--now to answer your questions:

Interview with Eric Brace

Illustrator of Please Write in This Book

by Mary Amato

I loved Eric Brace’s illustrations the moment I saw them. Many of his pictures made me laugh out loud. After the book came out, I wrote to ask him a few questions.—Mary Amato

Did you grow up drawing?

Eric: I did draw a lot as a kid. In our kitchen we had a wall that was dedicated to our drawings...it was like our own mini museum. I loved filling that wall with my pictures. By the time I was in high school, I also had framed drawings up and down the main hallway of our little ranch house in Colorado. After high school I went to the Kansas City Art Institute where I graduated with a degree (BFA) in illustration.

What did you like about illustrating Please Write in This Book?

Eric: One of my favorite parts about this job was reading the manuscript and then trying to imagine the way each kid would draw. I wanted Yoshiko's drawing style to be very fluid, heavy, and calligraphic; Luke's style is a messier version of how I draw cartoons; and I imagined that Milton was so precise that he would grid and graph each of his drawings into place. For the other styles, I looked at my niece's and nephew's drawings for inspiration.

What kind of materials did you use to make the drawings in this book?

Eric: I used a wide brush-like pen, pencils, skinny ballpoint pens, and a computer, all in an attempt to give the characters their very own drawing styles.

Where do you live now and what do you like to do besides draw?

Eric: I live in Kansas City in house that sits on the top of a small hill. This house is messy inside unless I'm having visitors. I collect things—from cricket cages to clocks. I have at least one of anything you can think of. When I'm not drawing I like to take photos, weld, play tennis and softball, eat sandwiches, and even write in my own journals, just like the one in Please Write in This Book.