Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Wauson.
Hi Kristin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve lived in Austin since I was a year old, and I’ve been drawing since I learned to hold a pencil. My mom’s old copy of The Joy of Cooking is filled with my earliest work and some of my elementary school art even earned me a trip to the school counselor’s office. As a kid I was inspired by fairytales, music, horses, C.S. Lewis, the Wizard of Oz, and classic Disney animation. I was soft-spoken, introspective and not a particularly outgoing kid. Mostly, I was perfectly happy to be in my room, drawing, reading, practicing musical instruments or writing stories or poems. My parents, and especially my paternal grandmother, had an appreciation for the arts and always encouraged me to pursue my creative interests. We drew, painted and watched Bob Ross. When I was about 10 years old my family toured the Animation studio at Disneyland in California. At the time, they were working on the feature film, The Lion King. I was completely enamored by what I saw there, and was in awe of the idea that there are people who draw for a living. Of course, my parents guided me in a more sensible direction, which I completely understand now that I have kids of my own. I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Advertising. UT has a selective program called Texas Creative which aims to help students develop professional portfolios for the advertising industry. Each semester they ask a vague question to be answered any way you like, on one 11″ x 17″ sheet of paper. My application was an illustration that included flying monkeys, margaritas, donkeys, and babies riding a train. As it turns out, in advertising, being weird is a virtue. I remember being so excited, and also surprised, to be accepted into the club. But advertising is also a very cut throat industry and I started to think it might not be for me. I took a job as an in-house graphic designer at a state agency and I worked there for nearly ten years.
During that time I was constantly trying to incorporate illustration and hand lettering into my design projects. I could often be found wearing a plastic garbage bag as a makeshift smock over my business attire while I painted. But, there is only so much room for creativity when you work for the government and eventually I began to look for other artistic outlets. I started taking oil painting classes on the weekends and even bartered with my teacher for studio hours. Around this time I met my husband. He already had a two-year-old son who helped me rediscovered my love of picture books. Then when our youngest son was born, it made sense financially for me to stay home. I joined SCBWI (The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and began to draw and study illustration, often in the middle of the night when I was up with the baby. That year for Christmas, my husband and father-in-law got me an iPad Pro and soon I was quite adept at holding a baby with one arm while drawing with the other. My mom encouraged me to sign up for my first SCBWI conference and paid the fee. For three months I worked on my portfolio whenever the baby was sleeping. I was nervous to enter the portfolio showcase with only five illustrations, but my tiny portfolio won me my first award in children’s publishing: the Emerging Voices Illustrator Mentorship. The year I spent working with my mentor, Marsha Riti, gave me an amazing head start in children’s publishing. I also joined several critique groups, which have been invaluable over the years in helping me develop my skills as a writer and illustrator. Last year, I was lucky enough to sign with an agent, and my first author-illustrated picture book is now out on submission.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Breaking into children’s books is not easy. It’s a long and bumpy road filled with failures and rejections. Many people spend 5-10 years trying to publish their first book. I think because picture books look simple, people tend to assume they are easy to make. But that could not be farther from the truth. It’s also a very slow moving industry so having patience is key. It can take years for a book to be published once a contract has been signed. Many publishing houses are also closed to submissions unless you have an agent and because agents don’t get paid until you do, they’re not going to sign you unless they think they can sell your work. And of course as a stay at home parent, I have endless inspiration, but having the energy to be creative as well as the time and the focus to work on projects is one of my biggest struggles.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Picture books are my specialty, but I am also open to illustrating middle grade covers and interiors. I would love to work on a graphic novel one day. Many of my illustrations are whimsical or have an element of magic or fantasy. In the last few decades, published picture books have become more simplified and stylized, with illustrations that are graphic or even childlike. But I’ve always been inspired by the classic illustrations I grew up with like Arthur Rackham, Lisbeth Zwerger, John Bauer and Trina Schart Hyman. My work tends to be more detailed and realistic than what you normally see now. People often say my work has a “soft” quality. I typically use a process that combines natural media with digital. I create my drawing first on paper with graphite and then scan it and add the color in Photoshop. There’s not any particular work that I would say I’m most proud of. I think artists tend to make a piece and we might be briefly proud of it, but a few weeks later it already looks dated. Comparing my old work to my new work is one of my favorite things because mostly I am proud of how far I’ve come.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I grew up here and I love the unique culture of Austin. I love our city’s appreciation for art, music, food, fitness, the outdoors and all things weird. But it is no longer the city from my childhood. I’m not a fan of the traffic or how crowded or commercial it has become. I try not to travel into downtown anymore unless I have to. I’m sad that the pandemic has resulted in the demise of many iconic local venues that I loved to visit as a child and I hope we don’t lose any more of them.
Pricing:
- Original Art $100 – $300
- Prints $15 – $25
- Commissions $185+
Contact Info:
- Email: Kristin@kristinwauson.com
- Website: http://www.kristinwauson.com/shop
- Instagram: @kristinwauson
- Twitter: @kristinwauson
