SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Mariano’s First Glove/El primer guante de Mariano
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://robertcasilla.com
CITY: Yonkers
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 211
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born April 16, 1959, in Jersey City, NJ; son of Miriam Casilla; married Carmen Torres (a real estate adjuster), May 1, 1982; children: Robert, Jr., Emily.
EDUCATION:School of Visual Arts, B.F.A., 1982.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Freelance illustrator, 1983—. Designer of postage stamps for Sierra Leone, Federated States of Micronesia, and Marshall Islands. Teacher of middle-school through high school art at Dolan Art Academy/Children’s Aid Society. Presenter at schools. Exhibitions: Work included in exhibitions of Society of Illustrators group shows, Pelham Art Center Children’s Book Show; Art of the Baseball Card group show, and Connecticut Watercolor Society group shows.
AVOCATIONS:Family, museums, fine art, running, baseball, movies.
MEMBER:Society of Illustrators, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Connecticut Watercolor Society.
AWARDS:Washington Irving Children’s Book Choice Award for Illustration, 1996, Notable Book selection, American Library Association, and Pick of the List selection, American Booksellers Association, both for The Little Painter of Sabana Grande; Children’s Choice designation, 2000; Smithsonian magazine Notable Book designation, 2002; Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choice designation, 2003; Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Honor Book designation, 2004.
RELIGION: Christian.WRITINGS
Contributor of illustrations to the New York Times, Reader’s Digest and Highlights for Children.
SIDELIGHTS
Robert Casilla is an award-winning illustrator of children’s books who is known for the warmth and detail he brings to his work. Using watercolors, line drawings, and pastels, Casilla creates realistic renderings that critics consider especially appropriate for the many picture-book biographies he has illustrated for author David A. Adler. Raised by parents born in Puerto Rico, the illustrator brings to his work a multicultural perspective that has enhanced books such as The Pool Party and Boys at Work, both by noted author Gary Soto, as well as Jo Harper’s The Legend of Mexicatl, which tells the story of a boy chosen by the Great Spirit to lead his people out of the desert and into the region now known as Mexico. Using watercolors in earthy shades of gold, rust, and brown, Casilla’s illustrations for The Legend of Mexicatl (published simultaneously in Spanish as La leyenda de Mexicatl) “complement the text perfectly,” according to School Library Journal reviewer Monica Scheliga Carnesi, “infusing the story with both realism and magic.”
Casilla has collaborated with Adler on several illustrated biographies of a number of men and women who have excelled at their field and made important contributions to society as well. Athlete Jackie Robinson joins civil rights advocates Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, in a series of books that a Publishers Weekly contributor praised as “a highly effective … way to introduce the life and legacy of important Americans” to pre-readers. In each book, Casilla creates full-page watercolor paintings representing significant events from the subject’s life, giving special attention to portraits and period details. Praising A Picture Book of Thurgood Marshall in School Library Journal, Margaret Bush noted that the author and illustrator work together to “offer a succinct, visually handsome presentation of the youth and the career highlights of the history-making Marshall.” The life of the Alabama-born woman who sparked the civil-rights movement of the twentieth century is depicted in A Picture Book of Rosa Parks. Here Casilla uses “dramatic color” in illustrations that reveal the historic backdrop to Parks’ life—from Ku Klux Klan rallies lit by flaming torches to inspiring speeches by Dr. King—and include intimate portraits of Parks that “capture the ordinary person who made a difference,” in the words of Booklist contributor Hazel Rochman. (open new)In Sarah Warren’s Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers, Casilla illustrated the story of the famous activist, who helped to improve farmworkers’ conditions and wages. A Kirkus Reviews critic described the book as “a welcome title for children and educators alike.” (close new—more below)
Poems reflecting the special relationship between children and their fathers are the center of Daddy Poems, edited by John Micklos, Jr. In creating the illustrations for this poetry collection, Casilla used his own two children as models. The illustrator depicts children as they “dance, snuggle, and rest across the warmly illustrated pages,” remarked Jeanie Burnett in her Childhood Education review. Praising the collection of twenty poems as a wonderful way to reinforce the many different relationships children may have with a father, School Library Journal reviewer Nina Lindsay commended in particular Casilla’s “realistic paintings of families of diverse backgrounds.” Another verse collection, Jane Medina’s bilingual The Dream on Blanca’s Wall/El sueño en la pared de Blanca: Poems in English and Spanish , was dubbed “a winner” by a Kirkus Reviews writer on the strength of Casilla’s “lifelike and inviting” drawings. (0pen new)Like The Dream on Blanca’s Wall, Mario Bencastro’s 2021 book, Un tren llamado Esperanza/A Train Called Hope, is a bilingual volume written in verse. It finds a young Latino boy remembering the titular train, which is the first present he ever received. Now, he must ride a real train alone to reunite with his family, who have move away in search of better opportunities. On his journey, he encounters frightening things, but he ultimately makes it to his destination, where he is eager to find his mother. A writer in Children’s Bookwatch described the book as “a poignant bilingual picture book” and “an especially and unreservedly recommended addition.”(close new—more below)
The life of a migrant farmworker family is the focus of L. King Pérez’s picture book First Day in Grapes, another book featuring Casilla’s art. The story follows Chico as he begins third grade in a new school where he knows no one and where he will only stay until the grape harvest is complete and his family moves on to the next job. Although an initially unhappy Chico prepares to be hounded by schoolyard bullies and given homework he is unable to complete, he discovers that he has a skill with math due to his work in the fields and returns home from his first day confident and excited about the school year to come. Casilla’s colored pencil-and-watercolor illustrations “excel in conveying Chico’s emotions through facial expressions,” noted a Kirkus Reviews critic, while in School Library Journal, Rosalyn Pierini complimented the illustrator’s work for adding “warmth and color to this portrait of life in rural California.”
