An Illustration Inspiration interview with Kristen Balouch, Creator of If You Are the Dreamer
The Children’s Book Review
Designer, author, and illustrator Kristen Balouch has created eight books for children, including the Ezra Jack Keats Award–winner Mystery Bottle and the Golden Kite Award–winner The King and the Three Thieves. She has collaborated on projects such as exclusively designed toys and furniture for the Guggenheim Museum, fabric collections for Birch Fabrics, and fine art shows in New York City, and she has teamed with various licensing partners. She splits her time between a tiny top-floor apartment in Brooklyn and a farmhouse in the Adirondacks. She likes cooking, gardening, and wandering to scout out good food.
I make art because …
What can I say? I must.
My latest published book is …
If You Are the Dreamer published by Cameron Kids.
Art medium used …
I began with a sharpie and paper—then translate it to a digital environment.
Artistic process …
I design the composition and movement of an image by drawing in a sharpie marker. Using a sharpie helps me to be bold and nothing can get too fussy. Then I use a computer. Using a computer allows me to fine-tune the colors over and over until I feel like everything is humming together. When I see or feel that hum—I know I am finished.
I am inspired by …
Nature, kindness, and eccentricities.
My favorite place to create & illustrate is …
In my hammock.
My most used art supply or tool is …
A sharpie and paper.
Illustrator idols …
Virginia Lee Burton, Alice and Martin Provensen, Mary Blair, Simms Taback, Maira Kalman, Eric Carle, Wolf Erlbruch, Sara Fanelli, Liz Zwerger, Pat Hutchins, Ruth Krauss.
All-time favorite children’s book I didn’t illustrate…
There are so many—and incredible new books every year! Virginia Lee Burton’s Katie and the Big Snow is an absolute masterpiece, and Simms Taback’s Joesph Had a Little Overcoat makes a little butterfly flutter around in my heart.
A literary character to create art with …
Harold and the Purple Crayon of course!
Currently working on …
I just finished One Million Trees an autobiographical story about me and my family tree planting in British Columbia in 1979. It’s arriving on March 1st, 2022.
To learn more, visit www.kristenbalouch.com.
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If You Are the Dreamer
Written and Illustrated by Kristen Balouch
Ages 3-5 | 32 Pages
Publisher: Cameron Kids | ISBN-13: 9781951836276
Publisher’s Synopsis: A sweet ode to dreams of all kinds.
If you are the squirrel, I am the tree. If you are the traveler, I am the sea. If you are the writer, I am the nook. If you are the reader, I am the book.
In simple poetic language, a child is reassured that no matter what or where they are, they will never be alone.
Buy the Book
Discover more illustration inspiration and books like If You Are the Dreamer, created by Kristen Balouch, on The Children’s Book Review by following along with our Illustration Inspiration series and articles tagged with Inspirational Books, Picture Book, and Poetry Books for Kids.