Sara McCall Ephron is an art teacher at the Children’s Learning Center and an author and illustrator of children’s books. She has two children and is currently living in Manhattan. She hopes to publish more children’s books in the future.

 

JW: How did you get started?

SE: My parents were both artists, so I was always around art. My mom was always taking me places with her. She would go to the beach and draw; she would go to the promenade in Brooklyn and draw. I would always get dragged around in her work. So when I was a kid I used to just draw also. Then, when I got older, it just seemed like it was something I loved to do, and it was something I could do. It was something I got fulfillment out of and enjoyment out of. I eventually started to think how I could use that to actually have a career.

JW: What schools did you attend to study art?

SE: I went to Fiorello LaGuardia Music & Arts and Performing Arts. But I didn’t stay there. I ended up getting my GED and dropping out. I went to SUNY Purchase for two years, and then I transferred to School of Visual Arts and got a BFA in illustration. Then, I went back and got an MAT, Master of Arts in Teaching, at School of Visual Arts.

JW: Who or what were your inspirations?

SE: My inspirations were comics. I used to read a lot of comics when I was a kid. I used to love The X-Men and Will Eisner, who did The Spirit. I was really into the way that Will Eisner had this very film noir kind of style. I also really loved, and I still do, Maurice Sendak and very classic illustrators: Edmund Dulac, Kay Nielsen, Arthur Rackham, and Vincent Van Gogh.

JW: How would you describe your art style?

SE: I have two different styles. When I was doing the editorials, the more adult ones, I was interested in making political commentary or social commentary. I was interested in exploring that and just trying to communicate a lot of feelings that I had as well as doing something visually interesting. That style is darker and edgier. And then, I got into children’s books after my son was born. I was always interested in children’s books, but I guess I was kind of censoring myself. I didn’t want to be quite as raw when I had a child. So, that took a dreamier kind of approach and more fantastical or magically oriented.

JW: How do you produce your artworks?

SE: I mostly draw them by hand. First, I sketch them, and then I go over them with water color pencils. Then, I incorporate water color and wash to make it more opaque. Sometimes I go over them in ink. I may use black ink or I may just use black water paints to get a stronger outline. I only recently started using the computer, literally within this past summer. I rarely use the computer and I’m learning just Photoshop.

JW: Besides your website, where is your art available for viewing?

SE: I’m trying to work on self-publishing my children’s books right now. I have one, The Man with the Little Head, which I’m trying to get available for printing. And I hope to get it out in stores. I’m going to have to do that myself I guess. At some point, it should be available through Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

JW: Why did you choose to teach children art?

SE: There are a bunch reasons for that one. One is for practical time considerations, which is that teaching allows me to have some resolve and to have the same holidays as my kids. The other thing, of course, is that working with kids helps in developing their creativity which is really amazing and inspiring. I feel that it’s very important to support children from a young age to be open to their explorations. People, in general, should be encouraged to pursue creativity and to feel good about it and not feel that they need to be professional artists to be artists. Anybody can be an artist.

JW: What advice do you have for aspiring artists?

SE: Just do it. Just do as much as you can and never give up. Always believe in yourself and in your art. If what you’re doing is a value, then even if the artwork doesn’t look like what you’re trying to draw, it’s more about being expressive and going through the process. Every time you do something, you learn more.

JW: What would you like to do in the future with your art career?

SE: I would like to have my books published. I have a lot of story ideas which I would also like to publish and have available for other people to read. I would also like to work on other people’s books to illustrate them. I am currently working with somebody else. Basically, I would like to get my work out there.

 

Visit her website at: http://saramccallephron.com