SATA
ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: Mossy and Tweed: Double Trouble
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.mirkah.com
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1979, in Helsinki, Finland; immigrated to United States, 1998; married, ca. 2007; children: three.
EDUCATION:Rockford University, B.F.A. (art), 2002; University of Dallas, M.A., 2004, M.F.A., 2006.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Printmaker, designer, illustrator, writer, and educator. Art instructor in Bryan, TX, Savannah, GA, and Tacoma, WA, 2006-20; adjunct professor in printmaking at Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savnnah, GA, and in art history and appreciation at Columbia College, Columbia, MO, 2007-09; SkillShare, online class creator and teacher, 2020–. SCBWI, volunteer illustrator coordinator for HI chapter, 2019-21, webinar coordinator for DE/MD/WV chapter, 2023–. Exhibitions: solo exhibitions in Finland at Jyvaskyla, Nummela, Vantaa, Espoo, and Helsinki and in United States at Dallas, TX, Lakewood, WA, Seattle, WA, and Bryan, TX, and work has also been shown at group exhibitions and SCBWI conferences and events.
AVOCATIONS:Knitting, sewing, outdoor exploration.
MEMBER:Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Society of Wood Engravers, Wood Engravers Network, Storyteller Academy, Suomen Taidegraafikot (Association of Finnish Printmakers).
AWARDS:Multiple awards at juried exhibitions; Derrick Prize in Art, Rockford College, 2001; Finlandia Foundation National Grant, 2011; Narrative Art Award, Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators, 2019.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
[open new]A multitalented Finnish American creator, Mirka Hokkanen translated her printmaking and fine art expertise into a burgeoning career as a children’s book author-illustrator. She was born in Finland, where she loved exploring the woods, especially at the lakeside cabin where her family spent their summers. Animals–often featured as characters in her favorite books by authors like Tove Jansson and Astrid Lindgren–would later prove to be among her favorite subjects as an artist. In an essay for Writing for Kids (While Raising Them), Hokkanen described her younger self as “someone who never understood creative writing or book reports in school, and always teetered on the brink of failing assignments. Rather than write, I drew as a teenager, and my mom kept telling me that I should create comics and make that into a career. Great idea, if I could only come up with a viable plot! I tried a few times, but never got past the middle.” Having her incomplete efforts cut into confetti by her little sister squelched her motivation, such that she would later report: “By the end of middle school, I had lost my will to read and write all together, and just wanted to make art and ride horses.”
Making art in fact represented the first successful stage of Hokkanen’s career, as set up by riding horses. Her love for horses inspired her to volunteer at a therapeutic riding program in Illinois for a summer during high school. This led to her moving, after graduation, back across the Atlantic to attend Rockford College, in Illinois. She earned a bachelor of fine arts there and then a pair of master’s degrees at the University of Dallas. For years she devoted her creative energies to fine-art printmaking, exhibiting at shows and galleries in both Finland and the United States. For design and craft work, including linocuts and stationery, she also ran a shop on Etsy. Married to a U.S. Army serviceman, Hokkanen has lived in a variety of locales, including Texas, Hawaii, Washington, Germany, and South Korea. After starting a family, she was inspired to familiarize herself with the children’s book industry, attend workshops, forge connections, and ultimately land her first illustration assignment, Vivian Kirkfield’s Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting Book, in 2019. Within a few years, Hokkanen made her self-published debut with the opening “Mossy and Tweed” graphic early reader, Crazy for Coconuts.
About the extents of her artistic efforts, Hokkanen told blogger Jena Benton: “I’ve always been creative and a maker. The tools and materials never really mattered, as long as I can make something with my hands. I knit, crochet, sew, do woodworking, paint, collage, draw, weave, mold things out of clay and cast them. I’m a printmaker, polish rocks, make candles, paper, and have made stained glass windows for a church. The opportunities to learn and the list of skills I’ve acquired over the years is long, and it gives me a wide base of experiences to draw from.” With her children’s books, Hokkanen has also taken advantage of digital tools and techniques.
In Crazy for Coconuts, little gnomes Mossy and Tweed are gardening when a coconut—toppled from a truck—rolls onto the scene. Spying a tag with a picture of a beach, they anticipate finding one inside. Mossy notes the instructions for opening, but Tweed prefers to try his own ideas—variously involving a hammer, a catapult, and pixies’ dynamite. About this title, Hokkanen mentioned to Benton being inspired by her discovery of coconuts while living in Hawaii. She related, “As a Finn, I grew up half believing in forest gnomes, so the combination of Scandinavian culture and coconuts is most definitely autobiographical.” A Kirkus Reviews delighted in the “disastrous and hilarious” results of Tweed’s plans, with the action conveyed in the “tone of Saturday morning cartoons.” This reviewer declared that the “dialogue is delightfully dramatic” and, in Booklist Jonathan Khan agreed that the “bright, cartoonish art style is a perfect match for the comedy.”
With Double Trouble, Hokkanen brings readers back to Gnome Woods, where a one-horned goat known as Wise Old Unicorn is left dejected when a baby bird falls in a lake and a real unicorn shows up to save the day. When the unicorn later gets stuck in brambles while seeking berries, Mossy and Tweed know just who to call to save the day. Reviewing Double Trouble for School Library Journal, Elisabeth LeBris appreciated the “humorous details” and “easily followed action” in this “joyful tale of friendship, support, and hidden talents.”
Hokkanen began the “Kitty & Cat” series of concept picture books with Opposites Attract. With spare text highlighting opposite words, Hokkanen tells the story of a staid old black cat who slowly gets used to a new companion, a peppy white kitten. There are contrasts aplenty as Cat, wanting to sleep, gets bitten, undertakes a chase, and pushes Kitty out into the rain. Remarking that the illustrations “will make cat lovers smile,” a Kirkus Reviews writer concluded that “brevity is the soul of wit in this endearing tale.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer observed that scenes of the protagonists “interacting with cat toys, yarn balls, and a goldfish bowl in various splashes of color” for a “lively, feline-forward concept lesson.” In the next book, bout Bent Out of Shape, filthy Cat needs a bath, prompting a room-by-room search on the part of Kitty and fresh friend Puppy. A Kirkus Reviews writer praised this title as “clever, cute, and child-friendly, with excellent use of book design.”[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, February 1, 2023, Jonathan Khan, review of Crazy for Coconuts, p. 43.
Kirkus Reviews, November 1, 2022, review of Crazy for Coconuts; January 15, 2023, review of Opposites Attract; October 1, 2023, review of Bent Out of Shape.
Publishers Weekly, February 20, 2023, review of Opposites Attract, p. 190.
School Library Journal, December, 2023, Elisabeth LeBris, review of Double Trouble, p. 86; January, 2024, Sue Morgan, review of Spring Seeds, p. 51.
ONLINE
Boxcar Press website, https://www.boxcarpress.com/ (September 15, 2016), “Mirka Hokkanen: Linocuts and Letterpress.”
Jena Benton website, https://jenabenton.com/ (January 10, 2023), “Simply 7 with Mirka Hokkanen & Giveaway–Mossy and Tweed: Crazy for Coconuts“; (November 14, 2023), “Simply 7 with Mirka Hokkanen & Giveaway: Mossy and Tweed: Double Trouble“; (November 28, 2023), “Simply 7 with Mirka Hokkanen & Giveaway: Kitty and Cat: Bent Out of Shape”; (February 16, 2024), “Simply 7 with Mirka Hokkanen & Giveaway: Little Seasons: Spring Seeds.”
KidLit 411, https://www.kidlit411.com/ (May 3, 2019), “Illustrator Spotlight: Mirka Hokkanen.”
Maria Marshall website, https://www.mariacmarshall.com/ (March 12, 2019), “The Picture Book Buzz–Interview with Mirka Hokkanen”; (June 30, 2024), “The Picture Book Buzz–Interview with Mirka Hokkanen and Review of Little Seasons: Spring Seeds.”
Mary Boone website, https://www.boonewrites.com/ (January 24, 2023), “Six Questions with Mirka Hokkanen.”
Military Spouse Fine Artists Network website, https://www.milspofan.com/ (January 27, 2021), Korey Rowswell, author interview.
Mirka Hokkanen website, https://www.mirkah.com (June 30, 2024).
Writing and Illustrating, https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/ (October 7, 2017), “Illustrator Saturday–Mirka Hokkanen.”
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them), https://taralazar.com/ (January 2, 2023), “Storystorm 2023 Day 2: Mirka Hokkanen Crafts the Perfect Tetris-Pizza-Supreme.”
Mirka Hokkanen is a Finnish-American author-illustrator who loves to work with animal characters. She loves to add a hint of humor when ever possible and create illustrations with various media from traditional watercolor to digital to linocuts. Her head is always bubbling with ideas that she scribbles down on scraps of paper around the house.
Mirka has worked on several books, most recently on Kitty and Cat concept picture books, Mossy and Tweed early reader graphic novels, and the Little Seasons nonfiction book series.
Mirka Hokkanen: Bio
Mirka Hokkanen is a Finnish-American freelance illustrator, author + printmaker based in Maryland.
Mirka creates funny books, and nature inspired art and products, with a mission to bring joy to the world. She is often inspired by retro colors and patterns, and her Scandinavian roots.
Awards
2024 Kitty and Cat: Bent Out of Shape, Mathical Book Prize winner - PreK category
2023 Kitty and Cat: Opposites Attract, LA Public Library Best of 2023: Children’s Book
Clients
Holiday House • Candlewick Press • Odd Dot • Pomegranate Kids • Passion Planner • Puzzle Twist
Experience
I have worked with a lot of organizations as a teacher, mentor, volunteer or illustrator over the years. Here are some of the experiences that I’ve had:
Stacie Bloomfield - 2021-2023
Act as a guide, subject matter expert, mentor, cheerleader and customer service helper during Stacie Bloomfield’s “Leverage Your Art” - art business course.
Skillshare, online education - 2020 - ongoing
Create online classes for the Skillshare platform. Current classes taught: watercolor, digital art and picture book illustration.
Volunteer, SCBWI - 2019 - ongoing
Illustrator Coordinator for Hawaii chapter between 2019-2021, and Webinar Coordinator for the Md/De/WV chapter starting in 2023.
Guest Speaker, SCBWI - 2021-2022
Have presented at SCBWI events, about querying agents, watercolor illustration, and path to publication.
In-Person Art Classes - 2006-2020
Organize and host a variety of art classes with topics ranging from drawing skills, watercolor painting to printmaking in Bryan, TX, Savannah, GA & Tacoma, WA. Taught all ages, from private classes to large groups.
Adjunct Professor - 2007-2009
Taught at two college programs: Armstrong Atlantic State University - printmaking, and Columbia College - art history and art appreciation.
Education
2006 Master of Fine Arts, University of Dallas, Irving, TX
2004 Master of Arts, University of Dallas, Irving, TX
2002 Bachelor of Arts in Art, Rockford University, Rockford, IL
For book illustration and writing:
I’ve been an active member of SCBWI, and Storyteller Academy since 2017 and took illustration classes at SVS-Learn (2018-2020).
CV - Fine Art
Selected grants and awards
2019 Narrative Art Award, Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators Winter Conference
2017 First Place in Portfolio Showcase, Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators Brazos Valley Conference, College Station, TX
2015 First Place in Printmaking Category, Brazos Valley Art League Juried Show, Arts Center of Brazos Valley, College Station, TX
2011 Finlandia Foundation National Grant, given for the Finnish Wallhanging Project
2010 City Purchase Award, Kent Summer Art Exhibit, Kent, WA
2005 Purchase Award, 19th Parkside National Print Exhibition, University of Wisconsin, Kenosha, WI
2004 MAPC Juried Exhibition Recognition Award, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
2001 The Derrick Prize in Art, Rockford College, Rockford, IL
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2017 Illustrations and Prints, Gallery 979, Bryan, TX
Grafiikkaa, Galleria G, Helsinki, Finland
2016 Human. Nature, SEAD Gallery, Bryan, TX
2014 Prints by Mirka Hokkanen, Jorvi Hospital, Espoo, Finland
2012 Prints by Mirka Hokkanen, Krab Jab Studio, Seattle, WA
2010 Inching Closer, La Familia Gallery, Seattle, WA
2010 Puskaradio, Galleria Gjutars, Vantaa, Finland
2009 Down the Grapevine, Friends Gallery, Lakewood Library, Lakewood, WA
2007 Kaikenkarvaiset, Tuusan Aitta, Nummela, Finland
2006 Maatilalla (At the Farm), Galleria Harmonia, Jyvaskylan Grafiikkakeskus, Jyvaskyla, Finland
2006 Manipulated, Continental Gallery, Dallas, TX
Selected Group exhibitions
2020 Original Art Exhibition, Society Of Illustrators Annual juried exhibition, New York
2019 Luonnon Lapsia, 3-Person exhibition at Galleria Pictor, Nummela, Finland
2017 View from the Art Village: 50-Year Retrospective, Beatrice M. Taggerty Gallery, University of Dallas, Irving, TX
Wood Engravers Network Triennial Exhibition, traveling exhibition starting from Hamilton Wood type and Printing Museum, Two Rivers, WI
Society of Wood Engravers 80th Annual Exhibition, traveling juried exhibition, opening at the North Wall Arts Center, Oxford, England
Gone Fishing, Galleria Dix, Helsinki, Finland
2015 10th Biennial International Miniature Print Exhibition 2015, Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, CT
Society of Wood Engravers 78th Annual Exhibition, travelling exhibition starting from North Wall Gallery, Oxford, England
A Second Look: Interpretations of Slected Works from the Permanent Collection, Forsyth Galleries, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Brazos Valley Art League Juried Show, Arts Center of Brazos Valley, College Station, TX
2014 77th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Wood Engravers, traveling exhibition starting from Art Jericho, Oxford, UK
Wood Engravers Network Triennial Exhibition, traveling exhibition starting from Hamilton Wood type and Printing Museum, Two Rivers, WI
Masters of Print/Grafiikan Mestareita, Galleria Dix, Helsinki, Finland
A Woodengravers Menagerie, Zygote Press, Cleveland OH
International Wood Engraving Invitational, Davison Galleries, Seattle, WA
2013 Animal/Elain, Haihara Cultural Arts Center, Tampere, Finland
2012 Uusi Lehti, Uutta Taidegrafiikkaa, Galleria G, Helsinki, Finland
2011 PS 5, Washington State Convention Center, South Galleria, Seattle, WA
2010 18th Annual Juried International Miniature Show, Parklane Gallery, Kirkland, WA
La Familia Gallery Group Show, Art Monaco 2010, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
2009 Grafiikkaa Veistoksia, Galleria Ferin, Helsinki, Finland
National Small Works 2009, Washington Printmakers Gallery, NW Washington DC
2008 Faculty Exhibition, Armstrong Atlantic State University Gallery, Savannah, GA
Naestved International Mini Print Exhibition, Naestved Grafisk Vaerksted, Naestved, Denmark
Political and Poetical: 14th Tallinn Print Triennial, Kumu Art Museum, Tallin Art Hall, Tallinn, Estonia
2007 Miniprint Finland 2007 Triennial, Lahti Art Museum, Lahti, Finland
6th Lessedra World Art Print Annuall, Lessedra Gallery and Contemporary Art Projects, Sofia Bulgaria
2006 Draw_Drawing_2, The Foundry Gallery, London Biennale, London, UK
West Meets West, University of Art and Design Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
2005 Egos: Erik Tosten, Mirka Hokkanen, Sara Maxwell English, 500X Gallery, Dallas, TX
New Texas Talent XI, Craighead-Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2004 Mid America Print Council Members Juried Exhibition, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, NE
Selected Public Collections
Jorvi Hospital, Espoo, Finland • City of Kent, Portable Works Collection, Kent, WA • Käpytikka RY, Helsinki, Finland • Lillie M. Kleven Print Collection, Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN • Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN • University of Art and Design, Helsinki, Finland • Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey • Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Organizations
Wood Engravers Network
Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators
Society of Wood Engravers
Suomen Taidegraafikot (Association of Finnish Printmakers)
Bio
Mirka is available for interviews and speaking engagements.