In his work for Carolyn Marsden’s elementary-grade chapter book Mama Had to Work on Christmas, Casilla captures the warmth of a Mexican migrant farmworker family’s holiday season in “moving, realistic” drawings that “bring home the painful truth about class differences,” according to Booklist reviewer Hazel Rochman. Midnight Forests: A Story of Gifford Pinchot and Our National Forests, a picture-book biography about the nineteenth-century forester who helped President Theodore Roosevelt establish America’s national forest system, pairs Casilla’s earth-toned watercolor art with a text by Gary Hines. In Booklist Carolyn Phelan praised the artist’s “dignified pencil-and-watercolor” illustrations, and Julie Leibach wrote in her Audubon review that the artist’s “nostalgic” images recall the turn of the twentieth century, a time in which “natural resources seemed limitless and conservation was a strange new idea.”
In addition to illustrating children’s books, Casilla also works with clients as a professional artist, and he has created art for magazines and even designed a postage stamp. He lives and works in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, with his wife, Carmen, and his children Emily and Robert, Jr. When not working in his studio, Casilla enjoys spending time with young people and sharing what he does for a living; he visits schools and explains to students how the book illustration process works, from reading the manuscript and meeting with the author through “thumbnail” sketches, finished drawings, and final watercolor paintings.
Casilla once commented: “When I illustrate biographies, I try to learn as much as possible about the person I am illustrating so when I am working on the art, I feel I know the person very well. I find great rewards and satisfaction in illustrating for children. I hope to be able to help kids learn and grow and enjoy reading.”
(open new)He offered this advice to aspiring illustrators, stating: “To be an illustrator, you have to be able to draw. Fine artists, if they don’t like drawing people, but like drawing landscapes, they can stick to landscapes. But as an illustrator, we don’t have that choice. We have to do landscapes, people, animals, buildings, cities, cars, I mean, everything. … Especially in children’s books, you’ve got to be able to draw. So, sharpen your drawing skills.” Casilla added: “And then, find a medium that you like working in. … Choose a medium that comes natural to you and practice drawing as much as you can.”(close new)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Audubon, March-April, 2007, Julie Leibach, review of review of Midnight Forests: A Story of Gifford Pinchot and Our National Forests, p. 133.
Booklist, March 1, 1993, Julie Corsaro, review of The Little Painter of Sabana Grande, p. 1237; October 15, 1993, Hazel Rochman, review of A Picture Book of Rosa Parks, p. 444; June 1, 1996, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Jalapeño Bagels, p. 1737; November 15, 1997, Carolyn Phelan, review of A Picture Book of Thurgood Marshall, p. 552; November 15, 1998, Isabel Schon, review of La leyenda de Mexicatl, p. 599; November 15, 2002, Linda Perkins, review of First Day in Grapes, p. 612; September 1, 2003, Hazel Rochman, review of Mama Had to Work on Christmas, p. 133; May 15, 2005, Carolyn Phelan, review of Midnight Forests, p. 1655.
Childhood Education, winter, 2000, Jeanie Burnett, review of Daddy Poems, p. 107.
Children’s Bookwatch, November, 2015, review of The Remembering Day/El dia de los muertos; September, 2021, A Train Called Hope/Un tren llamada Esperanza.
Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2002, review of First Day in Grapes, p. 1477; November 1, 2003, review of Mama Had to Work on Christmas, p. 1318; April 1, 2004, review of The Dream on Blanca’s Wall/El sueño en la pared de Blanca: Poems in English and Spanish, p. 334; June 15, 2010, review of The Lunch Thief; March 15, 2012, review of Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers.
