Isabelle Arsenault

Born in Sept-Îles, Quebec, Arsenault and her family moved to Île-Bizard and lived there much of her adolescent life.{{Cite web |title=Children's books: Isabelle Arsenault creates vivid scenes of a Mile End alley |url=https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/childrens-books-isabelle-arsenault-creates-vivid-scenes-of-a-mile-end-alley |access-date=2021-03-01 |website=montrealgazette |language=en-CA}} As a child Arsenault took part in a contest for illustration, that her local newspaper was holding at the time for Christmas.{{Cite web |title=Isabelle Arsenault: illustrator extraordinaire! - Free Online Library |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Isabelle+Arsenault:+illustrator+extraordinaire!-a0506562602 |access-date=2021-03-01 |website=www.thefreelibrary.com}} It was at this stage in her life that she had realized her passion for artistic endeavors, and this was made more apparent by her winning the contest. She notes "I understood that I really enjoyed drawing, and I could use my ability to create something unique".

Arsenault spent many of her childhood years never going to art schools, as she was not aware that art was to become her future profession. However, she did take various arts studies within her Secondary school education. It was through her various art classes that teachers inspired her. She claims she would spend hours at a time on art through various mediums outside of her classroom.{{Cite web |title=An Interview with Isabelle Arsenault |url=https://www.artofthepicturebook.com/-check-in-with/2020/1/14/an-interview-with-isabelle-arsenault |access-date=2021-03-01 |website=Art of the Picture Book |language=en-US}}

In 2005, she won the Governor General's Award for French-language children's illustration for Le Coeur de Monsieur Gauguin; the text was by Marie-Danielle Croteau.{{cite web |title=Isabelle Arsenault |url=http://www.kidscanpress.com/creators/isabelle-arsenault/649 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516060545/https://www.kidscanpress.com/creators/isabelle-arsenault/649 |archive-date=2022-05-16 |access-date=2017-04-09 |publisher=Kids Can Press}} She won the same award in 2013 for her illustration of the graphic novel Jane, le renard et moi with text by Fanny Britt; this book also won the Joe Shuster Award for outstanding artist, the {{ill|Prix Bédélys|fr}} and the {{ill|Prix Réal-Fillion|fr}}{{cite web |url=http://www.lapasteque.com/jane-le-renard-et-moi/ |title=Jane, le renard et moi |publisher=Les Éditions de la Pastèque |language=fr}} and the English translation Jane, the fox and me was named to the New York Times list of the ten best illustrated books for children for 2013.{{cite news |url=http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/639240/jane-renard-10-meilleurs-livres-ny-times |title=La BD Jane, le renard et moi sur la liste du New York Times |publisher=ICI Radio-Canada |language=fr}} Migrant, illustrated by Arsenault, was named to the New York Times' list for 2011.{{cite news |url=https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/livres/336102/en-bref-isabelle-arsenault-dans-le-palmares-du-new-york-times |title=Isabelle Arsenault dans le palmarès du New York Times |newspaper=Le Devoir |date=November 15, 2011 |language=fr}} In 2012, she won the Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration for Virginia Wolf; Kyo Maclear provided the text. Additionally, in 2020 IBBY Canada nominated Isabelle Arsenault with the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her accomplishments towards the ongoing expansion of children's literature were noteworthy enough to consider her for nomination.{{Cite web|title=Hans Christian Andersen Awards – IBBY Canada|url=https://www.ibby-canada.org/awards/hans-christian-andersen-awards/|access-date=2021-03-01|language=en-US}}

Arsenault's art style is often described as minimalist in nature, and for the most part very colorful. Instead of opting for hard lines and detailed backgrounds and characters, she often illustrates with an ease of hand, but conveys emotion through these simple images and their text. Much of Arsenault's art attempts to evoke emotions in the reader, with more interest in showcasing the character's state of mind, and less the external causes for their state of mind. In her seminal work for Maxine Trottier's Migrant we see this at work, as much of the environment is less focused upon; when in contrast the young Mennonite farmer's child envisions herself and others visually as jackrabbits and kittens.{{Cite book|last=Trottier|first=Maxine|title=Migrant|publisher=Groundwood Books.|year=2011|isbn=9780888999757|location=Quebec}}

File:Idea doodle.jpg

Arsenault attributes her style to doodling early drafts as rough as possible, so to understand the overall visual story she wishes to produce. Arsenault explains in her blog that it grants her a level of freedom that allows for her emotions at the time of finalization to be expressed through her art. Much of her style is derived from her experimental improvisational approach, filled with potential mistakes.{{Cite web|title=Isabelle Arsenault|url=https://blog.picturebookmakers.com/post/122843304761/isabelle-arsenault|access-date=2021-03-01|website=Picturebook Makers}}

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• {{Official website|http://www.isabellearsenault.com/}}

{{Governor General's English children's illustration|state=collapsed}}

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Category:1978 births

Category:Living people

Category:Governor General's Award–winning children's illustrators

Category:Canadian comics artists

Category:Canadian female comics artists

Category:Université du Québec à Montréal alumni

Category:Artists from Quebec

Category:21st-century Canadian women artists

Category:People from Sept-Îles, Quebec