Mirka Hokkanen is a Finnish-American author-illustrator who likes quirky animal characters and stories that make kids laugh. She began her career as a fine art printmaker before transitioning to book illustration. Mirka is the illustrator for Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting Book, and the author-illustrator for the graphic novel series Mossy and Tweed (Holiday House), the picture book series Kitty and Cat (Candlewick), and the non-fiction picture book series Little Seasons (OddDot).
Mirka currently lives close by Washington DC in Maryland, but has lived all around the world as a military spouse. She loves to knit, sew and explore the outdoors with her three energetic kids. For more info, see MirkaH.com
Bio
Mirka Hokkanen was born in 1979 in Finland. Her favorite things growing up were found in the woods, and in her grandmother’s house which both continue to be a source of inspiration for her art.
Mirka moved to the U.S. in 1998 to attend Rockford College in Illinois (BFA 2002). She received both Master of Arts (2004) and Master of Fine Arts (2006) degrees in printmaking from University of Dallas, TX.
When not creating a menagerie in the studio she takes care of her live one- which consists of three wild kids, a cat, a dog and a husband. Her works continue to be exhibited both nationally and internationally and her first illustrated book, Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting Book, comes out in March 2019 with Pomegranate Kids.
Mirka is represented by Essie White at Storm Literary Agency.
Short Artist Statement
The subject of my art has always been animals and nature. Living inside air-conditioned boxes and noses buried in our lives many of us don’t take time to venture out into nature and discover what it has to offer. I'll never be able to capture how beautiful and varied creation is around us, but I'm doing my best to make footnotes. These little studies translated from my head to paper in detailed engravings, relief cuts and sometimes drawings. I am fascinated by; the shapes created by animals as they live, the relationships we have with them and the undulating and swirling fur/feather patterns. Through printmaking I hope to turn the viewers senses on to the wonderful living things around us.
CV
Education
2006 Master of Fine Arts, University of Dallas, Irving, TX
2004 Master of Arts, University of Dallas, Irving, TX
2002 Bachelor of Arts in Art, Rockford College, Rockford, IL
Selected grants and awards
2017 SCBWI Brazos Valley 2017 Conference Portfolio Showcase Winner, College Station, TX
2015 First Place in Printmaking Category, Brazos Valley Art League Juried Show, Arts Center of Brazos Valley, College Station, TX
2011 Finlandia Foundation National Grant, given for the Finnish Wallhanging Project
2010 City Purchase Award, Kent Summer Art Exhibit, Kent, WA
2005 Purchase Award, 19th Parkside National Print Exhibition, University of Wisconsin, Kenosha, WI
2004 MAPC Juried Exhibition Recognition Award, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
2001 The derrick Prize in Art, Rockford College, Rockford, IL
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2017 Kuukauden Taiteilija, Galleria G, Helsinki, Finland
2017 Prints and Illustrations, Gallery 979, Bryan TX
2015 Human. Nature, SEAD Gallery, Bryan, TX
2014 Prints by Mirka Hokkanen, Jorvi Hospital, Espoo, Finland
2012 Prints by Mirka Hokkanen, Krab Jab Studio, Seattle, WA
2010 Inching Closer, La Familia Gallery, Seattle, WA
2010 Puskaradio, Galleria Gjutars, Vantaa, Finland
2009 Down the Grapevine, Friends Gallery, Lakewood Library, Lakewood, WA
2007 Kaikenkarvaiset, Tuusan Aitta, Nummela, Finland
2006 Maatilalla (At the Farm), Galleria Harmonia, Jyvaskylan Grafiikkakeskus, Jyvaskyla, Finland
2006 Manipulated, Continental Gallery, Dallas, TX
Selected Group exhibitions
2017 International Wood Engraving Invitational, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA
2017 View from the Art Village: 50-Year Retrospective, Beatrice M. Haggerty Gallery, University of Dallas, Irving, TX
2017 Wood Engravers Network Triennial Exhibition, traveling exhibition starting from Hamilton Wood type and Printing Museum, Two Rivers, WI
2017 Society Of Wood Engravers 80th Annual Exhibition, traveling exhibition starting from North Wall Gallery, Oxford England
2015 10th Biennial International Miniature Print Exhibition 2015, Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, CT
2015 A Second Look: Interpretations of Slected Works from the Permanent Collection, Forsyth Galleries, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
2015 Brazos Valley Art League Juried Show, Arts Center of Brazos Valley, College Station, TX
2014 77th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Wood Engravers, traveling exhibition starting from Art Jericho, Oxford, UK
Wood Engravers Network Triennial Exhibition, traveling exhibition starting from Hamilton Wood type and Printing Museum, Two Rivers, WI
Masters of Print/Grafiikan Mestareita, Galleria Dix, Helsinki, Finland
A Woodengravers Menagerie, Zygote Press, Cleveland OH
International Wood Engraving Invitational, Davison Galleries, Seattle, WA
2013 Animal/Elain, Haihara Cultural Arts Center, Tampere, Finland
2012 Uusi Lehti, Uutta Taidegrafiikkaa, Galleria G, Helsinki, Finland
2011 PS 5, Washington State Convention Center, South Galleria, Seattle, WA
2010 18th Annual Juried International Miniature Show, Parklane Gallery, Kirkland, WA
La Familia Gallery Group Show, Art Monaco 2010, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
2009 Grafiikkaa Veistoksia, Galleria Ferin, Helsinki, Finland
National Small Works 2009, Washington Printmakers Gallery, NW Washington DC
2008 Faculty Exhibition, Armstrong Atlantic State University Gallery, Savannah, GA
Naestved International Mini Print Exhibition, Naestved Grafisk Vaerksted, Naestved, Denmark
Political and Poetical: 14th Tallinn Print Triennial, Kumu Art Museum, Tallin Art Hall, Tallinn, Estonia
2007 Miniprint Finland 2007 Triennial, Lahti Art Museum, Lahti, Finland
6th Lessedra World Art Print Annuall, Lessedra Gallery and Contemporary Art Projects, Sofia Bulgaria
2006 Draw_Drawing_2, The Foundry Gallery, London Biennale, London, UK
West Meets West, University of Art and Design Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
2005 Egos: Erik TOsten, Mirka Hokkanen, Sara Maxwell English, 500X Gallery, Dallas, TX
New Texas Talent XI, Craighead-Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2004 Mid America Print Council Members Juried Exhibition, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, NE
Selected Public Collections
Jorvi Hospital, Espoo, Finland
City of Kent, Portable Works Collection, Kent, WA
Käpytikka RY, Helsinki, Finland
Lillie M. Kleven Print Collection, Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN
Weisman Art MUseum, Minneapolis, MN
University of Art and Design, Helsinki, Finland
Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
BVRH Therapeutic Riding Program, Poplar Grove, IL
Organizations
Wood Engravers Network
Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators
Suomen Taidegraafikot (Association of Finnish Printmakers)
Mid America Print Council
Southern Graphics Council International
About me
Industry Arts
Occupation Graphic Artist
Location College Station, TX, United States
Introduction I'm a Jill of many trades currently working as an artist, designer, illustrator, teacher and crafter. I am from Finland but have now resided in the US for about 12 years. I love vintage looking things, Scandinavian and Japanese design, and nature. I have an artist website and an etsy store where you can find more info about me.
Storystorm 2023 Day 2: Mirka Hokkanen Crafts the Perfect Tetris-Pizza-Supreme
January 2, 2023 in STORYSTORM 2023 | Tags: Mirka Hokkanen, MOSSY AND TWEED
by Mirka Hokkanen
Now that the holiday season is over, it is time to get off the couch, stretch and get those idea-generating muscles warmed up again. Let’s get ready to rumble with Storystorm 2023!
Today I’m sharing about how Storystorm helped me on my journey to becoming a published author, and my recipe for generating irresistible tetris-pizza-supreme books. I hope that my story inspires you to show up every day for the next month, flex your idea-generating muscles, and write down those ideas, no matter how good or bad, because you never know where the next idea might lead you.
Roughly seven years ago I started on a journey to become a picture book illustrator. I spent my time soaking up everything I could about picture books and the publishing industry; reading, going to classes/webinars/conferences, joining SCBWI, meeting with peers and critique group(s), and even getting agent representation. Things were going great by all measures, but it still felt like actual illustration work was impossible to come by. My work was good, but never the best in the room, so I felt like someone else was always going to get picked over me.
As I learned more about the industry, I figured that if I could write stories, it would be a shorter path to publication. But that was a major roadblock for someone who never understood creative writing or book reports in school, and always teetered on the brink of failing assignments. Rather than write, I drew as a teenager, and my mom kept telling me that I should create comics and make that into a career. Great idea, if I could only come up with a viable plot! I tried a few times, but never got past the middle. Eventually my little sister cut pages I’d started into confetti and I gave up. By the end of middle school, I had lost my will to read and write all together, and just wanted to make art and ride horses.
Fast forward about 20 years, and 2 young kids later, I knew if I wanted to make it in publishing, I should probably figure out how to write. So I took some more classes and wrote and illustrated several stories… and let me tell you, they turned out fantastic!
Just kidding—my stories were terrible, because I didn’t have good ideas. But I kept trying because I had a burning desire to publish work that would bring joy to readers like I’d felt reading with my own kids. Then I heard of something called PiBoIdMo, and thought it couldn’t hurt (even if I couldn’t pronounce it). I made it through the month and had 30 ideas. They weren’t the greatest, I was a skeptic, but that was still 30 more ideas than I had the month before. Done is better than perfection!
I showed up for PiBoIdMo, now Storystorm, every year and packed those ideas in. I read the posts and some resonated with me more than others. As time went on, I noticed that ideas started trickling in on their own. What started out flowing like dry oatmeal, started to ooze like syrup from the cracks of my life, until the dams broke open. Ideas jumped at me from all over the place, from things I saw online, in my life, in books, etc.
And now we get to the juicy part: What I didn’t realize at first, when doing the prompts, was that I was starting to use my idea generating muscles. And like with all muscles, when you use them, they get bigger and more developed, and easier to use.
Mechanical became organic, and I figured out how my brain likes to generate ideas and what makes it tick. So if trying to generate ideas gives you a cold sweat, I want to encourage you to stick with it. Exercise and nurture those muscles, because when you get them built and warmed up, they are a gift that keeps on giving.
As a second half to generating ideas, I encourage you to read prolifically in the genre for which you are writing. It’s kind of like the protein drink that helps those muscles grow stronger.
This year is special for me, as I am not only debuting one, but three books that I have written (and illustrated) and I wanted to share how the idea for the first book came to be. It came on a Storystorm month, during which I am always really busy turning things around in my head and more sensitive than usual to prompts bubbling up in life. We were living in Hawaii, where coconuts grow on every street corner. For me as a girl who grew up in Finland, that was pretty exotic, and I would often hum a tune from my childhood that told the story of a guy wrecking his house trying to crack a coconut.
I thought that it would be a pretty funny idea for a picture book, and then used my skills learned in Storystorm, to develop the idea further.
I would describe the way I develop ideas as “pizza tetris”. I start with the main theme or frame for the book, like “impossible-to-crack coconut,” which is like the frame for different-shaped pieces. Then I start fitting pieces in and out of the frame to see which ones fit the best. I often first think about how to turn an idea upside down, and if I can’t think of anything good, then I toss that idea and start shuffling unexpected locations and characters in and out of the frame to see what looks interesting. Once those are figured, and you have a frame of pieces that fit, that’s like having a pizza base and tomato sauce, but then we need toppings.
For toppings, I jot down anything that can add extra layers and depth into the story: possible plot points, scenes or lines that I want to add in, additional themes or concepts, target audience, class curriculum tie-ins, etc. At the end, my goal is to have a delicious, well balanced, tetris-pizza-supreme, that is irresistible to editors, educators, parents and most importantly, we all know who loves pizza the most, kids!
So to illustrate: My completed coconut-tetris-pizza supreme consists of two bickering gnomes and an impossible-to-crack coconut as the base, and then a forest backdrop, a surprise character reveal, friendship, trying again after failure, creativity, early readers as target audience, rising graphic novel format, a heap of humor to top it off, and a side order of sequel ideas.
And it worked! MOSSY AND TWEED: CRAZY FOR COCONUTS was sold in a two-book deal, with the first book releasing on January 10th, and the sequel coming out later this year! I am so excited to bring these books out into the world, and hope they will inspire kids to pick up a book and learn to read.
Thank you so much for going on this journey with me. I hope that you keep showing up and working those muscles!
Mirka Hokkanen is an author and illustrator who cannot think of 7 impossible things before breakfast. She generates ideas much better after a pitcher of tea. Her best ideas wait for her in the worst times of the day; usually when driving or right as she is falling asleep. When not writing or illustrating, Mirka likes to relax at home with her three young kids. Mirka is also a teacher on Skillshare, a licensing illustrator and a printmaker. Find her online at Mirkah.com.
Mirka is giving away a copy of MOSSY AND TWEED plus a picture book critique to one lucky winner.
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2023 participant and you have commented only once below.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
Simply 7 with Mirka Hokkanen & Giveaway: LITTLE SEASONS: SPRING SEEDS
FEBRUARY 16, 2024 / JENABENTON
Every time I think I have a new favorite book by Mirka Hokkanen, she creates a new favorite and I’m every bit as blown away as I was the first time.
Mirka HokkanenMirka Hokkanen has visited my blog several times before. She is a good friend of mine, as well as the author-illustrator of today’s book and the illustrator of several books for children. She is a Finnish-American author-illustrator who loves to work with animal characters. She loves to add a hint of humor when ever possible and create illustrations with various media from traditional watercolor to digital to linocuts. Her head is always bubbling with ideas that she scribbles down on scraps of paper around the house. Mirka has worked on several books, most recently on Kitty and Cat concept picture books, Mossy and Tweed early reader graphic novels, and the Little Seasons nonfiction book series. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
CoverLITTLE SEASONS: SPRING SEEDS is an amazing take on the life cycle of plants. On the one hand the text is completely factual. On the other hand, the illustrations are hilarious. I’m not kidding. There are SO many jokes in the pictures that I cannot wait to get a copy for my classroom. And the back matter has a wondrously stunning array of activities for kids to do. Plus the actual book comes with a memory card game! What’s not to love about that?
Welcome back Mirka!
Me: I love this book! Your sense of humor is once again given a chance to shine in every single illustration, while the text does nothing but give facts. What gave you the idea for this book?
Mirka: I’ve always loved exploring the backyard and woods around me. Nature is full of fascinating facts and finds that still catch me by surprise, and I wanted to make a book for young kids that was full of interesting information, delivered in a way that was entertaining for all audiences. Many of the books that I found about nature cycles, seemed too complicated, dated, or tedious for my then 3 year old, and I found there was a gap in what I was looking for, so I decided to create it. I write funny in general, and felt that humor, especially in nonfiction, helps with engagement and information retention.
