I use the same process to create picture books, but I learned the storyboard technique from animated film. Then I need a lot of time to work on each sequence to reach the level of detail and perfection I am looking for. In a few weeks, I can have a whole story created it is quite an intense process because the story comes out of my head. The story starts with a series of small sketches, which are not perfect but they set the tone and indicate the sequence. My passion is as strong for film as it is for picture books. How do you combine your various artistic passions? You are currently working on the Sindbad book series, but are also very involved in the production of the animated film The Epic of Gilgamesh. After high school, I attended a famous art school in Uh Earski Hradištne in the Czech Republic. It gives them an opening to the world and to new experiences. I felt like I was in heaven it was a revelation for me.Ĭhildren need to be inspired I think it is very good to expose children to art. The teacher would then ask us, the students, to draw a picture or to write a story inspired by the event we had just attended. I remember how I loved it, how I was filled with joy.

Of course, it was full of grammatical errors! As students in a small town, we would often attend a play, a concert or even the opera. I was quite a shy child and did not do very well in school, except when the teacher asked us to write a story, then I would always write the best fairy tale. My father, Karel Zeman, was a famous animation cinematographer in Czechoslovakia, and many artists such as Jiri Trinka would often come to our family home. As a woman of many talents, can you tell us when you first felt this need to express yourself through art?Īs a child, I was surrounded with books and art.

You are a filmmaker, a children's book illustrator and a puppeteer. The First Red Maple Leaf … is for me a symbol of peace and safety.

Gilgamesh the King by Ludmila Zeman