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Melissa Iwai

  • Work
  • Watercolor Sketches
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    • Christmas
    • Patterns
    • Everything Else!
    • Character Design
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From Thirty Minutes Over Oregon, written by Marc Tyler Nobleman

From Thirty Minutes Over Oregon, written by Marc Tyler Nobleman

Thirty Minutes Over Oregon Book Release!

October 4, 2018

On September 9, 1942, World War II Japanese pilot, Nobuo Fujita, bombed the Oregon Coast. Thirty Minutes Over Oregon is the story of how that incident led to the amazing events that followed. I won’t give away the ending to this moving story, masterfully told by Marc Tyler Nobleman — you’ll have to read the book!

Early study of Nobuo

Early study of Nobuo

I was first offered the manuscript for Thirty Minutes Over Oregon in early 2016. Marc had written the story years before, and he details the manuscript’s journey on his blog. I had worked with our editor, the wonderful Jennifer Greene, at Clarion Books over a decade ago on several of my earliest picture books.

Good Night Engines  by  Denise Dowling Mortensen  was the third book I ever illustrated.

Good Night Engines by Denise Dowling Mortensen was the third book I ever illustrated.

Since that time my illustration style has evolved tremendously. Jennifer was drawn to my daily watercolor quick sketches of people in Brooklyn that I had been posting every day on Instagram and Facebook.

A left handed painting.

A left handed painting.

When I first read Marc’s manuscript, I knew immediately that I wanted to do it. The story resonated with me on several layers. Being of Japanese descent and American, and having lived in both countries, I felt connected to both cultures. My parents were born and raised in Hawaii and were actually teenagers living on Oahu when Pearl Harbor was bombed. And while not interned in camps like the Japanese Americans living on the mainland of the U.S., they were deeply affected by WWII. Coincidentally, my father now lives in Oregon several hours north of the bomb site. Most importantly, though, I was so moved by the act of forgiveness and reconciliation demonstrated by both sides of the conflict. It is quite extraordinary the way the relationship between Nobuo and the town of Brookings (located near the bomb site) evolved.

Although I felt strongly that I wanted to illustrate this amazing story, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t also terrified. I had never illustrated a non-fiction 40-page picture book for older kids before, much less one in watercolor! It was completely out of my comfort zone.

From Thirty Minutes Over Oregon illustrated by Melissa Iwai 2018.jpg

In my almost 20 year career of illustrating children’s books, I can honestly say that this one was the most difficult! There were many times that I felt like I was failing. Because my sketch style was so intrinsic to working from life and from photographs and because this story is based on a real person, I knew I had to find relevant photo reference of Nobuo at different stages of his life. The plane Nobuo flew was a Yokosuka E14 Y Glen seaplane that could be disassembled and stowed and transported by an I-25 submarine. A lot of the story takes place in Brookings, Oregon over several decades. I knew I had to find reference to be able to paint these and wanted my illustrations to show these things accurately.

From Thirty Minutes Over Oregon illustrated by Melissa Iwai 2018

I am indebted to many, many people who helped me during the research phase of the project. I got as much information as I could at the Picture Collection and Periodical Divisions of the NY Public Library. And I made a truly memorable trek out to Brookings, Oregon. The wonderful folks at the Curry Coastal Pilot newspaper opened their archives to me to peruse at length. I was able to gather a ton of photo reference and news clippings that would have been impossible to procure outside of their offices.

Don’t you love the prices of the food!?

Don’t you love the prices of the food!?

I also had a personal tour of the Chetco Valley Museum by Patty McVay.

Patti McVay.jpg

I spent several hours at the Chetco Library where Nobuo donated his 400-year-old samurai sword.

The samurai sword

The samurai sword

He also generously donated thousands of dollars towards multicultural children’s books where they reside in the library to this day.

library books.jpg

But the highlight of my visit was hiking with Bill Schlichting, a reporter at the Curry Pilot. He drove me to the forest and kindly showed me the actual bomb site. There is a memorial there and it was so incredible to view it in person.

