An interview with artist Fru Farkas 

Lindsay Rosasco • July 29, 2019

The woman behind the whimsical illustrations of These Words Are for You

Everyone has been asking me about the artist behind the illustrations of my first children's book, These Words Are for You. I'm delighted to share an interview with the talented Ms. Fru Farkas. Want more from Fru? Check her out shop, Manard Illustration , and follow her along on Instagram for daily inspiration and smiles.

How did you get started being an artist?

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been creating something with my mom and my grandma. My dream was to become an illustrator. But by the time I finished high school, I had an irrational fear that a drawing should be perfect in order to justify the time and materials I’ve put into it. When I first discovered digital techniques, I felt that finally I can experiment without the pressure of perfectness. This is how I started drawing again, practicing every day when I could. Then I slowly started to gain some confidence and to take my dream of becoming an illustrator seriously. A friend of mine suggested to share my works on Instagram. After that, it took me about 8 months to get my first commission, but many amazing opportunities have found me since then.

What inspires you?

I’m mainly inspired by my own stories and feelings. I’d like to create a magical, dream-like world where everyone is equal and kind. I also like to imagine that animals have a secret world where they go to work and have their own problems. I’m inspired by this imaginary world and I would like to create a portal between that world and ours through my art.

What is your background?

I have a master’s degree in psychology and I also studied interior design for a while. Throughout my uni years, I’ve worked with an interior design team in Hungary. We made event styling and created store interiors. Then I’ve moved to Australia and I felt it was time to work towards my dreams.

How do you create your illustrations?

When I create something for myself, I usually have a very clear idea about what I want to do. I can visualize the textures, the patterns, the colors and the layout so clearly that I seldom make any pencil drafts on the paper before I start painting.

When I work with clients, I always do digital pencil sketches at first. After they choose the design they want, I start painting that version. I use watercolor, acryla gouache, and colored pencils in my illustrations. Then I scan the painting and clean it up digitally. This mostly consists of color corrections or adding little details to the picture.

Where in the world do you live and where are you from?

I’m originally from Budapest, Hungary but I currently live in Sydney. I’ve moved here 3 years ago with my partner because he received a PhD scholarship. Although it was really hard to leave my family, my friends, and my cat in Hungary, I feel very lucky that I’m able to experience living abroad - especially in such an amazing country.

What inspired you to take the job to illustrate this book?

As I mentioned before, my dream was to become an illustrator, and I feel an especially strong connection to children’s books. Even though I’ve been offered book illustrating projects before, this was the first time a manuscript really engaged me. On top of that, Lindsay was super nice from the beginning, and I felt that we could create something beautiful together. I can’t thank her enough for trusting me!

Anything else?

I just would like to thank everyone for supporting our book . We’ve put a lot of love and effort in it and I really hope it will bring joy to your lives, too!

What does my 5th grade biography project have to do with publishing a book?

By Lindsay Rosasco • July 21, 2019
I was standing in my favorite place, the library, reading the spines in the biography section. I touched the books in the T section, as I carefully scanned them, looking for Temple, Shirley. My fifth grade teacher assigned us a biography project, and we spent the day in the library choosing our book and completing pre-reading worksheets. As an avid reader who loved class projects, this was right up my alley. So why did I start to get verklempt in the non-fiction section of my school library? You see, I've always had these strange, strong emotions when it comes to death. I'm sure nobody likes the idea of it, but as early as I can remember, I've been extremely sensitive to the notion of it. The idea of studying someone's life both excited and made me - sad? contemplative? - I can't describe it exactly, but I do know that day in the library, I decided something: I was going to be a published author one day. What I loved about the project, and books in general, was that even after the author had passed on, their legacy, words, and stories would forever be read and cherished. In that way, their memories live on. They made an impact. They could never truly be gone. I made up my mind that one day, my stories would be published, too. Over the years, I've kept journals, written poems, songs, notes, you name it, I've written it. I've started three novels that I'll have to return to one of these days and have written short stories, but never had I written a children's book. As a mom to three little girls, I've had emotions and inspiration that I never could have conceived without being a parent, and I'm proud that the first book I'll be publishing is something so timeless and relatable to anyone who loves a child. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on my first book, These Words Are for You , available for pre-order now!

How 4 lines of poetry became a children's book

By Lindsay Rosasco • July 21, 2019
I've always been a writer. In fact, as much as I love verbal communication, I've always been most comfortable and confident communicating through writing. From writing stories and songs to poetry and notes to loved ones, words seem to come to me, just bursting to get out. It's no surprise that when my friend got pregnant after years of struggling with painful fertility issues that I wanted to use writing to convey my feelings about it. How do you tell someone you love them when words like "I love you" don't do it justice? How do you express to a baby how much she was truly desired and meant to come at the exact time she was born? When conventional words fail to capture these big emotions, poetry is the answer. I wrote a few lines of poetry and put it in a jeweled frame for my friend's nursery: The sun has been waiting her whole life, and the moon has been waiting too | The stars in the great big wondrous sky have all been waiting for you. Short. Sweet. Seems simple but when you really think about it, the meaning is big. I couldn't get these lines out of my head. At the time, I had a a toddler and a baby and often found myself unable to capture my feelings about them. As parents, we all know how quickly time passes; things we know we'll never ever forget slip away without us even realizing it. I wanted to capture those feelings and lock them up forever, so the four lines of poetry naturally kept growing - that's how These Words Are for You was born. These Words Are for You actually wasn't going to be my first book; I have another manuscript that I thought I would publish first, but there was something about these words that felt more special and important to capture and get into the hands of children, parents, grandparents, teachers, aunts, and uncles everywhere. These Words Are for You gives children a sense of their place in the beautiful world around them; it connects their being with nature, society, past, and present. It gives them a sense of belonging. This is the first out of many books I'll be publishing, but I know it's one that will be cherished by adults as much as children for years to come. I'm so excited to share these words with you - you can pre-order your copy now!

What are Kickstarter & Indiegogo?

By Lindsay Rosasco • March 16, 2019
Your friend told you she's going to crowdfund for her next book; you see a crowdfunding ad on Facebook and really want the product but don't really feel like donating to another cause right now. Sound familiar? Newsflash - crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo are not merely donating money to advance XYZ product - they are rewards-based platforms. That means if you donate towards the cause, you get rewards in return. Pretty cool, right? You can help support your friends or products you'd like to see come to fruition and in return, you'll receive goodies.