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Me: I absolutely agree! There are so many funny moments in your illustrations. Was it my imagination or were there a few easter eggs in the book nodding to other illustrators? Did I see a Cool Bean in one of the pictures (and a possible nod to Pete Oswald)?
Mirka: I didn’t add intentional easter eggs, and understand that there are similarities between Pete and my illustrations. There’s only so many ways you can illustrate a cute oval, but I have my own way of rendering, and drawing backgrounds, that differs from Pete’s style.
For inspiration for cool beans, raspberries blowing raspberries, and peachy cheeks, I did lots of internet searches for food and plant idioms and puns, and kept a list of what I came up with to sprinkle in the illustrations.
Mirka HokkanenSpring Seeds illustration progression
Me: I can’t imagine a classroom teacher not wanting this book on their shelves. You have an incredible amount of back matter with educational activities that could be incorporated! Were those all your ideas? Or did your editor suggest some of those?
Mirka: I had a ton of ideas for the back matter when we pitched the book! It was a bit of a rabbit hole I went down as I procrastinated some harder parts of the manuscript/illustrations… We ended up cutting about half of the back matter out for lack of space.
I also asked a few friends of mine, who teach or have small kids, what activities they thought were the best, which also helped me guide the end result. My plan is to type some of those extra things up into proper activity sheets or guides, that will be available on my website for free sometime late March-early April. (I already have around 10 free activity pages uploaded and ready for you to print on my site.)
Seeds activity pages2
Me: As this is a series (with another one due out this fall), can you talk a little bit about how this was pitched? Did you pitch it as a series about seasons? Or did you only pitch the first book and later needed to come up with other possible titles?
Mirka: We pitched this as a nature-cycles book series. I had already written the seed book, and the other books proposed in the series were actually tadpoles and butterflies. The editor saw more potential in the series if it was tied to seasons, and they suggested leaves for the second book for autumn, which then left room for the series to expand.
All of us spent a lot of time brainstorming the series title after that. Since we pivoted a bit from the original idea, the title needed to change too. I wanted something simple, cute and reflective of my little readers, and wanted to have a word like “little” or “tiny” in the title. After much list making and back and forth between myself, my agent, editor, and the Odd Dot marketing and publishing teams we ended with “Little Seasons”, and I think it’s perfect. We decided to add the season name to the title to carry the theme through, so instead of “Little Seasons: Seeds”, it became “Little Seasons: Spring Seeds”, and the second book will be “Little Seasons: Autumn Leaves”.
Spring Seeds Cover Progression
Me: Great idea. I am so glad to sense your sense of humor coming through again so far in this series. There are so many hilarious little bits here that I was giggling all throughout the book as I read it. Was this always a part of the story or did it come about in revision? Have you ever had feedback to curb your sense of humor?
Mirka: Humor was a big part of the book from the very start. I like to write funny, because that’s what I like to read with my kids. It helps me enjoy reading, keeps up our interest in the book and when one of us can point out something funny on a page that we can laugh about, it feels almost like an inside joke, or a special moment that strengthens the bond between us. So far editors have not asked to curb my humor, and I’m thankful that people can relate to the things I find funny.
As far as the creation, I first look for the (serious) information, that I want to convey, and then second look for how I can add humor to that. Sometimes I might have a funny scene in my head, that I find a fact to fit, but in general I’ll have the fact for the page first and then think of the illustration second. As mentioned earlier, I also spent time in the beginning Googling seed related puns, idioms, sayings and jokes for inspiration. Sometimes seeing one funny thing will then ping an idea on a related thing, and sometimes I’ll pull humor from parenting experiences.
Mirka_Hokkanen_Spring_Seeds_sleeping_seeds
Me: I adore the end papers! What a great idea! Seeds on one side, and the resulting fruits or vegetables from those same seeds on the other! Was that your idea or someone else’s suggestion? Was that a last minute inspiration?
Mirka: The end pages were my ideas from the start. I like to think of them as extra space to add fun or educational details to my book that wouldn’t fit elsewhere. For this topic it was a fun way to teach kids what the seeds turn into when they grow, and encourage them take a closer look at the world around them. Finding seeds in veggies or fruits in the kitchen is a fun way to engage kids, and once you start looking, you end up finding all kinds of seeds in- and outside of the house!
Me: What is one thing that surprised you in writing and/or illustrating this story?
Mirka: This was the first nonfiction text that I had written and what surprised me the most was the editorial process. We had a subject matter expert pick through every word and illustration, and there were a lot of little tweaks that needed to be made to make everything as accurate as possible within my style of illustrations. We did several rounds like this and words were sometimes picked very carefully to balance the line of easy enough for little kids to understand, keeping things funny, but also scientifically accurate.
Interesting! Thank you for stopping by my blog again today Mirka.
Dear readers, if you haven’t had a chance to read this book, you simply must check it out. It came out last week. But wait! There’s more!
Mirka has agreed to giveaway one copy to a winner in the US. You can enter the rafflecopter here. Good luck!
The Picture Book Buzz - Interview with Mirka Hokkanen and Review of Little Seasons: Spring Seeds
Mirka Hokkanen is an amazing Finnish-American author, illustrator, printmaker, and educator. Her art has been shown in galleries around the world and her illustrations have been featured on products from picture books to home goods.
Author/Illustrator photo of Mirka Hokkanen.
Mirka loves creating uplifting and funny stories that feature animal characters and nature.
Collage of Mirka's 6 book covers.
She’s the author/illustrator of Mossy and Tweed: Crazy for Coconuts (2023), Kitty and Cat: Opposites Attract (2023), Mossy and Tweed: Double Trouble (2023), Kitty & Cat: Bent Out of Shape (2023), and the illustrator of Harmony Humbolt: The Perfect Pets Queen by Jenna Grodzicki (2021) and Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting Book by Vivian Kirkfield (2019).
For some background information, check out our earlier interview (here).
Her newest author/illustrated picture book, Little Seasons: Spring Seeds, releases on February 6th.
Welcome back Mirka! Thank you so much for stopping by to chat about your books and writing.
Thank you so much for having me back, Maria!
What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written or illustrated a manuscript?
I’m thinking a lakeside cabin in Finland might sound like a very exotic location to most people I know. (I’ll let you in on a secret: in reality it’s my family’s cabin where I spent all my summers as a child.)
Sounds like an exotic location for a writer and a magical place for a child. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for Little Seasons: Spring Seeds?
Book cover - avocado and nine other seeds matching across cover, as three seeds take root underground by worm tunnels.
When I started growing the idea for this series, I had three kids under 8, and we spent a lot of time exploring nature around us. When we visited the library, I noticed how much they gravitated towards non-fiction books, but saw a gap in what they and I were interested in reading about, so I decided to create some new books that I would love to read to my kids one day.
HA! I love that you saw a gap in your library and found a way to fill it. When we last spoke, you were illustrating using wood engraving and digital color enhancement. Did you use the same technique for Little Seasons: Spring Seeds?
That feels like such a long time ago (even though it’s only a few years)! For Spring Seeds, I sketched and painted digitally on my iPad in the Procreate drawing app. The final polishes for each illustration were finalized in Photoshop, which I did for Four Otters as well. I like finalizing illustrations in Photoshop, as I feel it gives me a better idea of what the final printed pages will look like.
Amazing the changes a few years can bring. As the author/illustrator, which was the hardest part of creating Little Seasons: Spring Seeds, the writing or the illustrating? What was the most fun part?
That is a tough one, as both of them kind of develop together. I think the hardest part was the last rounds of revisions and the tiny edits with the subject matter expert to make sure all details in the book were correct scientifically.
The most fun part was coming up with the humor. I would come up with the facts that I wanted to present first, and then as I went through them again it was fun to think of what humor I could add to each fact. It was kind of like puzzle solving for each page and I really enjoyed that.
I can see how that would be a fun puzzle and how important it was to consult experts to ensure the facts are still correct with the humor. How long did it take from the first “seed” of the idea to publication for Little Seasons: Spring Seeds?
I had been playing with the idea since around 2020 but didn’t really put pen to paper seriously until Mid-2021. I had a first dummy by October 2021, developed it, and we had the offer for the series in March 2022, with the book coming out February 2024!
I’ll often mull over ideas in my head for a long time before I put pen to paper. It helps keep my thoughts loose and easier to move parts and fit other ideas in, like a cryptex shape sorter, to find the right story structure, hooks, characters, and plot for a book.
When I put thoughts on paper, they become more tangible for me, and it feels harder to change big chunks of the story at that point, because now I took the time to write it down and to change it, I have to erase and then rewrite things. So, by the time I start writing something down, I usually have it pretty well worked out in my head.
I thought about the structure of Spring Seeds for a while. I thought about making it into some sort of an ABC book, a counting book, or a kind of an encyclopedia of plants in the garden, plus a few other ideas too, until I settled on something in my mind that was a cross between the visual style and reader level of Vegetables in Underwear by Jared Chapman and the humor-to-fact ratio of Disgusting Critters by Elise Gravel – with relevant back matter to garnish it off.
Collage of book covers - broccoli in underware and a lumpy toad.
It can be so hard to cut lines and sections we've grown attached to. Is there anything special you want your readers to know about Little Seasons: Spring Seeds?
Little Seasons: Spring Seeds is packed full of fun and facts, and is sure to delight both kids and grownups. The backmatter has an assortment of activities, and I’ve uploaded a bunch of free PDFs from coloring pages, to taste testing, and seed growth charts to my website for extra seed related resources.
Collage of the activity page for Spring Seeds on Mirka's website.
These are excellent activities! Thanks. Many illustrators leave treasures or weave their own story (or elements) throughout the illustrations. Did you do this in Little Seasons: Spring Seeds? If so, could you share one or more with us?
Internal spread - nine seeds trying to sleep for the winter. Bumping each other and stealing leaf covers.
Text & Image © Mirka Hokkanen, 2024.
I didn’t hide any easter eggs in the story on purpose but I did pepper in experiences from my own parenting journey that most parents might find relatable.
I did identify with the twirling sleeper and the 'leaf stealer." Is there a spread that you were especially excited about or proud of? Or perhaps one which is your favorite spread? Which spread are you most proud of?
I loved working on the whole book, and each page has little bits that I love. I think my favorite one is where all the little seeds are playing on the sunflower. It was fun to draw all the little seeds running around being kids on the page.
Internal spread - giant sunflower with lots of seeds jumping rope, playing hopscotch, and other games.
Text & Image © Mirka Hokkanen, 2024.
I think I’m most proud of the cover. I hand lettered it and love the way everything came together with fun colors, and the seeds marching with the sign. It has so much personality and conveys the spirit of what the book is about.
I enjoyed the sunflower, too. And the cover is delightful. Are there any projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?
We’ve wrapped up the second book, Little Seasons: Autumn Leaves, and I can share a snipped of that one. I think that book will be just as fun and educational as the Spring Seeds.
Internal spread - three leaves examining their veins with a magnifying glass. One has a spider stretched across its front.
Text & Image © Mirka Hokkanen, 2024.
Aside from that, I’ve got two other books underway, but they are still in such early stages that I can’t share anything from them yet.
How fun! Thank you for sharing that teaser for the Autumn Leaves book. Last question, what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?
For someone who loves the outdoors so much, it might seem odd I haven’t visited many National Parks! I’ve always been happy with the trails closest to home, wherever we live, because I find nature fascinating no matter how mundane the location. We like to look up plants and animals that we spot on the trails, and pick up interesting leaves, rocks or feathers we find on the ground. Spotting tadpoles, strange insects and furry caterpillars are an exciting bonus on any walk.
Photo of hiking trail on Oahu, Hawaii.
My favorite place outdoors is the forest by our summer cabin in Finland because it has been the same through my whole life and where I’ve spent time walking with friends and family. The most memorable trails I’ve hiked were on Oahu, HI. Nature there is beautiful, with exotic plants and animals, and breathtaking views everywhere you look. Seeing a parrot flying about freely still makes my heart flutter, even after living on the island for four years, and seeing them in our backyard daily.
I can see why the hikes on this island are so memorable. They are stunning. Thank you, Mirka, for coming back to talk with me about your newest book.
For more information about Mirka Hokkanen, or to contact her:
Website: https://www.mirkah.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PicaDoodlePress/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MirkaHokkanen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MirkaHokkanen/
Review of Little Seasons: Spring Seeds
A fun, informational book with a big personality and a little sass which explores the life cycle of seeds from Spring to harvest.
Book cover - avocado and nine other seeds matching across cover, as three seeds take root underground by worm tunnels.
Little Seasons: Spring Seeds
Author/Illustrator: Mirka Hokkanen
Publisher: Joyful Books for Curious Minds/Macmillan Publishing Group (2024)
Ages: 2-6
Informational Fiction
Themes:
Spring, seeds, plant growth cycle, and seasons.
Synopsis:
A funny and informative nonfiction picture book introducing the life cycle of seeds and exploring the season of spring, including interactive back matter and a tear-out memory card game.
Discover how seeds spring into action! As winter warms into spring, the amazing life cycle begins—seeds root and sprout and start to grow. From tiny carrot seeds to big avocado seeds and everything in between, discover what seeds can do in this pitch-perfect picture book for younger readers. With clear, informative text and bright, charming illustrations, as well as lots of hilarious interjections from the seeds themselves, this is an exciting start to a new nonfiction picture book series exploring life cycles and the seasons. Next, look out for Autumn Leaves! in Fall 2024.
Opening Lines:
Winter is a quiet time in the backyard.
Seeds on the ground are peacefully sleeping,
waiting for spring.
What I LOVED about this book
Peek back to the interview to see just how "peacefully" the seeds were sleeping. The book is full of puns, contradictions with the illustrations, and other humor. Mirka Hokkanen does a great job of including a wonderful diversity of fruit and vegetable seeds - from tiny seeds (strawberries), midsized seeds (peas, corn, and squash) and fist-sized seeds (avocados). And then giving each one a unique and engaging personality.
Internal spread - on upper left a group of seeds circle a sneezing seed. On lower left, carrot is searching for small seeds under a leaf. On right, Avacado seed towers over other seeds as they play basketball.
Text & Image © Mirka Hokkanen, 2024.
Combining the science of the life cycle of seeds with readily identifiable activities (basketball or measuring growth against a vertical ruler), Mirka brings the science down to a level the youngest kids can grasp. Then she adds a bit of humor through the illustrations to entertain both the kids and the adults, too - "Mmmm, Mudslide!" (ice cream anyone?)
Internal spread - on left, a newly planted seed and a seed just rooting are watered from a can. On right seeds slurping dirt/water through straws as thier roots growing bigger.
Text & Image © Mirka Hokkanen, 2024.
When you plant seeds
in your garden and give
them water, they start
to grow roots.
Roots are like straws that seeds
use to take in food and water.
She makes the connection between come seeds (sprouts) and the resulting fruit or vegetable by showing adults & little seeds/sprouts participating in familiar activities together - a snuggle, stroller ride, playing at a park, or a recess scene atop a sunflower. The book culminates in a colorful rainbow of fruits and vegetables and a surprise and punny ending. By continually connecting the science of seed production, germination, and growth with a sprinkling of humor throughout her colorful, big, bright images and succinct text, Mirka creates a wonderful early science book that young kids will enjoy reading.