Bill and his dog, Dippy.

Bill and his dog, Dippy.

The memorial at the bomb site.

The memorial at the bomb site.

Back in NY, I poured over all of the material I had amassed and sketched a ton.

Some of the printed reference material I collected from the internet, the Curry Pilot, my own photos. I divided them into categories, such as “BOMBS”, “PLANES”, etc.

Some of the printed reference material I collected from the internet, the Curry Pilot, my own photos. I divided them into categories, such as “BOMBS”, “PLANES”, etc.

The amazing Caldecott winning author/illustrator, Brian Floca, who lives in my neighborhood, gave me sage advice and generously sent me a link on Ebay to buy a model of the actual plane Nobuo used on his pre dawn flights!

Model of plane I made and painted with my son, Jamie.

It was really helpful for drawing and painting different angles of the plane, which I ended up painting countless times!

some planes Melissa Iwai 2018.jpg

During the painting process I had several obstacles. For one, I sustained an arm injury unrelated to the project and I was unable to use my dominant hand for awhile. I used this time to read and also just watch watercolor tutorial videos on YouTube so I could enjoy painting vicariously.

To some extent, I learned how to paint with my left hand as well. I did early preliminary sketches of scenes with both hands at times.

temple-sketch-Melissa-Iwai-2018.jpg

When my arm was much better, I was able to start painting the finals. There I faced my second major obstacle: How would I paint the illustrations? I first started with a lot of small color studies to figure out which colors to use and how to mix them.

color-study-Melissa-Iwai-2018.jpg

I wasn’t sure what size to paint the images. Normally I work at 100%, but I had a lot of problems painting at this scale with watercolor, as I had been training myself with much smaller pieces. My daily sketches are only about 3” x 4” in size! So I ended up painting the same scenes many times. Watercolor is an unforgiving medium. During the process I often felt like I didn’t know how to paint with watercolor.

Just a small portion of the many paintings I did!

Just a small portion of the many paintings I did!

Some paintings I didn’t use.

Some paintings I didn’t use.

I finally had a brainstorm: I needed to just do the paintings at a smaller size!

forest Melissa Iwai 2018.jpg

Unlike with my daily paintings, I decided to separate my line from my watercolor. I knew I would have to revise things, and truth be told, I was a bit nervous about drawing directly on my painting and risking having to do the whole thing over again if I made a mistake with my inking! So I drew my ink line on vellum and bristol paper and scanned that in with the watercolor and assembled them in Photoshop.

launch-Melissa-Iwai-2018.jpg
petitionMelissa-Iwai-2018.jpg

This process worked out well with the text I incorporated in some of the images. I didn’t want to use actual newspaper clippings, so I recreated parts of them by hand. I was able to layer different elements together and assemble them in Photoshop. I scanned my paintings at 600 dpi so they would print clearly when enlarged.

lettering-Melissa-Iwai.jpg
Final piece with elements scanned in and combined.

Final piece with elements scanned in and combined.

By the time I was ready to turn in all of my artwork, I had studied and looked at it for so long. All I could see were things I could have possibly done differently. I think this is common and have heard this sentiment from other artists about their own work. There is always room for improvement. But I know that I did the best I could have possibly done at that time and place in my life. I do hope I did justice in helping to tell this story with my pictures. It’s definitely a story that needed to be told and shared.

Thirty Minutes Over Oregon book 2018

Seventy-six years and one month after the first bomb was dropped, on October 9, 2018, the book will be released and it is available for pre-order now online or in your local bookstore!

new-title-plane Melissa Iwai 2018.jpg

Marc and I will be on a panel with other non-fiction picture book authors and illustrators to talk about our work at Books of Wonder (Upper West Side store) this Sunday, 3-5. Please join us if you are in the area!







































In Art, books, children's illustration, Diversity Tags WWII, watercolor, children's books, illustration, ink, nobuo fujita
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Melissa-with-books.jpg

Pizza Day Is Launching and Book Giveaway!

