Q. How did you get involved in the Jose Feeds the World Book
I had previously worked with Sourcebooks publishing house
illustrating picture book biographies like “Shark Lady” and “The Girl Who Heard
the Music”. So I guess they thought I was perfect for this new project, and I
am Spanish like José Andres, which was an added plus.
I was very excited to illustrate this nice story, and it was
a little challenging for me, too, because I had never painted scenes of natural
disasters or war scenes. I didn't want the book to be too dramatic or sad; I
wanted to highlight more the feeling of hope and help from José Andres and
World Central Kitchen.
Q. Tell me a little about your background and previous work.
I was born in Vilagarcía, a small town surrounded by
countryside and sea in northern Spain. As a child, I enjoyed nature and
animals. I liked to create my own stories and draw a lot, but I did not study
fine arts when I grew up. Instead, I graduated in Psychology in 2001. In 2002,
I wrote and illustrated my first Picture book titled "¡Cómo está o galiñeiro!” (means like
crazy chickens), and a small Galician publishing house published it. Since then
I’ve been illustrating books for Spanish publishers and for publishers mainly
in the US and UK, although many of my books have already been translated into
many languages such as Chinese, Swedish or Japanese. My best-known books are
"Shark Lady", "Dinosaur Lady" and "What is poo? Very
first questions and Answers" which is part of a very popular children's
book series in the UK and abroad.
Q. Have you always worked digitally for the book Jose Feeds
the World?
Most of it, yes. I usually make the sketches with pencil and
paper, then scan them and finish the final art in photoshop or other painting
software. I always try to make digital art similar to other, more traditional
media. It's much easier to change digital art because it's all organized into
multiple layers.
Q How, if at all, has AI impacted your work
Well, I hope it has not had too much of an impact for the
moment in the sense that AI ends up replacing us and leaving illustrators out
of work. Making a book is much more complex for an AI than making a single
image. There is a repeated character, and there must be very good consistency
in all the illustrations. You start to notice a lot when an image is made by AI.
When you look closely, you see that there are many strange, incomprehensible or
unfinished details. It is possible to speed up some tasks, AI is a powerful
tool in many fields. I know that some illustrators use it to get inspiration in
the sketching phase, not as final art, but it doesn't appeal to me at all. My
style is very personal.
Q Central Kitchen is currently working in Gaza. The Israeli
military blatantly killed some
of its members. Could you comment on that situation?
I think it was something terrible. In general, I believe
that what Israel is doing in Gaza is disproportionate and horrible. Spain will
recognize the Palestinian state on May 28. I want them to agree and stop this
war soon, but I imagine it won't be easy.
Q the book has received much praise and publicity. Have you
been involved in any of the publicity?
No, but I would have liked to. Since I live in Spain, I
don't know much about what's going on there, but I try to keep up to date on
social media, and I'm very happy to see that the book is recommended. I also
like to be in contact with the writer, David Unger, and see his book
presentations in bookstores or libraries. It's great!
Q: What projects or books are you working on now?
I am working on a series of books that unite science and
faith. The first book has already been published: "God's Little Astronomer",
and now I am finishing the second: "God's little oceanographer.”