Publishers Weekly, November 24, 1989, review of A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr., p. 71; February 15, 1993, review of The Little Painter of Sabana Grande, p. 237; September 22, 2003, review of Mama Had to Work on Christmas, p. 72.
School Library Journal, May, 1988, Jeanette Lambert, review of The Train to Lulu’s, p. 84; November, 1994, Charlene Strickland, review of Rodeo Day, p. 92; December, 1994, Tom S. Hurburt, review of A Picture Book of Jackie Robinson, p. 94; July, 1996, Beth Tegart, review of Jalapeño Bagels, p. 75; January, 1998, Margaret Bush, review of A Picture Book of Thurgood Marshall, p. 96; May, 1998, Monica Scheliga Carnesi, review of La leyenda de Mexicatl, p. 161; October, 2002, Nina Lindsay, review of Daddy Poems, and Rosalyn Pierini, review of First Day in Grapes, p. 125; September 22, 2003, review of Mama Had to Work on Christmas, p. 72; April, 2005, Kathy Piehl, review of Midnight Forests, p. 123.
ONLINE
Author-Illustrator Source, http://author-illustr-source.com/ (June 11, 2003), “Robert Casilla, Illustrator.”
Learning Partnership, https://www.jointhepartnership.net/ (April, 2021), Cat McGee, author interview.
Robert Casilla website, https://www.robertcasilla.com (July 3, 2024.
Robert Casilla Fine Arts website, http://www.robcasillafineart.com (December 29, 2009).
Star Bright Books website, https://starbrightbooks.com/ (July 3, 2024), author interview.
ROBERT CASILLA
Artist Profile
Robert attended The School of Visual Arts. Since earning a BFA from SVA in 1982, Robert has been creating art primarily for children's books and educational publishers. Telling a story through paintings is something that Robert has loved doing for many years as a book illustrator.
Exhibitions:
Connecticut Watercolor Society Group Show November 2017
Connecticut Watercolor Society Group Show November 2016
Connecticut Watercolor Society Group Show November 2014
Connecticut Watercolor Society Group Show November 2012
Connecticut Watercolor Society Group Show November 2010
Connecticut Watercolor Society Group Show June 2010
Connecticut Watercolor Society Group Show December 2009: Honorable Mention- El Yunque Rain Forest Three Years After Hurricane.
Connecticut Watercolor Society Group Show May 2009
Society of Illustrators Annual Group Show 51- March 2009
Society of Illustrators Traveling Exhibition- 1994
Society of Illustrators Annual Group Show 36- February 1994
The Art of the Baseball Card Group Exhibition 1991
Pelham Art Center Children's Book Show 1989
Society of Illustrators Annual Group Show 28- April 1986
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Casilla (born April 16, 1959)[1] is an American artist and illustrator of award-winning children's books. He has illustrated over 30 children's books, including biographies and multicultural stories.[2] His illustrations are influenced by his Hispanic background.
Biography
Mr. Casilla was born in Jersey City, New Jersey and received a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1982. Mr. Casilla has illustrated several books for children, including biographies of Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Jackie Robinson, and Eleanor Roosevelt. His parents are native from Puerto Rico and Mr. Casilla attended school in Puerto Rico in the fourth grade.[3] He has illustrated various multicultural children books, including Belpré Medal winner First Day in Grapes.[4] Casilla has been interested in drawing since he was a child. He currently resides in New Fairfield, Connecticut. He lives with his wife and two children. He has three cats and one dog.[3]
Careers
Robert Casilla has worked as a freelance illustrator for magazines, book publishers, and educational publishers. He has illustrated over 30 children's books.[5] He currently teaches art to children and he visits schools to talk to students about the process of illustrating books and biographies.[3] He studied under the artists Marshal Arisman, Jim McMullan, Baron Storey and Julian Allen.[6]
Works
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Free at Last written by David A. Adler, Holiday House 1986.
The Train to Lulu's written by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard, Bradbury Press 1988.
Poems for Fathers written by Myra Cohn Livingston, Holiday House 1989.
Jackie Robinson: He Was First written by David A. Adler, Holiday House 1989.
A Picture Book of Martin Luther King Jr. written by David A. Adler, Holiday House 1989.
A Picture Book of John F. Kennedy written by David A. Adler, Holiday House 1991.
Con mi hermano/With my Brother written by Eileen Roe, Maxwell Macmillan International Pub. Group 1991.
A Picture Book of Eleanor Roosevelt written by David A. Adler, Holiday House 1991.
A Picture Book of Jesse Owens written by David A. Adler, Holiday House 1992.
A Picture Book of Simon Bolivar written by David A. Adler, Holiday House 1992.
A Picture Book of Rosa Parks written by David A. Adler, Holiday House 1993.