Ten pages of engaging back matter take a closer look at seeds, offer experiments, outdoor explorations, taste test, classroom activities, a fun cast of characters, and a detachable memory game. This is a fun, early science book packed with information of seeds and plant growth
Resources:
Book cover ina circle with a list of available activites below.
check out the amazing STEAM activity pages on Mirka's website.
find seeds from fruits and vegetables you eat at home or get a seed packet and plant some seeds in a small glass or other clear container. Can you see the roots grow?
try some fun seed art projects
Simply 7 with Mirka Hokkanen & Giveaway: KITTY AND CAT: BENT OUT OF SHAPE
NOVEMBER 28, 2023 / JENABENTON
If you were a fan of Mirka’s first KITTY AND CAT book, I can’t wait to give you a sneak peek of the sequel!
Mirka squareMirka Hokkanen has visited my blog a few times. She talked about her first KITTY AND CAT book just earlier this year. She is a good friend of mine, as well as the author/illustrator of Mossy and Tweed, Kitty and Cat, and the illustrator of several books for children. Growing up in Finland, Mirka imagined that gnomes hid behind tree stumps and under roots—just out of eyesight. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
KITTYCATSHAPE_jacketKITTY AND CAT: BENT OUT OF SHAPE is even funnier than the first book with these characters! Where the first book concentrated on opposites, this book uses shapes to great comedic advantage. Not only is each page a bit of hide-and-seek where the reader gets to guess where the cat is hiding, but each page has you scanning for a shape hidden within the context of each scene. Genius, right? This is a book that had me laughing out loud at the hilarious contortions of the grumpy old cat all the way throughout the book. I can’t wait to add this book to my collection.
Welcome back Mirka!
Me: I laughed so many times while reading this book. I love the idea of cat contorting himself into shapes (for the concept book) in order to get out of a bath, as well as the “hide and seek” aspects for younger readers. What gave you that idea?
Mirka: After the first Kitty and Cat book, I wanted to continue the series of concept books, and add colors, numbers and shapes books. Cats contort themselves into weird shapes in real life, so it was a natural progression to combine cat shapes and the concept book. This book was originally a lift-the-flap book, but we had to scrap that idea to keep in line with the picture book series, which is where the current form emerged from.
Kitty and Cat rectangle progression
Me: I love how the characters are further developed in this second story. We get to see more of the dog (whom we only met at the end of the last book) and there is again a “HA!” ending. How did you think of a new concept story while keeping all the same elements as the first board book? Did you have a checklist of things you used or liked from the first book to keep track?
Mirka: I wanted to create a series of four concept books as described above, and so in a way I had a checklist of things I wanted to include in each book: teach a concept, be funny, include the main characters, and have a storyline. It was a bit of a struggle to shift this book from a lift-the-flap book to the current form, but I figured it out eventually with the help of my editor and art director. We went through a ton of revisions to get it just right, even though in the end it looks deceivingly simple!
livingroom1a_WEB
I’ll let you in on a little secret: I also added an extra layer of education, because the text is very sparse, that might not be obvious at first read. For example, possibilities of other opposite word pairs in the first book, and in this second book we travel through a different room in the house for each page. So, on subsequent readings, the book can be explored in different richer ways.
I imagine myself reading this to my child and how I would approach going through the book on multiple readings. Sometimes it can be fun to be silly and act things out or get loud, and sometimes it’s nice to be quiet, ask questions, and let the kids do some of the talking. We can talk about what room the scene is happening in, how do we know and how is that room in the book different or the same as the one in our house?
livingroom1b_WEB
Me: From opposites to shapes, these books develop a concept for early readers while still appealing to older readers. Is that a fine line to balance? Or is that even a goal for you with these books?
Mirka: In general I have a more than one goal with my books, one of which is to make them fun for both kids and parents to read. I’m a mom of three and have been reading picture books for over a decade, and know there are those books that your kids love, but you silently groan because they are too long or boring. I prefer story time to be enjoyable for both grownups and kids.
I also know how quickly kids change as they grow, and I often have a very specific age that I’m thinking about when I’m creating a book. So having a wide age appeal isn’t big on my list of priorities, but if it happens naturally after the book has been created, then I feel it’s a great bonus.
Kitty and Cat early dummy_web
Me: You already had the characters and setup developed in the first book. Can you talk a little bit about your creation process for this second book in the series? Was it harder or easier to do a second story with the same characters and parameters? Where did you start with this one? Illustration or writing? How did it evolve all the way to this finished product?
Mirka: Kitty and Cat: Opposites Attract was the clear first book in the series. After that, when I wanted to expand the series, all the ideas came very rapidly, and I wrote and took notes about illustrations for all of them at the same time initially. I’d be brainstorming one and would have a funny idea for another and so they were all born very symbiotically. When we pitched the series of four books to Candlewick, they picked the two stories that they liked the most to develop.
bedroom1_WEB
There is little text in Bent Out of Shape, and it came to me as a concept, with Cat avoiding a bath contorting into shapes. I thought of it in pictures first and had a lot of laughs thinking about where Cat could hide and the funny positions she’d be in. Kitty and Puppy didn’t have as big of roles in the original concept, as in the beginning Cat was more of the main character for me.
But as the flaps were eliminated, I had to figure out how to keep the element of surprise in the book while we went looking for Cat. I tried a few ideas, and finally landed on the current concept with page turns and more of a role for Kitty and Puppy causing mayhem to reveal Cat. In the end, I think it worked out perfectly, and turned out as good as the original idea.
bedroom2_WEB
Me: I love the color palette you chose for this story that I see running throughout every spread. It feels very similar to the first book, though perhaps a bit more refined. Are you sticking to the same color palette for each book in the series? What made you choose these colors (a more muted, almost pastel set)?
Mirka: I’m hoping to keep a similar vibe through the whole series – even though the colors might shift a bit from book to book. I wanted to keep the book easy for little ones to visually decipher, and having clear illustrations with the white backgrounds was important. A limited color palette plays into that too. With the first book, I had a few surprises with how the physical book colors turned out from my digital illustrations, so I was able to refine the colors a bit better for the second one.
I really like Eric Hill’s Spot books and he uses a very limited color palette. I wanted to make a bit more updated version of that for my books.
Below is one of the spreads from the book. It was one of the first spreads that I did in color, and it took me a few tries to get it looking balanced and just right.
testing alternate colorways
Me: I absolutely adore the sense of humor I see coming through in this series. It’s hilarious. Is there a potential for more? Can we hope for a third book in the series? (Please say yes!)
Mirka: Yes – maybe? As I mentioned, I wrote this as a series of four concept books, with more ideas for other themes (like Christmas and summer). I hope that the first two books do well, and we’ll continue to make more. Fingers crossed!
Me: What is one thing that surprised you in writing and/or illustrating this story?
Mirka: I think what surprised me the most was how pleased I was with the end result. When the flaps were a no-go, I was stumped at how on earth I’d ever be able to make a lift the flap book a successful picture book. It was like I had built a perfect playdoh castle, and now had to mush it back up and build it again. I kept pushing and pulling things, and for a while I had no idea how to build it back up. Thankfully after enough hours, there was the lightbulb moment, and with a lot more work and the help of the publishing team, we were able to mold an even better castle than the first one.
kitty and cat 2 activity sheetsI think so! This book is hilarious, clever, and adorable. Thank you for stopping by my blog again today Mirka.
But wait, dear readers! There’s more! You can find Mirka’s free printable downloads to accompany the book here.
AND finally, Mirka has also agreed to giveaway ONE copy of this book to a US resident. You can enter the rafflecopter here. Good luck!
Simply 7 with Mirka Hokkanen & Giveaway: MOSSY AND TWEED: DOUBLE TROUBLE
NOVEMBER 14, 2023 / JENABENTON
Mossy and Tweed have a sequel! And it’s just as funny as the first (if not more so!).
Mirka squareMirka Hokkanen has visited my blog a few times. She is the author/illustrator of Mossy and Tweed, Kitty and Cat, and the illustrator of several books for children. Growing up in Finland, Mirka imagined that gnomes hid behind tree stumps and under roots—just out of eyesight. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Double Trouble CoverMOSSY AND TWEED: DOUBLE TROUBLE takes one of my favorite characters from the first book and gives him a story: the Wise Old Unicorn. And if you read the first book, then this isn’t a spoiler, but … he isn’t really a unicorn. He’s a goat with one horn. SO when a real unicorn comes on the scene and impresses everyone with his heroic abilities (etc, etc.), Wise Old Unicorn feels like an old hat. This story is full of laughs and will engage readers every bit as much as the first one did. And I can’t believe we just saw the first one in January! Here we are 11 months later with a sequel that Mirka has both written and illustrated (and done so very well–this isn’t a weak sequel by any stretch of the imagination). That is astonishing!
Welcome back Mirka!
Me: The Wise Old Unicorn was one of my favorite discoveries in CRAZY FOR COCONUTS. What gave you the idea to have him have his own story?
HOFFMirka: I really liked Wise Old Unicorn as a character, and wanted to give him some more space in the series. I also really like drawing horses, and had been looking for an idea to incorporate a horse character into one of my stories, so when I had the visual image of a muscular unicorn arriving on the scene in slow motion like David Hasselhoff in Baywatch, it gave me such a chuckle I had to flesh it into a whole story.
Me: Ha! That’s hilarious. You originally thought of the first Mossy and Tweed story as a picture book. When your agent suggested it become an early reader graphic novel, were you already thinking of a series with these characters? When did the idea for a second story become necessary? Was it part of the pitch?
Mirka: It was very early on that we started thinking of series potential with Mossy and Tweed. I think my mind in general goes into that mode, when I like the characters and want to spend more time with them. Laurel, my agent, wanted to pitch it as a series, so I had several story sequel ideas included in the pitch when it went out the gate. When pitching series, it’s always better to have several ideas for sequels, so if the editor likes the main book, they get a taste of what else your mind is thinking and they have the option to choose the strongest idea. So far we have pitched all my books as series, and all of them have been picked up as such.
Me: Given that this is an early reader, do you have to worry about your word choice as you’re writing? Are you given any guidance about that?
Mirka: Yes, it was a lot of work to reword the first book in the series, because I had already written the whole script when we pitched it. When we simplified the language, we did lose some flavor of the way the characters spoke, but at the same time it was also important to me to make the book accessible to younger readers.
For guidelines, my editor shared Holiday House’s approach to early readers, and the general guidelines were to look at sight word lists for K-1 and try to keep the words at about that level, keep dialogue short, and let the action tell a lot of the story. It wasn’t very strict beyond that and I felt it was easy to follow.
Me: I was surprised to see the characters heading to the “beach” at the beginning of the story. Given that you have a map at the front of your books, I shouldn’t have been confused. What made you decide to turn the pond into a beach scene to start off your story? Were there any challenges to writing your story with a world already established by that map?
pond in finlandMirka: This is where my Finnish background comes to play. LOL We have lots of lakes and ponds in Finland and many have public “beaches”, which are often some sort of grassy or wooded areas with maybe a little bit of sand at the edge of the water. To us that’s a beach and a lot of folks will spend time there with kids in the summer, so to me it felt natural that Gnome Woods residents would also enjoy the pond in the summer.
Baywatch unicornWith the idea of the new unicorn arriving in slow motion through water, I thought having the forest animals enjoying a summer day at the pond would make for a funny and dramatic opening act.
When I drew the map, I had already envisioned the pond as a beach location and had drawn sand around the edges. I also set up several other locations/details, that could possibly play into future books (like mountain caves, or scraggly tree by pond), so in that sense the map was helpful to have.
Me: The first book had a huge learning curve for you (new genre, new technical art tools, etc.). Yet here we are almost a year later with a new early reader graphic novel in the same series. Was it easier to work on this one after all the work you did to figure out the first one? Did the book get done more quickly?
Mirka: I had about the same amount of time to work on both books. I turned in finals 6 months apart for book #1 and #2, but the way the releases worked out, they are released 11 months apart, so it took longer for book #2 to come out! But a holiday release makes a lot of sense, and I hope Mossy and Tweed find their ways under a lot of trees this Christmas.
It was so much smoother to create the second book! I already knew what my editor wanted, and what the page count and format was, so we had minimal edits, and everything came together so much more efficiently. I was already familiar with how to draw the characters, so it made sketching/inking/filling in colors faster too. But I won’t lie and say it wasn’t a relief to turn finals in. Making a graphic novel is a ton of work, even if it is only 40 pages!
Mossy and Tweed Opening Spread
Me: I bet! What is one thing that still managed to surprise you in the creation process for this story?
Mirka: How tedious the day of a graphic novel illustrator could be. I thought I had been really smart with my choices on what to include in my illustrations this time around, but I was caught off guard again at how tedious some spreads (the blackberry bushes!) were to ink and color.
Mossy and Tweed Unicorn vs WOUMe: Have these early reader graphic novels had a successful sales record? Will there be a third in the series?
Mirka: I think in general the series has done well for Holiday House. Early reader graphic novels are still seeing a rise in sales, and one of the titles in the series has won several awards (Owl and Penguin by Vikram Madan). Fingers crossed for Mossy and Tweed for the next award season!
I don’t know how well the sales have gone yet because the first book in the series didn’t publish until earlier this year, and book sales numbers show up several months later, so we are still waiting to see. I’ve expressed interest in continuing the series and will wait and see how the series starts and if the publisher sees potential to continue it.
If anyone reading wants to pitch in and help support a Mossy and Tweed #3 come to life, some free ways to help are:
Request Mossy and Tweed at your local and your kids school libraries.
Borrow the books if they are available
Leave a review or even stars on Amazon or Goodreads if you have had the chance to read the books.
Or if you have another extra minute, post a quick photo and thoughts about the book on social media.
Those are great suggestions Mirka. Thank you for stopping by my blog again today.
But wait, dear readers! There’s more! Mirka has agreed to giveaway one copy to one lucky winner (US contestants only). You can enter the rafflecopter here. Good luck!
Also, don’t miss Mirka’s free printables that she made to go with the book found here!
Simply 7 with Mirka Hokkanen & Giveaway–MOSSY AND TWEED: CRAZY FOR COCONUTS
JANUARY 10, 2023 / JENABENTON
Every once in a while I have to break my “picture books only” rule to share a very special book. That’s the case with today’s graphic novel format Early Reader.
Mirka Hokkanen MT_6I “met” Mirka Hokkanen three years ago at a virtual SCBWI event and we’ve been close friends ever since. She is the author-illustrator of Kitty and Cat (and several other forth-coming titles), as well as the illustrator of several books for children. She won the SCBWI Narrative Art Award in 2019 and in case you missed it, she even designed the logo for StoryStorm this year! You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Mirka Mossy Tweed CoverMOSSY AND TWEED: CRAZY FOR COCONUTS is a really fun early reader made in the graphic novel format. I’ve got to say that I love this newly developing genre (as I’ve been reading more and more of them lately) and this book is a newly favorite addition. In this story, two gnomes find a coconut (that has fallen off a passing truck) and are determined to open it. Much chaos ensues, as does laughter and some incredibly fun world building that I hope to see more of. This is also Mirka’s author-illustrator debut (yay!) and only the first of many author-illustrator projects releasing out this year.
Welcome Mirka!
Me: What was your artistic journey? When did you start creating art work? How did that bring you to writing and illustrating this book?
Mirka: I’ve always been creative and a maker. The tools and materials never really mattered, as long as Mirka Early Character SketchesI can make something with my hands. I knit, crochet, sew, do woodworking, paint, collage, draw, weave, mold things out of clay and cast them. I’m a printmaker, polish rocks, make candles, paper, and have made stained glass windows for a church. The opportunities to learn and the list of skills I’ve acquired over the years is long, and it gives me a wide base of experiences to draw from.
