Collaborative Research by Christy

I have a passion for travel. Fortunately, I’ve had several opportunities to illustrate stories set in other cultures. Unfortunately, each time my lack of mula kept me at home. Hmmm… isn’t reading all about experiencing the world vicariously?

When I first began illustrating I lived in Brooklyn. The world wide web was unknown. No problem! I had resources everywhere I turned: museums with art and artifacts from around the world; botanical gardens with vegetation from every climate; an amazing public library system, including the New York Public Library Picture Collection (my home away from home); and daily I rubbed shoulders with people from each part of the earth. Yes, I do miss NYC.

My first book, Juan Bobo and the Pig by Felix Pitre was set in Puerto Rico. I bought a book of Caribbean interior design to inspire my palette. I listened to salsa to keep things loose and fun. The creative process opened up further when I invited others to help. My husband acted out many of Juan Bobo’s gestures. He suggested adding chickens, which I have since tried to include in my books whenever possible. I spoke with Jorge, my hairstylist from Puerto Rico. He helped with costuming and setting. In Paco and the Witch, my second collaboration with Felix Pitre, Felix sent me a beautiful güiro (gourd instrument) for reference. Sharing is fun!

When I began visual research for Elizabeti’s Doll (set in Tanzania) I again had insufficient resources to travel, so I visited the Library Picture Collection, the Schomburg Center in Harlem, and the Robert Goldwater Library at the Met (dedicated to documentation of visual arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas). I made a list of items I needed to include in each scene. Finally, never finding precisely what I needed, I asked my editor if I could speak with the author. Authors and illustrators usually have no communication while the illustrations are being created. I have worked as an art director for many years and feel protective of artists. They need to have space to tell the visual story without someone breathing over their shoulders with preconceived ideas. On the other hand, I knew it was my job to create culturally authentic illustrations. I wanted direct access to the most informed resource. Enter Stephanie.

I still have the list of questions I scribbled for my first conversation with Stephanie. She told me what kind of bathtub would be used for babies. She described their diapers, the chores a young Tanzanian girl might do, and the animals found around the yard (yippee—chickens!). She provided me with many, many helpful bits of information. Over the course of the three-book Elizabeti series, Stephanie sent numerous color photocopies from her stay in Tanzania, a video made by colleagues in the Peace Corp, and Stephanie’s husband even drew a picture to explain how corn is ground! I had been struggling to create visual interest. Elizabeti lived in a mud hut in an area of open plains. Who wanted to look at a book of mud and dirt? Stephanie unlocked the problem when she sent me a brightly colored kanga (African cloth). I decided to use colorful patterns papers in collage to simulate African textiles.

I am grateful for Stephanie’s wonderful stories and helpful resources. Collaboration can allow projects to grow bigger and better. It’s tricky work though. Stephanie never pushed a vision of how she wanted things to be. She always gave me space and support.