Here in Alaska we will be returning to school very soon.  Fall is already starting to be a thought in my brain and maybe it will be in your’s too after you see this adorable new picture book.

Allyn Howard  is a Philadelphia-based artist whose work can be found in city murals and galleries and on sets for high-profile advertising and television series. She creates art for the children’s market, paper products, and home decor.  You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram.

FALL PARADE is a sweet picture book that follows a baby fox through a variety of natural settings experiencing fall for the first time.  It’s a “parade” of seasonal change that will delight young readers.  Especially as Allyn’s traditional paintings have beautifully soft textures that add to the appeal of the book in the most perfect of ways.

Welcome Allyn!

Me: I love your paintings and pattern work!  Can you share about your artistic journey? When did you start creating art professionally?

Allyn: Thank you! My journey could be considered a circuitous one. After graduating from art school, I pursued fine art instead of commercial or graphic design, which was my initial plan. To make a living, I worked for many years as a union scenic artist in the film business in New York. I occasionally sold my own paintings, but I didn’t feel like a professional until around 2004 when I started painting custom nursery murals and selling baby t-shirts and prints with my designs. That became a nice supplement to my income from work on TV series and commercials.

I still do custom projects and would love to paint murals again. I learned about children’s books and art licensing from some continuing ed classes at the School of Visual Arts. I also took some popular online courses. I licensed my first collection of art for kids’ rooms in 2016 and I continue to work with that company. A couple years later I started licensing art for stationery and paper products. I also license work to a company that rents reproductions for use in film and TV productions. I had been interested in illustrating and writing children’s books for a long time. Ironically, I’d kind of given up on the idea by the time the opportunity to illustrate SPRING PARADE came along.

Me: I’m glad you didn’t give up!  How did you become an illustrator of children’s books?  Can you tell us a little bit about the process of being selected as an illustrator for this book?

Allyn: I knew there was a good chance I’d be working on FALL PARADE at some point after the spring book was published. For that first book, the art director at Cameron Kids, an imprint of ABRAMS, contacted me through Instagram. An editor had passed my profile along to her. They were looking for someone to illustrate a spring book and were drawn to some of my narrative paintings, particularly those of animals in nature. That was in January 2021. SPRING PARADE came out in March 2022. The idea for a seasonal series came about organically. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for summer and winter parades.

Me: Oh that would be lovely!  I will cross my fingers for that too!  I love foxes.  Why pick a young fox as the main character for this story (of all the animals that are in the book)?  Was that your choice or the author’s? 

Allyn: I chose a baby fox. I love them, too and thought their coloring would suit a fall book. I had a feeling the little fox would be embraced, since the art director’s son likes them.

Me: I adore the softness of your textures!  Can you tell us a little bit about your art work for the book?  Did you work with traditional media or digital or both? 

Allyn: I painted everything using acrylic gouache on wood panels. Then I scanned them into photoshop for any necessary adjustments. The originals have more texture to them, but I also like the softness of the book pages.

Me: Do you have a favorite spread that you illustrated for this book?  If yes, which one?

Allyn: I love when the fox meets the hedgehog on a mushroom. Their difference in size is sweet to me. I also loved painting the harvest moon scene. This whole book was fun to paint. I enjoyed bringing back some of the spring characters, like the baby bunny and deer, who are a little older in the fall book. I like the idea of kids spotting them in a few of the scenes.

Me: That was a great idea.  I loved that!  What is one thing that surprised you in illustrating this story?

Allyn: That I so enjoyed the Autumn palette.

Me: Any advice for other new picture book illustrators?

Allyn: Celebrate. If you’ve got a book to illustrate – Congratulations! Not everyone realizes what a competitive field it is. The way this book came about for me is not the norm. I was consistently sharing work, but luck played a big part. I think it’s important to find the process and/or materials that most compel you to create. You never know when that chance to take on a dream project will appear.

And here’s a favorite quote from Uri Shulevitz (on Giuseppe Castellano’s podcast, ‘The Illustration Department’, which I highly recommend):

“Give up the idea of the perfect flawless picture and aim for one that is alive, instead.”

That is most excellent advice Allyn.  Thank you for stopping by my blog today.

Dear readers, FALL PARADE will be released next week.  If you’re ready for the warmth of pumpkin spice lattes and big sweaters, then this will be the perfect picture book for you.  It’s a charming look at the season in nature that is sure to delight all lovers of the fall.  You won’t want to miss it!