Illustrator Spotlight: Lisa Burvant

Oct. 1, 2021

We are pleased to featured illustrator Lisa Burvant and her website banner design for Kidlit411. She was one of the winners of our Kidlit411 website banner contest. Illustrators: our current contest is open until October 15, 2021!

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

I am a freelance artist, illustrator and graphic designer and have been active in these roles since a teen in high school. My father tried gently nudging me to be a syndicated comic artist, but like a teen who knows everything, I gently did not go that route. Even though I was illustrating in my teens, I never called myself an illustrator until my 40s. After recovering from breast cancer I had decided to stop wasting my time and really focus on my dream of becoming an illustrator of children’s books.

I have a AA from American River College, where the art instructors were amazing, and a BA from CSU-Sacramento. I also worked in the small press print industry for about ten years where I learned a lot about how to actually “make” a book.

Congrats on your banner design for Kidlit411's website. Tell us about how you approached the project.

I began this project by sketching out some of my brainstormed ideas. The first round of sketches started out with a child reading in her room at the window with a can phone stretched across to the neighbor child’s window. That morphed into sketches of one child reading in a tree, with another sitting underneath listening in. I knew I wanted to have one child reading to another, whether knowingly or not. I like that the boy is trying to be inconspicuous while listening to the girl read aloud. She knows he’s there and keeps reading anyway, because she knows he’s shy.

Who or what inspires you?

I take my inspiration from the world around me starting with my family and friends who provide an immense amount of humor that I can whittle down for use. Favorite books and movies will get me in the right mind frame to create something specific. And the random child out in the wild can provide a person with some great material to draw from. A couple of years ago I found a forum for an online art school, SVS Learn, and have never left. I found many art friends there, who provide a great deal of inspiration and support. Thank you, Rabbits!

What is your favorite illustration medium and process?

I have recently transitioned to digital media because it is so much faster than traditional, but I still love having a pencil in my hand and a plain piece of printer paper. My favorite traditional medium is watercolor and ink. I have tried to replicate the look of watercolor and ink in digital. This banner is one of those replications that was the most successful.

Here's a replay video of the digital inking stage of my first “Okay, Colin” comic: https://youtu.be/F8HpKv4uL3w

What projects are you working on now?

Currently I am doing a deep dive on researching graphic novels and comics (my dad would be so happy). I am writing a couple of stories for use as long form web comics. One is a fantasy fiction story about an outdoorsy girl who has a lot of magical and non-magical adventures. The other is about a naive little bear that has a diabolical older brother.

I had never really been interested in comic books, strips yes, books no. Until I read volume one of I Hate Fairyland, by Skottie Young. It was supposed to be a gift for my nephew, but since I was immediately hooked, I kept it. Sorry, Caleb. Now that I see that not all comics are “super-hero” themed, I read comics and graphic novels on a regular basis. Because I like them now, but also for research. Several of my favorites are filled with many sticky notes, poking out of the pages, pointing out different styles, solutions and perspectives for study.

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

I still have my first box of 64 Crayola crayons, lovingly tucked away in the back of one of my storage drawers.

Where can people find you online?

www.lisaburvant.com, Twitter and Instagram: @burvantill

Lisa is a mother, wife, artist and backpacker, living in the golden foothills of Northern California. She is fully engrossed with the act of storytelling and image making. Lisa consistently finds time to engage and grow in her work while also maintaining a rich family life. She is, also, a leader in her community – starting and fostering group conversations, critiques and support for fellow artists. There is whimsy and humor in her work that beg the viewer to be the hero in their own story, and laugh in the face of daily obstacles.

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Illustrator Spotlight: Lisa Burvant

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