Illustrator Spotlight: John Ledda

 

© John Ledda


Feb. 1, 2021

We are excited to feature illustrator John Ledda and his banner design for Kidlit411, which won second place in the Kidlit411 banner design contest. Welcome!


© John Ledda



Tell us about yourself & how you came to illustrate for children.


Hello! My name is John Ledda (pronounced Led-uh), and I was born and raised in Southeast Michigan. I’ve been artistic my entire life, but growing up it was never something I really considered pursuing as a career. It just felt like a talent that I could exploit to get better grades on any project that relied on a posterboard presentation!


© John Ledda


 

In fact, I started college as an engineering major, but hated it so much I switched to “Undecided” my sophomore year. After one art history class I realized that art was my passion, and enrolled in the Studio Art program with an emphasis in Drawing and a minor in Graphic Design. While I enjoyed my time in the program, I graduated in 2011 when job prospects for an inexperienced graphic designer in Michigan were slim. The summer after graduation I happened upon the MFA Illustration program at Academy of Art University in San Francisco. I felt immediately called to the program, and in just two months later picked up and moved to California. In 2014 I finished the degree while working full time as a graphic designer for Pottery Barn Kids. 


© John Ledda


 

However, it wasn’t until 2017 that I really started to commit myself to my art after feeling burnt out by my 9-5 job. Since then I have just been slowly building my portfolio, and working on developing my style and voice. As difficult as 2020 was, it was also a pivotal year for me. I made more art than I ever had before, I  began writing more, working on my social media presence, and landed my first professional illustration gigs. I’m very excited to build on that success, and make this year even better!

 

Congrats on your Kidlit411 banner design! Tell us about how you approached the assignment and what inspired you.


Thank you! I am constantly inspired by space and our galaxy (everyone should follow @nasahubble on Instagram!), and illustrations set in space always allow for some fun and interesting compositions. To me, the spirit of exploration and discovery that surrounds space is akin to the exploration and discovery that one feels when reading a good book, and the joy of sharing that experience with others. It also felt in line with the spirit of KidLit411, which provides so much inspiration and resources to folks like me. There is always something new to explore and learn.


© John Ledda


 

Your illustrations are so imaginative and fun. Who or what inspires you?


I could spend a lifetime listing all of the people and things that inspire me. It seems like I find another brilliant artist or author to follow every time I log in to Twitter! There are so many talented picture book makers out there, but one of my biggest influences is Bill Peet. I have such fond memories of his stories, his art, and his characters. The messages were so universal, but they were packaged in such imaginative ways. When I’m working on an illustration I love to explore images and characters that have a sense of humor and strong personality, as well as a real sense of place and time. At the end of the day I really am just drawing what I like, and trying not to worry about checking some imaginary boxes around marketability, themes, etc. 


© John Ledda


 

As a graphic designer and illustrator, do these fields influence each other in your projects?


All the time! One thing that really reignited by illustration career was buying an iPad and downloading the Procreate app. As a graphic designer, I’m very used to a certain way of working and interacting with what I’m creating. When I design, I usually don’t do too much planning, and enjoy riffing and problem solving on the fly. While I obviously love and respect traditional illustration, I’ve never been able to find a process that doesn’t completely stress me out. However, working digitally opened up a whole new world for me; one where I feel emboldened to experiment so much more with compositions, color, lighting, etc. Because it’s all digital, I feel completely divorced from the “preciousness” of a physical piece, and that’s been very liberating. 


© John Ledda


 

On the technical side, illustration has given me a good understanding of color and texture that I frequently employ in my graphic design work, and my background in graphic design makes me very conscious of how text will interact with my illustrations. I think that graphic design has also given me a really good understanding of value, which I find useful when I’m working in black & white. There is so much overlap between the two disciplines that sometimes it’s hard to tell which is influencing which!

 

What projects are you working on now?


I’m currently working on illustrating my first picture book, Big Bear Was Not the Same, written by Joanna Rowland and published by Beaming Books. It’s coming out this fall and I am so proud and excited. Joanna wrote such a sweet story, and I feel so honored to have been picked to help bring it to life. Naomi Krueger and the team at Beaming Books have been a dream to work with. I’m also working on honing my own writing skills with some fun challenges like Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 and Tara Lazar’s Storystorm. My goal for the year is at least one dummy book!


© John Ledda


 

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


Most of my kidlit friends don’t know that I was a competitive swimmer from ages 10-21. It was a huge part of my life all the way through college–much more so than art–and I’m very grateful for the friends I made and the work ethic it instilled in me. When you’ve spent years waking up at 5am to drive to morning practice in the middle of winter in Michigan and then going to school for 7 hours, and then back to swim practice, it really makes you aware of what you can do when you set your mind to it.

 

Where can people find you online? 

Anyone interested in seeing more of my work can visit my website (www.john-ledda.com), or follow me on Instagram (@johnledda) or Twitter (@john_ledda_art). I love making new friends, especially especially in the endlessly-supportive KidLit community, so don’t be a stranger!


John Ledda is an illustrator, designer and aspiring children’s book author living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area. He enjoys creating charming, humorous, and heartfelt images and stories for readers of all ages with the help of his trusty iPad, a hot cup of tea, and a good podcast. When he’s not working, John enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time outdoors, hiking in some of the of the beautiful nearby parks and forests with his partner.


Comments

  1. I love your illustrations. They're so whimsical, and each picture above has something unexpected or unusual. I like the surprise in each picture. Good luck on becoming an author/illustrator.

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  2. Every one of your pictures looks like it's part of a fascinating story. I hope they'll be books someday!

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  4. Great interview. Your illustrations are amazing. Love them all! Congrats on your upcoming book and good luck with your writing goals. Guessing an author/illustrator debut is in your future!

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