Learn from Jan Brett's picture-perfect career

BY EDIE GROSS

Jan Brett was bird-watching in Namibia when she stumbled across the inspiration for her next children's book: rock dassies.

The furry creatures, which live in stone houses, resemble earless rabbits or badgers.

But what Brett saw in their chubby little faces was a new way to tell the story of "The Three Little Pigs."

An illustrator and author for the last 30 years, Brett travels frequently, and her encounters with local wildlife almost always spark a colorful tale.

Woodland creatures in the Ukraine, honey badgers in Botswana, hens in China, polar bears in the Canadian Arctic and hedgehogs--and even trolls--in Scandinavia star in her more than two dozen children's books.

A PERSONAL LINK TO REGION

She'll talk a little about her adventures, sign books and even give kids a drawing lesson next Tuesday at Jabberwocky Children's Books in Fredericksburg.

Though the city isn't as exotic as some of her destinations--she's headed for Iceland in December for troll research--Brett, 59, said she's thrilled to spend some time downtown.

"It's a beautiful little town," said Brett, whose daughter, a Marine, lives in Stafford.

The stop is the sixth on a 14-city book tour marking the 20th anniversary of Brett's book, "The Mitten." An anniversary edition of the Ukrainian folk tale is now on shelves. It can also be found in the newly released "Jan Brett's Snowy Treasury," which includes three other winter tales.

Brett said she loves to chat with her young fans, and she hopes her drawings inspire other would-be artists.

"I'm hoping their minds are going to be saying, 'I can do that. I can do better than that,'" she said.

'THE PERFECT AUDIENCE'

Brett grew up on Eloise, Beatrix Potter tales and Little Golden Books.

When her kindergarten teacher asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she didn't hesitate: a children's book illustrator.

The oldest of three girls, Brett was steadfast in that pursuit, studying art for two years at junior college and a year at The Museum School in Boston.

Her first jobs included painting pictures on menus and ladies' purses, sketching portraits of people's homes and boats, and creating images for textbooks--"anything I could do that was art," she said.

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Children's author and illustrator Jan Brett will host a book-signing and a Q&A for kids at Jabberwocky Children's Books, 810 Caroline St., from 5 to 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

Here is some of her advice for budding young illustrators.

Don't try to draw like someone else. Your style is as unique as your fingerprint.

You don't need expensive materials. Some colored pencils and a pad of paper will do.

Some "mistakes" aren't really mistakes and can even end up improving your drawing.

"Some of my best drawings come because I made a mistake. You solve little problems here and there, and all of a sudden, what you're doing is creating something unique."

It takes time to create a piece of art. Brett spends about a year on each book, or as she tells kids, she completes "an inch an hour."

Readers often ask her, "How do you know when to stop drawing?"

"I feel like when I can walk into the page, then it's done. You have kind of an inner voice that tells you that."

Read more stories about Fredericksburg
Date published: 11/3/2009

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