October 24, 2017

I'm so excited to announce that Pizza Day will be released next Tuesday! In addition, the board book version of Soup Day will also be released. Both books celebrate cooking with kids and healthy eating. In Pizza Day, a boy and his dad spend the afternoon making pizza from scratch using the ingredients they have grown in their garden. A recipe for the pizza they make is included at the end! To get a peek inside the book, check out this book trailer that my son, Jamie, made for me. 

To celebrate the release of Pizza Day and Soup Day, I'm giving away a signed copy of each to three lucky winners*. To enter, leave a comment below telling me your favorite kind of pizza and share this post on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Leave a comment (one for each share) telling me you did. Entries will close October 31 (Tuesday) at 5 pm EST. Winners will be chosen and announced here and on social media soon after. I will contact you via email. 

*Only available to readers with a US address. Sorry! I am hosting an Book Giveaway of Pizza Day available to readers in the US, Canada, GB, and Australia at GoodReads though starting October 30! View posting here. 

 

*************************************************************Update*****************************************************************

Winners for the giveaway have been selected! Congratulations to Elizabeth, Helen, and Klee! :) I will mail you three signed copies tomorrow! Thank you to everyone who participated!! :)

In Art, children's illustration, books Tags pizza, pizza day, book, kidlit, children's books, illustration, writing, cooking, kids
14 Comments

The Wondrous World of Children's Book Illustrators Show

August 14, 2017

Last month the group show I am a part of opened at the galleries of the Interchurch Center in Manhattan. After communicating with the other artists for so long on social media, it was great to finally meet them in person at the opening! 

Patricia Keeler, Naroth Kean, Mike Ciccotello, Michelle Lockamy, me, Yuko Katakawa Photo Credit: Zim Lockamy

Patricia Keeler, Naroth Kean, Mike Ciccotello, Michelle Lockamy, me, Yuko Katakawa Photo Credit: Zim Lockamy

Here are some of their pieces in the show:

Patricia Keeler 2017

Patricia Keeler 2017

I just love the attitude and body language of these girls in Patricia Keeler's piece!

Yuko Katakawa 2017

Yuko Katakawa 2017

Isn't this Asian Snow White and the Seven Dwarves by Yuko Katakawa lovely!?

Here is Michelle Lockamy's piece. I'm in awe of her watercolor skills!! (sorry for the glare- my fault!)

Michelle Lockamy 2017 

Michelle Lockamy 2017 

Mike Ciccotello did the poster for the show featuring this cutie:

Mike Ciccotello 2017

Mike Ciccotello 2017

Naroth Kean 2017

Naroth Kean 2017

I just love this painting by Naroth Kean. It's so arresting and delicate at the same time.

We both did pieces with bunnies, so they grouped them together:

Naroth's is on top. Again, sorry about the glare! 

Naroth's is on top. Again, sorry about the glare! 

Here's another bunny I did with his friend, Bear.

Yes, I know, I look very tired.... But happy! :)   

Yes, I know, I look very tired.... But happy! :)

 

I'm so proud to be part of this group of fantastic illustrators. Thanks for Frank de Gregorie and Tracey Del Duca for curating it. 

The show will stay up until Thursday. If you're on the Upper West Side, check it out! The galleries are located at 475 Riverside Dr., NY NY 10115, Rear entrance 61 Claremont Avenue. Open 9-5 M-F

