Interview with award-winning illustrator Yevgenia Nayberg and her work on A Visit to Moscow

GG: Tell us how you became an illustrator.

YN: This is not something that happened at a specific point. I illustrated my first book when I was five years old. I always loved to read and visually interpret what I read. My mother is an artist, so observing her and her colleagues gave me an early push.

YN: Anna had been my literary agent for several years before she approached me for this project. At that point, I can safely say she knew my work quite well.

YN: I like the portrait of the KGB agent. Somehow this image manages to express all I was hoping to convey: The fear, the ease, the intimidating elegance. I've lucked out with this one, both emotionally and in terms of the technique.

YN:I sketched everything out by hand but did all the final work digitally.

I looked at many Soviet photos from the sixties, mostly for historical research ( cars, architecture, clothing, etc.). Tarkovsky was very helpful for the mood.

YN: Not really. Sometimes I struggle with a technical element. Usually, it means that my drawing doesn't look as effortless as I would have liked. Otherwise, no. I am a professional and I can unstick myself pretty efficiently!

YN: They went through many initial drafts of my own, but once I submitted them to the editor, most illustrations stayed the same. There are always modifications at a later stage, but that's expected. The cover did undergo many changes.

YN: I am working on a new picture book, that I had also written. It's a biography with a twist.

YN: If you want to know more about my books, including my latest, I Hate Borsch! you can preview them on my website www.nayberg.org and find them at your local bookstore and library.