Welcome to the first KidLit Connection interview of 2024! I’m so pleased to have been able to talk with Julia Mills, an illustrator and author of picture books with fun animal protagonists, a warm heart, and a touch of whimsy. Julia’s debut picture book I AM STUCK, published by Clarion Books, came out in September of 2023. This adorable story about a turtle who is stuck on their back shows readers and their grown-ups how a friend can help in a difficult situation just by being there for them.
Julia’s illustrations are playful and colorful with a soft simplicity perfect for storytelling. She loves creating books with animals characters because of the joy she finds from researching more about each critter. When she’s not writing and illustrating books for kids, Julia is a school art teacher, mom, and knitter. She lives with her family near the shores of New Jersey.
An Interview with Julia Mills
We’d love to know more about you and your work as a creator of books for kids. What inspires you and what do you love about writing and illustrating picture books?
I think my biggest inspiration is that I vividly remember what it is like to be a kid. I remember the magic of playing with toys all day. I remember the joy of painting whatever I wanted to paint just because painting is fun.
How did you get your start creating picture books? We’d love to know more about your path to being a published author and illustrator.
I wanted to be an illustrator and an art teacher when I was four years old. I ended up studying illustration in college but soon thereafter veered down the path of fine art. I studied in a atelier and then got an MFA in visual art. After all that school I realized that illustration was what I really wanted to do. By that point I had two small children so I was reading a lot of picture books. I took a workshop at the Highlights Foundation which really opened my eyes up to the publishing industry. From there I joined SCBWI and started building my portfolio and making connections with other illustrators. I was simultaneously going back to school to become a certified art teacher! In 2020 I realized that if I wanted something to illustrate I should write it. I AM STUCK was my second dummy, and when I finished it I knew it was the one that would get published. I pitched it during a Twitter event which is how I ended up working with my agent, Rebecca Sherman. She sold I AM STUCK to Clarion and it was published in September of 2023. I’m now working on my second book for Clarion which is set to be released in Winter of ’25.
Your debut picture book, I AM STUCK (Clarion Books), is an adorable story about a turtle who gets stuck on their back and the variety of critters they meet along the way (some more helpful than others). Can you tell us more about this story and how it came to be?
This story actually started with Tara Lazar’s Storystorm! This is an event where you try to brainstorm an idea for a picture book every day in January. Well I got to the last day and I couldn’t come up with anything. So I wrote “stuck” on the page. In the letter “u” I saw …TURTLE! I immediately started writing (and checking to make sure that book didn’t already exist). I knew that I wanted to explore how hard it is to feel stuck. This was winter of 2021, and at that time many of us were feeling stuck. I wanted to create a story that honored that feeling but also opened the door to getting “unstuck”.
What was your favorite part about working on I AM STUCK? And what was something you found challenging during this project?
My favorite part about working on I AM STUCK was experimenting with techniques to make Turtle’s shell. I knew I wanted a simple design but I also wanted to echo turtle shells in nature. I ended up layers dark green over bright yellow paint and then sprinkling it with coarse salt. I probably painted that shell 15 times to get it just right! I still love the combination of randomness and structure. The most challenging part of this book was probably the page where Turtle almost rolls over. I actually did this page first because I knew if I could draw him perfectly 18 times I would be set for the rest of the book! I ended up drawing it like animation, layering paper over each previous layer. I also had a model of Turtle I made with air dry clay to help me visualize how his body would move. I’m really proud of that spread.
You seem to really love animals! Can you talk more about your connection to animals and nature in your work?
I never set out to be an author who wrote about animals, but here I am! I like using elements of how animals act into the personalities of my characters. I knew that I AM STUCK would feature a turtle, but when it came to the secondary character I pretty quickly settled on a possum. I think possums are really cute but a lot of people don’t like them. So I wanted some good press for possums! Right now I’m working on a book that features a raccoon. I guess I better write one about a skunk to complete the “trash panda” trifecta! Growing up my Mom always told me a lot about the natural world. I learned about names of plants, behaviors of bugs and how to spot birds from a very young age. I hope that the children who read my books become curious about the animals and seek out more knowledge about the natural world.
Shop talk time! We’d love to hear more about how you work. Can you share more about your creative process and tools?
The best way I could describe my work is traditional materials with digital collage. I like to use lots of different materials but mainly I use black colored pencil and watercolor. After I create my watercolors I scan them and put them in Photoshop. From there I clean the watercolors (remove the paper usually) and add other elements like digital drawing, layers of pastel or even children’s paint sticks! I tend to choose my materials based on the story. I AM STUCK has a very simple, graphic look because I wanted Turtle to really pop on the page. My next book has more natural elements, including a lot of grass that I’m creating by layering watercolor, colored pencil and digital drawing.
What other types of work have you done that relate to your work as an artist and author?
To start off I’m an elementary art teacher. I get a lot of art inspiration by playing with different art materials that I present to my students. I also get writing inspiration from my interactions with my students. Being a teacher reminds me that kids are the reason I write. I want to write books that they will be excited to read. Prior to being a teacher I created a lot of “traditional” art like landscape and portrait paintings. While I enjoyed working on my skills, that kind of art never brought me the joy that illustration brings me. To me there is no higher art compliment than a child telling me they love my book.
What is your biggest dream for your work as a children’s book creator?
Honestly I just want to keep making books and reading them to kids. I absolutely love school visits and hope to do more of them. I just hope to keep creating stories that make kids laugh and make them think.
What is something you’d like to share with your readers?
I think honoring your creativity can be so hard. We often feel like we need to do BIG things to be artists and creators. But sometimes being creative means scribbling on a sticky note. Sometimes it means letting yourself write or draw something terrible. So dear readers, if you feel like the mountains are too big to climb, don’t be afraid to study some pebbles. Who knows where they might lead you?
Learn More About Julia Mills
To learn more about Julia Mills, her art, books, and latest projects, be sure to check out her website and follow her on social media:
Visit Julia’s book page on her website to find out more about how to order your own copy of I AM STUCK!
Julia is represented for children’s books by Rebecca Sherman at Writers House.
Are you a published or soon-to-be published illustrator or author/illustrator who loves creating books about nature, animals, the environment, or mindfulness? I’d love to chat with you for a KidLit Connection interview! Send me a message.
Great interview! Thank you for sharing. Loved hearing about Julia’s process!
Thanks for checking it out! Isn’t Julia’s work great? I love hearing about other artists’ processes too. It’s so interesting to hear how everyone works differently.