The Little Painter of Sabana Grande written by Patricia Maloney Markun, Maxwell Macmillan International 1993.
The Pool Party written by Gary Soto, Delacorte Press 1993.
Rodeo Day written by JoNelle Toriseva, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing 1994.
A Picture Book of Jackie Robinson written by David A. Adler, Holiday House 1994.
Jalapeño Bagels written by Natasha Wing, Atheneum Books for Young Readers 1996.
A Picture Book of Thurgood Marshall written by David A. Adler, Holiday House 1997.
The Legend of Mexicatl written by Jo Harper, Turtle Books 1998.
In the Shadow of the Mountain written by Lisa Demauro, McGraw-Hill School Division 1999.
My Sister's Surprise written by Barbara Dodson, Houghton Mifflin 20??.
Daddy Poems by John Micklos, Wordsong 2000.
Sam and Jack written by Donna Taylor, McGraw-Hill School Division 2001.
Dan's Time written by Susan Blackaby, McGraw-Hill School Division 2001.
This is Your Land written by Anne Lawrence, Macmillan/McGraw-Hill 2002.
A Voice for her People written by Flora Foss, Macmillan/McGraw-Hill 2002.
The Drum Beats On written by Janelle Cherrington, Scholastic 2002.
First Day in Grapes written by L. King Perez, Lee & Low Books 2002.
Mama had to Work on Christmas written by Carolyn Marsden, Viking 2003.
Cheyenne Horses written by Kay Livorse, Harcourt 2003.
Basement Basketball written by Kay Livorse, Harcourt 2003.
Midnight Forests written by Gary Hines, Boyds Mills Press 2005
Larry Bird: The Boy from French Lick written by Francine Poppo Rich, Blue Marlin Publications 2009.
The Lunch Thief written by Anne C. Bromeley, Tilbury House Publishers 2010.
Dolores Huertas: A Hero to Migrant Workers written by Sarah Warren, Two Lions 2012.
Let's Salsa/Bailemos salsa written by Lupe Ruiz-Flores, Pinata Books 2013.
Exhibitions
Robert Casilla has been featured in the following exhibitions:
Connecticut Watercolor Society Group Show November 2010
Connecticut Watercolor Society Group Show June 2010
Connecticut Watercolor Society Group Show December 2009: Honorable Mention- El Yunque Rain Forest Three Years After Hurricane.
Connecticut Watercolor Society Group Show May 2009
Society of Illustrators Annual Group Show 51- March 2009
Society of Illustrators Traveling Exhibition- 1994
Society of Illustrators Annual Group Show 36- February 1994
The Art of the Baseball Card Group Exhibition 1991
Pelham Art Center Children's Book Show 1989
Society of Illustrators Annual Group Show 28- April 1986[6]
Awards
1993 Américas Award – Commended, Little Painter of Sabana Grande
1996 Washington Irving Award, Little Painter of Sabana Grande[7]
1996 Américas Award – Commended, Jalapeño Bagels
2004 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Honor, First Day in Grapes by L. King Pérez[4]
2004 Américas Award – Commended, Dream on Blanca's Walls
2006 American Literacy Corporation Illustrator Choice Award[8]
2011 Skipping Stone Honor Award, The Lunch Thief by Anne C. Bromley[9]
2013 Jane Addams Children's Book Honors Award, Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers[10]
2013 Amelia Bloomer Project, Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers[11]
Artist Spotlight: Robert Casilla
In this Artist Spotlight, we talk with illustrator Robert Casilla about his newest book The Big Day, his artistic approach and illustrative process, and advice for young and aspiring illustrators of color.
Robert Casilla.
Star Bright Books (SBB): Tell our audience how your illustration career started.
Robert Casilla (RC): I attended the School of Visual Art in NYC and majored in illustration and fine art. After graduation in 1982, I began to take illustration jobs for magazines and newspapers including Black Enterprise, Video Review, the New York Daily News and New York Times weekend magazines, postage stamps, and other publications.
From there, I illustrated a YA book cover for Bradbury Press/Simon & Schuster, which eventually led to being offered a job to illustrate The Train to Lulu’s by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard. Then, within a few days I was hired to illustrate Martin Luther King, Jr.: Free at Last for Holiday House. Those two book jobs started my career as a children’s book illustrator.
SBB: How has the children’s publishing industry changed (good and/or bad)?
RC: Today it’s much easier to have my work noticed by publishers because of the Internet and social media. When I started as an illustrator in the 1980s, I had to make appointments and/or drop off my portfolio to art directors/editors at publishing companies, which was time-consuming. It’s much easier for up-and-coming illustrators than when I started in the old days. Delivering finished art was either done in person or sent via FedEx. Today, we can send art out digitally and hold on to the originals, which is good because a book printer once lost all of my artwork.
