October 31, 2016 

On a fall afternoon in a quiet local art gallery, illustrator/author Andrew Kolb shared with me some behind the book insights about how the character of Edmund came to be, what he does to overcome creativity block, and how Disney still provides inspiration.

Q) Edmund Unravels is a coming of age, adventure tale with a family value connection, so I’m curious are you Edmund and is this your adventure tale?

While I was studying design at Conestoga College I did a bridge year in Brisbane, Australia. I was away from my family, discovering and experiencing a new land and knowing that I could go away and come back was a comfort. And those graduation speeches that you always hear where the valedictorian encourages you to leave, seek adventure but also tell you that you can come home resonated with me. So, yes, Edmund is as close to me as I could make him.

Q) Was the character of Edmund always going to be yarn or could he have been string or thread?

No, Edmund was always going to be yarn. That I knew early on.

Q) How many edits or changes in Edmund’s story took place before you said, “This is it!”?

The core story was consistent throughout the numerous reiterations; I think there were about 20 or so and the spirit remained the same at each stage of edits from my own to the agent and publisher. The story does have a value component at the end so the message was important – not too heavy, keeping the audience age range in mind, but it had to be clear.

Q) Was there a mistake along the way or something you wished you’d known about to make the process from concept to print easier?

There was certainly a learning curve. A crucial trait to have is flexibility and being open to criticism; those are things you need. It was important to find a good fit with the agent, someone that you can have open dialogue with and good communication. This process, as I learned, can take a long time in my case two years, so understanding that going in would have been helpful from a personal time management perspective.

Q) What was your reaction when you found out that you had been selected to be the 2016/17 Let’s Read author and who did you call first?

I was honoured; not sure how I got selected but I’m truly honoured. I had to let it soak in and I’m still in awe. I can’t recall exactly who I contacted first if it was my partner, my mom or my sister. I think I went down my contact list on my cell phone.

Q) You work out of your home studio so what do you do when your creativity is blocked or you experience procrastination?

When I’m blocked I’ll stop that task and move on to another project that might be at a different stage of completion. I’ll take time away from the task sometimes, I work flex time and come back to it later. I also enjoy playing Dungeons and Dragons which I find helps with storytelling and I play ultimate Frisbee which is great to move around and is totally opposite to all the sitting I do.

Q) Do you have a favourite children’s author?

Not so much a children’s author but my favourite author is Terry Pratchett. He writes fun, candy stories with a lot of heart. They’re not cash and grab type stories; I’m drawn to that.

Q) Is there another illustrator that you look up to, admire or draw inspiration from?

Mary Blair was a concept artist for Disney. She worked on films like Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and more. I love her simple composition. I appreciate early mid-century concept artists of classic Disney.

Q) What do you want people to know about you?

I’m happy to help others. If they want to talk about illustration or authorship and so on I’m here.

Interviewed and written by Veronica Naas, Coordinator Communications for the Region of Waterloo Library. Veronica is a ball of yarn herself; likes tales with value messaging and can’t wait for Andrew’s next book to come out!

Veronica Naas, vnaas@regionofwaterloo.ca, 519-575-4757 x3224, www.rwlibrary.ca

Andrew Kolb, Twitter @kolbisneat

www.letsread.ca