For picture book illustration, I was always interested in it, but it wasn’t until I had two kids of my own, and had really immersed myself in their world, and read lots of picture books, that I felt like I wanted to give that gift of good memories and connection to other families like mine.
Me: Can you talk about your art process? You have used watercolor, linocut, and digital mediums. What medium did you use for this project and what made you pick that?
Mirka: I start most of my projects now in Procreate on the iPad. I use a lot of mediums, because it keeps things interesting, but all my current projects are being illustrated digitally. For Mossy and Tweed, I did thumbnails and sketches in Procreate and then used Clip Studio Paint to make final art, and then did last polishes, like consolidating layers and checking colors, in Photoshop. All the programs serve a MirkaHokkanen_MossyandTweedDrawing_WEBpurpose and are useful in different ways for me. I like Procreate because it’s flexible to work anywhere, and drawing on it is nice. But Clip Studio Paint has really great tools for building pages for graphic novels. It has bubbles for dialogue, nice inkers, color fill tools and a lot of automatic functions that make creating graphic novels more efficient.
I did learn Clip Studio Paint specifically to work on Mossy and Tweed books. It was a bit of a learning curve, and I spent several days watching tutorials on YouTube, but once you get the hang of it, it is a great program to use.
Photoshop is an industry standard that I use to make sure my files are formatted properly, and colors look good before sending them in. The biggest drawback for Procreate is limitations on file size, and items getting fuzzy edges if you move them around a lot, so if I have more complicated editing I have to do, then I often move to Photoshop to complete that.
Me: Wow! That’s a lot of work! I love the idea of gnomes finding a stray coconut (and trying to open it). What gave you the idea to combine these two things into an early reader graphic novel?
Mirka: We are military and were living in Hawaii when I had the idea for this book. Coconut trees were all around, and we too, would bring coconuts we found on the beach home, and would try to peel and crack them in the backyard with the kids. It felt very absurd (and exciting), for a girl, who grew up in Finland on the opposite side of the world.
For the book idea, of an impossible to crack coconut, I tried to approach it from a new perspective, thinking about characters and settings that could potentially add lots of humor to the trope. As a Finn, I grew up half believing in forest gnomes, so the combination of Scandinavian culture and coconuts is most definitely autobiographical. Gnomes felt like a good fit because they are like people, so they could build stuff and be relatable, but their small size would offer lots of opportunities for humor. And a northern forest was a fun unexpected place to find a coconut.
Mirka Progression of opening page from sketch to final
Me: Did you decide that this story should be an early reader graphic novel, rather than a picture book? Or did your agent or editor think that was a better idea? How did you get into that market?
Mirka: I pitched it to my agent as a picture book and after reading the synopsis she asked if I had thought about making it into a graphic novel because there were so many plot points. I agreed it was a great idea and ran with it, but I had no experience in making graphic novels (aside from reading a bunch).
To learn how to make graphic novels I took Ken Lamug’s class on how to make graphic novels and I joined an online community (Kidlit GN) that I found a critique group through. I learned how to use Clip Studio Paint through YouTube (and practice), and took a webinar via SCBWI on how to put a graphic novel pitch together. So I spent several months building skills, networking and putting together resources from a lot of places. My agent also helped a lot by providing feedback and putting the final pitch together to submit to publishers.
It was helpful to have an end goal in mind, and then work towards that goal one step and skill at a time to achieve it.
Mirka_HokkanenMossy and Tweed Crazy for Coconuts
Me: You are both the author and the illustrator of this wonderful story. What was harder, the writing or the illustrating of it? Why?
Mirka: I was surprised that writing was easier! I had no idea how to write a graphic novel script (it’s very much like a movie script), and how to organize my visual plot points into the length of the book. For a 32-page picture book, I keep mental tabs of how I want the final book to look visually, and make loose thumbnails, but for a graphic novel the visual information multiplies with paneling and it all felt very overwhelming to try to organize and keep track of.
Ken’s class saved me, by teaching how to do everything in order, starting from a story synopsis and expanding from there. For the illustrations, I expected it to be a lot of work but I had no idea how much! Just planning panels, and sketching took ages. Instead of one or two scenes per spread I was drawing up to 10 scenes with backgrounds and multiple characters. And I was learning a new program and a new style to illustrate in, on top of that. It took a lot of determination to finish the illustrations for the book, but I feel like it was worth it for the skills and lessons learned.
Me: Mossy and Tweed are such fun characters (as are the other characters in this story). Will there be any other books with these same characters? If yes, when can we expect to see them?
Mirka: I love Mossy and Tweed, and the sequel: Double Trouble is coming out in 2024! The second book features our favorite characters, and has us wondering if there is room for two unicorns in Gnome Woods…
Hopefully the first two books are well received and there will be book #3 news later this year.
Mirka_Gnome Woods Map_WEB
Me: Any advice for new picture book writers and/or illustrators?
Mirka: There is always so much I wish I had the room to say! One big thing that a lot of people seem to miss is they don’t actually read books in the genre they want to illustrate. Be a prolific reader. Visit libraries and bookstores. Read books published in the last 3-5 years, to get a sense of what is being published, and learn from authors and illustrators that you admire. Study your favorite books like they are training manuals for success.
There are endless ways to break down a book for study, but I’ll mention some things to think about:
For authors, type up a favorite book into a word document, and explore how the author of the book used language. What kinds of writing devices can you find, alliteration, rhyme, repeated elements, onomatopoeia and so on. How is the story structured (plot points)? What are the first and last sentences? Are they effective?
For illustrators, if you can, photograph the spreads and cut and paste them all onto one page so you can look at the book as a whole. Look at movement from one page to the next, how does the illustrator move your eye? How many full spreads, page, or vignette illustrations are there and how are they organized? What makes the book interesting to look at (color, point of view, light, value, lines of action, characters, etc)? Contrast the text to the illustrations: What did the illustrator add that was not in the text?
That is great advice. Thank you for stopping by my blog today Mirka.
But wait, dear readers! There’s more! First, don’t miss out on these really fun handouts that Mirka made to go along with her book if you have littles (your own or even students) that need some extra activities to accompany a read aloud.
AND Mirka has also agreed to a Giveaway (US residents only) of one copy of her book. You can enter the rafflecopter here. Good luck!
Mary Boone
Jan 24, 2023
Six Questions with Mirka Hokkanen
Mirka Hokkanen is a Finnish-American author and illustrator who loves to create humorous books with quirky animal characters. Mirka works mainly in children's books, but also licenses her work, sells on Etsy and teaches on Skillshare and YouTube. She has worked with Clear Fork, Pomegranate, Candlewick, Holiday House, and Odd Dot among others. Her early graphic novel, Mossy and Tweed: Crazy For Coconuts (Holiday House), released earlier this month. When Mirka's not in her studio, she likes to knit, sew and explore the outdoors with her three kids. Mirka is represented by Laurel Symonds of KT Literary. Visit Mirka's website to learn more about her work.
1. How do you know if your idea will be a good book?
In general the books I like to read and write are humorous and on the commercial side, and I spend a lot of time reading picture books in that niche. Once you have a feel for what is being published, it will also guide you on judging how your own ideas measure up.
In addition to lots of reading for research, I use self-imposed guidelines to try to give my books the best possible chance at making it out into the world. Some of the goals that I try to hit are interesting/cute characters, an evergreen underlying theme, told from a new perspective, building in 3 to 4 hooks/layers, and trying to fill in a gap in a niche. If I can hit all those notes, then I feel like the book has a good chance of catching an editors eye.
2. Do you work on multiple projects at the same time?
Yes! I am always working on a bunch in different projects in different stages. I think that works well for me, because I can take a break from one project if I feel stuck or bored or am waiting on feedback from an editor, and then come back to it in a month with fresh eyes. While writing this, I've recently finished final illustrations for a book, and I'm starting to promote a book that's just launching. Then I have a book in the middle of editing that still needs a few more illustrations and back matter finalized, and then I have a new book manuscript on the backburner needing to be written this month, and several new ideas germinating. My current books are all series, so I'm also working on sequels for them.
3. Which comes first: words or pictures?
Once I settle on an idea for a book, and work to add all my layers to it, I try really hard to work on the words first, because the illustrations take a lot longer to make. If I make illustrations first, and then have to change the text after, then I have to re-draw my illustrations which wastes a lot of time. So I've created a system where I create the book "visually" with written descriptions for each spread (without drawing more than a loose thumbnail), and then I work on the text. That way I figure out all the action and illustrations in my head, and then I write the manuscript to match that. And sketches and final illustrations come last. Usually the illustrations carry a lot of the storytelling in my books, so it makes sense for me to figure out the pacing and plot points visually as art notes before I write the text, which is almost more in a supporting role to the illustrations.
4. What was the process or timeline for Mossy and Tweed: Crazy for Coconuts, from idea to publishing?
I got the initial idea for this book several years ago. It was originally an idea for a picture book, but turned into a graphic novel in 2021. I started actively working on putting it into a submittable package beginning of 2021 and it went out on submission in May 2021. We sold it in a few weeks and I started working on it with Sally, my editor at Holiday House, in July 2021. By February of 2022, I had turned in final art, and started working on the cover and title pages.
There was lots of back and forth with little tweaks for the final illustrations. In August 2022, we finally finished all the details for the cover and the files were sent to the printer. Around August 2022 we also started working on marketing and selling the books, and Mossy and Tweed will finally launched this month!
5. What was the most challenging thing you faced while writing/researching this book?
This book went from a picture book into a graphic novel, and that was a very tall learning curve. To figure out how to write a full script, instead of a 500-word manuscript, using a new drawing program, and learning how to pace panels and draw in a graphic novel style was all new to me.
6. Who should read this book?
I created this book for young kids, 5 to 8 years old, who are learning to read and for the reluctant readers in your life. A lot of the action and story can be read from the illustrations, so it's easy to follow along even if you can't read each word yet. The language is simple, to encourage working on reading skills while the humor and action carry the story and will get littles to turn the pages and finish the book. I think the cute gnomes, forest setting, action and humor appeals to girls and boys equally.
If you're a traditionally published author or illustrator of a picture book or middle-grade book and you'd like to be considered for an upcoming SIX QUESTIONS feature, drop an email to mary@boonewrites.
An Interview with Mirka Hokkanen
Artist Interview
Jan 27
Written By Korey Rowswell
A bit of research and planning can help make a PCS a little smoother. Army spouse/artist/illustrator/printmaker Mirka Hokkanen talks about transition and transformation in this January 2021 MilspoFAN interview.
MilspoFAN: Tell us a little about yourself, your journey as a military spouse, and where you are today.
Mirka: Hi, I’m Mirka, a military spouse, artist, illustrator, printmaker, mom, and entrepreneur. I wear a lot of hats every day. My husband and I have been married for 14 years, and he has been in the Army for one year longer than we’ve been married. I grew up in Finland, and was an international student finishing up my graduate degree when I met my husband. After graduation, we got married, and I’ll tell ya - life in the Army has not been boring. We’ve lived all across the US, in Germany, now in Hawaii, and next in Korea. We have 3 kids, of whom I’m currently homeschooling two. Our youngest is 2, and she goes to a family daycare several days a week, so I can manage the other two a bit better.
I have worked odd jobs in the arts since we’ve been married. I’ve taught art everywhere from a state university to my garage, organized art events, attended various art fairs and markets, shown my work in galleries around the world, and recently became a published picture book illustrator. My second book comes out early 2021! I also run an Etsy shop that I stock with linocuts and wood engravings, digital prints, tea towels, stationery, and other small home goods.
MilspoFAN:How has your role as a military spouse impacted your work as an artist - creatively, logistically, or otherwise?
Mirka: Becoming an Army spouse totally changed the plans I had after graduation. I thought I would get a job teaching art at a university, or at least move back to Finland. So instead of a “real” job and then doing art on the side, I ended up doing a bunch of odd jobs at every place we lived. I became very creative in networking quickly and finding a place where I could plant myself. But it has been hard to mold a solid career from the instability when a lot of the art world runs through in-person networking.
After about 9 years of starting over-and-over again, I decided to pivot toward picture book illustration. I was always drawn to that type of work, and after finding the right people to get advice from, I jumped all in. The advantage of the picture book illustration world is that it all runs rather smoothly online. I don’t need to be in person for anything, so it doesn’t matter where we move, I can work from anywhere, and all my contacts are reachable via email or social media.
MilspoFAN: How do you meet other artists or plug into the local arts scene when you PCS?
Mirka: Moving every 2-3 years is pretty tough for a printmaker and fine artist. It takes time to get to know people in the area, and just as you are getting your footing, it’s time to pick up and leave. I have become very fast in networking and hit the ground running with googling and emailing people before we even arrive in a new city to introduce myself and say hello.
I think one thing that has helped make “art”-friends everywhere we go is that I take genuine interest in the area/culture/people and see where I can volunteer, join a membership or help. Volunteering and showing up for meetings and events is a natural way to meet people and let people know who you are. Instead of thinking what can I get from here, I think what can I give to each particular community. Each city has been different, and it takes a bit of trial and error to find the folks you vibe with the best, but if you don’t get yourself around galleries, art centers, universities, craft guilds etc., they won’t come around looking for you. I feel so grateful to have made lifelong friends in each place where we have lived so far.
MilspoFAN: What’s next for you?
Mirka: I am currently getting ready to start purging our home and get ready for a move this spring. I try to start early, especially now that we are doing another overseas move and are only allowed have our HHG. I am working on two books that I can’t officially announce yet, but that will be coming out in 2023, and am working on an illustration for a puzzle to come out in 2021.
I’m also working on my very first graphic novel, and cross my fingers that it would catch a publisher’s eye early this (2021) year. Before we move and I put my big printing press into storage for the next 2 years, I hope to finish a few more linocuts, too, and record and put together a few online classes. LOL It might be a tall order to finish all that, but I thrive when I have multiple projects going on simultaneously.
MilspoFAN: What is the most practical piece of advice that you would give to other artists?
Mirka: I feel like I have three on my heart today:
Give yourself grace. It is so easy to compare your journey to other artists around you, and that can really zap you of joy and creativity. Stop comparing yourself to others and give yourself grace. You are on your own journey, and it’s different from others’, and you will reach your goals when it’s the right time.
Turn jealousy into joy. I follow and enjoy a lot of artists’ accounts, but sometimes that green monster lifts its head from the ugly darkness. When that happens, I acknowledge the feeling and flip the tables on that monster. The other person is celebrating a win, and they don’t even know that I exist in most cases. The reason I am jealous is because of something inside me that I am unhappy about. When I acknowledge that, I can make future goals (see next paragraph), focus on my blessings and accomplishments, and realize that I am on my own path, which has nothing to do with the other person. After that, I can truly be happy for both myself and the other person, and show up to cheer them on and lift them up.
Write down your goals. You are on your own path, but instead of walking around aimlessly, it really helps to have some clear goals set. You can use that jealousy monster as a positive here. What are you jealous about? It usually has to do with some life goal that you would like to attain, too. So, take some time to dream and write down your ultimate dream goals list. Those goals might feel impossible to reach, but when you break them down into smaller and smaller steps, you will have the stepping stones to reach where you want to go. For example: I wanted to illustrate a picture book. It was a multiple-year journey, where I took classes, made a lot of art, went to conferences, networked, got my work critiqued, signed with an agent, built a social media presence, etc. Breaking things down and learning and implementing things one step at a time, I finally reached one big goal. And that is part of an even bigger goal of making a career out of it. So, get a pencil out and write out life-goals, 5-year goals, 1-year goals, 6-month, 1-month, and 1-week goals, however small you need to make the steps to make your dreams come true.
