Skinks, Editing in Plasticine, and KidCrit

By Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Full disclosure here: I’ve known about Lisa Dalrymple since way before Skink on the Brink was ever published.In fact, I had read her stories before any of them were ever published. Lisa was a long-time member of Kidcrit, a free online critique group for writers that I’ve been running for nearly two decades. Kidcrit is a boot camp environment and only the toughest survive (much like skinks).

Lisa not only survived, but she thrived. In 2011, as an unpublished writer, she entered Skink on the Brink into the Writers’ Union of Canada’s Writing for Children competition. Six hundred and seventy nine other people did the same thing that year, but Lisa won. In addition to the feather in her cap, she got a cheque for $1,500.00.

Lisa and her illustrator Suzanne Del Rizzo agreed to sit down with me and discuss their book.

What made you think about writing about a skink in the first place?

Lisa: I first heard about this endangered species, the Common Five-lined Skink, about four years ago when we were camping at The Pinery Provincial Park in Ontario. I immediately knew I wanted to write a fun story in which the main character was a skink. It would expose readers to a skink character and the world he inhabits without necessarily having to make it a goal to teach. I confess, I’m also a sucker for wordplay and rhyme and I just loved the way the word skink tickled as it rolled off my tongue. It seemed to beg to become part of a rhyme and a story.

Children’s writing guides often warn people not to write rhyming picture books and to avoid talking animals, yet you’ve got both in here. Can you tell me about that?

Lisa: I love rhyme. I love nonsense and wordplay. And I think kids do too. I usually write in rhyme but I think, as an unpublished author, you have to prove that this is something you can actually do before an editor will be willing to consider working on one of your rhyming stories. While I was learning–something I continue to do–I thought I would have a little fun by incorporating character into one of my stories that enjoyed rhyming as much as I do. This character became Stewie and I was quite chuffed that I could feature his little rhymes and songs in my otherwise non-rhyming story.

As well, I think kids love to read stories about animals and they often serve as child surrogate characters. In the case of Skink on the Brink, it helps that Stewie is an unusual animal to feature in a children’s book and also that there’s a level of biological accuracy to the story. He doesn’t spend time hanging out and chatting with animals that might otherwise want to eat him for lunch.

I know Suzanne gave this a lot of consideration, too, when she was thinking about secondary characters that would be present in her illustrations.

Suzanne: Yes, that’s right Lisa. I thought it was important to parallel the biological accuracy in the story visually as well, after all, in a natural habitat Stewie would not be alone, there would be other wildlife coexisting alongside him. So, I set out to get familiar with the many animals and plants living in this habitat range. I created a large reference file I used during my sketching phase to ensure every animal, plant and tree was authentic within the illustrations.  It was important to get his habitat right.  I also thought it would be interesting to add a secondary visual narrative that played off the predator-prey relationships of wild animals but with an unexpected twist. I introduced a caring (and daring!) little Deer mouse that followed Stewie throughout the story, wishing to be friends, yet always careful to stay just out of sight, since he could be a potential meal for Stewie. This deer mouse also served to act as a relative size constant as Stewie grew.

What is your writing process for a picture book text?

Lisa: I really don’t have one standard process that applies to each of my projects. The only constant is that there’s always a lot of revision.

Sometimes a picture book will come to me in the form of a character I really want to explore (like Stewie!). Sometimes I’ll get the greatest kernel of an idea for a plot. Or sometimes I’ll just get a terrific jumping off point–a fun introductory paragraph or verse. Usually I let this kernel percolate for a few days until I’ve managed to tease out all three of these elements and I can see some sort of direction for the book. Then I sit down and write what is usually the most horribly embarrassing complete first draft. And then begins the editing.

I chop, I change, I write, I rewrite. I often eliminate that terrific first paragraph or verse that inspired the whole story in the first place. This part of the process can take weeks–or, if I need to put the story aside to revisit it later with fresh eyes, it can even take months, or (eek!) years. When I feel that the project has become a somewhat less embarrassing draft, I seek feedback from fellow writers.

And then it’s back to the editing and the cycle continues.

Suzanne, Skink on the Brink is your very first picture book. How did that come about?

I had sent out a round of postcard mailers, with accompanying mini bookmarks, to my list of editors and art directors, and about a month later I received a phone call from Christie Harkin, editor and children’s book publisher at Fitzhenry & Whiteside. It turned out that Christie has a bookmark collection.  The art on my bookmarks and postcard had caught her eye. She thought Skink on the Brink might be a good fit. Christie asked for some sample art of Stewie and his habitat to present at the next sales meeting.  I was beyond thrilled when Christie called to let me know that my art samples were a hit. She then offered me the contract to illustrate Skink on the Brink.

