Chris Soentpiet

Says Chris ...

I create picture books for almost everyone from kids to grandparents. I love to write and illustrate my own stories. I also enjoy illustrating the works of other authors, which takes my imagination to places I have never seen on my own.

At the age of 8, I was adopted with my sister from South Korea to live with the Soentpiet family in Hawaii. For the research of my book Peacebound Trains I had the opportunity to visit my Korean brother and sisters for the first time since I was adopted. It was a happy reunion. [I will be writing about my adoption experience in the future.] More about my background can be found in several newspaper publications such as the Daily News and the New York Newsday. I studied Fine Arts and Education at Pratt Institute in New York City. There I met two very special friends, Ted and Betsy Lewin who encouraged me to pursue my passion of painting in children's books. I took my portfolio along with some original paintings around New York City. At the start the first 10 publishers I saw did not want to take a chance on me since I never published a book before. With all the rejections I was almost discouraged until I had a chance meeting with HarperCollins Publishers. They gave me an opportunity to illustrate and write my first children's picture book, Around Town.

The books I create reflect my interest in people, history and culture. Teachers around the world use my books in their classrooms so it's important I spend the time to do a lot of research especially if it's a historical story. I spend weeks at the library and I'll also go to the actual location of where the event happened to sketch and take pictures. A book can take me a year or more to finish. If you notice in my books with a historical theme, I must make sure what I paint is historically accurate. For example, on the cover of my book, More Than Anything Else, Booker T. Washington is wearing a hat from the 1850s. In order for me to paint that hat, first I would go to the library to look for books on fashion that would reflect that particular period. I researched not only the hat but also the clothes they would wear. Every article of clothing and their color is carefully thought out before painting it. In Molly Bannaky I painted a cow in one scene. When I was finished with the artwork for this book, a critic did not believe there were any Holstein cows during the 17th century in America, although the cow did exist in England at the time. I immediately contacted the Holstein Cow Association and requested they write a letter as proof of their existence in America during that historical time. Cultural accuracy is also important. In Peacebound Trains which centers on a Korean family, I had to make sure I painted the characters in proper Korean attire. I could not use kimono for example, because "kimono" literally means Japanese-style clothing. Though Asian communities share similar values and physical features, they have their own cultures, which helps to distinguish their uniqueness.

After my research is complete, I use friends and family as models to play the parts of the main characters. Using models allows me to achieve a realistic and consistent look from page to page. Based on my research, I'll make the costumes and fix the model's hair and makeup. A good example of this can be seen in my book, Coolies which won the Parents' Choice Gold Award. Once I have taken the photographs, I'll use them as tools to help me during the painting process. This method of painting is very similar to that of my idol, Norman Rockwell.

All my books are available through bookstores that sell children's books. However if you would like an autographed copy, please visit my webstore.

Visit Chris' website at http://www.soentpiet.com/