website: www.jillbergman.com

blog: artonthepage.blogspot.com

shop: www.etsy.com/shop/BlueSkyArtwork

email: jill@jillbergman.com


What is your favorite medium?

My favorite thing to do is carve and print linocuts. They are like woodblock prints or big rubber stamps. I carve away areas then roll ink over the parts that are left raised. Next I lay paper down and rub the back to make a print. When it’s dry I paint it with watercolor. It takes more time than just doing a drawing or painting, but it makes me happy.

Do you like to write as well as illustrate?

Yes! I usually have an idea and rewrite it for quite a while before I start drawing. Then I draw out the story in thumbnails. I wind up going back and forth working on the writing and art until they are both good.

Who are some of your favorite artists?

Besides Brooke, Tina, Angela, and Marsha?? Loren Long, Eva Montanari, Sophie Blackall, Mary Azarian, Beth Krommes, Virginia Lee Burton, Shaun Tan, Pamela Zagarenski, Mark Hearld, Jane Ray, and Beatrice Coron.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A rock star (doesn’t everyone?) But I also wanted to be an author, an astronaut, a hermit, and a classical musician. I actually spent time trying to figure out how to combine some of these fantasy jobs. Hermit and author could go together. I could be a rock star with an alter ego as an orchestral musician. I never thought I’d be an artist.

Do you remember the first story you created?

My brother and I used to make up stories and illustrate them on sheets of paper my mom brought home from work. I have one that looks like a storyboard and others that are stapled together to make books.

The first story I remember well is a children’s book I made in 6th grade called The Lighthearted Grocery Store. It’s about a boy, his family and his dog Otto who move to a new house on the sun. It doesn’t have much of a plot!

What were your favorite books when you were a kid?

The Frog & Toad books by Arnold Lobel, the Curious George books by Margret and H.A. Rey, anything by Dr. Seuss, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton, The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl, A Wrinkle in Time series by Madeline L’Engle, The Earthsea Books by Ursula LeGuin, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and of course The Lord of the Rings books by J.R.R. Tolkien. I LOVED to read.

If you could be any children’s book character, who would you be and why?

I’d like to be Frog from the Frog and Toad stories that I loved as a kid. Frog has a nice little house with a fireplace, a best friend, and lovely green skin. He goes on lots of adventures with Toad and in the evenings they drink a cup of tea and look at the stars. Aaaahhhhh….

What is your favorite color?

Blue. But really I love using all of them.

Where do you live?

I live in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It’s a small mountain town that doubles in size during the busy tourist times of year. We go from sleepy to THERE’S NOWHERE TO PARK in regular cycles. The winter is very long and the summer is beautiful.

Do you have any pets?

Yes! Bailey, Fuzzy, and Zoe.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like to go for walks, eat good food and read. But mostly I like to draw and print and paint.

What inspires you?

Looking at art and books. Talking to artists. And also being out in the world. I think I’ve gotten some of my best ideas while walking my dog or just sitting around on camping trips.