Lisa, did you have a vision for the illustrations? How did your vision match up to the finished book?

Lisa: I’m a very visual person. I see everything in my mind as I write. That having been said, I try to stay away from envisioning the actual illustrations for my stories. The illustrator needs to have his or her creative space to develop the visual component of the book.

However, I was thrilled when Christie Harkin, our editor, directed me to Suzanne Del Rizzo’s website and asked me how I felt about having Stewie brought to life in plasticine. I thought Suzanne’s artwork was incredible and, on actually seeing her final illustrations in Skink on the Brink, I can honestly say that they completely surpass anything I could have ever imagined.

Suzanne: Wow, Thanks Lisa! I feel lucky to have had to honour to illustrate such a fantastic story. I especially loved that Christie encouraged us to bounce around ideas once I was on board to do the illustrations. This collaborative effort worked wonderfully for this book. Lisa provided great photos of Stewie’s habitat from her camping trips at the Pinery Park, which I used along with my references for my illustrations.

Skink on the Brink is a combo sort of picture book. It’s a story but also informational. I especially like the activities and information about the skink life cycle at the end and about the levels of extinction. Is this something that you always planned for the book, or was this an editorial suggestion?

Lisa: I always knew I wanted the book to be informational in that it would provide a biologically accurate backdrop for the story of Stewie the skink. If Skink on the Brink was going to bring a relatively unknown species into focus, I felt that it could also accurately reflect the habits and the habitat of this creature so that readers might absorb an accurate understanding of skinks in Canada. However, I also felt it was important that the focus of the book be on Stewie’s story–on his feelings and responses about what was happening to him as he was changing, quite dramatically, into a full-grown skink.

When I first submitted my manuscript, I included a file of range maps and facts about the Common Five-lined Skink–many of which were eventually incorporated into the non-fiction back matter of Skink on the Brink. I was fortunate that my story was a good fit for Fitzhenry & Whiteside’s “Tell-Me-More” books, each of which has this back matter component to emphasize and teach more about the factual basis of each story.

What aspect about being a writer drives you nuts?

Lisa: Greasy kid fingerprints on my laptop!

What do you love most about being a writer?

Lisa: Seeing the excitement on kids’ faces when I go into their schools and they hear my stories–and then share their own.

Suzanne, How long have you been playing with plasticine?

Suzanne: I have always loved to sculpt, in any medium I could get my hands on… even the stinky clay scooped from the bottom of the lake at our family cottage.  I work in polymer clay as well, but plasticine is my favorite because of its malleability and ease with colour mixing. Plus it’s just really fun to squish between my fingers.

I have been creating plasticine illustrations professionally for four years. Initially I made cottage and landscape portraits, as way to carve out some creative me-time when my children were babies. But what I really wanted to do  was illustrate (and one day write) children’s books. The dimensional illustrations of Janette Canyon, Kim Fernendez, Barbara Reid, Susan Eaddy, to name a few, inspired me to work hard to find my own style and push the limits of texture and detail with plasticine.

The plasticine images are really stunning. This must be a time-consuming process. Can you tell me about that?

Suzanne: Thank you, Marsha. Yes, depending on the size and complexity of the illustration it can take anywhere from 25-45+ hours to complete one illustration. I start off each illustration with a tight, detailed pencil sketch that is approved by the client before moving on to the final plasticine art. It is during this sketching phase that I work closely with the client to tweak things or make changes until we are both happy with the final version.  It is much easier to make changes at this stage then on the final art. Making adjustments in plasticine isn’t as easy, but sometimes it’s necessary, so I carefully peel/ scrape off the plasticine and redo that portion. When I work I start laying down the background first and gradually work forward to the foreground. I am a stickler for details. Every leaf, flower petal, or pine needle is hand sculpted and placed, one at a time.  I love the challenge of creating realistic textures and intricate details in plasticine. I know how much I enjoy pouring over illustrations rich in detail, to find little hidden objects or spot something new that I’d previously missed. I think kids enjoy this challenge too.

How do you edit in plasticine?

