We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alicia Schwab. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alicia below.
Alicia, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
In recent years, children’s literature has strived to do better at celebrating diversity. We still have a long way to go, but more and more books celebrate different cultures, ethnicities, LGBTQIA2S+, appearances, disabilities, and families that don’t fit the norm. A meaningful project I illustrated is the children’s picture book Unicycle Dad, written by Sarah Hovorka and published by Amicus Ink on March 12, 2024. Based on the author’s real-life childhood, the story follows the journey of her father as he raises his children in an impoverished, single-parent household. Despite many obstacles, he creates a better life for himself and his family while teaching his children the value of hard work and grit. Her dad’s love of unicycle riding serves as a metaphor for the balancing act he must do to achieve it all.
Even though I was raised in a two-parent household, I was immediately drawn to the narrative. I felt connected to the characters in the book because of my own personal struggles. My parents couldn’t finish college and worked several jobs to provide for myself and my siblings. Seeing my parents toil in dead-end jobs gave me an unwavering resolve to graduate from college.
Alicia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m an award-winning freelance illustrator and designer with over twenty years of experience, and co-founder of the picture book marketing group PB24Galore. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Graphic Design. I studied abroad in Scotland, and after graduation I acquired a work visa to freelance in Germany. While in Germany, I took language classes and designed and illustrated books and editorial projects.
These days, I’m back in the Midwest. I’ve made the Twin Cities in Minnesota my home, where I live with my Bavarian husband and daughter. I’ve illustrated six children’s fiction books, two children’s nonfiction books, and four adult nonfiction books. Some of my awards include the Independent Publishers Book Award (IPPY, Bronze), the Illustration Department Mentorship Award, and the Green Book Award.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I advocate for autism and learning differences and specialize in heartfelt stories about overcoming hardships. I have ADHD, and like many people in my family, I am slightly dyslexic. Dyslexia is a learning difference that involves difficulty with reading but can also make it cumbersome to retrieve words while speaking. The words are there but just out of reach. When you grow up surrounded by hidden disabilities, you learn two things: be grateful for what you have and how to be resilient. I started drawing when I was a toddler. My older brother (who had a speech delay) was encouraged to draw his thoughts to release the words stuck inside him. Upon seeing his pictures, I marveled at our newfound communication. I started communicating in pictures like him. In fact, we got so good at “speaking in pictures” it became our superpower.
I’m still communicating in pictures. My illustrations combine patterns, mixed media, bold colors, and beautiful, resonant acrylics. I start by sketching and designing in digital media. Then, I paint layers of acrylic washes on watercolor paper and add mark-making with colored pencils and crayons to capture the character’s emotion, plot dynamics, and the setting’s feeling. I finish the art with digital media to make the illustration come alive.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Reading my books to kids during school visits and book festivals is immensely rewarding. It’s awesome to connect with people and see their faces light up when they connect with the story. My heart sings when a child reads my books and is inspired by my illustrations. When kids read books about people doing difficult things it gives them a chance to envision themselves achieving their own goals. I want kids to know that they can do anything they put their minds to. It may take a workaround or two, but what matters is that you keep trying and get there in the end.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aliciaschwab.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schwab.alicia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aschwabart/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciamschwab/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/aschwabart
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aliciaschwab5832
- Other: Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/73277250-alicia-schwab?ref=nav_profile_l
Image Credits
Bob Delsol