Zoe Ranucci Interview

Who or what made you want to become an illustrator?

Honestly, I don't remember ever wanting to be anything other than an artist. Maybe early on I did not know that illustration specifically is what I wanted to do, but something creative for sure. I was always the 'class artist' and identified with that completely. My grandparents on both sides were very artistic, mostly with oil painting, but seeing them creating definitely influenced me and made me want to make them proud with my art. And also my high school art teacher, Mr. Bryant. He saw something in me, and I think that helped me build belief in myself to pursue a creative career.

Did you attend art school or undertake any other formal artistic training?

I attended the Art Instutute of Pittsburgh from 1991-1993 and have an associates degree in Visual Communications. This was right on the cusp of computers, so all my classes were traditional art and old school ways of doing things. Most of the skills I use today are skills I have gathered from experience along the way.

Where do you currently live and where did you grow up?

I currently live in Belmont, NC, just outside of Charlotte. I have been here since 2002. Prior to that I lived in Cleveland, OH after graduating college in Pittsburgh, PA. I was born and raised in Binghamton, upstate New York. Although I will always consider myself a 'New Yorker' I am fully in love with living in the Carolinas, I still get all the seasons, but do not have to endure months of freezing and snow!

Who or what have been some of your major artistic influences?

I would say some of my biggest influences from early on were cartoons like the Smurfs, The Flintstones, and of course the Disney animations of the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. I think I was in third grade when the Secret of Nimh came out and I remember drawing those characters a lot. I think that was where I first practiced drawing emotions and expressions.

Do you have a favourite picture book or recall one of the first picture books you saw?

I adored the Serendipity Books written by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrated by Robin James back in the early 80s. I collected them for the art, but they were all great stories with morals behind them. Again, a lot of expressions and emotions in the characters.

Describe your working technique and how you came to perfect it.

Although I started out working traditonally in graphite, pen and ink, water color and colored pencil - I found it difficult to illustrate books that way. It was hard for me to keep consistency over pages with colors etc. And making revisions was a nightmare. I made the switch to digital in 2006 and started illustrating on a Wacom in vectors using Adobe Illustrator. Then along came Procreate... I began using that exclusively around 2018. Procreate has made it possible for me to grow immensly as and artist and maintain my workflow much easier. I still like to go back and play with colored pencils from time to time, but ultimatly Procreate is my medium of choice.

Tell us about the creation of your favourite character from one of your books.

I have done a lot of characters over the years, but my all time favorite will probably be Bernadette.. the dress. When the author first appoached me about doing a book where the main character was a frilly girl's dress, I was not sure I wanted to take that on. But so glad I did. The book is filled with emotions and expressions even though the main character is a dress. I had so much fun creating Bernadette and figuring out how to give her a personality. It was a challenge I am so grateful to have been given.

Talk us through the process of creating one of your latest illustrations or books.

I have a pretty straight forward workflow process.

I begin with a rough sketch in Procreate to establish composition
once approved I do either a cleaner sketch or go right to clean line art
once clean line art is done, I create a layer beneith it and do my flat color fills
then I create a layer above that with clipping path selected and I turn it to multiply to create my shadows
next I create another layer with clipping path one, turn opacity to 20% and create highlights
I will then do a layer with some harsher highlights like eye reflections
Then I turn the line layer to Alpha Lock and color all my lines

What do you hope children take away from your drawings?

I always make an effort to create diverse and inclusive characters. The thought of a child seeing themselves in my art, and feeling represented, makes my heart feel full. To know that I have given back and brought joy to someone, in some small way, makes all the hard work worth it.

Which project are you most proud of?

The project I am most proud of is not quite a children's book but I was offered the job based on my portfolio on the SCBWI database. I was chosen by US First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, to illustrate the 2024 White House Holiday Tour book! What a surreal experience. They flew me in for a private tour of the White House in August 2024 and then I illustrated the rooms decked out in holiday splendor, all based on descriptions because they do not actually decorate the rooms until Thanksgiving. I went back in December to attend the reception unveiling the decor and got to meet Dr. Biden in person!! Forever grateful for this extraordinary experience!

When you are not drawing, how do you like to relax?

When I am not drawing I am usually busy with other life things. Driving my daughter to school or soccer, helping my husband with his catering business, taking care of our home and pets. But when I do get glimmers of time to relax I will usually choose to sit outside with my coffee, do some yoga or go for a walk, meditate, or call friends that I have not spoken to in a long time. I try to give my eyes a rest so reading and crafting unfortunately are not on my list any more, but I do listen to books on Audible while I walk.

My favorite things: coffee, dark chocolate, bourbon, crystals, sunshine, hound dogs, otters, yoga

Animals feature heavily in children’s books – do you have a pet?

I am known mostly for how I draw children, but I do very much love drawing animals. I do have a few books out there with animal characters such as corgi dogs, goldendoodle dogs, a cat and hamster, mice, and even a book with a spider as main character and dinosuars!

I always have a house full of furry friends, currently my crew is Juno the Bloodhound, Mochi the mini doxi, our cat Fender, and a bearded dragon named Wasabi. My heart truly belongs to my late basset hound, Dharma, whom my business is named after, Good Dharma Design. She was my first 'baby' and my muse for many years. I even have a character I draw of her and an Etsy shop where I sell greeting cards and stickers mostly of my Dharma character. Someday I hope to publish a book I have written about her as well! My 'passion' project - stay tuned!

Outline your dream project.

Right now, my dream project would be illustrating would be a 'quiet book'. A story that is warm and fuzzy, something a little kid would love and want to read every night. Recently, I went to give a friend some books because she just had a baby, but most of my books are geared towards older kids. I don't really have any that are pre-school aged. The world is such a serious place right now, and us creatives are all out there trying to figure out how to make a difference, and make the world a better place with our art. Which is great and needed. BUT, there is also a need for love, sweetness, and kindness. So that is the type of project I am currently trying to manifest.

ps. That being said, I am still always looking for book projects filled with positivity, good morals, affirmations and mantras.

Zoe Ranucci

Children's Illustrator