A Conversation with Kirk Reedstrom

Kirk Reedstrom, a 2016 Centenary graduate originally from Houston, Texas, recently signed a three-book deal with Disney-Hyperion to publish his Duck and Moose early graphic reader series. Reedstrom grew up on the art and stories of Calvin & Hobbes and continued to be inspired by children’s literature and drawing while in college, especially during his internship with illustrator and Academy Award-winning filmmaker William Joyce. Since graduating from Centenary, Reedstrom has kept his creative juices flowing in Shreveport alongside his wife Sarah Duet ’11, a fellow Centenary graduate and artist. His comic “zines” have been featured in Salon, Relief Journal, The Quaranzine, and on NPR’s All Things Considered.

What was the inspiration for Duck and Moose? Where did the characters and their personalities come from? What are the big ideas or stories that they help you tell?

I was inspired to write this story after a family trip to Alaska in 2018 where we saw moose in real life while visiting Denali National Park. Stepping on spongy tundra, watching arctic ground squirrels chirp at passersby, petting huskies, and being surrounded by towering mountains and bucolic wilderness makes it hard not to be inspired, but making this particular book wasn’t immediate. I tried to write two different stories with other animals we encountered on that trip, and neither story worked. I fumbled around with those ideas for a couple of years. It wasn’t until 2020 that I doodled the first picture of Duck & Moose.

After looking at that first drawing, I thought it was the funniest thing I’d made in years. I took the characters, and sketched out a very rough first version of Duck Moves In! I had a good sense of the characters’ personalities early on—Duck is a happy-go-lucky, go-with-the-flow kind of bird, and Moose prefers quiet and his little routines. It was through revision, though, when I learned more about the characters’ sense of themselves. At first, I thought Moose came mostly from my personality, but I was surprised to discover there was an equal amount of myself in Duck. Realizing that helped me make Duck a more rounded character.

Duck and Moose’s stories are about friendship, and navigating relationships where you don’t always see eye to eye.

Talk about your creative process: How do you prepare? How do you get started? Where and when do you create illustrations?

I don’t do well staring at a blank page–that’s too much pressure for me! I’ve also never been the kind of person who gets something right on the first try, so revision is an integral step in my process. Understanding that means I know I don’t have to write a perfect story or draw well when I’m sketching out a first draft. I’ll often go through five to ten rounds of revision before sending a project to my critique partners and agent for their thoughts.

People might wonder if the words or pictures come first to me when working on a book. They both happen concurrently! I’ll usually doodle and jot down ideas in a sketchbook or journal until I have what feels like ideas for more than half of the pages in the books. After that, I do very rough sketches using Procreate or Photoshop so I can start building out a draft in InDesign. I try to do this step as fast as possible so I won’t allow myself to second guess my work or try to redo the first three pages over and over. Then I’ll sit down and write all the dialogue by hand, letting myself tweak word choice and rearrange pages. After adding all of those changes back into the document, I’ll export it as a PDF and read it aloud to see where I get bored or fumble with words. If I’m bored with my own work, the reader will certainly be bored, so reading aloud is an indispensable step in my process. After the story’s feeling good, I’ll tighten up the sketches (they’re still very rough) and send the new draft out to critique partners and my agent. They often spot problems I can’t see on my own, and getting their input is invaluable when I’m deep into a project and can’t see the forest for the trees.

For the most part, I create these books in my home studio. During the day, I work in the marketing department of Shreve Memorial Library, so the vast majority of my creative work happens before and after hours. On weekdays I wake up at 6am to get a 30 to 40 minute session in, and depending on if I’m cooking I’ll do another session from 8pm-9:30pm. On weekends, I work from 9:30am or 10am to 4pm or 5pm, with another evening session.

What was the process that has led to the Disney book deal? What has been surprising/challenging/exciting about that process?

This deal started out as a rejection! My agent, Ana Crespo, sent an entirely different project. My editor liked the humor and the art, but didn’t think the book was a good fit. She asked if I had anything else, so Ana and I sent everything I had (including a kitchen sink or two). One of the projects was DUCK MOVES IN! but it was a picture book. The editor asked if I’d consider turning it into a graphic novel, so I said, “Yes! Of Course! Give me two weeks!,” and I transformed what was originally a 40-page picture book into the first draft of a 64-page graphic novel. The editor also asked if I had ideas for other adventures with the characters, so during those two weeks, I also wrote out pitches and cover sketches for another three books. I also changed my art technique three times before landing on the final look of the book series!

The most exciting part of this process is simply that it’s happening. It’s been a dream come true to work with the team at Disney. The most challenging part has been managing time!

What will your life look like over the next few years as you work on the books? Has this work already been completed or is it still in production?

My life is going to be filled with a lot of long nights! Right now, I’m finishing the final art for the first two books, and then I’ll start writing the third book.

What other projects do you have in your head?

I’ve just opened my first solo exhibit at the RW Norton Art Gallery called Squiggle Party: A Doodle Experience. The show will invite kids and their families to create characters and stories based on creative prompts I’ve developed in my newsletter, Somebody Write This Book! The exhibit will be on display this summer through August 6. You can find more information about the show here.

What advice would you give to a person who wants to publish their children’s book, or is interested in learning more about writing/illustration?

I have two pieces of advice for anyone who is interested in creating kids books. First, join the Society of Children’s Book Writers And Illustrators. SCBWI will help you find critique groups, has monthly regional chapter meetings, and annual conferences where you can put your work in front of agents, art directors, and editors. My senior project/exhibit at Centenary was to create a portfolio which I brought to the SCBWI summer conference in Los Angeles.

My second piece of advice is to read a lot, and read diversely and widely. Check to see what’s new at your local bookstore, make friends with your local librarians and see what they’re reading.

Where can we keep up with you?

Visit my website and sign up for my newsletter at kirkreedstrom.com! Once a month, I send writing and drawing prompts to inboxes near and far as well as updates on my own writing life.