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Sophie Blackall Biography

Sophie Blackall is an Australian artist and illustrator of children's books based in Brooklyn, New York. She won the 2016 Caldecott Medal for Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear. She has illustrated more than 30 books for children, including the Ivy and Bean series. Blackall has collaborated with authors such as Jacqueline Woodson, John Bemelmans Marciano, Jane Yolen, and Meg Rosoff. Her work also includes animated television commercials and editorial illustrations for newspapers and magazines.

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Sophie Blackall Quotes

Many messages are just thanking a stranger for a kindness. . . I love those ones, because I imagine everyone else reading them feels encouraged by such examples of humanity and generosity and tenderness. And if they encourage us to reach out to strangers more often, that's a good thing.

Kindness, Reading, Generosity, Feels, Good

The fellow who wrote the post about sharing a bear suit with a girl at a party saw my illustration and emailed me, which was kind of thrilling. He sent a photo taken on the night, and that was a dream-like experience. . . but even though I've seen the "real" bear suit, my image of it feels real to me, and his photo the interpretation.

Dream, Girl, Illustration, Photo, Real, Suit

There's arrogance for you. I think all artists insert themselves into their subject matter.

Artist, Thinking, Arrogance, Artists, Insert

On the other hand, I'm drawn to top hats, and spats, and mustaches. I haven't read a Missed Connection yet with someone wearing a monocle, but rest assured I'll snap it up if I do.

Connections, Hands, Mustache, Rest, Spats, Top

I toyed with making portraits based on people's discarded shopping lists found on the street, or old diaries bought on eBay, or other forms of borrowed stories. When I stumbled across the Missed Connections listings, I knew immediately I'd found it.

Ebay, Shopping, People, Stumbled, Toyed, Bought

There are more than a few messages from lonely people wondering why they never find themselves described. . . I illustrated one, "How come no one ever misses me?" They kill me, those.

Kill, Lonely, Missing, People

But mostly I think two people do share a moment, and we all know that feeling, and it can put a spring in your step for the rest of the day.

Day, People, Spring, Step, Thinking, Two

Odd things happen in New York, which is why it's such a great source of stories.

Happen, New York, Odd, Odd Things, Stories, York

Nothing is known for sure, even the person who was there isn't entirely sure he or she had the same response as the other in that moment. One person might have fallen head over heels, the other might have been thinking about what to have for dinner and inadvertently making eye contact.

Contact, Dinner, Eye, Making, Nothing, Thinking

There are also dozens and dozens of success stories; many couples have emailed me with their original posts. I love reading these stories, but confess I am not as interested in drawing them as the unfinished, elusive ones.

Couple, Couples, Drawing, Emailed, Reading, Stories

I usually draw in silence, but listen to music or public radio when I'm painting, after all the important decisions have been made.

Decision, Decisions, Important, Radio, Silence, Usually

I glean a few times a week, and it's all about the subject line. I look for the lyrical, "Billowy Red Scarf Girl" or the funny, "Hipster Chick Who Passed Gas," the unintentionally funny, "Looking for the Hot Girl in Pink Dress," ones that immediately suggest images, "Furry Arms Under a Yellow Umbrella," or the plain odd, "Seeking Girl Who Bit Me Twice. . . " I don't think I've ever abandoned one. . . the images usually arrive fully formed in my head as soon as I read the message, and I decide whether to draw it or not.

Girl, Hipster, Thinking, Subject, Times

I did have a couple of people asking me to illustrate their MC in a hope to widen the exposure, unfortunately the messages weren't a good fit, so I couldn't oblige. And I didn't really want to become a matchmaking service. Someone posted a missed connection "I like your blog" which was directed at me. . . that was kind of fun to stumble across.

Couple, Fit, Fun, Good, I Like You, Oblige

I have had people come to the site from all over the world. The US and Canada predominantly, but also Brazil and South Africa and Greece and Indonesia and Hong Kong and Ireland and Argentina and Spain and Israel and Australia.

Argentina, Australia, Israel, People, World

Some people have recognized their friends in my paintings, but I'm not directly responsible for any hooking up as far as I know!

Painting, Paintings, People, Responsible

I dismiss posts where one or other of the couple was wearing anything named by brand, or you know, baseball caps, or sweat pants, because I don't like drawing them, and I don't have to please anyone but myself.

Baseball, Caps, Couple, Drawing, Please, Sweat

I've illustrated many children's books and I feel awfully lucky to be able to do something I love so much, and yes, to be able to pay the rent, but there was a yearning to do something more grown up, and something where I didn't have to cater to anyone; I was just waiting for the material.

Book, Children, Illustrated, Material, Pay, Waiting

I look for ambiguous messages to illustrate. . . I like some detail but not too much detail.

Details, Illustrate, Like, Look, Looks, Too Much

Someone wrote to me asking me to illustrate a missed connection that "hasn't happened yet. " This guy has seen the same girl waiting at a bus stop on his morning commute for weeks, and has been trying to find a way to approach her. He thought it would be fun to put up a Missed Connections poster [of my painting] on the corner where she waits and see what happens. It is kind of an intriguing idea but there's something a bit too manipulative about it for my liking. It's a fine line between being creative and stalking!

Bus, Fun, Girl, Manipulative, Missed, Morning