Kim Fleming
Children's Illustrator
Where do you currently live and where did you grow up?
I currently live in Providence, Rhode Island, USA but I grew up in Montreal, Canada, and lived for many years in Australia as well!
Have you always loved to draw?
Always! Even in pre-school, if there was a choice between doing art or something else, I always choose the paintbrushes and pencils.
Describe your working technique and how you came to perfect it.
My technique is ever-evolving, and I like it that way! It keeps things fresh. I used to work completely traditionally in watercolors, but I now have a hybrid workflow, creating some elements on paper and then scanning them in and compositing them digitally.
What piece of software or hardware could you not live without and why?
Photoshop and Adobe Bridge. Photoshop is where I add all of my textures and patterns, and Bridge keeps them all easily accessible!
Tell us about the creation of your favourite character from one of your books.
I recently wrote a children’s book which features a little bat character who is afraid of the dark. I loved writing the story and bringing his emotions out through his expressions and making him as cute as possible!
Which project has been most instrumental in developing your personal style?
I feel like my latest children’s book “My Mummy is a Unicorn” really cemented my current hybrid style. I created lots of new textures to add to my library and I feel like the traditional-digital workflow really gelled.
What do you hope children take away from your drawings?
It’s really important to me to illustrate kids and families of diverse backgrounds, so I always hope that children will take away with them a sense of being seen. I also hope they take away some fun and whimsical feelings too :)
What do you do in your spare time?
I like hiking, rock climbing, dance parties, cooking, and eating and drinking!
Take us behind the scenes and describe your studio / workspace.
I work out of my home and have selfishly taken the master bedroom as my studio. It’s got a nice view out to some woods where deer and other forest animals frolic, and gets brilliant morning sun. I have one desk that is “digital” with my Mac computer, and one desk that is “analog” with all my pencils, paintbrushes and carving tools. My favorite thing is when I have the time to sit down at my analog desk with a nice cup of coffee in the sun.
What would you say is a distinguishing feature of your artwork?
I would say my combination of watercolor textures and stamp-patterns stands my work apart. I also love to include lots of water splats and splatters, which keeps the pieces dynamic and is a bit of a signature for me in my work.
Which 4 words would you use to describe your illustration portfolio?
Whimsical, cute, diversity, patterned.
Outline your dream project.
I would love to work on a series of board books with cute characters. Maybe a lift-the-flap / pull-tab adventure. Or something Christmassy would be fun.
Which area of children’s publishing excites you the most?
Definitely board books. I feel like it is an often overlooked area of publishing, but it is such an important one. It’s where our next generation readers are created and they deserve the best!
Animals feature heavily in children’s books – do you have a pet?
Yes I do.
What is your favourite medium to work with and why?
I really love creating patterns and motifs with hand-carved rubber blocks. They end up as small components in my final illustrations but I love their texture.