You can Find Mirka online at:
www.mirkah.com
Etsy: www.picadoodlepress.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mirkahokkanen
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mirkahokkanen
Twitter: Twitter.com/mirkahokkanen
YouTube: Process videos https://www.youtube.com/c/MirkaHokkanen
Etchr lab free watercolor class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KDJWaY-DAQ&t=3s
ILLUSTRATOR SPOTLIGHT: MIRKA HOKKANEN
© Mirka Hokkanen
May 3, 2019
Today we are excited to feature debut illustrator, Mirka Hokkanen and her debut picture book, FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN: AN ANIMAL COUNTING BOOK written by Vivian Kirkfield. (Pomegranate; First edition (April 1, 2019)) Be sure to enter the drawing for a copy at the end of this interview!
Welcome, Mirka!
Tell us about yourself and how you came to illustrate for children.
I have always loved books and libraries. As a child, I loved how reading could transport me everywhere around the world, across time and to magical places. When I had my own kids, it was nice to have a more obvious reason to visit the picture book section at the library. I got the courage to pursue illustrating, after taking a PB illustration class with Make Art That Sells, joining SCBWI from there and realizing what a wonderful community it was. We had a local SCBWI chapter that met weekly and being involved really helped me grow as a beginning illustrator.
How does your parenting influence your children's illustration, if at all?
© Mirka Hokkanen
I am able to draw so much from my own kids right now, ages 1, 5 and 7; their imagination, what makes them tick, their friends, goofy situations and learning about social interactions. When we read together, I can see how they respond to certain books, what they like and what they are bored with. It's like my built-in target market.
© Mirka Hokkanen
Congrats on FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN by Vivian Kirkfield tell us about it and what your process was for illustrating it.
© Mirka Hokkanen
It was so fun to work with Vivian and Pomegrante on this book. After weeks of research for each spread, I worked out detailed digital color sketches. The sketches were approved by the publisher before I started the finals, which was important because it would be very difficult to change places of things in completed wood engravings.
The final illustrations for Four Otters were wood engravings. It was a long process to carve each mark on a printing plate and to carve 3-4 plates for each illustration. The printing plates are a thin plastic material, that you can see in the process photos. Each plate was then printed with black ink on a letterpress, and the prints were scanned in, and cleaned, layered and colored digitally in photoshop for the final illustrations. That way if the publisher had any changes to colors, it was easy for me to tweak them. We had already agreed on the compositions in the sketching phase.
What projects are you working on now?
I'm an active printmaker and just launched a print collection called Flora and Fauna (available at http://www.picadoodlepress.com). In kidlit I'm working on a new dummy for a story that I wrote myself, and I'll hopefully have news to share about a second book in the near future.
© Mirka Hokkanen
What advice would you give to aspiring illustrators?
Find your voice, and your style. There are a lot of folks doing very similar styles. If you can stick out of a crowd with a unique style, it will be easier to get noticed. Practice your craft, get honest feedback for your work, and learn about the industry. Kidlit411 is such a great bank of information to learn from. Join SCBWI.org and start making friends through your local chapter, conferences, facebook, webinars, classes. It's a wonderfully supportive community, and you will be all the better for it.
What is one thing most people don't know about you?
I watch cheesy Netflix romance movies/tv series when I work on engraving or painting. (To my defense, they are easy to follow while halfway listening and not really watching! LOL)
Where can people find you online?
I'm online in a lot of places, but Instagram is my most active spot, where I comment back and respond quickest. My blog has a series of 4 posts that show the illustration process in depth with lots of videos and photos.
http://www.mirkah.com
http://www.instagram.com/mirkahokkanen
http://www.twitter.com/mirkahokkanen
http://www.facebook.com/picadoodlepress
http://mirka-h.blogspot.com/
Mirka is a Hawaii artist, illustrator and author. Mirka’s favorite things to illustrate are animals and kids. She loves a good chuckle and adds a spark of humor where ever she can fit it. When not brandishing a pencil, Mirka is probably wielding a cheese stick and a book to appease the three wild kids that claim her as their mother at home. Her debut book, Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting Book, came out in March 2019.
The Picture Book Buzz - Interview with Mirka Hokkanen
Mirka Hokkanen is an amazing illustrator who uses a variety of printmaking, drawing, painting, and digital techniques in her art. “Her love for line and drawing underlie her style no matter which media she is working in and her favorite subjects to illustrate are quirky animals and inquisitive little people.”
Her illustrator debut picture book, Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting Book, releases March 15th.
Welcome Mirka, tell us a little about yourself. (How did you get started illustrating? Where/when do you work? What is your favorite type of book to illustrate?)
I’m a mom of 3 during the day and an artist at night (and during nap time). My work has always had an illustrative bent to it. I toiled happily as a professional fine artist for well over 10 years, until one day I found an online class that taught illustration for picture books. It gave me the tools to grow into illustration, and from the social group, I learned about SCBWI and many other valuable resources to move forwards.
I work from my studio at home, so it’s easy to pop in and out as time permits. I love drawing animals and finding quirky angles to show stories from. It’s natural for me to think up stories and funny bits for illustrations that are not included in the manuscript.
That's a great talent to have, Mirka. What is something no one (or few) knows about you?
I love making stuff: I knit, crochet, felt, build frames for prints and even have a weaving loom in the house… (My husband is a very generous man and tolerates all the room it takes, and mess it makes.)
Your house sounds amazing and a wonderful place to grow up as a child. Who was your favorite author, illustrator, and/or favorite book as a child?
I am from Finland and read books in Finnish growing up. Many of the earlier picture books had animals as main characters, and I was always very aware of the art in them. Some of the first books I read on my own, that really made an impact on me, were the Moomins, by Tove Jansson, and many of the books by Astrid Lindgren - Ronja the Robbers Daughter; Mio, my Son; and The Brothers Lionheart and Tirlittan. I remember crying reading many of them. I think there was a reality created in them, that was plausible, but fantastical at the same time, like something big lurking right out of your field of vision in the woods. It had a really big impact on me and the kinds of things I still find attractive today.
Wow, what a vivid image. What captured your attention or imagination with Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting Book?
First, it was all about animals. And second, it was beautifully written. The words evoked very strong images in my mind on first reading- I could see otters frolicking on a riverbank and butterflies flitting in a meadow at dusk. It was a dream come true, that I was picked to illustrate it.
*(Curious about Mirka's submission packet for this project? - https://mirka-h.blogspot.com/2018/12/illustrating-otters-part-1.html.)*
I am so glad you were, too. What challenges did this story pose for your printmaking? Were these images created on linoleum or wood blocks?
I originally thought that we would do 2-3 colors per illustration. Each color needs to be carved by hand, which is very time consuming. To do the text more justice, I ended up making the illustrations 3-5 colors, which took even more long hours of carving away.
The technique I used to make the prints was wood engraving. The tools are very sharp and pointed, the same as used for metal engraving. They make tiny marks, and the illustrations in the book were blown up about 3 times from the size I worked on them as. Wood engraving is traditionally done on, you guessed it, wood, but for speed and cost efficiency, I used high impact polystyrene (HIPS). It’s softer to cut, which saved my hands, and cheaper to purchase and store, because it is just a very thin piece of plastic. The carving and printing process was the same as for wood though.
*(Watch the carving and printing process for the five owls above - https://mirka-h.blogspot.com/2018/12/engraving-illustrations-for-otters-part.html.)*
Amazing Mirka, I am impressed that you did that for each of the illustrations. Many illustrators leave treasures or weave their own story (or elements) throughout the illustrations. Did you do this in Four Otters Toboggan? Could you share a few with us?
This story was hard to weave an extra story into, because the animals lived in different ecosystems, the limited color palette, and having to carve each detail by hand. What I decided to do instead was to hide some extra little animals in the pages, that you can see hints for at the end of the book and I also made the cover so you could count animals from 1-5 on it.
Text © Vivian Kirkfield, 2019. Image © Mirka Hokkanen, 2019.
In the bottom left, you can see where Mirka added a sweet little chipmunk watching the foxes.
She actually carved SEVEN other animals into the story! What's something you want your readers to know about your illustrations in Four Otters Toboggan?
I wish that people would soak the illustrations up slowly and get inspired to go out to enjoy nature. If they have time to look closer at the illustrations and imagine – each blade of grass, line and dot meticulously carved around by my hands. I think it's always fun to think about the physical work that went into making something.
There is so much to discover in the texture and detail of each picture, I too hope the readers linger. If you could share one thing with your younger self and/or kids today what would that be?
When there’s a will there’s a way. (I saw that in a kids cartoon when I was really young, and it’s stuck with me since.) I try to instill a resilience/indomitable spirit into my kids. It’s easy to give up when things get hard, but if you stick with it and find creative ways to move forwards, you will be rewarded in the end, even if it’s not in the way you expect.
Great message for all of us. The illustration style in Four Otters Toboggan combines printmaking and painting, correct? Your portfolio also has some amazing traditionally painted images. What is your favorite medium to work with? Your least favorite or hardest?
Yes and no. Ha ha. It was a long process and I’ll try to explain it very concisely. There are two end results of the illustrations: the illustrations for the book and original signed and numbered prints. The illustrations for the book, were printed in black, then scanned and layered and colored digitally, so there was no painting except for in Photoshop. After the illustrations were done, I went back and printed editions of some of the illustrations with traditional printmaking methods – printing each layer in color, registering each color on top of each other on a piece of paper. For these, I added watercolor for some small spot colors like butterfly wings. I know it can be confusing, and I’ve made several blog posts about the illustration part of the process:
https://mirka-h.blogspot.com/2018/12/illustrating-otters-part-2.html
http://mirka-h.blogspot.com/2018/12/digitally-editing-wood-engravings-into.html
I get the most enjoyment out of traditional media. Working with my hands. Both printmaking and watercolor fit the bill and I love combining drawing in there too. Sometimes there just isn’t enough time to do things by hand, so it’s nice to be able to work digitally. I always struggle with gouache, and want to learn to use collage in my work. I think it would add a fun layer to it.
Wow, I'm impressed! Thank you for sharing these posts with us. What/who is your greatest source of inspiration? (as a child or now as a writer or illustrator.)
I feel like I look up to so many people it’s hard to narrow it down. Some of my current favorites are Mauri Kunnas, Emily Hughes, John Lawrence, Angela Harding and the list could go on and on... I love the way Mauri Kunnas adds humor and sub narratives in his books, and his style of watercolor and pencil illustration is so engaging in general. I love lines and drawing, and that’s why I always have Emily Hughes books lying around for inspiration. John and Angela are two printmakers who have already made it in illustration. I look up to them as role models.
When I was young, I would draw horses ad nauseam and would often emulate the style of Lena Furberg. She made a career out of drawing horses, and still works in it today!
If anyone else is unfamiliar with these amazing illustrators, I included their links. Thanks Mirka for the introduction to these amazing artists. Any projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?
Four Otters is my first book, and I have been busy working on marketing and making a coloring an activity book to go with it. The activity book will be offered as a free download on our sites and I’ll also have paper copies available in my shop. I just finished a new book dummy that my awesome agent, Essie White, started looking for a home for.
Congrats and best of luck with it! Is there anything about writing, illustrating, or publishing you know now that you wished you had known when you started? Or are glad that you did not know?
The fine art world had prepared me to be patient and look at things on a long time frame.
I knew the industry was hard to get into, and that’s part of why it took me so long to get started. I think what has surprised me the most, is the love for picture books that every one exudes all across the field and how genuinely helpful people are. It has been such a warm community, had I known about it before, I would have jumped in sooner.
I've heard that a fair bit. What is your favorite animal? Why? (Or maybe a current animal you are enamored with?)
I loved horses growing up, but now, I think anything that’s furry and cuddly would do. Give me anything from an aardvark to a zebra. I have to add, after drawing many otters lately, their slinky, bendy bodies with button noses are really fun to draw, and I wouldn’t mind drawing a whole book of them. In my fine art, I often choose birds, because they are easy for people to relate to, and their feathers are a fun challenge to draw.
Thank you, Mirka for stopping by and sharing with us. It was truly wonderful to chat with you.
Thank you for the opportunity to share about my work, it’s always a pleasure.
Be sure to stop back on Friday for the Perfect Picture Book #PPBF review of Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting Book.
To find out more about Mirka Hokkanen, or get in touch with her:
Website: http://www.mirkah.com/illustration/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PicaDoodlePress/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MirkaHokkanen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MirkaHokkanen/
If you missed Vivian Kirkfield's interview go here.
Illustrator Saturday – Mirka Hokkanen
Mirka Hokkanen:
Nature and animals have always been fascinating to Mirka Hokkanen. Since she was born in Helsinki, Finland, in 1979 and could walk, she has played in the woods and explored the variety of wildlife that existed around her. After moving to Illinois, USA, from Finland in 1998 her appreciation and closeness to nature grew even more as an international student far away from the lakes and forests that she was accustomed to.
Mirka took her first printmaking class as a freshman in college and hasn’t stopped printing since. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Rockford University, Rockford, IL, in 2002, and Master of Art (2004) and Master of Fine Arts (2006) degrees from University of Dallas, in Irving, TX. (All degrees with a concentration in printmaking.) Since graduation Mirka has worked as a fulltime artist exhibiting work both nationally and internationally. In addition to showing her work on a regular basis, she has attended art fairs, been on panels at conferences, curated exhibitions and taught a variety of classes and lectures in printmaking, drawing and art history. She currently lives in TX with her husband and two wild kids.
Hokkanen uses a variety of printmaking, drawing and painting techniques in her art; depending on what media she thinks will best convey the message she is trying to communicate. Currently the main media employed in her work is relief printing; linocuts and wood engravings. Through her work Hokkanen hopes to convey her love and fascination towards nature and wake up the viewers senses to it. She is interested in the shapes animals make, the relationships we have with them, and capturing undulating and swirling fur/feather patterns. In addition to images of animals, Hokkanen’s art is often imbued with a second dimension of subtle humor that reflects her personality. As a whole, her body of work is varied and particular attention is paid to all the hands-on technical aspects of creating an original hand pulled print that will delight the audience with its skill and wit.
Short Artist Statment
The subject of my art has always been animals and nature. Living inside air-conditioned boxes and noses buried in our lives many of us don’t take time to venture out into nature and discover what it has to offer. Little sublime moments are strangely sobering. I will never be able to capture how awesome, beautiful and varied creation is around us, but I am doing my best to make footnotes. These little studies are well translated from my head to paper in detailed engravings, relief cuts and sometimes drawings. I am fascinated by; the shapes created by animals as they live, the relationships we have with them and the undulating and swirling fur/feather patterns. Through printmaking I hope to turn the viewers senses on to the wonderful living things around us.
I wanted to include in this post lots of photos of the process. We started out with a very rough sketch, just collecting all the animals on it. Below is the second sketch, where I started working on a design to incorporate all the elements. It’s a little light, you can click on the image to see it bigger. At one point I scanned the sketch in the computer, to play around with colors, which area would print with which color. Its faster to do on the computer, since I can quickly change colors to get an idea what the finished print would look like.
Since I was doing 4 colors, I needed to have a key plate, that would be where most of the information for the image would be. That was the first one for me to carve, and after it was done, I rolled it up with black ink, printed it on a transparency, which I then rubbed on the other 3 blank linoleum pieces, to transfer the image. Registration would be pretty important, with 4 plates to match.