SBB: Who are your favorite illustrators? How have they inspired your art style?
RC: I admire a lot of my fellow illustrators’ work, some of which are close friends. My favorites are Winslow Homer, NC Wyeth, Norman Rockwell.
Jerry Pinkney is my favorite living illustrator. His work is very inspiring to me, not only as an illustrator but as an artist. Although my work is different, I’m inspired by his free and fluent style with watercolor.
SBB: You’ve illustrated dozens of books in your career, earning the right to be selective. What do you look for in a book project when deciding to accept or reject an invitation?
RC: I look for mildly emotionally moving stories whether it’s fiction or a nonfiction biography. Stories that help young readers become familiar with another’s culture, customs and help to emote empathy for other children and familial situations. I also look for stories that fill my mind with many images to create pleasing art.
SBB: What message do you hope to convey to young readers through your work?
RC: Well, my goal as an illustrator is to create art that compliments the story and helps bring it to life for young readers.
SBB: Your latest book, The Big Day, takes place in 1919 in Knoxville, Tennessee. How did you approach the setting and characters for this project?
RC: Since I work in a somewhat realistic style, I rely on models for the main characters. I also do a lot of research about the period, clothing, and everything that will appear in the artwork.
With The Big Day, because of the pandemic I had to change my method by creating the characters without the aid of photos of models.
I used artist manikins and photos that had the poses I needed to create each spread. I had previously thought about trying this approach on a book but I was concerned about the end results. This way of working is more time-consuming, but now I know that I can do it without changing the overall look of my book illustrations.
Cover of The Big Day, illustrated by Robert Casilla.
SBB: Take our audience through your illustration process for The Big Day.
I started by reading the story a few times. Then the text was divided for each page or double-page spread. I did thumbnail sketches for each page. Thumbnail sketches are quick 2”x 4” rough scribbles that allow me to plan out the whole book. These tiny sketches show the images that I visualize while I’m reading the divided text and indicate how the words fit within the sketched idea.
Doing these sketches helps in trying to make each page different. I try to think of this stage as if I were doing a comic strip, by doing scenes that are close up or farther away and from different views. These sketches are not usually shown to the publisher. They are meant as my visual plan for the book. The sketches tell me what research I need for each scene.
Once I completed most of my research, I then developed the characters. Since I couldn’t hire models I looked for pictures of people that looked somewhat like I imagined the characters. Then I drew the character’s faces at different views and angles and in the poses required as I explained above.
Once the sketches were completed I sent them to Star Bright Books for approval. After a couple requested changes, the sketches were approved. Next I went on to do the finished, more detailed drawings for each page on watercolor paper for the final paintings.
SBB: What advice would you offer young people of color eager to enter the publishing industry?
RC: I would advise young illustrators of color to really work hard on your craft. Drawing well is crucial for illustrators, especially children’s book illustrators. Choose a medium that you like to work with, whether it’s watercolors, acrylics, oils, colored pencils, pastels, or digital.
Create a portfolio of art that you enjoy doing and is applicable to picture books. When creating art for a book, learn as much as possible about the story’s subject matter and period by doing a lot of research.
Also, use life experiences or your childhood memories when you’re creating the art, which can enhance the story visually without altering it. If a character is sad or happy about something, try to relate to how that character feels by thinking about how you felt when you were sad or happy about something and then communicate that in the art with the idea/concept, design/composition and color, tone. . . .
I would also advise young illustrators to always do the best job possible regardless of the financial terms. Because the final product will have your name on it and will most likely be seen by many people and hopefully be in circulation for a long time.
QUOTED: "To be an illustrator, you have to be able to draw. Fine artists, if they don’t like drawing people, but like drawing landscapes, they can stick to landscapes. But as an illustrator, we don’t have that choice. We have to do landscapes, people, animals, buildings, cities, cars, I mean, everything. ... Especially in children’s books, you’ve got to be able to draw. So, sharpen your drawing skills."
"And then, find a medium that you like working in. ... Choose a medium that comes natural to you and practice drawing as much as you can."
INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S BOOK DAY SPOTLIGHT: Q&A WITH ILLUSTRATOR ROBERT CASILLA
By Cat McGee
Robert Casilla is an artist and illustrator who primarily creates art for children’s books and educational publishers. The Learning Partnership first connected with Casilla over 10 years ago when he created the three illustrations for our Journey to El Yunque website. Those illustrations became the inspiration for the website’s new look in 2021 as there is a part of him on every page. Now Casilla is once again making our visions come to life through his illustrations for our upcoming children’s book. Cat McGee recently sat down with him. Let’s find out more about this very talented artist.
Cat: Can you please tell me about your journey to becoming an artist and book illustrator?
