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30 Ontario School Library Association TingL: What kind of training and technical knowledge or skills did you need to enter the world of illustrating children's books? I am a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design. Drawing skills and an understanding of storytelling are essential. I've had training in both traditional and digital media and literacies. What media do you usually use for your illustrations? I work with ink and watercolour, as well as digital painting. There is often humour in your illustrations. Is this intentional or part of your personality shining through? Yes, I like to use humour! In particular I like to use humour for storytelling. I like to use story to illustrate nonfiction information. The possibility of using humour to tell the "story" of nonfiction text is very appealing. This is why my favourite books are the Jobs books that show people doing things within social settings. When you're working on complex works like, Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers, what research do you do to ensure that your illustrations are historically accurate? Usually I would be able to consult with the author, who often provides extra writing sources. Sometimes they'll even provide me with other visual references. I also do my own picture research to find out what things looked like tools, clothes, hairstyles, colour of fabrics, furniture, houses, everything! I make photocopies or take photos from books. I end up creating a large source of picture references, organized into files. As well as doing the illustrations, do you have any input into the overall design and layout of each book? It all depends on the book and the publisher. Sometimes, for the cover art, I get to provide a rough sketch and the cover text gets designed around my art concept. For the inside pages, no. The only input I have is sometimes to move text to fit a different aspect ratio of art (the relationship of the width to the height of the finished artwork). So, I definitely have more freedom in the cover design. How has the children's book publishing in Canada changed since your first work in 1996? Meet animator, illustrator, graphic designer, and educator, Martha Newbigging. Raised by parents who were both artists and art educators, Martha has been surrounded by design, art and creativity since birth. She has illustrated children's books and textbooks for publishers including Annick Press, Owl Books, Kids Can Press, and Pearson Education Canada. Her teaching experience in a wide range of school and community settings includes conducting comics workshops in schools across Ontario, leading animation workshops in Toronto and Prince Edward County, completing a practicum in rural Nicaragua, and delivering an arts programs for an LGBTQ youth support group in Belleville. While working as an instructor at the School for Creative Arts & Animation at Seneca College, Martha is also pursuing a Master's degree in arts-based pedagogy at York University (Newbigging, n.d., para. 1). A Conversation with Visual Storyteller MARTHA NEWBIGGING