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Steve McDonald is an incredible illustrator and one of my coloring book heroes. His book Fantastic Cities is one of my all-time favorite adult coloring books, and I’ve recommended it to you guys several times. It is a large-format, thread-bound beast of a coloring book, with thick pages and insanely detailed renderings of skylines, cityscapes, highrises, and even some architectural mandalas.
Earlier this month, Steve released his second coloring book, Fantastic Structures. This book carries on the spirit of his first book, zooming in to focus on specific famous architectural wonders like the Astronomical Clock in Prague and St. Basil’s Cathedral in Russia. Go buy it!!
Given how much I love his work, I was delighted when Steve agreed to an interview!
Steve is one of the more social media savvy coloring book artists out there, and he regularly engages with his fans on Facebook and Instagram. So go follow him, you’ll be glad you did! I can wait! (While you’re at it, why not also follow Cleverpedia on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram?)
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Cleverpedia: What led you to creating and publishing coloring books?
Steve McDonald: I had worked for years in the traditional art market of galleries and commissions selling original work for people’s walls. I actually had quite a bit of success. I was a founding member of a popular Canadian art collective named Drawnonward and had two or three galleries showing my work. In hindsight it was a somewhat unpredictable and stressful way to make an income. I was also guilty of catering my work to my client’s expectations.
This all led to me deciding to exit that world and develop a body of drawings for myself. My family was living in Bali, Indonesia for two years and I finally had the freedom to produce artwork without any expectations or demands. I ended up with a large collection of architectural drawings that I was really happy with… but I had not decided what to do with it all.
I thought that it would work well as a gallery show or a series of prints but it was actually my daughters and a select couple of clients that suggested a coloring book. Turns out they all had a pretty great idea… I wish I could take full credit but I guess if you listen to the people who care about you and your work, great things can happen.
Cleverpedia: Why architecture? How do you decide which cities to include?
Steve McDonald: I’ve always loved drawing buildings. Even as a little kid. Architecture was one of the only things I ever considered for a living apart from being a visual artist. Architecture is by no means the only thing I like to draw (as you will see with the future books) but it certainly is one of my all time favorite subject matters. I travel a lot, as well, and the constant exposure to different building styles or patterns of habitation has always been a huge influence on myself and my work.
Choosing the cities that I included in both of the first two books was quite a challenge. The first book could have been ten times as thick… I tried to capture a varied selection from all around the planet in order to show some of the differences in architecture from a selection of places that we live in. When deciding what to draw from each particular city I would try to choose something that made that place unique. Like the canal houses in Amsterdam, The jumbled and organic growth of a place like India or the Favelas of Rio, to give you some examples.
Cleverpedia: What is your personal favourite city?
Steve McDonald: I’ve always found that an impossible question to answer. They all have unique and interesting characteristics that make them special and fun to draw. But I do like places where the growth seems natural and in response to human needs (like India or much of Asia) that being said the perfect lines of New York or San Francisco can also be a really fun thing to draw. I’ve lived in Canada, India, Italy and Indonesia during my adult years so those places do have a special place in my heart.
Cleverpedia: What is the process of making a single page like? One photo in Fantastic Cities makes it look like the full size illustrations take up a wall!
Steve McDonald: My gallery and private commission work is often quite large and done in a very traditional process. I love pencil, ink, and paint markers. I like to work on large birch treated plywood panels. Some of the drawings from the first book are versions of these works. However, most of the work in the books is now done digitally. I use a large Wacom tablet and a stylus to draw in a way that is actually very similar to my tactile work. In fact some of the digital drawings are even bigger than the one you see on the book cover.
I’m not a traditionalist by any means. I’ve heard other artists speak disparagingly about digital tools but I’m still producing all those lines with my own hand and I challenge anyone to tell me which drawings in my books were done in a traditional way and which ones were done on a tablet. It’s hard to tell the difference in their published form. I am also a strong believer that whatever the tools – you still need an artist at the controls (or stylus in this case!) to produce great art. At various points in history acrylic paints, colored pencils, spray paint and even markers have been viewed as illegitimate means of producing art. Things change. I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about what tools I’m using but instead try to concentrate on creating wonderful and beautiful images. Some of the drawings happen in a day or so and others take much longer.
Cleverpedia: Do you listen to anything while you work?
Steve McDonald: My children and wife laughing or shouting in the background!
Seriously, I’m not much into listening to anything when I work. I really like it to be completely quiet. I’m funny that way. But when I do listen to music my taste falls all over the place. Bob Dylan, Beck, Iron and Wine, Wilco, The Lumineers… I also have a ton of great friends that are musicians whom I love listening to… Haydon, Sarah Harmer, Ed Roman, Tom Barlow, Paul Reddick, and I really like some of Peirson Ross’s new stuff… this list could go on and on… my youngest daughter Asha has also started to record some music herself and as any father would – I love listening to her sing while I work.
Cleverpedia: I know your second book just came out. Are there more coloring books in your future?
Steve McDonald: I have a five book deal with Chronicle Books world-wide. The whole series will be related but there are some surprises in store for fans of the books and I’m pretty excited to get them all out there. I’m presently working on the 4th book but can’t really say much about it yet. The third book (after Fantastic Structures) is called Fantastic Collections… in it I continue to zoom in even farther and examine all kinds of unique and wonderful objects from around the world. It departs a bit from the pure architectural theme but fans of the books will see the connection in the approach and compositions of the drawings. It has all kinds of fun and quirky stuff in it. We (Chronicle and I) are also releasing calendars, coloring posters, postcards and pencils this summer.
Cleverpedia: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in pursuing a career in art, or publishing a coloring book?
Steve McDonald: Other than a good idea and the talent required – you need to persevere and not give up. I initially sent my book proposal to about twenty publishers and received almost as many negative responses… Being dedicated to your craft often involves continuing to produce work even when there doesn’t seem to be a clientele or market for it. I also try to absorb and look at a lot of what is happening out there and learn from other artists… The internet makes this really easy compared to when I was younger. On that subject – embrace and use social media and online forums to get your stuff out there… if what you are doing is good and worthwhile you will find a purpose for your work eventually. Be professional, set up a proper website, engage with your audience and be open to criticism and advice. Be unique! When I proposed the book to publishers there was only a very small amount of adult coloring books on the market. Jumping into the adult coloring book game would be harder now than it was then.
Most of all – keep drawing! (or painting or whatever it is you do…) The only way to get better is to work at it relentlessly and honestly all the time. Lastly, try to make it fun somehow. When you’re having fun time flies and work doesn’t seem like work. That’s a wonderful place to exist and create art.
A little luck doesn’t hurt either, but like the old saying goes, “Luck is when skill and opportunity come together.”
A huge thank you to Steve McDonald for dropping in and sharing his process, hinting at his future books, and offering up advice!
Show your support by buying and/or preordering his coloring books:
Fantastic Cities
Fantastic Structures
Fantastic Collections
Don’t forget to check out Steve’s website and follow him on social media!
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