Robert: Ever since I was a little kid, I was fascinated by how someone with a pencil could bring something to life. When I was young, my mother used to sit with me and draw. She was not an artist, but she would do little doodles and draw pictures of men with pompadours to make me laugh. I thought she was the greatest artist in the world because she was able to bring them to life. She was my first inspiration. That was something she did with me for fun when I was young, and it made me really interested in drawing and had a great impact on my life.
I also had a teacher, Ms. Ping, who recognized that I was an artist. One day she asked me to stay after class and told me, “One day, you’re going to be a successful artist.” She gave me a box of Rembrandt pastels. I would use those pastels to do a drawing every week, and I would bring her the drawings to show her.
Then in college, I became good friends with a guy named Cornelius because we used to take the train together after our class, and we realized we both really admired each other’s art. There was a mutual admiration that we developed in our friendship and to this day we continue to help each other and work together.
I really did not choose to become a children’s book illustrator. I knew I wanted to become an illustrator because it’s very tough to make it in fine art. Upon graduating, we all had our portfolios, a collection of pieces of art that we show the client. So, I went everywhere to look for a job. I went to magazine publishers, newspaper publishers, and I did work for all of them. And then, one day, I got called to do a book cover, and I went ahead and did it and about a month later the editor calls me up and asks if I’d be interested in illustrating a children’s book. And then, it just so happened that within maybe a week or two, I get a call from another publisher asking me if I would be interested in doing a biography about Babe Ruth, which ended up becoming a book about Martin Luther King. I ended up doing about 14 books with that publisher, and about five or so with the other. And that was the beginning of how my career got off.
Illustration from ‘A Picture Book of Jackie Robinson’ by David A. Adler
Illustration from ‘A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr.’ by David A. Adler
Cat: How does your Hispanic background influence your work?
Robert: I think everything about me influences my work. I have even told my students that it is important for your life experiences to help influence your work. Usually if I do a project that’s more in the Hispanic realm, I go a little bit brighter with the colors. I remember living briefly in Puerto Rico when I was a little boy, and I loved it over there. I loved the palm trees, the tropical plants and seeing those big leaves — you don’t see that here. Whenever I go to Puerto Rico, I’m in awe. When I worked on the Journey to El Yunque website for The Learning Partnership, I became more aware of how much is there that we don’t get to see here. So, I definitely relate when a job connects to my Hispanic background, but often times I get jobs that don’t relate to that, so I relate with other aspects of myself. It all comes down to how you can convey emotion through your illustrations. Regardless of race, culture or whatever, emotion is universal. We all have to use our own inner empathy and experiences to communicate.
Cat: What is the range of projects you’ve worked on?
Robert: For a while, along with doing the children’s books, I was doing postage stamps. Not for the United States, but for independent countries. I was working with a company that handled accounts, like for Palau, the South Sea Islands, and I forget some of the island names, but they were all from the Federated States of Micronesia. I did a lot of stamps for them. That was fun, and in many ways, it was like children’s books. When making the stamps, I would have to have something interesting on each frame, so that was nice. Then they would print a sheet and make a stamp out of each one. So, for a while, I did a lot of work for that. I would do a lot of textbook work, and small books, where instead of a full-fledged book, the books had 8-15 pages. I used to do work for a magazine called Highlights Magazine. When opening that magazine, there would be an illustration with a poem, and I would do that illustration. I did a variety of things, and I’m sure after I finish talking with you, I’ll remember other jobs.
Cat: Describe the work you have done creating illustrations for The Learning Partnership’s Journey to El Yunque website.
Robert: I learned a lot with that project. Initially, about 10 years prior, I did the three main illustrations of El Yunque for the website: ‘3 Months Before’, ‘3 Days After’, and ‘3 Years After’ a hurricane. A lot of the illustration was made up but I found a photograph of a certain mountain in Puerto Rico, and I used that as the backdrop. And then I invented the foliage and all that stuff, and I researched all the type of trees and animals. It’s realistic but stylized at the same time. Then I was contacted again after all these years to do the artwork for the website, and one of the requests was to redo the Journey to El Yunque logo. I’m a realistic artist, but the coquí frog looks a little cartoony anyways, so I agreed to do the logo.
‘3 Years After a Hurricane’ image from journeytoelyunque.net
A cartoon of the coquí as a scientist
Then we were all brainstorming how it would be if we portrayed the coquí in all these different ways – as a doctor, a scientist, or doing a certain activity. And before I knew it, I was doing all these cartoons of the coquí. And that was something I never thought I could pull off because I’m a realistic illustrator. I would never have pursued a job like that because I don’t have the portfolio for that. But Steven and Randi trusted me enough that I could pull it off and I did it. And my friend from college, Cornelius, told me that he could tell I had a lot of fun with that project just by looking at the artwork. It was one of the easiest jobs that I ever did, because it was fun to do.
