Meet the Illustrator: Ethan Long

In today’s Meet the Illustrator feature we meet Ethan Long, an author and illustrator with over 70 titles to his credit, including the newly released In, Over and On the Farm. Ethan reflects on how his parents originally got him excited about art, how he now finds himself inspiring his own children to create art, and more.

What first made you excited about art?

I grew up around art, from my Dad’s side of the family. My dad was an architect and he used to do not only blueprints, but also architectural renderings and 3D models. He painted watercolors on the side. Most of my uncles and aunts on my Dad’s side were creative in some way — glass blowing, rug hooking, oil painting. My parents both used to give me all the paper and pencils and clay that I could handle and I would just make stuff.

What illustrated book from childhood has stayed with you over the years?

Harold and the Purple Crayon. Harold was essentially making something out of nothing, which is pretty much my business plan here at the studio.

Where do you find inspiration for your illustrations?

Inspiration comes to me in all shapes and forms. I get the same inspiration out of a joke my son tells me as a painting I see at the museum. And sometimes inspiration comes from just sitting and doing nothing.

What does your workspace look like?

It is extremely organized and minimal, just like it was when I was a kid. A drafting table, supplies, and paper are all in drawers with labels. My laptop files are all organized by project. I am teased by friends and family, but that’s because they’re jealous.

What materials do you most like to use?

I like using a mix of digital and traditional depending on my mood and the tone of the story I am writing. But I create in binges. I just created a slew of images and sculptures with a mixture of wood, house paint, old maps, china marker, and graphite. I loved the smell and feel of all the materials. But now that I am done with that binge, I don’t really want to touch those materials for a while.

What design resources would you recommend to young artists?

Sign up for the Adobe Creative Suite. Also join some sort of group where you can make friends and bounce ideas and experiences off of them.

How do you get your kids excited about art?

They get excited about art when they see my wife, Heather, or I making our own art and how happy we are doing it. All three of my kids are good at drawing and creating and I will say it’s because they are constantly around two adults who love what they do.

What have your kids taught you about books and reading?

Storytelling is so powerful. When my kids are done with a book and they are talking about it at dinner, it inspires me to want to write better books and expose them to more things in the world. They show me every day that books are an open window out into the world.

What’s the best name for a color that you’ve ever heard?

I will always be partial to the color “periwinkle” from the Crayola crayon set.

Ethan Long is an internationally recognized children’s book author and illustrator who has over 70 titles to his credit, including his popular Tickle the Duck! series; Chamelia and the New Kid in Class; The Croaky Pokey; My Dad, My Hero; Scribbles & Ink; One Drowsy Dragon; and Up, Tall and High!, the winner of the 2013 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. He is also the creator of the Emmy-Nominated animated preschool series “Tasty Time with ZeFronk,” which currently airs daily on The Disney Channel. He lives with his wife and three children in Orlando, Florida.