Kristina Tartara is the talent behind 3 board books we carry in our Marketplace: What Do You See At Liturgy?, What Can I Do At Divine Liturgy?, and St Ia Rides A Leaf (authored by Melinda Johnson, illustrated by Kristina Tartara). She also make My Orthodox Matching Game! Her fun, thoughtful work make her book treasures that our own children have read again, and again, and again, and again…
Want to get to know Kristina a bit better? Read on!
Introduce yourself!
Currently, I am a full time freelance children’s book illustrator in Cleveland, Ohio. Even though this has been my dream job since I was in 2nd grade, I never pursued it. I let doubt sink in and thought I could never be good enough to do it. I ended up studying to be a teacher which has been very helpful in my career of writing and illustrating books. I can’t imagine a better job than this - creating stories that help kids learn and grow.
Who is your patron saint, and is that a meaningful person in your life?
I am cradle Greek Orthodox so I got my name because Kristina was a name that sounded the same in Greek and English. My mom does not speak Greek so she wanted it to be an easy name and she really liked it. Haha! Everyone would tell me that my name day was on Christmas but I found out in high school there was a St. Christina. She stood up for Christ and they put her in a tower. She was tortured and died a martyr. I love that we have patron saints in Orthodoxy. Someone to look up to and to try to emulate in all that we do.
How did you get started doing what you do now?
It is an interesting story. I honestly thought I’d never really be an illustrator. It wasn’t until 2014 when I was very ill and saw what life was like without my abilities. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It was difficult to write my name and use fine motor skills, let alone create any art. My memory and thinking was challenged. In order to regain some skills that I had lost, I needed to retrain my brain. That is done by learning something new. So I took a drawing class and I haven’t stopped drawing since!
Around the same time I got sick, I was in a graphic design course. I took that in order to create Orthodox board books since back then there was only 1 board book on the market. When my kids were little and got fussy during liturgy, I wanted to redirect them to books about God rather than toys or secular books. If we are in church I wanted them to think about God and not earthly things. That’s how I got started in the orthodox market.
So my life lesson that I learned is to go for it. Do what you were made to do and find blessings in bad situations. If I didn’t get sick, I may not have tried to be an illustrator. So I thank God for the challenges I faced.
What is your favorite part of what you do?
Seeing kids reading my books. I love that I am able to help children experience a story through my art. And that they can learn about God’s love through my religious work. As for what part of the artwork process I like - I love coloring the drawings, specifically shading things. It is where the static drawing gets life.
What do you try to communicate with your art?
Since I work with kids books, I try to put myself in the shoes of a preschooler or 8 year old - whatever age I’m drawing for. I want the art to connect with the kids and be relatable to their age group.
What is your favorite project that you have completed?
Saint Ia Rides a Leaf is my favorite. I got to work with Melinda who is an incredible writer and teammate. It was so much fun bringing her story to life. And we both are passionate about helping the littlest Orthodox learn about the faith and God’s love.
What is your dream product/project for the future?
In the Orthodox world, I plan on making some greeting cards. I hope to continue to illustrate stories for Orthodox books or any other projects that might need an illustrator. In the secular world, my dream would be to create more board books and find an agent. Whatever I do, I want the art to help kids in some way and to have a positive impact on their lives. It would also be wonderful to create religious books for the general Christian market as well.
Thanks for allowing us to interview you, Kristina! We LOVE your work, and can’t wait to see what other books, cards, and goodness you create. Glory to God!