Cat: When you get an illustration job for a children’s book, what is your process like from getting the job to the final product?
Robert: I always do sketches to get my ideas organized, especially with children’s books. With children’s books, every single page needs to be planned out. I have to read the story, divide it, label it, and plan the pages. And then I have to do thumbnail sketches — very small sketches that are just for me to look at. I use models and work off of photographs for my illustrations and these thumbnail sketches are meant to help me know what poses I’ll need. Sometimes I’ll do research to make sure the illustrations match the book’s time period and culture. Then it all starts with sketches and scribbles because at that point, the drawing is not important, the idea is important. Then you take the idea, and you develop it. You develop it until it gets to the final, and I have found that starting out very free and loose is the way to go.
Cat: You’ll be creating illustrations for a children’s book that The Learning Partnership is developing, what excited you about working on this project?
Robert: The weird thing is, I’m not the right illustrator for every book. So, like I said, I don’t usually do cartoony stuff. I’m confident now, after doing the website with Steven and Randi, that if I needed to do a book that’s cartoony or whimsical, I’m pretty sure I could pull it off once I get into it. From reading the story, I’m happy. I like that they kept the same format of the ‘before’, ‘during’, and ‘after’ the hurricane. I thought that was brilliant. So now, it’s just a matter of doing the sketches. I like the way they formed the story to show that Puerto Rico is resilient, that the rain forest is resilient, and that it has that superhero quality to it. With the story still in the development stages, we will be able to work together as a team. We want to make it as visually appealing as possible; with children’s books you want the pictures to draw in the readers to help them.
Cat: How has your work shifted due to the pandemic?
Robert: It affected me in many ways. Since I work realistically and rely on photographs, I had to change my approach. I couldn’t hire models. So, I wanted to try this method where I don’t rely on models, which I’ve done in the past but then would nitpick my sketches. But the pandemic forced me to go ahead and try this other method again which involves doing a lot of research and searching for poses. It doesn’t matter who the person is or what race they are, I just look for the poses. I even have these mannequins that I can pose. They are pretty realistic. I have men and women, and I can pose them, and then from there, do sketches. And then, with my research, I would look at the clothing at that point in time and try to duplicate the clothing into my drawings. It’s a lot of inventing. There was so much work, and it was really hard, but I learned a lot from trying it this way.
Cat: What would you tell somebody who is interested in pursuing illustrating, particularly illustrating for children’s books?
Robert: To be an illustrator, you have to be able to draw. Fine artists, if they don’t like drawing people, but like drawing landscapes, they can stick to landscapes. But as an illustrator, we don’t have that choice. We have to do landscapes, people, animals, buildings, cities, cars, I mean, everything. You have to be able to draw to show action. If the story takes place in Paris, then you have to be able to illustrate Paris. You have to be able to pull that off. Especially in children’s books, you’ve got to be able to draw. So, sharpen your drawing skills. And then, find a medium that you like working in, whether it be watercolor, acrylics, pastel, colored pencils. Nowadays, you can work in whatever medium you want. Choose a medium that comes natural to you and practice drawing as much as you can.
Cat: What makes children’s books special to you, versus any other type of story.
Robert: Children’s books are a great way to teach empathy to kids which is something that we need. It teaches them to become a little bit more open-minded. There’s a lot of bullying that goes on with kids in schools, and a few of the books that I have illustrated touch on that subject and how to handle getting bullied. Children’s books can be very helpful to kids. They are great when it comes to teaching kids about different cultures, races and people without being preachy. It opens up the familiarity to them. It’s also fun because it opens up your world to stories, fantasy and imagination. As an artist and children’s book illustrator, I find it so special to be a part of that. To know my work touches these kids up to a certain point, and it becomes part of them. It’s special that I had a little bit of a part in their growing up. That’s a nice honor, I think.
Bromley, Anne C. THE LUNCH THIEF Tilbury House (Adult Picture Books) $16.95 7, 1 ISBN: 978-0-88448-311-3
When a new classmate steals his lunch, Rafael first hesitates to say anything for fear of a fight, but later, when he sees that the boy is living in a motel, he realizes that Kevin may be stealing because he's hungry. The story stresses Rafael's mother's advice, "Use your mouth before your fists," and, indeed, when the pudgy boy decides he can share his food, the problem is solved. Casilla (First Day in Grapes, 2002) has provided realistic, if stiff, illustrations, done in colored pencil, watercolor and pastel. Emphasizing people's faces, they back off occasionally to show glimpses of the classroom, neighborhood and baseball field. Rafael's Latino heritage is evident in his burrito lunches, but the classroom group is diverse. The Southern California setting is clear from the reference to fires in the Jacinto Valley, but this situation of hidden hunger and homelessness could take place anywhere in the country. Well-meaning but not particularly engaging, this slight story may be most useful in classrooms where tolerance and social-justice issues are being explicitly taught. (Picture book. 8-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2010 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Bromley, Anne C.: THE LUNCH THIEF." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2010. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A256560203/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6c32e35b. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
QUOTED: "a welcome title for children and educators alike."
