Meet the Illustrator: DeeAnn Wiley
Pride and Less Prejudice
One of the most poignant details is the way you were able to capture Marley’s emotions in their facial expressions. As an artist, how do you manage to capture and express such depth?
It’s actually quite hard because my previous art did not have faces so once I started children’s illustrations I had to practice a lot! One thing I like to do is make the face in the mirror myself so I can see what my mouth, eyebrows, eyes are doing. Then I try to replicate that. Sometimes it’s easy but other times I have to do a lot of do overs! For Marley it was my first time trying to convey anxiousness so I thought about how I feel when I’m anxious and tried to give that feeling to Marley.
You mention in your note at the end of the book, “For this book, I knew I wanted a big, bold palette and busy patterns to portray the excitement of Pride season - but also to show how easy it is to get overstimulated.” Can you tell us about the process of finding this balance?
The balance was easy because I also have Generalized Anxiety Disorder so I know how it feels to be excited but also anxious and even a little scared. I thought about the Pride parades I have been to over the years and took the parts about them that I really enjoyed, the colors, the sounds, the different people, and I made sure to highlight that! As I went back through, I put myself in the reader’s perspective and edited things I felt were too distracting or added things I felt would add some calmness to the spread. One tool I use is my color palettes. On some spreads they are bold and vibrant, in others I use cooler tones. This helps the reader not get too overwhelmed.
You create art in many different forms and through many different mediums. How was the process of illustrating Marley’s Pride different and/or similar from the other forms of art you create?
It was similar because I got to use a style that I have been working on for about 3 years now. It’s a collage style that involves a lot of patterns and textures. So I felt like I was in my comfort zone. The challenge was making sure to not let my already busy style of illustration clash with the business of the scenes. There’s a lot of people, streamers, floats at Pride parades! So I had to choose patterns that wouldn’t make the spreads too busy.
What do you enjoy most about creating art - both in terms of illustrating children’s books and in general, with all the other forms your art takes?
Since we are talking about Marley and mental health, I feel comfortable sharing that I have struggled with my own mental health over the years. One thing that has always helped me process my emotions and ground myself is being able to create. Much like Marley’s stuffed bunny and fidget spinners, I use art as a way to calm my anxiety and practice mindfulness. I also love that I get to tell stories like Marley’s and ZaZa’s! Black, queer, nonbinary, trans people, especially children, are not people I read about as a child. I believe children deserve to see themselves loudly and proudly at all ages! It brings me joy to be able to empower children.
