Buzz Hoot Roar Announces Its First Artist in Residence!

We’re back from summer vacation, and we brought a souvenir! Today, Buzz, Hoot, and Roar are super excited to announce the Very Talented Christine Fleming is our first ever Artist in Residence!

Yes, we’re still working with other talented artists across the globe, and we’d love you to contact us if you’re ever interested in working with us. But for the next few months, Fleming, of spider sex and what’s the difference fame, is going to share her awesomeness with us every other week. Get Ready!

Here, Fleming tells us a little about the maker behind the magic.

Who: “I’m Christine Fleming, an illustrator currently based in Southeast Texas, slowly making my way out west. I graduated from North Carolina State University with a BFA in Graphic Design, and my illustrations have appeared in parenting magazines, literary zines, blogs, educational workbooks, and personal commissions. I’m also working hard toward my dream of writing and illustrating my own picture books. If I’m not drawing, writing, or staring at my computer screen, I can probably be found cooking way too much food, running with my dog, Oni, or reading in the sun.”

Why: I’m thrilled to be Buzz Hoot Roar’s artist in residence! Drawing allows me to really see something, giving me a better grasp on the subject, and a greater appreciation of just how weird the world is (have you ever drawn an ostrich?! They’re weird.). Growing up, I was that kid saying “did you know…?!” all the time, and I guess I still am today. Now I get to draw those conversations regularly as the Buzz Hoot Roar artist in residence!

What and How: “My favorite art medium is pencil. I enjoy the simplicity of it, and knowing that the base of all my illustrations is just graphite and paper. The physical feel of pencil on paper really gets to me—it has a kind of soft roughness to it that puts me straight into an almost meditative state of mind. That’s where the good stuff happens.”

Other Important Information: “My favorite animal is the siphonophore, like the Portuguese Man o’ War. They’re exotic and endlessly fascinating! They look like one organism, but they’re actually made up of a colony of organisms called zooids, each responsible for different tasks. Say whaaaat?”

Follow Christine at @might_could and check out more of her work here.