Author-Illustrator Spotlight: Abi Cushman

July 3, 2020

We are very excited to feature a long-time friend of Kidlit411, author-illustrator Abi Cushman and her debut picture book, SOAKED (Viking Books for Young Readers) coming out July 14. Enter to win a copy of the book (to be mailed at a later date)!

Tell us about your background and how you came to write & illustrate for children.

In college, after deciding being a vet probably wasn’t right for me, I turned my attention to visual arts. I took illustration classes and made a picture book dummy (an alphabet book of Australian animals) and sent it out. To crickets and rejections. (Of course!) So I gave up and moved on to graphic design where I could get a job. And I’ve been working as a web designer ever since. But when I had my first baby in 2015, I became immersed again in picture books, and the spark reignited. I’ve heard about many other authors and illustrators starting this way as well. I think sometimes we just need to be reminded that we loved picture books as kids and still do as adults.

Congrats on your new debut as an author-illustrator, SOAKED. Tell us about the book and what inspired you.

Thank you! SOAKED! is about a bear who gets caught in the rain. He’s upset because the rain has ruined his ice cream cone, his sandcastle, AND his cashmere sweater, and he just wants to sit on his log and wallow. But with the help of his friends--a bunny, a badger, and a hula-hooping moose--he starts to see the bright side of things and realizes that having fun isn’t dependent on sunny skies.

I was inspired to write SOAKED! after I got caught in a rainstorm. When I got home, I thought I was going to make this beautiful, wordless book about dancing in the rain. But after months of percolating and sketching, my true voice (which is a lot more sarcastic) kind of smooshed that initial idea down and took over.

Was your road to publication long and winding, short and sweet, or something in between?

My road to publication, in some ways, has been relatively short. It took me three years to get my first book deal after I decided to make a serious effort at becoming a published author-illustrator. But I had a lot of near misses, crushing rejections, and devastating critiques along the way. And I doubted myself many times, as both a writer and an illustrator. Luckily, I soldiered on and used those feelings of dejection to develop the character of Bear in SOAKED!

What projects are you working on these days (and can you concentrate)?

I am currently working on final art for my second book, ANIMALS GO VROOM! which comes out from Viking in the summer of 2021. It features diecut windows and challenges readers to guess what goes roar, hiss and honk. I think kids will have lots of fun shouting out answers throughout the book.

I’m also working on a wombat book, which I love, because wombats are super weird.

As for concentration, well the beauty of deadlines is that the work has to get done regardless. But if I’m not feeling motivated, then I listen to an audiobook while working on art. Or I work on something related to marketing instead.

What is your preferred medium/illustration process?
I draw all my characters with a mechanical pencil on printer paper. I scan those in, then color them and paint in the background using a Wacom Cintiq tablet and Photoshop.

What advice would you give to aspiring author-illustrators?

1. Read and analyze a LOT of picture books (or graphic novels if that’s what you want to write).

2. Keep an ugly sketchbook - this is a sketchbook where you capture all your ideas really messily and without judgment.

3. Join a critique group.
4. Actually revise and polish your work and then submit it. A lot of people get stuck on this final stage. You have to do the work and then get it out there.

What is one thing most people don't know about you?

Most people who haven’t met my family don’t realize that I’m half Filipino.

Where can people find you online?

Website: https://www.abicushman.com

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dCUjeH (for totally top secret sneak peeks and giveaways)

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AbiCushman

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Abi.Cushman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbiCushmanArt

Thank you, Abi, and we're excited to be part of her blog tour this month. Be sure to visit the other posts:

Abi Cushman is the author and illustrator of Soaked! (Viking, 2020) and Animals Go Vroom! (Viking, 2021). She has also worked as a web designer for over 15 years, creating websites for libraries, towns, and local businesses. She runs two popular websites of her own: MyHouseRabbit.com, a pet rabbit care resource, and AnimalFactGuide.com, which was named a Great Website for Kids by the American Library Association. In her spare time, Abi enjoys running, playing tennis, and eating nachos. (Yes, at the same time.) She lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her husband and two kids.

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