Meet illustrator Annie Cron … and sign up for a GIVEAWAY

One of my absolute favorite parts of creating picture books is discovering which illustrator will be working on a manuscript I’ve written. No matter who it is, I’m guaranteed to have one more creative, talented person in my mental Rolodex.

I recently got to know Annie Cron, who illustrated One Can Be, a picture book about quiet readers and leaders that comes out Sept. 2 from Beaming Books. What made meeting Annie even more special was finding out that this is the first picture book she’s illustrated.

So … I invited her to join Picture Book Builders and share her artisitic journey and her approach to this book.

This is the first picture book you’ve illustrated. What initially got you interested in children’s books? And, what path did you follow to reach your goal?

Yes, this is my first! I’ve always believed in the power of story, we only open minds by evoking feelings. And feelings are so powerful, especially when we’re kids. I remember reading as a kid and feeling the world open up and time stop. Those books became seminal to who I am now.

Some of my favorites were Corduroy, Where The Wild Things Are, and A Wrinkle in Time. It’s such an honor to think I could be part of inspiring a kid’s imagination to run wild, be part of them figuring out who they are and how they want to express themselves in this world.

The path I followed was basically to just keep at it, keep practicing, keep sending my work out there, even when things failed and no one bit. I took a lot of classes and drew and drew, I probably put in a thousand hours of practice! And, of course, poured over the work of other illustrators.

When I started on One Can Be, there was still a lot to learn, even after hours of practice! But I hope to always be learning and evolving, it’s hard work but also fun! And it was so fun and meaningful to draw the story of these beautiful words – I feel so incredibly lucky this story was my first!

Describe the process you followed to create the art for this book? Which parts were harder or easier than you’d imagined?

First, I thought a lot about the main character, she went through a lot of variations! I wanted her to have both liveliness and quietness — a hard balance to strike. My older daughter was a big inspiration for me. She is one of the liveliest people I know. And, sometimes, especially around new people, the quietest. But she is always thinking and observing, connecting the dots, always lively in a quiet way.

The first time I drew the main character as she is in the book, it just clicked, it was like, “There she is!” After that, her world just poured out. I would say the hardest part was bringing something new to spreads that took place in the same location.

This is one of the most spare stories I’ve written. The art could have gone in so many different directions. How did you decide what to create?

So many times I just read and reread the words for a spread, thought about the feeling they were trying to illicit. One of my favorite spreads is the one where the little girl is sketching ideas for the Little Free Library. The words are “One can sketch. And write. And hope. Single-handedly. Whole-heartedly.” Hope, single-handedly, whole-heartedly — those are big feelings. I wanted the spread to capture the magic of creating, the power of hope, and the joy of an idea. A big idea!

What’s your favorite illustration in the book?

My very favorite illustration in the book is the last one. The only word on the page is “one.” For me, this was a magical ending, because she has come full circle. She still loves being alone, and being alone is wonderful. But now she also has a whole new story in her heart. We can go out in the world, touch people, change things, but we always have a safe and peaceful place to come back to within ourselves, in the quiet of being alone.

Another favorite is the one that’s a birds-eye-view of the park, the one that shows how one small idea can grow to something that touches so many lives.

What other sort of art do you like to create?

I also illustrate for licensing, mostly on greeting cards, wrapping paper, gift bags, journals, etc. I love to draw animals, flowers and especially food (though that last one always makes me hungry and half the time I need a couple snack breaks ;).

Which artists or illustrators inspire you?

Julie Morstad is a big hero of mine! Her work is so full of fun details and her characters are so unique. I could stare at her illustrations for hours. Jon Klassen is another illustrator I admire – his work is so quirky and there is so much emotion even in the simplest of lines.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on a lot of illustrations for licensing! Yesterday I spent the day illustrating cheeses of the world (and, yes, also eating a lot of cheese!) I’m also working on some author/illustrator projects but so far my writing chops don’t match my illustration chops. I’m not giving up though!

Little Free Libraries are a big part of the art in this book. Are there LFLs near where you live? Did you go on a tour to get inspiration for the main character’s sketches?

Yes, we have several in our neighborhood! Visiting them, taking books and leaving books, was a big part of my and my daughters lives before I started on this project. That’s part of why this story was so meaningful for me personally. I did visit them with an eye for inspiration, and spent a long time scouring Pinterest.

Thank you, Annie, for spending time with Picture Book Builders.

The GIVEAWAY!

Readers: If you’d like the chance to win a copy of One Can Be, along with some stickers featuring Annie’s amazing art from the book, please leave a comment on this post. If you’d like an extra contest entry, share a link to this post on any social media account — Facebook, X, Blue Sky, Linked In, etc. and mention that you’ve done so in your comment.

And if you’d like to know a little more about the book, check out the image below.