In Art, children's illustration, books Tags Gallery, show, Melissa Iwai, Mike Ciccotello, Yuko Katakawa, Michelle Lockamy, Patricia Keeler, Naroth Kean
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Ran into FOuR friends from high school randomly yesterday, ending with my friends Cathy and Greg Borgard  their dog at my Alma mater! We got a private tour of the amazing aquarium housed there!! It was built long after we graduated, but the lunch courtyard looked exactly the same as it did in the 80s. Haha 
#cabrillohighschool #cabrilloaquarium
Ran into FOuR friends from high school randomly yesterday, ending with my friends Cathy and Greg Borgard their dog at my Alma mater! We got a private tour of the amazing aquarium housed there!! It was built long after we graduated, but the lunch courtyard looked exactly the same as it did in the 80s. Haha #cabrillohighschool #cabrilloaquarium
Happy Valentine's Day! 
#dogs #art #painting #famouscouples #dogart #dogillustration
Happy Valentine's Day! #dogs #art #painting #famouscouples #dogart #dogillustration
Hey folks! In Lompoc, my home town, now! We'll be at The Bookstore on North H tomorrow from 1-4……! #bookevent #bookillustration #kidlit #middlegrade #childrensbooks #middlegradefiction #picturebooks
Hey folks! In Lompoc, my home town, now! We'll be at The Bookstore on North H tomorrow from 1-4……! #bookevent #bookillustration #kidlit #middlegrade #childrensbooks #middlegradefiction #picturebooks
Got to meet @caseykrimmel of the @arthivecollective at Powell's during our book event there on Monday! And look, another Hive nember @terrikasuba 's @blue_q tea towel! 
#teatowels #illustration #powellsbooks
Got to meet @caseykrimmel of the @arthivecollective at Powell's during our book event there on Monday! And look, another Hive nember @terrikasuba 's @blue_q tea towel! #teatowels #illustration #powellsbooks
Saw this pupper waiting outside for their owner. Did anyone know what breed? Our Nikki would love to play. I thought maybe it was a Labradoodle... So fluffy like a teddy bear. 😍

#dailypaint #dailydog #indiaink ##painting
Saw this pupper waiting outside for their owner. Did anyone know what breed? Our Nikki would love to play. I thought maybe it was a Labradoodle... So fluffy like a teddy bear. 😍 #dailypaint #dailydog #indiaink ##painting
Poor pupper has to wear the come of shame because she has an irritation in her hind paw and keeps licking it. #sadpuppy #shibapuppy #coneofshamesucks #dailypaint #dogsofbrooklyn #watercolorsketch #watercolordog
Poor pupper has to wear the come of shame because she has an irritation in her hind paw and keeps licking it. #sadpuppy #shibapuppy #coneofshamesucks #dailypaint #dogsofbrooklyn #watercolorsketch #watercolordog
Nikki napping and letting mom work today. 😍😍😍 #fetalpig 
#shibalove #shibes #watercolorsketch #ink #naptime #dailypaint #dogsofbrooklyn #dailyart
Nikki napping and letting mom work today. 😍😍😍 #fetalpig #shibalove #shibes #watercolorsketch #ink #naptime #dailypaint #dogsofbrooklyn #dailyart
Sad Nikki. There's no snow outside, but the booties are required because of the caustic salt sprinkled everywhere! 
#winterwoes #shibapuppy #watercolor #pawzboots #ink #sadpuppy
Sad Nikki. There's no snow outside, but the booties are required because of the caustic salt sprinkled everywhere! #winterwoes #shibapuppy #watercolor #pawzboots #ink #sadpuppy
Sketching at #dekalbmarkethall in downtown Brooklyn yesterday with @mcswiss ! Great foodie place. 😊 So fun to sketch and chat and eat good food with friends. ♥️ #brooklynpeople #watercolor #sketching #drawing #sketchbook
Sketching at #dekalbmarkethall in downtown Brooklyn yesterday with @mcswiss ! Great foodie place. 😊 So fun to sketch and chat and eat good food with friends. ♥️ #brooklynpeople #watercolor #sketching #drawing #sketchbook
I always love seeing owners and dogs who match. 🐶🐾
#dailypaint #dogsofbrooklyn #watercolorart #dailysketch #dailyart
I always love seeing owners and dogs who match. 🐶🐾 #dailypaint #dogsofbrooklyn #watercolorart #dailysketch #dailyart
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The Hungry Artist

A blog about healthy eating and cooking with kids.


Visit my cooking blog, inspired by my book, Soup Day. :)