Cathyrn Falwell, a Gorham-based children’s books author and illustrator was our speaker on March 5, 2019. When Cathryn was young, she loved to draw.  In fact, she illustrated her first book in kindergarten and she had it with her to show us!   Cathryn has a degree in Printmaking and worked as a graphic designer for a number of years. She showed us several examples of her work which made it clear that she was destined to illustrate children’s books.
 
In 1991, she took a train from her home in Hartford, Connecticut to meet a publisher in New York. Based on her portfolio, she was signed to a series of Little Nicky baby books, the first of which was Where’s Nicky. She has now published 27 books, with a 28th on the way.  Several of her books were written for the Libra Foundation’s Raising Readers program. These are books which healthcare providers can give to children at each wellness appointment up to age 5. She often meets children during talks she gives in schools who have received her books through the Raising Readers program.
 
Artwork for another author
 
Cathryn’s favorite medium to illustrate her books is paper.  She cuts or tears paper, tissue and other paper-like substances (like a hornet’s nest!), and fabrics, then uses them to make collages.  She showed us several examples of her original artwork that she has used in her own books and also for other authors. She told us that sometimes the words come first, but she quickly moves to drawing to advance the story in her mind. However, she often starts with the pictures first.  She’ll get an idea and begin sketching and making notes.
 
Story Board
 
We learned that most children’s picture books are about 32 pages long.  She lays out the plan for her story to fit that size.  She sometimes does her sketches several times over to get them just right for the spacing in books (center staple, margins).  Once her work is complete, the original artwork is carefully photographed then printed using a four-color process (yellow, red/magenta, blue/cyan, and black).
 
She finds if very rewarding to visit schools to talk about her books, the artwork and the writing process.  She does workshops with kids where they get sticky and messy playing with the paper and glue to create their own pictures to tell a story.
 
Original Artwork for Pond Babies
 
She told us that book store sales are currently on the rise again, with independent books sellers doing quite well.  Her books can be found at Bookworm on Main St in Gorham, where they keep several of her books in stock.  Since she lives only about 1.5 miles from the store, she will drop by and sign them.
 
We were also pleased that children’s librarians Kara Reiman from Walker Library and Dani Grady from Baxter Library were able to join us for lunch.   They each received a copy of one of Cathryn’s books for their collection.
 
Dani Grady, Cathryn Falwell, Kara Reiman