Meet the Illustrator:
Brett Bean

In today’s Meet the Illustrator feature we hear from Brett Bean, illustrator of the thrilling chapter book series, Beasts of Olympus. Brett reveals the moment he know he would be an artist, shows us his playroom-esque work space, and shares some fun drawing games to do with kids.

What first made you excited about art?
As a young child, I guess it excited me most when someone could actually figure out what I was drawing. It started out as sense of satisfaction that my parents’ answers didn’t end with a question mark when I asked them what I was drawing.

I remember being blown away when I heard that artists were the people that helped make “Star Wars,” “The Dark Crystal,” and “The Muppets.” Calvin and Hobbes also made me very excited to know what art could be. So as I tried to copy and learn from comics and movies, the better I got and the more exciting it felt. To this day, I still depend on trying to excite myself for projects. As adults, it’s hard to find that “zone” repeatedly.

I’d say the clearest example of excitement was when I won an art contest in middle school for a Puget Sound Aquarium contest. My image was put on the back of their truck and made into stickers. That’s when I knew.

What illustrated book from childhood has stayed with you over the years? 
It’s nearly impossible to choose just one and I still have most of my original copies. I’d say the one that I made my mother read year round, and drove crazy in the process, was The Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher. I adored all of the Choose Your Own Adventure books; Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark; Kincaid’s Book of Witches, Goblins, Ogres, and Fantasy; and all the Dr. Seuss books.

Where do you find inspiration for your illustrations? 
I believe that everything you take in influences you in some way. How we interpret our mind’s eye of this world becomes art, music, culture, and everything in between. How you process it and say it back to the world makes us individuals. Every movie, real life experience, nature hike, and musical interlude helps shape and inspire us.

What does your workspace look like?
I have a home office I work from. It’s an adult child’s playroom, really. There’s original art from fellow artists and peers, Yeti heads, a luchador mask from an art conference I talked at in Mexico, and an Alaskan mask — all of it surrounds three book cases with far too many books, and a desk that holds myriad toys and figures from my childhood, current movies, and sculpted art. I keep a picture of my family nuzzled amongst them, a reading chair in the corner for visitors and my wife, and pencils, paper, and art supplies within arm’s reach at all times.

What materials do you most like to use?
I still love the feel of pencil on paper so I use that most. I love brush pens, markers, and use Photoshop on the computer.

What design resources would you recommend to young artists? 
For the younger child, I’d recommend Mark Kistler’s Imagination Station and any of Lee J. Ames’s Draw 50 books. I still think the fundamental way they taught thinking and drawing in 3D is great. I have a great affinity for them still. It’s the fundamental building blocks to the later years of learning to be an artist.

Mid-range or starting to really want to learn more I would suggest getting them into anatomy books from Loomis or Bridgman, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, or books that bridge the gap between simple concepts and advance thinking. When the child reaches a real sense of self and self determination to be an artist, I’d suggest reading the Drawn to Life series by Walt Stanchfield, Art and Fear, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, and always more anatomy books. Basically you want more books that teach them how to THINK like an artist and not just repeat and copy from an artist’s book.

How do you get your child excited about art?
My own child is still fairly young, but for years I’ve been around my nieces and nephews and they get excited when I just simply sit down and make art with them. I think it’s the act of togetherness, of being involved, showing them attention, and making something with them. My mother taught me the line game, where you make a squiggle line and make something out of it, and the thumbprint game, where she would make a bunch of thumbprints with ink and I would make characters out of them. I use the basic methodology to this day and also play the game where you fold the paper in thirds and one person draws the head then passes it on and someone draws the body and arms, passes it on and then someone draws the legs. It’s always funny to see what happens. It’s the difference between engaging and distracting that’s the key.

What has your child taught you about books and reading?
I’ve found that early on books and reading is a family-centric social activity, which later turns into a very personal experience. It’s a family activity to start with, whereas before kids I took it as a solo activity. We read to Finnegan from the beginning and even though he did not participate or engage at first he now, at age one, brings us books and is the only kid in daycare to like books and look through them. I like to think it’s because we read to him regularly.

What’s the best name for a color that you’ve ever heard?
My favorite color to use is Pumpkin Orange, but I think the best and most visually representative name has to be Puke Green. It’s the one color and description I know exactly what they are referring to.

As a kid, Brett Bean made stuff up to get out of trouble. As an adult, Brett makes stuff up to make people happy. Brett creates art for film, TV, games, books, and toys. He works on his tan and artwork in California with his wife, Julie Anne, and son, Finnegan Hobbes. He hopes to leave the world a little bit better for having him. You can find out more about him and his artwork at www.2dbean.com.