Warren, Sarah DOLORES HUERTA Marshall Cavendish (Children's Picture Books) $17.99 4, 1 ISBN: 978-0-7614-6107-4
Warren's debut provides a much-needed biography of a heroine in the struggle for migrant farmworkers' rights. Dolores Huerta, often relegated to a secondary character in books about C�sar Ch�vez, takes center stage in this accessible story. Huerta's story begins with her realization that migrant farmworkers' conditions and pay are the root causes for her own students' poor health, hunger and lack of shoes. The author chronicles Huerta's journey by emphasizing her various roles: teacher, friend, warrior, organizer, storyteller, peacemaker, mother and woman. After Huerta fails to get the workers' bosses to improve conditions and raise wages, she organizes a strike. Eventually, her efforts help change working conditions. In watercolor with pastels, Casilla captures Huerta's strength and the resilience of Latino migrant farm works. With the notable exception of a single, stark-white offset, the text blends beautifully with the illustrations in form and substance. A detailed chronology (in which Ch�vez appears) and a list of books, articles and websites enrich the simple text. While the book alone will work with younger children, the backmatter makes this title an exceptional resource for both Hispanic Heritage and Woman's History months. A welcome title for children and educators alike. (Picture book/biography. 6-10)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Warren, Sarah: DOLORES HUERTA." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2012. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A282761444/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a1b240eb. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
The Remembering Day/El Dia de los Muertos
Pat Mora, author
Robert Casilla, illustrator
Pinata Books
c/o Arte Publico Press
University of Houston
4902 Gulf Freeway, Bldg 19, Rm 100
Houston, TX 77204-2004
9781558858053 $17.95 www.artepublicopress.com
The Remembering Day/El Dia de los Muertos is a bilingual English/Spanish picturebook that touches upon the Mexican holiday of Dia de Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead. Spanning October 31st to November 2nd, Dia de Muertos is a time meant to honor, pray for, and remember those who have passed on. The story is about a young girl Bella and her beloved grandmother, Mama Alma. The two are close; they work together and enjoy nature's beauty together. But the time of all human beings in this world is limited. "When evenings became cool, Bella covered Mama Alma with a soft blanket. Mama Alma was very weak. She patted Bella's hand. 'I will always be with you, Bella,' whispered Mama Alma." The Remembering Day is about cherishing and celebrating the lives of those closest to us; a brief author's note at the end of the story teaches readers a little more about this venerable observance. Highly recommended.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
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"The Remembering Day/El Dia de los Muertos." Children's Bookwatch, Nov. 2015. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A435637774/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=feb6de05. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
QUOTED: "a poignant bilingual picture book" "an especially and unreservedly recommended addition."
A Train Called Hope/Un tren llamado Esperanza
Mario Bencastro, author
Robert Casilla, illustrator
Pinata Books
c/o Arte Publico Press
4902 Gulf Freeway, Bldg 19, Rm 100, Houston, TX 77204-2004
www.artepublicopress.com
9781558859197, $18.95, HC, 32pp
https://www.amazon.com/llamado-Esperanza-Called-Spanish-English/dp/1558859195
"A Train Called Hope/Un tren llamado Esperanza" is a poignant bilingual picture book in which a young boy remembers his first present, "a little train crossing / the mountain of my pillow / over a valley on my bed." There's even a girl who looks like his sister waving happily from the window!
Years later, after his parents have gone far away in search of work and a better future, the boy rides in a real train to join his family. This one is loaded with hundreds of children traveling alone, just like him. There are frightening strangers, others along the way who want to jump on and, scariest of all, a boy who almost falls off the roof because he can't stay awake any longer.
When the train finally arrives at its destination, everyone jumps off and the boy begs "the moon to shine, / to light up the border" so he can cross and find his mother. Impressively illustrated by the artistry of illustrator Robet Casilla, this moving, poetic story by Salvadoran author/storyteller Mario Bencastro touches on the difficult journey north many Central American children make in hopes of finding their parents and a better life--making "A Train Called Hope/Un tren llamado Esperanza" an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to family, elementary school, and community library bilingual picture book collections for young readers ages 8-12.
Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
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"A Train Called Hope/Un tren llamado Esperanza." Children's Bookwatch, Sept. 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A679590385/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1c0d98b4. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.