Ieva Babilaitė

Illustrator

Where drawing and words merge

Ieva's illustrations are made to appeal to children and adults alike
She tells a story through imagery
Her drawings are multi-layered, as are the texts in her books

Ieva Babilaitė is an artist, book illustrator, and creator. She has loved drawing since she was a child. Even at the age of five, she used to communicate with her sisters through drawn letters. This led her to a children's art school, then to the Graphic Arts Department of the Vilnius Academy of Arts, where she completed her Master's degree and where she now teaches students. She is a person who is constantly observing the world with patience and curiosity and puts what she sees into her books, which are mostly aimed at children but are also enjoyable for adults. Her drawings are extremely sensitive and delicate, revealing the characters' inner world, feelings, sadness, loneliness, joy, or longing. Sometimes, she writes about her life by producing her own books; sometimes, she collaborates with writers; and sometimes, her books do not even need words as images are enough. Her illustrated books have won the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture Prize and the IBBY Prize for Best Illustration many times.

Interview

©Ieva Babilaite

How did you get into book illustration?: I lived in the Netherlands for a year, and from there I used to send my friends postcards that I had drawn, with a text message hidden in them. I liked to think about the person to whom the card was addressed – with affection, sometimes with a joke. I got my first commission to illustrate a book when I sent a postcard to a famous Dutch artist, and he asked me to collaborate.
What is the most important thing for you in a book?: The text between the lines. I try to create a secondary text with the image. If the book is about people, it is fascinating to explore their personalities and their psychological side. If it is about a place, then I try to be in the place, to absorb and convey it through a mixture of imagination and reality.
Do you have a favourite technique?: Paper is always involved in the creative process. I have been able to draw since I was a child, and I have a great urge to draw. I like to change the techniques depending on the text. The text usually dictates the technique, in fact.
What do you like most about your profession?: The analysis. I like to construct a model of a book, come up with an idea, and lay it out in my mind. Thinking about the book is the sweetest and liveliest part of my work. And I also love to observe. To scan the environment and collect material.

Ieva Babilaitė is a master artisan: she began her career in 1999 and she started teaching in 2016