NATIONAL NEWS
February 20, 2009
TFK Talks to Kadir Nelson
We Are the Ship author Kadir Nelson chats with TFK Kid Reporter Forrest Simpson
Kadir Nelson started drawing when he was just 3 years old. After going to college at Pratt Institute, Nelson went to work as an illustrator. He is known for painting and writing about African-American history. One of his most recent books, We Are the Ship, received great reviews and was recently awarded the Coretta Scott King Award. We Are the Ship is the first book that the illustrator has ever written.
 |  TFK Kid Reporter Forrest Simpson with Kadir Nelson. |
I sat down with Kadir Nelson at the TIME For Kids offices in New York City. We talked about his childhood, his love of art and his two most recent books; Change Has Come, about President Obama, and We Are the Ship, a book about Negro League baseball. Nelson has been illustrating for ten years and has illustrated more than 20 books so far.
TFK:What inspired you to write We Are the Ship?
Nelson:After learning about the history of the Negro (Baseball) Leagues, I thought that being a painter, I didn't want to write the book because I thought that I didn't really know how. But, the more that I learned about the story and the history of the Negro Leagues, the more comfortable and confident I felt that I could write the book.
TFK:We Are the Ship is the first book that you've written and illustrated by yourself. What was it like to do the illustrations and the writing together?
Nelson:I like it a lot more, because sometimes when you're illustrating someone else's words you feel like you're more of a hired hand, instead of having control over the entire creative process. So, if I needed to trim some of the text, or move it around, I could do that without having to consult an author.
TFK:Have you ever considered writing for adults in your career?
Nelson:In the book, We Are the Ship I wasn't writing specifically for any age group, I wanted for it to be something that all ages could enjoy. Except for really young kids, because they might not understand it. So, I just write what I know and what I feel, and I let the publisher decide who might read it. Also, I was very conscious of not having any bad language in the book, because I knew that children might want to read it.
TFK:We Are the Ship seems to be written from the perspective of someone from that time. Why did you choose to write it that way?
Nelson:I interviewed a few former Negro League players and I read a lot of interviews with the players, and they all spoke in this firsthand voice, like "this was the way it was for us." History is also more interesting to read when it sounds like you're hearing it from someone who actually lived through it. So it's a lot like hearing your granddad talk about what it was like for him during the war, or during his life, and you're more engaged, because there's more of a personal connection to it.
TFK:How long did it take you to write "We Are the Ship?" And what kind of process do you go through for the, writing and illustrating?
Nelson:I started working on the paintings for the book in 2000, and I started writing it shortly after that. I finished the last painting in January of 2007, so it took seven years. And, around the same time I was writing as well and refining the manuscript, so overall it took about seven and a half years to write and illustrate.
TFK:Was it exciting to receive the Coretta Scott King Award for We Are the Ship after having illustrated a book on her yourself?
Nelson:I wasn't really thinking about the two in that way. I was really happy to receive the award for the writing, because it's my first time writing a book and it was a really big surprise that I would be awarded for writing.
TFK:The illustrations in the Obama book are much more rough, almost sketches. But, the illustrations in We Are the Ship are much more finished, why is this?
Nelson:In the Obama book, the idea was to do a sketchbook that would document and commemorate the election of President Obama. I love to draw; I like to draw more than I like to paint. So, it gave me a really good opportunity to do that.
TFK:Was it interesting to research and illustrate about early on in black history and segregation, and then about the first African-American president?
Nelson:I think that in general, I like history; whether it's history from 200 years ago, or whether it's history from ten days ago. So, it's a thrill to illustrate anything that history related.
TFK:What specifically about Obama inspired you to illustrate this book? Also, why did you choose to use excerpts from his speeches, and not your own words?
Nelson:I'm a fan of President Obama because of his intelligence; it's great to have someone who speaks so well, has integrity, and really means to do what he says that he's going to do. In terms of the quotes and the writing, I actually didn't choose the quotes for this book. I was given ten days to do the artwork for this book and five of those days I was traveling, so it was a really big time crunch. My editor asked me if I wanted to write the words for the book, but I didn't have time to do that, so I would turn in the illustrations, and my editor would find quotes from speeches that he has given, and pair them with the artwork.
TFK:When did you find that you first wanted to be an illustrator?
Nelson:I've always been drawing, since I was a little kid, about three years old, but I didn't know that I wanted to pursue a career in illustration until I was in college, because I didn't even know that there was a career in illustration--I just wanted to paint pictures. I majored in illustration at college and after graduation I started working professionally as an illustrator.
TFK:What were your favorite artists or books growing up, and have they influenced your style of writing or art today?
Nelson:My favorite book as a kid was Where the Wild things Are. I wasn't a big reader; I was more into drawing and looking at the pictures in the books. So, I was looking at mostly comic books, and comic strips in the Sunday paper.
TFK:How many books have you illustrated so far, and how long have you been doing it for?
Nelson:I've illustrated almost two dozen books. And, I started illustrating in 1999, so I've been pretty busy!
TFK:How did you break into business of illustrating books, instead of just being an artist and doing artwork?
Nelson:I put a portfolio together from college and I went around to publishing companies and shared my work with a lot of editors and art directors and kept calling them, and hoping that they would use my work for their publications.
TFK:Tell me a little bit about your childhood, and how art influenced your life.
Nelson:I have a brother and two sisters, and I'm the only one who continued to really draw past childhood. I would do most of the things that kids do, and then come home and start drawing. I was very serious about it and I always knew that I wanted to be an artist. I practiced drawing every day, and I had an uncle who was an artist and art teacher who I would study with during the summer. So, he gave me a head start on other kids who liked to draw, and I just continued with it. I always wanted to get better at art, so that's why I went to college, to learn how to get better.
TFK:When you were drawing as a kid did you have any idea that you might grow up to illustrate books?
Nelson:No, I didn't even know that you could illustrate books, I just thought that books kind of came from the sky. So, I didn't learn about illustrating until I went to college and I spoke to my professors, and they suggested that I might want to look into illustrating books, because it was becoming very popular among artists.
TFK:What are you planning to work on next?
Nelson:My next really big project is writing a book about American history. I haven't really figured out yet what exact time period, or subject it's going to be on. But, I feel that I don't know enough about American history, and I would like to learn more about it. It's like going back to school again, studying and learning about history so that I can write about it.
