We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lisa Perrin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lisa below.
Lisa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I recently had the experience of writing and illustrating my first book! In undergrad I double majored in Painting and English, because it had long been my dream to be an author/ illustrator. After college I spent the next 15 years or so as an illustrator, mostly creating covers for other people’s books. This time, though, I got to create the cover for my own. It took about 3 years, but the book will be in stores this September! The book is The League of Lady Poisoners; Illustrated True Stories of Dangerous Women, and the publisher is Chronicle Books. The book features the stories of about 25 accused women poisoners and shares more of the context around their crimes.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am an illustrator, hand lettering artist, and full time college professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. After earning my MFA in Illustration from MICA, I was hired as an in-house illustrator for the American Greetings card company in Cleveland, OH. It was there that I learned how to hand letter under the guidance of a master calligrapher. This new skill really impacted my career, because once I added lettering into my portfolio pieces clients began to hire me to illustrate book covers. Since then I have illustrated about 30 book covers for Penguin Random House, MacMillan, Harper Collins, Scholastic, and others. Now I am fortunate to teach and pursue freelance opportunities.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I think being an illustrator is an amazing thing! What I love about illustration is how accessible and ubiquitous it is. It isn’t art in some exclusive space that only some people have access to. It’s the cover of a book, an image in a magazine, the print on your pajamas. It is art that is part of people’s daily lives. I think that’s so exciting and important. I will also add that being an educator is the most rewarding thing that I have done in my career. Nothing tops working with students and watching them grow.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory? I think I really struggled at the beginning of my freelance illustration career, because I took feedback from clients so personally. It was challenging to separate myself from the work. Sketches would get rejected or revisions would be requested, and I would be crushed every time. Now I understand that it is just part of the process and see my role as that of a collaborator with my client. I don’t pour my heart and soul into sketches any more, because those will likely change. Once we have all agreed on a direction, then I can pour myself into it. But even then, sometimes there will be changes! Its the nature of the beast.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.madebyperrin.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madebyperrin/?hl=en
- Other: link to my book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-league-of-lady-poisoners-illustrated-true-stories-of-dangerous-women-lisa-perrin/19716488?ean=9781797215884 link to my domestika class: https://www.domestika.org/en/courses/2404-packaging-illustration-create-imaginative-product-designs/course
Image Credits
The photo of me was taken by Domestika. Everything else was my own artwork.