In this episode, Evan Kitson sits down with one of his longtime painting heroes, Julie Heffernan, for a rich and wide-ranging conversation. Julie is renowned for her lush, allegorical paintings, but in recent years, she’s taken a surprising and thrilling turn into the world of graphic novels with her debut book Babe in the Woods: or, The Art of Getting Lost.
Together, Evan and Julie dive into:
- The origins of Babe in the Woods and the unlikely software behind it (spoiler: Microsoft Paint!)
- How narrative and composition intersect in both her paintings and her book
- The difference between critique and personal exploration in visual storytelling
- Trees, mark-making, and the visual vocabulary of digital drawing
- What it means to truly respond to your own work- and how to let go of what no longer serves you
- The role of beauty, mystery, and formal relationships in building meaningful art
- The powerful influence of image streaming on her creative process
- Julie’s upcoming second graphic novel, plus her thoughts on artists, films, and books that shaped her journey
Want to watch our conversation? We're on YouTube!
Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ihkU4rUDJs
Our YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/@theopensketchbook
The Open Sketchbook
https://theopensketchbook.com
https://www.instagram.com/the.open.sketchbook/
The Virtual Studio - Join for Exclusive Podcast Content and More!
https://learn.theopensketchbook.com/bundles/virtual-studio
Our Weekly Newsletter, The Drawing Board:
https://theopensketchbook.kit.com/posts
GUEST: Julie Heffernan
https://www.julieheffernan.net/
https://www.instagram.com/julie_heffernan_/
Heffernan's Amazing Graphic Novel:
Babe in the Woods: or, The Art of Getting Lost
https://amzn.to/41pAR6I (this is an affiliate link)
Julie's Book Recommendations:
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
https://amzn.to/3DU9oCq
When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut
https://amzn.to/4ciUMJC
In the Distance by Hernan Diaz
https://amzn.to/4j1aX0e
HOST: Evan Kitson
https://evankitson.com
https://www.instagram.com/evan_kitson/
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