Robert's Snow: Greg Newbold

Today we have our last illustrator feature and we are really going out with a bang because Greg Newbold is a great interviewee with a breathtaking snowflake:

Awesome, no? This and many other snowflakes have been painted by some of the best illustrators in the business to raise money for Robert's Snow which supports cancer research. For info on how to bid on Greg's stunning snowflake, as well as to find out more about Robert's Snow, go here.

And here's where Greg took the time to tell us about his childhood murals, his love of fishing and his personal connection to Robert's Snow:

What inspired your snowflake design?

My love of Christmas stems from early childhood and for me, art andChristmas go hand in hand. I was initially disappointed on Christmas morning at age eight when Santa did not bring me the fancy set of plastic dinosaursI had my heart set on. Instead, along with clay, paint and a really cool dinosaur book, Santa left a note saying he believed I could make my own dinosaurs. I followed Santa's wise advice and now get to create artwork every day! My snowflake entitled "Pip's Letter to Santa" features one of the main characters from my new Random House book entitled "The Barnyard Night Before Christmas" written by Beth Terrill. The story details how Santa, with the help of Pip the Mouse, enlists the barnyard animals to pull his sleigh on Christmas Eve after his own reindeer fall ill from too much Christmas pudding. Chaos and fun follow as the animals try to help Santa make his rounds with the help of some helium balloons and string.

How did you get involved in Robert's Snow?

I was contacted by Grace Lin, the founder of Robert's Snow, about possibly painting a snowflake to benefit cancer research and I immediately felt the need to participate. During the creation of "The Barnyard Night Before Christmas", my father Dennis (the wise Santa mentioned above and possibly my biggest fan) fell ill with cancer and passed away before he had a chance to see the book completed. I have dedicated the book as well as this snowflake to his memory and hope that people will bid generously to aid in the fight against cancer that has now become so much more personal to me.

What's your favorite thing about your job?

I figured I would be an artist ever since I realized that people made money doing artwork. Consequently, it is very satisfying to be able to put my vision down on paper and then have people enjoy seeing what I have created. "Life needs art" is part of my credo and I believe that we as human beings want to enjoy beautiful creations. I love creating artwork and sharing it with others. Getting paid to do what I would probably do anyway is a bonus.

Have you ever illustrated a book that you didn't love?

No. I am very particular about the book projects that I take on. I have turned down many more books than I have worked on. For me it is essential that I be fully invested in a project in order for me to do my best work. Creating a picture book is a difficult proposition and I have to enjoy the process or it is simply not worth the effort. For this reason, I am currently working on several of my own picture book manuscripts and am looking to sell the first one to a publisher shortly.

How did that affect your work?

From time to time I get projects (thankfully nothing as involved as a children's book) that for one reason or another just go south. Sometimes it's a bad concept or heavy art direction, or maybe a short deadline that throws a wrench into the system. Under such circumstances, it's very hard to be excited to finish the project and to do my best work and sometimes it shows. I hate turning out less than stellar work, so I try to avoid those types of projects.

Do you have a favorite drawing or sketch that you did when you were a kid?

My Mom saved a few things from when I was little, but I suppose most of it got chucked. I have a crayon self portrait that I did in about third or fourth grade that is pretty hilarious. My brothers and I used to roll out big endrolls of newsprint on the cement floor of the then unfinished basement of our house growing up. My Dad was in advertising and he would bring them home for us. We spent hours creating these ridiculously involved murals of trucks and tanks or monsters and animals or whatever else. I don'thave any of those because they probably weren't very good, but we had fun.Most kids draw when they are little and somewhere about that age they stop drawing. It's sad, but the reasons are many. Usually somebody tells them that their drawing is wrong or they get intimidated by the quality of another's artwork. Sometimes they just get busy or interested in other things. I guess I am one of the lucky few that pressed on and kept drawing

What other children's book artists do you admire?

My favorite books from when I was young include Sendak's classic "Where theWild Things Are." And just about anything by Dr. Seuss and Bill Peet. Current favorites include Chris Van Allsburg and Mark Teague and Loren Long. MarkBuehner and C.F.Payne are friends of mine and I enjoy their books a lot as well. There are a lot of really great artists out there, so it's hard to narrow it down to just a few, but there you go.

What's your favorite guilty pleasure?

Fishing. I used to go all the time when I was growing up, but life kind of gets busy and I don't get out as much as I would like. My favorite trips were ones with my Dad and brothers to Montana to fish the rivers there and most recently to Alaska to fish for salmon and halibut. I'ts so much fun to be out in the middle of such gorgeous scenery, and I love to eat the catch as well. I have been imagining a children's book involving fishing just so I can make the excuse to get out and do some more "research".

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

It's hard to nail down to just one, but I was fortunate to never have had anyone tell me that I shouldn't be an artist. I was always told that if Iwas willing to work hard enough to make it happen, that I could. So many times in life people let go of their dreams because someone told them it was too hard, or that it was impossible, or not worth the effort. Sometimes we tell ourselves the same thing. Whenever I am talking to kids about my art, I tell them to follow their dreams because if you don't, you won't know what is possible.

Greg Newbold has illustrated numerous picture books, including The Touch of the Master's Hand, Winter Lullaby and Spring Song. He lives with his family in Salt Lake City, Utah.

To bid on Greg's snowflake, as well as to see the other snowflakes available, go here.

We Longstockings are proud to have been part of Blogging for a Cure and want to give a big thanks to Jules at Seven Imp for the amazing job organizing everything!