After the color separation blocks dried a couple days, I carved them all out. The designs were fairly simple, so this didn’t take me too long. I use a Speedball carver for most of the detail work, and then larger Flexcut tools for everything beyond that. They are sharper and easier to cut with than the Speedball, but I’ve found nothing that will give me better details on linoleum than my Speedball tiny v-cutter.
Printing
I try to print from the lightest color to the darkest. So with this series, I started with the yellow plate. I mixed a small amount of cobalt drier in the ink, so it would dry faster and allow me to print all colors in a short time.
Since I had already printed the key block on a transparency, I used that to register my yellow plate down on the press. I use a piece of plywood, with a sheet of mylar glued to it, and I attach the linoleum to the mylar with a light coat of spray adhesive on the back of my linoleum. After those prints were pulled, they hung for a day, and the next day I printed the green color. (Drier mixed in ink again.)
Below are some shots of the green color in process and drying. I use a 3 tiered clothes drying rack to dry prints, because it folds up when not in use, so its just very convenient. I did not wet the paper for this edition, because I didn’t want to deal with uneven stretching, and floppy papers while printing. This was printed on 110lb Lettra.
Below you can see the key plate on the press with the print 3/4 way done. The color elements are all there, red, yellow and green, and it is just waiting for the navy layer to complete the gaps.
Mixing the navy ink.
I did a short video of the process as well. Its always easier to understand how things proceed, with a video. You can see little foam pads on the side of the block during printing. These help that the paper doesn’t lay on the plate until the roller rolls over it. This trick helps keep the print clean from smudges and ink shifting while the paper stretches as its being run through the press.
Ta-daaa! the finished prints. It took a while to get the prints to print dark enough, but not too dark, where the details would be lost. I was so happy with the print, but the edition was only limited to the amount that we were sending to the portfolio. I have a couple proofs left, and did get nice big postcards done, so if you want one, you can have one on your wall too.
Below are the separate plates used to print on the right, and the ink swatches on the bottom left and first sketch on the bottom.
Once the prints were dry, both of us signed them.
Exited to share the finished image together.
Finished piece.
How long have you been illustrating?
One of my earliest memories is making up animal comic books, photocopying them on an old xerox machine and selling those to family and friends around 8-10 years old.
What and when was the first piece of art you did where someone paid you for your work?
I’ve been a “serious” artist for so long, I actually don’t remember the first time I got paid for my art.
When did you decide you wanted to illustrate for children?
I have been an artist as long as I can remember, and my subjects have been animals. People who saw my art often mentioned I should illustrate children’s books, that my work always has a narrative bent to it, but coming from a fine art printmaking background, it took me a long time to get the nerves to shift to illustration. I illustrated a book for a self published author in 2012, but did not concentrate my efforts from printmaking to picture book illustration until a year ago.
What made you choose to attend the Rockford University for a BA in Fine Art, then go to University of Dallas for a Master of Art and follow that up with a Master of Fine Art at the same school?
I come from Finland where all levels of education are free. After volunteering at a therapeutic riding program, in Illinois, for a summer in high school, I applied to Rockford College and got accepted with a full tuition scholarship. It was a unique opportunity for a Finnish girl like me, with no funding otherwise, so I took the chance and moved to Rockford, IL, at 18 years old. My story continues very similarly to graduate school, I received a full tuition scholarship to University of Dallas as well, packed my stuff in a car, and drove down to TX. (My mom and dad flew from Finland to help me make the trip, yay!) The program at UD is a two part program, where you first have to pass the MA program to be accepted into the MFA program. It all flows together very nicely, and the program was excellent for printmaking, so I stayed for both degrees. At that point I thought I was going to teach university, so I knew I needed my MFA for that.
Since all your degrees concentrated in Printmaking, did you focus more on one type of printing making? Do you have a favor a certain type of printmaking, like etchings, silkscreen, etc.?
In school almost all my efforts were concentrated on metal plate intaglio (etching, aquatint, softground). I did some screen-printing, and linocuts, and liked to mix other media with my prints; like magnets or encaustic. After graduation, I got married and my husband was in the Army. We move every three years and very quickly I realized that access to a studio would be limited and I needed to make do with my own equipment. Intaglio is not something you do in a rental house (think: poisons, solvents, acid), so I tried a lot of printmaking techniques, until I settled on linocuts and then wood engraving. I am comfortable and happy with these techniques now, and have a studio that packs up every three years to move to a new location.
Do you think art school influenced your style?
I would say art school influenced my style the most with teaching me art history. I was unaware of most of what art history had to offer, mostly because they did not teach that in high school and I did not come from a family that frequented museums. Knowing what came before me and how I fit in, gives me confidence in what I do. As far as my subject matter, the fine art programs did push me to try to be relevant and have high “white walled gallery” ideals in my work. I let that influence me for a while, but in a couple years, I gave up trying to be some one I was not, and just started making what I wanted to make and loved. I started selling more work, which was a nice recognition that I was on the right path for me. As far as the digital side of things, they did not have computer labs where I went to school, so all my Photoshop skills are learned after graduation on my own.
What job did you do right after you graduated?
I did a bunch of odd jobs after graduation. In between my BFA and MFA, the only job I got was at the Walmart Portrait studio. It really got me motivated to get my masters. After the MFA, I taught printmaking and art history at a state university and a community college in Georgia, I ran an Etsy store with both prints and sewn items in it (back when Etsy was still profitable for small makers), and sold prints through galleries. Every three years when we moved, I had to start over, which is challenging.
Do you do art exhibits to help promote yourself?
As a printmaker, I do regular gallery shows, and attend art fairs. They are both for self promotion and for making ends meet for my business. I have also started to sell prints, notebooks and tea towels of my illustrations, which seem to be as popular as my prints.
Do you have an artist rep. or an agent?
I do have an agent, Essie White from the Storm Literary Agency. We have been working together for a few months, and I trust her with my career and enjoy working with her. She is representing me as both author and illustrator, and I just submitted my second picture book dummy for her.
What type of things do you do to get illustrations jobs?
My agent submits my work to editors and art directors, who she knows are looking for illustrators, and I make regular post cards to send to my own list of editors and art directors in the picture book publishing world. I also do my best to post on social media regularly. Instagram is my #1, and work trickles down to Twitter and Facebook from there. The next thing I hope to participate in is #inktober2017.
How did you manage to get a steamroller to run over your print in the street? Did that draw a big crowd to watch you make your print?
The steamroller printing event was super fun to organize. We had several teams complete giant linocuts, and the event happened during our annual print fair, which was also part of the well attended Downtown Bryan Art Fest. The event took some organizing, but we had the steamroller donated for the event, and the Downtown Association, who helped pull everything off, got us sponsors, so the linoleum, ink and paper were also taken care of. The event is always a crowd pleaser and it didn’t take much for us to get a crowd around a huge steamroller in the middle of the street. Having awesome teams and finished prints also made the event worth putting on.
Do you ever combine painting with your prints to create an illustration?
I sometimes paint my finished editions by hand with watercolors, but have not yet done so for picture book illustrations.
What piece of art did your submit to in 2017 to take First Place in Portfolio Showcase, Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators Brazos Valley Conference?
The portfolio showcase was judged based on our whole portfolios. Most of the pieces I had in mine are still up on my website at http://www.mirkah.com/illustration
Mini Bird – wood engraving – 2″ x 2″, 5x5cm
Would you be open to illustrating a book for an author who wants to self-publish?
I am open to working with self-publishing authors if they are aware of industry standards. I can not afford to work for free, but if you have a reasonable budget, feel free to contact me. I have illustrated and designed a full picture book in 2012, and am currently working on a cover design for another self-publishing author for a sci-fi fantasy book coming out fairly soon.
I read on your SCBWI bio that you teach. What do you teach?
Most recently, I have only taught printmaking. It is my passion, and I love sharing that with anyone who will listen (just ask my students!). I’ve taught drawing and art history before, but with time being a precious resource, I’ve narrowed things down to just printmaking.
Have you done any illustrating for children’s magazines?
I have not, but would love to.
Have you tried to illustrate a wordless picture book?
Most of my ideas and dummies start out wordless, and then if needed the words come after. I haven’t done a proper wordless picture book yet, but think it would be so much fun.
What is your favorite medium to use?
I love printmaking, and need to make time to make some prints into my illustration portfolio. Printmaking is very labor intensive, compared to watercolors or digital, and it takes weeks of work to finish a piece for a portfolio, whereas I can finish a watercolor or digital illustration within days after I start. After printmaking, I enjoy combining watercolor/gouache with digital.
Has that changed over time?
Since I set my foot in a printmaking studio, its been my favorite medium. I can’t explain it. It just clicked.
Do you have a studio set up in your home?
Yes, I stay at home with our two kids, and to be able to get any work done, I have to be able to work from home.
What is the one thing in your studio that you could not live without?
My Morgan Line-O-Scribe printing press. It would be the one thing I would be dragging out in case of a fire.
Do you try to spend a specific amount of time working on your craft?
I can only do my best with two kids (ages 4 and 6) at home most of the days. (They do go to part time day care and my oldest is just starting kindergarten.) I would love to get a chance to work in the studio daily, and I almost always do for my sanity, but life with kids and moving gets messy.
Do you take pictures or do any types of research before you start a project?
The depth of research depends on the project. For many prints I have an idea and then find photos online to support it. If its for a story, then I research comparable titles, other illustrators who have done those types of characters, or style that I think would fit the project the best. I never copy another illustrators style, but I often borrow bits and pieces to give it the mood I want. I watch movies, videos and my own children for ideas for movement, expressions and posing. And of course, we should never forget Pinterest, where I usually make a board for each project and other ones for general inspiration.
Do you think the Internet has opened doors for you?
Yes, I certainly do. I have taken lots of classes online, which I would have never been able to attend in person. My agent found me on Twitter, and other clients have found me on social media as well. A good chunk of my print sales are also through internet interactions.
Do you use Photoshop or Painter with your illustrations?
I use Photoshop CS5
Do you own or have you used a Graphic Drawing Tablet in your illustrating?
I just recently upgraded to a Wacom Cintiq 22HD. Its an older model of graphics tablet, but I like working on it.
Do you have any career dreams that you want to fulfill?
A big one is winning a Caldecott. It’s a bit of a lofty dream, I know, but it’s fun to dream. In the mean time, I can’t wait to illustrate a whole book in prints.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on a cover design for a self-publishing author, and just submitted a dummy for my agent. The dummy needs finished illustrations before we submit it to editors. We are also in the middle of our tri-yearly move, so juggling kids, moving, and illustration is quite the challenge for a few more weeks.
Do you have any material type tips you can share with us? Example: Paint or paper that you love – the best place to buy – a new product that you’ve tried – A how to tip, etc.
Whenever you can, go for the better quality supplies, whether it be the graphics tablet, watercolors or paper. But, better quality doesn’t always have to be more expensive. I started out with a tiny Wacom bamboo pad, and have been upgrading it slowly for 10 years to what I have now. It’s ok to buy secondhand, most of my Wacom products came from EBay, I’ve also bought paints there and saved a bunch compared to art store prices. I love paper, good quality and the right type of paper makes a huge difference in the final product. The internet is a great place to start researching, to narrow down choices on any art supply, and then you just have to go and buy some to see what works the best for you (maybe not the graphics tablets, but paper and paints). I use Stonehenge and Mohawk for a lot of my printmaking, they are very affordable papers, and Legion now makes a Stonehenge watercolor paper that is very nice. Before that I liked Arches watercolor papers the best.
Any words of wisdom on how to become a successful writer or illustrator?
I feel that I still have a lot of growing to do myself. The thing in any kind of creative industry is that you have to have the passion to do it, otherwise it will wear you out very quickly. Unless you have lots of resources, you also need to be willing to learn how to be a small business owner and take responsibility for yourself to be successful. I pay some one to finish my taxes, but I do everything else myself (accounting, quarterly sales taxes, contracts, advertising, social media, website management, online store management, organizing exhibitions, framing, photography, mailing list management, gallery contacts – the list is endless). It’s a lot to handle, aside from just dreaming up new work in my studio. But if you keep a positive go-get-’em mindset you can get through anything.
Thank you Mirka for sharing your talent, process, journey, and expertise with us. Please make sure you keep in touch and share your future successes with us. To see more of Mirka’s work, you can visit her at her website: www.mirkah.com/
If you have a minute, please leave a comment for Mirka. I am sure she’d love it and I enjoy reading them, too. Thanks!
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Mirka Hokkanen: Linocuts and Letterpress
Posted on September 15, 2016 by Cathy
As a full-time mom and part-time printer, naturalist Mirka Hokkanen exemplifies the can-do printing spirit. The fine arts printer has enjoyed the challenges and joys that also come with relocation as her wonderful husband is active in the Army. The results are astounding and show the love she has for the printing tradition as seen in her beautifully detailed nature-themed linocuts and letterpress print work. We sat down with Mirka to talk shop, what it’s like to catch up with letterpress after all these years, and of course her upcoming wood engraving teaching position in Finland next summer.
Mirka Hokkanen of Texas prints beautiful letterpress and linocut fine art prints.
THE TRAVELED PRINTER I’m a printmaker, mom, army wife, Finn, and an animal and nature lover. I was born and raised in Finland and came to the US after high school to go to college as an international student. I took a printmaking class my first semester and have been printing ever since. After my MFA, I got married to an Army guy, and we have been traveling the US (and Europe) since. Our family now consists of my husband and I, two kids, a doggie and fish.
The kids are finally old enough to be at a part time day care, and I am starting to work in the studio more efficiently. I feel like there is so much work to catch up with after being a full(er) time mom for several years. We love spending time outside (as much as the Texas heat will let us). The kids are just as interested in exploring nature as I am.
Mirka Hokkanen of Texas prints beautiful letterpress and linocut fine art prints.
FOR THE LOVE OF LETTERPRESS There were some awesome letterpresses at the University of Dallas, where I got my MFA from. No one knew how to use them, so for my graduate work, I set some type on my own, and did embossing for a book project I had. The experiment was fun, and as a printmaker, I love all presses, no matter how they print. The seeds of letterpress were sown and I went on my way with etchings. Fast forward about six years, and several state-to-state moves. I was trying to look for a medium that was easier to move than etching equipment, but something I could get high detail in. I exposed polymer plates at home for intaglio, and was getting into color reduction linocuts. Letterpress drew me in, because of the ease of registering multiple plates. I proceeded to drive an hour and a half to take letterpress classes at SVC in Seattle and met Carl Montford who then taught and got me involved with wood engraving.
Mirka Hokkanen prints beautifully detailed linocut prints.
PRESS HISTORY My very first press was a blue Dick Blick etching press. I used it quite a lot, but when I started getting into letterpress, I first got a tiny Sigwalt from eBay for almost nothing (because it was in horrible shape). Obviously that did not take me too far after fixing it up (I don’t think I ever printed anything with it) and within a couple years, my studio had an assortment of about 5 letterpresses in all shapes and sizes.
Mirka Hokkanen prints on a Vandercook beautiful nature-themed linocut prints.
PRINTER ON THE MOVE Wherever we move, we do our best to get a house with enough room to have a studio in it. That way I can be at home and pop to work in the studio as much as possible. Compared to most other printers, my shop needs to pick up and move every three years, which limits the amount of things I can accumulate. I barely have any type for that reason or huge presses, and use polymer plates or carve linoleum if I need text in my work. My current studio is tiny, I can’t teach classes in it, but the best part about it is that it is right here, and I can go in there whenever I have a spare moment.