Suzanne: Sometimes ideas conceived in the pencil sketch don’t translate into plasticine as well as I’d hoped. Going from a two dimensional sketch to a three dimensional plasticine illustration can sometimes raise some issues. I have a little bowl (ok it is a rather large bowl) on my art table that holds all of my rejected plasticine bits. Faces are especially tricky, and that bowl gets filled up pretty quickly some days. Luckily I have gotten better at gingerly peeling off the problematic bits, to not damage too much of the surrounding plasticine. I also work on top of plastic Ziplock baggies, so I can work right on top of my sketches and often tweak or adjust an item before I press it onto the illustration.

How long did it take to do the book altogether?

Suzanne: The sketching phase from little thumbnail sketches up to tight full size sketches took a couple of months, with lots of collaborative input with Lisa and Christie. Then the final art took approximately 6 months to complete. Once the illustrations were completed they were then professionally photographed for the book.

How did each of you do your research?

Suzanne: I have to admit I had never heard of a skink before reading Lisa’s manuscript. So I jumped online and made copious notes and amassed a huge photo reference file with any information I could find about the Common Five-Lined Skink. I also researched in books, and watched videos to get Stewie’s, and his habitat friends’ movements down pat. I took lots of photos from around my cottage too- it resides within the boundaries of Stewie’s natural habitat.  Lisa also had a wealth of information which she graciously shared. She even had some great photos of her serendipitous face to face encounter with a Commmon Five-lined Skink during a visit to the Pinery Provincial Park.

Lisa: For the research, I am forever indebted to Tanya Berkers at the Pinery Provincial Park and Mike Oldham at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. I picked up the phone, called both of these people and, upon hearing that this was a book for young kids, they were both excited to answer my questions–or at least that’s what they told me. Mike sent me data and documents and gave me first-hand information about his personal encounters with skinks. Tanya took me out ‘in the field’ so that I could get a feel for the research facility and meet a skink in its’ natural habitat.

Both of these people were incredibly generous and knowledgeable and Skink on the Brink could not have been the kind of book that it is without them. Yes Lisa, I agree! It was amazing to bring the book to the Pinery Provincial Park this summer, to take part in their Savannah Festival and share it with Tanya, her staff and the campers. Some campers even  spotted a skink that day!

What was the biggest problem you had while working on this book?

Suzanne: One concern I had was how to ensure Stewie looked like Stewie and stayed easily recognizable throughout the book even though he underwent major colouration and growth changes. I sculpted a clay maquette (small sculpture) of him that I could move/ change his facial expression, to use as a reference for each illustration.

What advice would you give to an aspiring picture book illustrator, Suzanne?

1. Join SCBWI and CANSCAIP- these organizations not only provide a way to connect with other Children’s Book professionals but also offer fantastic conferences and resources.
2.  Send out postcard mailers 3-4 times a year which featuring your very best work.  Often it comes down to timing, so when that ideal project crosses an editor or ADs desk your work might be just the right fit.
3. Strive to do your very best art. Push yourself to explore new techniques or new mediums; take classes to hone your skills; make art that is exceptionally “you”. Art directors and editors want art that is unique, fresh and has a distinctive point of view.

What are you working on now?

Suzanne: I am currently working on some cover art for a spectacular steampunk novel written by Marty Chan entitled The Ehrich Wiesz Chronicles: Demon’s Gate (Fitzhenry and Whiteside, fall 2013). It’s been a really fun project to work on, and quite a departure from my usual plasticine style. For this project I am using metallic with polymer clays and watch parts to create some steampunk artwork. I am also on board to illustrate another Tell-Me-More Storybook with Fitzhenry and Whiteside, scheduled to be released in the Spring of 2015. I can’t share any details about this one yet, but it is a project I am also very excited about.

Lisa: My third book, Bubbly Troubly Polar Bear, is due out with Tuckamore Books in October 2013.

I’m also very excited about a picture book with a multicultural theme that I’m working on, in which a young Canadian girl travels around the world with her archeologist parents. Through attending school in Thailand, Peru, Jamaica, Scotland and South Korea, she participates in both the differences and the similarities of daily life. I’m hoping to have her experiences to show, through an eight-year-old’s eyes, that, while there are many diverse cultures, there can be a common understanding in the sharing of music, food or something as universal as a game of Hide & Seek.

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An addendum: The 2012 TWUC Writing for Children competition was won by Don Cummer, also a kidcritter. His first novel, Brothers at War, is coming out this fall with Scholastic. Don attended the Writers’ Union AGM in June and was horrified to realize that the Union was planning on cancelling the competition. He and YA author Sylvia McNicoll (Crush. Candy. Corpse) drafted a resolution and emailed Lisa for her views on the value of the award to her career. They were able to get the competition reinstated. If you’re a new children’s writer, consider submitting.