Tim Probert is the award-winning author-illustrator of the critically acclaimed, global sensation, the Lightfall graphic novel series.

In episode 23 of The KidLit Pod, host Shara Curlett chats with Tim about his creative origins, career path, and process.

With a childhood immersed in creativity, Tim describes how his love for drawing emerged early on, and how he was constantly drawing both because of the enjoyment of it, and as a way of helping him to focus while listening in class at school. He shares how he created LEGO epics, and drew inspiration from games like The Legend of Zelda. Unsure of which creative path to pursue, Tim later studied traditional fine arts at Boston University, taught himself Photoshop, and entered animation via clean-up work on a Dora the Explorer project.

Tim illustrated the Kickstarter scratch-and-sniff picture book New York, Phew York!, then moved to NYC, rebuilt his portfolio, and was hired by Macmillan to illustrate Pickle, followed by series work like Rip and Red. He spent 10 years at the Nathan Love animation studio as a design/art director before leaving to do books full time.

Shara and Tim then delve into Lightfall’s development (with first character sketches in 2013), his character design choices for anxious Bea and Cad, inspiration including Dinotopia, Bone, Nausicaä, and his workflow: outline, screenplay-format script, thumbnails, red-pencil pages inked in graphite, scanning, Photoshop lettering and digital painting with textures.

Each Lightfall book has 256 pages, is published on a two-year schedule with a contract for six in total, and with book five currently in progress. Tim discusses cinematic influences from storyboarding, using references mainly for environments and color, the challenges of printing dark palettes for The Dark Times, and Lightfall’s growth to 21 languages.

The episode closes noting a special-edition hardcover release now available in Australia and New Zealand.

LINKS:

Tim Probert on Instagram: @timprobert

Tim Probert Website: timprobert.com

Lightfall series via Harper Collins website

New York, Phew York!

Pickle

D&D: Dungeon Academy Series

MENTIONS:

Nathan Love animation studio

The Silmarillion

Nausicaa

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Find out more about The KidLit Pod host, Shara Curlett, here:

Shara Curlett on Instagram (@sharacurlett)

Shara Curlett Website (www.sharacurlett.com)