Author-illustrator Lizi Boyd

Author-illustrator Lizi Boyd dropped by to chat with me about Flashlight, Matteo, her illustrations, nature, and wordless books. I wrote the words in red, and she wrote the words in black. Thank you, Lizi! 

The book trailer for Flashlight was made by Matteo of Black Lead Pencil. It was his translation. Matteo asked me to paint sets so he could build the trailer in layers. The music was composed by Eric Wright (listen to his album, Fretless). Eric received the trailer from Matteo and we spoke briefly about tempo and momentum. Matteo and Eric both brought their interpretations of the book to create the trailer.

Illustration credit: Lizi Boyd

Did you know Luna moths only live for ten days?  When I met the one in the book he was holding onto the bark of a tree flapping his wings. He had just hatched. The Luna moth’s disguise is that they appear as just an enormous leaf. The minute I met the Luna moth I knew he’d be part of the book.

Illustration credit: Lizi Boyd

I created Flashlight’s illustrations at our summerhouse on Lake Sunapee, NH. One side of the house looks out over the lake, the other three sides are in the woods. It‘s a quiet, minimal place to work. I’d collect plants from the forest floor and put them alongside my drawing table. Many of the details just appeared; the Luna moth, the little white spiders that crawled into the paint dish one night, the tiny white moths batting away at the drawing lights.

Illustration credit: Lizi Boyd

Nature is the magic and wonder that we are all a part of. It is our second skin.

When I was in elementary school I began to read and started to draw sometimes to distraction.

Wordless pictures books ask their readers to ‘listen’ to what they see, that in itself is a storytelling skill. A wordless picture book becomes the interpretation and story of its reader.

Mr. Schu you should have asked me if I’d ever  played flashlight tag? And I did in the same woods that are in the book. It is so fun to hid in the dark behind trees. Did you play flashlight tag?

Borrow Flashlight from your school or public library. Whenever possible, please support independent bookshops.