If I had to pick one thing to save in case of a fire, I’d grab my Morgan Lin-o-scribe press. I think everything else I could bare to part with or could replace. It’s like a loyal old dog: he follows me around everywhere we move, is a little shaggy and rough around the edges, waits for me patiently when I can’t get to printing for months, and makes a great impression whenever I need to get work done quickly.
Mirka Hokkanen prints on a Vandercook beautiful nature-themed linocut prints.
THE PRINTER AND DESIGNER I’ve always considered myself a printmaker, but recently I’ve been becoming more of a proper business owner too. I come from a fine art background, so I’ve always done everything from designing the images, and carving the plates, to hands-on printing and then photographing and marketing to sell the finished product and sending them off to their new homes.
THE CREATIVE PROCESS I usually have a mix of ideas in my head for new prints. I think it kind of looks like alphabet soup in there. Over time, I might sketch things on paper and let them marinate some more. Sometimes things will mull for over a year before the time is right to start working on them. When I finally have the finished idea of what I want to do, the execution goes pretty fast.
I often don’t sketch things too much. Many times it’s just one drawing that I might work over and over, which gets transferred onto a block and then carved. It’s fairly mechanical after the idea is complete. For multiple plate blocks, with several colors, I might do thumbnail sketches with watercolors, or scan my drawing and play with color options in Photoshop.
Cutting and printing with linocuts by fine arts printmaker Mirka Hokkannen.
PART TIME PRINTING, FULLTIME FUN I’d say I work as an art business as close to full time as I get from the kids. I’ve done my fair share of odd jobs over the years, from adjunct teaching, to volunteering and then staying at home with kids. With the moving, my studio is the only thing that travels with me and that I can work on consistently. My dream one day is to make prints full time and have an assistant who would do some of the business end of things. It won’t be until after we settle down one day, though. It’s fun to dream in the meantime, though.
Mirka Hokkanen prints beautifully detailed linocut prints. "Mr. Carpey".
PRINTING FEATS I’m proud that I’m still printing with passion after all these years. I have more confidence than ever in my work, and have figured out how to challenge myself and grow without the consistent support of a local artist/printer/gallery community that many others have. My friends live far and wide, and the peer community who I rely on offers support through emails, phone calls, and social media groups.
On the flip-side; picking up every three years, has forced me (a sworn introvert) to become super fast at networking every time we land in a new town.
BOXCAR’S ROLE I’ve been ordering unexposed plates from Boxcar for about 5 years now, and the service has always been flawless. I’ve even ordered a couple ready made plates, when I wanted something to turn out perfect or needed lots of detail that I didn’t want to risk exposing myself. I have some ideas for prints with larger plates, that I care not to carve as engravings, and Boxcar will be my go-to plate source at that point.
PRINTING TIPS I usually print linocuts and engravings, which in some ways is different than type. I’ve got a lot of tricks up my sleeve to get things to print right. First, I almost always prefer to ink by hand, which gives me more leverage on ink coverage, and how the paper lays on the plate while printing.
In this video, you can see I use pieces of foam on big prints to keep paper off the plate until the press rolls over it. It keeps the ink from making stretch marks in solid areas. If you use a different system, like a Vandercook or an iron hand press where the paper meets the plate differently, this wouldn’t make a difference.
Really, the biggest advice I can share is: have lots of patience and have a group of people who you can call on for advice. The best way to learn is just to do lots of it. You will have a different problem with each edition to solve, so you become really smart by the time you’re a seasoned printer. LOL! I try to keep up with a blog of tips and tricks. It’s a record for myself to remember the things I’ve done with editions and hope it’s something for students to reference also. You can find it here!
Mirka Hokkanen prints on a Vandercook beautiful nature-themed linocut prints.
WHAT’S NEXT At this point it looks like we will be moving overseas in the middle of 2017. Packing and unpacking will take up most of the year, so I am working really hard to build up a mailing list now, and release a collection of prints in March-April before we pack up. Join the mailing list here!
Secondly, I am also really excited to be teaching a wood engraving beginners class in Finland next summer. The technique is all but died out there, so I hope to invigorate and inject some enthusiasm about engraving into graphic artists there.
A big round of thanks out to Mirka for letting us get a sneak peak at her beautiful printing world!
Vivian Kirkfield, author
Mirka Hokkanen, illustrator
Pomegranate Communications, Inc.
19018 NE Portal Way, Portland, OR 97230
www.pomegranate.com
9780764984358, $17.95, HC, 32pp, www.amazon.com
Water wakes. Wildlife greets the day and finds shelter, safety, and fun on the river in this lyrical, ecologically oriented counting book. One willow flycatcher, two dragonflies, three kit foxes, and more thrive in their habitat. As kids count, the day turns from dawn to dusk, and the character of the water changes as quickly as a child's moods. Animals sing, leap, tiptoe, toboggan, hoot, hunt, flit, flutter, and hover. They ride out a storm, bask in waning rays, and tuck in under the silver moon. Filled with modern wood engravings by Mirka Hokkanen, "Four Otters Toboggan" author Vivian Kirkfield celebrates wild beauty, encouraging children ages 5-8 to preserve and cherish our planet. After the story is finished, children can read more about each species in the back of the book, conservation efforts, what causes animals to become endangered, and what people can do to protect wild habitats. As informative as it is entertaining, "Four Otters Toboggan" is unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, and community library Pets/Wildlife picture book collections.
Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
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"Four Otters Toboggan." Children's Bookwatch, Aug. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A600038762/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=41298fc8. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.
Hokkanen, Mirka MOSSY AND TWEED Holiday House (Children's None) $14.99 1, 10 ISBN: 978-0-8234-5234-7
"Jumping Jitterbugs!" This is not the way to open a coconut!
This graphic novel opens with a map of Gnome Woods, orienting readers on the journey and struggles of two tiny bickering gnomes: Mossy (light-skinned, in a red slouch hat) and Tweed (light-skinned, slightly taller, and in a pointy red hat). When a wayward coconut rolls into their garden, the gnomes notice an attached tag with an image of a seashore and mistakenly conclude that a beach is somehow trapped inside. Although the tag has simple and clear instructions on how to open a coconut, Mossy and Tweed are sure that their methods are better. Their plans are clever, but the results are disastrous and hilarious, with the tone of Saturday morning cartoons. A malfunctioning catapult sends Tweed flying. Helpful, blue- and purple-skinned pixies supply dynamite to blast the coconut open, but that doesn't do the job. The frustrated gnomes scuffle and, in the process, manage to solve the problem that has been plaguing them. The text within the speech bubbles is brief, and though the vocabulary is simple, the dialogue is delightfully dramatic. Colorful and detailed cartoon illustrations capture the comedy well and will keep beginning readers turning the pages.
Readers will giggle at these beleaguered gnomes' misguided attempts at achieving their goal. (Graphic novel. 5-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Hokkanen, Mirka: MOSSY AND TWEED." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Nov. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A724445621/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=18b0bd2f. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.
HOKKANEN, Mirka. Mossy and Tweed: Double Trouble. illus. by Mirka Hokkanen. 40p. (I Like to Read Comics). Holiday House. Nov. 2023. Tr $14.99. ISBN 9780823452354.
K-Gr 2--A joyful tale of friendship, support, and hidden talents. In the enchanted land of Gnome Woods live elf best friends Mossy and Tweed. A single-horned goat called Wise Old Unicorn is a beloved member of the forest. One day, a baby bird falls in the lake and before anyone can react, a real unicorn arrives and saves the chick, leaving poor Wise Old Unicorn feeling very dejected and useless. Nothing Tweed and Mossy say seem to help him feel any better. One day, the real unicorn decides to eat the berries off a brambly bush and they soon find themselves trapped in the brambles. Mossy and Tweed see an opportunity to help both of their friends and call on the goat to use his super unique abilities to free the unicorn and save the day. Spread-length illustrations, humorous details, and easily followed action make this a selection for young fantasy readers. VERDICT A good choice where fantasy elements are popular. Pair this with Sarah's Unicom by Bruce Coville.--Elisabeth LeBris
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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LeBris, Elisabeth. "HOKKANEN, Mirka. Mossy and Tweed: Double Trouble." School Library Journal, vol. 69, no. 12, Dec. 2023, pp. 86+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A779118683/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1c48999c. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.
Hokkanen, Mirka KITTY AND CAT Candlewick (Children's None) $18.99 4, 4 ISBN: 978-1-5362-2367-5
Sometimes it takes a little while for opposites to attract.
Using just a word or two per page, Hokkanen tells a story of burgeoning friendship. An "old" black cat (with a white circle around one eye) is snoozing unsuspecting when the family introduces a "new" white kitten (with a black circle around one eye). The old cat is understandably "grumpy," while the new kitten is quite "happy" to have giant cat furniture to explore. The kitten is, of course, "energetic"; the cat is "exhausted" just watching the little one's antics. The troubles ramp up when the cat is "asleep" and the kitten is "awake." The kitten chomps on cat's fluffy tail. Cat retaliates, pushing kitten out through the cat door. The cat is "inside," while the kitten is "outside" (in the rain). Finally, the cat brings the "wet" kitten in to lick it "dry." Relations still take a while to thaw, but they bond over dinner. Unfortunately, the cats' owners aren't done introducing new family members. The concise text, made up entirely of opposite words, is effective, while the digitally created illustrations of the protagonists will make cat lovers smile; together, text and art convey a simple story of the developing relationship between the new fur-siblings. Human faces aren't portrayed; readers see only a pair of light-skinned arms. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Brevity is the soul of wit in this endearing tale of two kitties. (Picture book. 2-5)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Hokkanen, Mirka: KITTY AND CAT." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A733021373/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b46bc6dc. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.
Mossy and Tweed: Crazy for Coconuts. By Mirka Hokkanen. Art by the author. 2023. 40p. Holiday, $14.99 (9780823452347); e-book, $8.99 (9780823455225). Gr. 1-3. 741.5.
Mossy and Tweed are two gnomes living in an enchanted wood. These two friends don't always see eye to eye, but when a random coconut from the human world lands on top of Tweed, they agree to check it out. There's a photo of a scenic beach attached to the coconut, so they presume that's what the coconut contains, and they set out to open it. Mossy spots some instructions, but Tweed is determined to do things his way and carries on despite his friend's protests. With escalating comedy--a giant hammer, a slingshot, and dynamite--Tweed's over-the-top plans lead to them finally cracking open the coconut, but will they find their desired beach vacation inside? Hokkanen packs lots of silly, Looney Tunes-style slapstick into this slim early reader comic, and the bright, cartoonish art style is a perfect match for the comedy. The fantasy setting is charming and will appeal to kids moving between independent picture- and chapter-book reading.--Jonathan Khan
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 American Library Association
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Khan, Jonathan. "Mossy and Tweed: Crazy for Coconuts." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 11, 1 Feb. 2023, p. 43. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A737695981/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=443ee092. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.
Kitty and Cat: Opposites Attract
Mirka Hokkanen. Candlewick, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5362-2367-5
Two cats prove a study in contrasts in this humorous look at opposites from Hokkanen (Mossy and Tweed: Crazy for Coconuts). As Cat lounges on the windowsill, a pale-skinned human is seen heading toward the house holding a pet carrier. "Old" Cat's life is forever changed when a pair of human hands gently places tiny, bright-eyed "new" Kitty nearby. The ensuing pages visually depict the two pets' dance of getting to know one another as told in pairs of words with contradictory meanings. Cat, who sports black fur with a white patch around one eye, scowls and stuffs itself into a cardboard box on a page labeled "grumpy," as white Kitty, shown with a black patch of fur around the other eye, joyfully explores the levels of a colorful cat tree under the word "happy." The claws really come out when Cat is seen yowling and hair-raisingly jumping "up" as Kitty mischievously bites "down" on Cat's tail. After a dramatic chase sequence, the duo finds their way to an understanding--and a cozy, cuddling ftiendship. But a cheeky final illusttation hints that quiet on the home front may not last. Digitally rendered feline figures pounce and play across ample white space, interacting with cat toys, yarn balls, and a goldfish bowl in various splashes of color, creating a lively, feline-forward concept lesson. Ages 2-5. Agent: Laurel Symonds. Bent Agency. (Apr.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
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"Kitty and Cat: Opposites Attract." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 8, 20 Feb. 2023, p. 190. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A739490586/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=aaee1d38. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.
Hokkanen, Mirka BENT OUT OF SHAPE Candlewick (Children's None) $18.99 11, 14 ISBN: 9781536223682
A stinky cat hides when it's time for a bath.
As in Kitty & Cat: Opposites Attract (2023), the animal adventures start on the copyright page. Spotlight illustrations show a disgruntled Cat, food bowl empty, scrounging for food in a garbage can and a flowerpot. Black fur now marred by brown filth, Cat enjoys a nap, but the feline's peace is broken by the human announcing: "Cat! Time for a bath!" The rest of the story sees Cat hilariously contorting into various shapes--as cats are so talented at doing--to hide behind household objects, while little Kitty and Puppy aid in the search. On each spread, readers see a room while the human asks, "Where's Cat?" With each page turn, Cat's hiding place is disturbed with a, "There's Cat!" The book allows young readers to deduce the clear patterns themselves--the shapes Cat takes are forecasted in the front endpapers. A pair of flies accompany the filthy, fragrant Cat from room to room, helpfully narrowing down possible hiding spaces. Finally, the human finds Cat, leading to the feline's two most hilarious expressions in the book--cartoonish horror upon discovery and pure, unadulterated grumpiness in the bath. The ending combines the adorable with the humorous as the tables turn for Kitty and Puppy.
Clever, cute, and child-friendly, with excellent use of book design. (Picture book. 2-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Hokkanen, Mirka: BENT OUT OF SHAPE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Oct. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A766904071/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0311282a. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.
HOKKANEN, Mirka. Little Seasons: Spring Seeds. illus. by Mirka Hokkanen. 40p. (Little Seasons). Odd Dot. Feb. 2024. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781250885609.
PreS-Gr 2--A "yummy rainbow" of fruits and vegetables is presented in this cheerful rendering of the plant cycle. From small seeds like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower to big ones like peach and avocado, the wide-eyed seeds are shown slurping water through straws underground and measuring their shoots and leaves on a ruler, while equally appealing fully grown fruits and vegetables hang out with friends and family. Brightly colored illustrations of potatoes and turnips growing underground, pumpkins and squash growing above ground, and beans and peas growing on vines are all included; familiar tree fruits such as apples and oranges, however, are only shown in group pictures. Funny asides like "Sometimes you eat the seeds instead of planting them" produces a cry of "Whaaaat!?! You've got to be kidding me!" from a group of seeds jumping rope together. Approximately one-third of the book is educational back matter and activities to be done with a caregiver's help, including a seed cycle diagram, instructions on planting seeds, a taste test, sorting and math activities, ways to explore the outdoors, seed art and music, and a removable memory game. There are some similarities between this book and Jory John's The Bad Seed, in particular the illustration of the sunflower seed, which is almost exactly the same. While anthropomorphizing the seeds is part of the illustrator's style, the similarities are too strong not to notice, and readers who have read both books will almost certainly see the resemblance. VERDICT An imaginative book about plant life for younger readers.--Sue Morgan
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
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Morgan, Sue. "HOKKANEN, Mirka. Little Seasons: Spring Seeds." School Library Journal, vol. 70, no. 1, Jan. 2024, p. 51. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A778646542/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b2353a65. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.