stopping a smiley face from ending up on the living room wall instead of on the paper, I’ll always find time to illustrate!

Time management

My boys are my life: they come first. So there are times when a couple of weeks or more go by and we are so busy that I haven’t even touched a pencil (though I’ll be itching to). My boys are both at home with me as I decided that’s the way we were most happy till they are of an age to start nursery. But of course to get projects finished—to a standard that my fussy self is happy with—I do need to organise my days so that I can have some quiet time set to concentrate and knock out some new pages. So the way I found that I was able to get a decent amount of illustrating done was to firstly make sure my kids are well entertained and satisfied! I take them to playgroups weekly and try my best to engage them at home through play and creative fun! Then when they’ve had enough of me and are ready to play by themselves or are ready for a nap; I run to my drawer and eagerly pull out my latest project and start putting ideas down. The only reason I’m able to (finally) write this is because my boys have both fallen asleep on the sofa. A rare occasion which certainly needed taking advantage of!

It isn’t easy to be a mum to two toddlers and work from home, even though their father is very hands-on when he gets home from work. Sometimes the task seems impossible, but it’s just a matter of making a start and taking it day by day; or sketch by sketch! It is certainly rewarding when you’re done and see what you are capable of and even more so when you see that others are enjoying your work.

Inspiration and Illustrative Style

My inspirations come from the things around me, and my experiences. It could be from a person I saw on the street; or a memory that’s come up from my childhood; or a particular frame of mind I’ve felt in a new place. Sometimes I’ll just sit down with a pen and some paper and draw to see what I come up with!

My illustration style is still quite varied. I like to explore and try out new things—especially since I’m still finding ‘my style.’ Presently I would describe it as quirky, retro and cute. I almost always start an idea off in pen, then let it develop in whatever media fits the picture. I like to mix media; going back and forth till a page looks right. I’m a big fan of print (probably due to my background in fashion design). I love to add character to illustrations of people through attire and hair! I adore traditional illustrations and they probably Influence my style a fair bit. A favourite is most definitely Mary Blair. Her work is so colourful and fun, her compositions just perfect, and characters so lovable. Jessie Wilcox Smith is another favourite—although her illustrations of everyday life portray the ordinary—they hold such wonder, warmth, joy and comfort in them. More recent illustrators I admire are Joey Chou and Julia Sarda! They produce absolutely beautiful artwork!

Future Projects

Ohhhhhh I could go on here a bit and take you into my dream world of my many hopes and aspirations, but I will resist and save you from a lengthy list, and (ahem) save myself from sounding like an outrageous crazy woman! Let me just say I am always open to projects that will give my creative side a release! I will definitely be continuing work with my favourite publishers--Sweet Apple! I’m working on some picture book projects that are slowly but surely coming to, and will hopefully be in print in the near future! Animation is another possibility that is being ventured! I plan to start blogging about illustration soon, so please do keep a look out for me! And once my boys are in school…well let's just say, my mind wanders to many new projects' excited by the opportunities that that free time will open for me.

By Maria Mian Goncalves

Contact Maria at maria.goncalves@sweetapplebooks.com

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