Edna Cabcabin Moran
Children's Illustrator
Who or what made you want to become an illustrator?
I've been drawing and painting my whole life. My earliest recollection of being "commissioned" was when my 1st gade teacher, Miss Henderson, approached me. She asked if I would paint a going-away picture for the principal who was leaving their post at our school. I happily obliged. After all, I stood at the painting easel practically everyday, hogging it all to myself. Being extremely shy and having just moved to the area from Iceland, painting and drawing were my way of expressing myself. Miss Henderson understood that. Lucky for me!
I set out to work on the painting immediately. I can still see the painting in my mind's eye: The principal wearing a suit and tie standing beside a huge stork carrying a gift in their beak. I don't know how or why I came up with that concept but my teacher was thrilled. She gave it to the principal and they were thrilled, as well. I expanded into drawing pictures for my fellow students and my family and their friends. And I just kept going.
© Edna Cabcabiin Moran, 2018, Aurora Borealis, mixed-media. This image which pertains to my experience at the easel in first grade, was published in a vignette I wrote in the anthology, ENDANGERED SPECIES, ENDURING VALUES (Pease Press), Edited by Shizue Siegel.
Where do you currently live and where did you grow up?
I'm curently located in the SF Bay Area. I grew up in Washington DC, Iceland, California and Hawai'i. While I'd grown up in a military family, we didn't move around as much as my friends and classmates. I've a great appreciation for travel and learning about new cultures, foods, history and languages. If I wasn't an author/illustator and educator, I'd probably be a cultural sociologist, or anthropologist.
Was creativity part of your childhood?
Creativity was in indelible part of my childhood. A good portion of my early childhood years was spent in Iceland where I lived and played under the northern lights (AKA aurora borealis). Daydreaming was (and still is) my m.o. My mom also inspired me with the paper dolls she would make and all the DIY projects she worked on. I loved exploring different art materials, tools and techniques throughout my youth. While I no longer have my art pieces from elementary and middle school, I managed to hold on to a few watercolor paintings from high school.
Have you taken part in any speaker events?
These days I put on presentations, assemblies and workshops at schools and libraries. Having been in the field of entertainment for a long time, I also enjoy doing corporate and private events for youth and family audiences. Here's a clip from a special library event---it took place at a Bay Area library I used to frequent as a kid: https://www.instagram.com/p/DKEW7KRh3AL/
Are you an author/illustrator?
I'm a traditionally published author/illustrator. My first picture book was THE SLEEPING GIANT: A Tale from Kaua'i. (Beach House Publishing). It was released in 2006 and received a Hawaiian Publishers' Association Honorable Mention Ka Palapala Po'okela for Excellence in Children's Hawaiian Culture. While this title is currently out of print, it's still available as a digital book in the EPIC educational catalog.