Author/Illustrator Talk: Eric Wight

Another kid-friendly interview by two friendly kids!

It’s Eric Wight, author/illustrator of Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom (Colonel Mustard’s favorite book of the summer!). Frankie Pickle is a hilarious graphic novel/chapter book hybrid about boy with a huge imagination and a very messy room.

Eric’s stats:

wight

And look–he shared a haiku!

Writing with pictures
Is kind of like when you dream
With your eyes open.

More About Eric and Frankie Pickle

What were you like as a kid?

I was a lot like Frankie. Very imaginative, always drawing or making up stories. A constant day dreamer. Pretty much the same as I am now!

Did you like school?

I loved learning, but my brain definitely didn’t process things the way it was usually taught. I used to think I hated subjects like history and science, but now I find them fascinating and seek them out more and more. As I got older, I came to realize that it wasn’t the subject’s fault, it was the way it was taught to me that I couldn’t connect with. I was terrible at memorization. But give me a book report or art project and I was aces.

What’s the grossest or most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you as a kid?

Once a week when I was in first grade, we would have a lesson about someone famous in history. On this particular week, we learned about Walt Disney. I had to go to the bathroom so badly, but I didn’t want to miss anything, so I held it until the lesson was over. When I stood up to ask permission to go to the lavatory, I couldn’t hold it any longer and peed myself in front of my entire class. It was pretty embarrassing, but I realized at that moment that I wanted to become a storyteller.

If you weren’t an author/illustrator, what would you be? Why?

I’d probably be a musician. I have a deep love of music, and it’s always a part of my work, whether it be something I’m listening to while I work or something I’ve worked into my project (like Kenny). I’ve been itching to take guitar lessons if I could ever find the time.

What’s one place you’d like to visit in the world? Why?

I’ve yet to travel to Italy, and being half Italian I’ve been getting a lot of flack about it from my family.

What’s the coolest place you’ve ever been?

When I was in college I interned with the Children’s Television Workshop and had the opportunity to visit Sesame Street. I’ve seen a lot of movie stars in my career, but Big Bird trumps them all.

How did you get the idea for Frankie Pickle?

I knew that I wanted to create something for kids, so I drew inspiration from what I was like in elementary school. I was constantly getting lost in my imagination, and I thought it would be really fun to write and draw about a character who did what I did, but took it to a whole other level.

How messy was your room when you were a kid?

I was pretty good about keeping my clothes and toys put away. My problem was that I always had a million art projects going at once, so my floor would be covered with cut paper and felt and art supplies.

Which is harder for you, writing or drawing?

Definitely writing. Don’t get me wrong, drawing is tough, but I’ve been doing it my entire life — since before I could walk or talk. I’ve only been writing for less than two years, and had very little experience with it even in college. So I have a long way to go before I feel like my writing ability will be caught up with my drawing ability.

What tools (media) do you use to make your illustrations?

I sketch everything first digitally with a Wacom Cintiq and Photoshop, then I print it onto bristol board in a light blue color and ink it by hand. The blue color allows me to remove the sketchy part easily, and the brush inking has a much more organic feel than the coldness of the digital pencils. If there is any coloring to be done, I do that in Photoshop as well.

Where do you like to write? What time of day?

I’m forced to be pretty stationary in my office when I’m drawing, so I like to move around a lot when I write, whether it be other parts of my house, the library, a local coffee shop, or when the weather is nice by a lake a few minutes from my house. I can draw at almost any hour of the day (and I’ve certainly drawn during all of them!), but I need to be a lot more focused with my writing and find my best time for me is in the morning.

We loved your book! Is there a similar book from a different author that’d you’d recommend for kids who liked yours?

Thank you so much! I had the pleasure of meeting Jarrett Krosoczka at Comic-Con this year, and my kids and I are really digging his new Lunch Lady series. For slightly older kids (9-12), Michael Buckley has a new book coming out called NERDS that’s going to be fantastic. It’s illustrated by my good pal Ethen Beavers.

What’s next? Can you tell us about the next Frankie Pickles or your new series?

The next Frankie adventure is called Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000, which is the Cub Scouts’ Pinewood Derby meets Speed Racer. Following that is Frankie Pickle and the Multiplying Menace, which combines math with medieval fantasy. I have about a dozen books planned so far. The goal is to put out at least two volumes a year until Frankie runs out of stories to tell. Given his imagination, that will hopefully not be for a long, long while.

I also have a middle grade fantasy series in the works. The first volume is called Sword of Fools, and is due in stores Fall 2010. It’s also a prose/graphic novel hybrid, although the comic parts work much differently. The story is about a boy who is a traveling minstrel on a quest to figure out his identity. Along the way he finds a medieval comic book called The Scarlet Hood, which both helps him on his adventure, and leads him further into danger.