LAS MUSAS BOOK BIRTHDAY - Painting the Sky with Love

Today we celebrate the book birthday of Painting the Sky with Love, illustrated by Tatiana Gardel and written by Mary E. Haque. We sat down with Musa Tatiana to learn more about the inspiration behind this book. 

A child flings open her arms to the sky, “painting it” with love. Hearts cascade and float and bounce down, while at the same time, people looking up at the sky open their hearts. This surreal, glorious expansiveness tapers down to tiny moments of love and kindness.

​Read more about this magical tale after the link...

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What 3 words would you use to describe your book?
Love, kindness, community

Can you share your path to publication for this book?
My wonderful agent, Jem Chambers-Black from ABLA, was promoting my work. Soon after she sent my portfolio out to publishers, I received the proposal to illustrate this book. I loved the manuscript, and accepted the deal right away.

What was your favorite part of the publication process with this story?
Conceptualizing the visual narrative was my favorite part of the process. In this beautiful poem written by Mary E. Haque, the abstraction of words gave me a lot of freedom to create the imagery. I love to illustrate poetry because of that. It was exciting to come up with a storyline and develop the characters.

Where did you get the idea to illustrate this particular story?
I was inspired by my neighborhood in New York City and Central Park, where I often go. I biked around checking for real life scenes and took some pictures for reference. Listening to the musicians in the park, going to the park zoo, and playing mini golf on a trip to Florida were some of the activities that inspired my creativity. I tried to live those moments I included in the book as much as I could. That was a very fun process. I was also inspired by the feelings I carried as a child and continue to carry as well as an adult.

What is the most important lesson you have learned as an illustrator until now?
To take care of mental and physical health. It’s important to stretch, take breaks, and exercise. I’ve hurt myself a few times from drawing, especially my wrist and shoulder. One time I even strained a leg muscle from sitting in a weird position for too many hours. The next day I needed crutches. The pain was real!

Congratulations Tatiana!

​​Tatiana Gardel is a New York City-based artist whose work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators and American Illustration. Books she illustrated include Painting the Sky with Love (Feiwel & Friends, 2024), Xavier’s Voice (The Innovation Press, 2024), Abuelo, the Sea, and Me (Roaring Brook Press, 2024), and The First Day of Peace, (Candlewick Press, 2023).

Born and raised in Brazil, her art is inspired by her culture, mythology, nature, and childhood memories. She is a co-founder of #LatinxPitch and teaches Animation to young artists at the Harlem School of the Arts. You can visit her at tatianagardel.com.

Instagram: @GardelTatiana
Twitter: @GardelTatiana

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