Welcome to the first in a series of interviews with fellow kidlit illustrators and author/illustrators! Catarina Oliveira, a children’s book illustrator living in Vancouver graciously volunteered to be the first artist in this series. I so appreciate her sharing her time and expertise with us.
Catarina is an illustrator who was born and raised in Portugal, but moved to Canada in 2016. She started her career in graphic design and worked for ten years before switching to her true passion—sharing visual stories with children and their grown-ups through illustration. Her playful style is colorful and brings joy to the stories she illustrates. She has created illustrations for multiple books and children’s magazines.
The latest book Catarina illustrated is a non-fiction picture book called Small but Mighty: Why Earth’s Tiny Creatures Matter, written by Kendra Brown and published by OwlKids Books. This beautifully illustrated book shows kids how even small creatures can make a huge impact on the environment and earth’s ecosystems. Catarina even created some free-to-download activity pages that go with the book!
Aside from art for kids, Catarina is also passionate about helping animals and being outdoors. When she’s not drawing, she loves cooking and going for hikes in the woods.
Catarina’s Interview
First, let’s talk a bit about you as an artist. Could you tell us more about what inspires you and what you love about being an illustrator?
This will sound like a cliche, but I get inspired by the little things that happen throughout the day and life that have nothing to do with illustration. For example, a walk at the park or a visit to a museum are things that inspire me.
Being an illustrator is to tell stories with images; I love the infinite possibilities.
How would you describe your illustrations and the type of work you do?
Most of my work is directed at kids, and it’s mostly about exploration through the kids’ eyes, so I would describe it as humorous and playful.
How did you first get into children’s book illustration? What made you want to pursue this type of art?
I loved reading them as an adult and admired the art so much that I wanted to create books equally beautiful. However, I slowly realized that the beauty in picture books lies in the fact that they help children and can change their lives.
Let’s talk about the latest book you illustrated, SMALL BUT MIGHTY, written by Kendra Brown. This book talks a lot about real-life animals and their habitats. How much research went into illustrating this book and what was that experience like?
A lot of research went into this book. Fortunately, my editor sent me some of the author’s research links and images to add to my research, which helped me make sure I was researching the right animal. I looked at a lot of photos and videos; some were gross! The experience is very much attached to the fact that it was the start of the pandemic, and I was going through a lot personally, so it felt bitter-sweet.
How is illustrating a nonfiction picture book different from illustrating a fiction picture book? Tell us a bit about how your processes vary from book-to-book.
There were two main differences. First, I had to be as accurate as possible because it’s nonfiction. In this particular case, I had one page per animal where I had the freedom to portray it in a funny cartoony way, with different colours even. Second, I had to tell an entire story on that page with just one page, instead of a fiction picture book where the narrative develops through the spreads.
My process itself doesn’t change much from book to book. I start with organizing my schedule and reading the manuscript, then I draw a very basic storyboard, do research and sketching, thumbnails, drawings and colour.
What was your favorite part about illustrating SMALL BUT MIGHTY?
Yes I love drawing animals but I enjoyed creating backgrounds in this book, I took some photos during some walks in the woods for inspiration and had fun adding some details to the simple compositions in this book.
You obviously enjoy drawing animals. But, what is your favorite animal to draw and why?
I don’t know! Insects are fun, dogs are fun… I need to think about this question.
What is something you’d like to tell aspiring picture book illustrators?
Draw things you like and draw a lot! Reading is essential, as well as participating in the kid-lit community.
See More from Catarina Oliveira
You can check out more of Catarina’s work online on her website and on social media. Check out the links below and be sure to follow her to keep up-to-date with the latest work!
Are you a published or soon-to-be published children’s illustrator or author/illustrator who’s interested in being interviewed as part of the KidLit Connection series? If your work has a focus on nature, the environment, animals, or mindfulness, I’d love to chat with you! You can get in touch with me using the contact form on my site.