Meenal Patel - Photos and Interview (2024)

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The Bookshelf: Meenal Patel

Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano

Photography by Gabriela Hasbun

Jan 9, 2020

In our The Bookshelf column, we’ve been lucky to get a peek into the creative studios of modern children’s book legends around the world who have definitively “made it.” At the same time, we think it’s important to shine the light on some up-and-comers who are still perhaps looking for that first big break. Case in point: Today’s profile on San Francisco-based author and illustrator Meenal Patel. With two self-published books under her belt—Neela Goes to San Francisco (2016) and Priya Dreams of Marigolds & Masala—we’ve been fans of Meenal’s ever since first laying eyes on her stunning and unique book illustrations, which highlight Indian characters and culture. Recently, Meenal invited us into her home studio to talk about becoming a full-time artist, new collaborations for 2020, and how she’s still figuring it all out. (Aren’t we all!)

"My family moved around a lot when I was growing up but we eventually landed in Minnesota, where I spent most of my childhood. I went to college at the University of Minnesota for graphic design and then spent 10 years working for a Minneapolis design agency. Some of that ten years was spent working remotely in Boston and San Francisco. My creative director at that agency had a really big influence on me. He taught me how to push myself creatively and develop my aesthetic. Beyond that, I learned so much about working with clients, art directing, print production, collaboration, and project management. I got to work with some really great, talented, and fun people and I’m forever grateful for that experience."

"I did some illustration and surface design when I worked at the design agency but was mostly doing graphic design like branding, packaging, in-store signage, and promotions. I left that full-time job three years ago to focus on my illustration practice. I still do some freelance design work but am slowly shifting to more and more illustration work."

"Right now book illustration is just one aspect of my business. I also do surface pattern illustration, editorial illustration, and have an online shop where I sell my work."

So many pretty prints available on Meenal's online shop.

And more!

Meenal holds her second book, Priya Dreams of Marigolds & Masala, which was released in 2019.

Her cute studio assistant.

"I started my first children’s book, Neela Goes to San Francisco, in 2012 but didn’t publish it widely until a few years later. That initial version was only intended for my niece, Neela, as a gift to her after she visited me in San Francisco. I wanted her to have a memory of visiting me as she grew up and I loved reading to her, so a book seemed like a good present. The first time I read it to her I was blown away by her complete delight in seeing a character in a book that resembled her. Neela’s reaction made me think more about how powerful imagery is for kids and how important it is for them to see themselves reflected in the imagery and stories around them. Growing up I didn’t have books where I could see myself in and I think having that would have been powerful."Artwork by Ana Leovy.

"I also really like the challenge of saying as much as you can in as few words as possible and then letting the words and imagery play together to tell even more of a story. There are so many amazing artists and authors who I greatly respect that are total pros at this. It’s a challenging art form and I’m still learning." Artwork by Lab Partners.

Tiny bits of art everywhere.

"I live in San Francisco and my studio is a small room tucked in the very back of my home. Though I tend to spread out to other parts depending on what I’m doing and I have boxes of my books spread throughout my home."

"The room that I do most of my work in has a lot of windows so the sunshine streams in. That’s my favorite thing about it! I love that I can see trees through the window from my desk and that I can see the fog roll in over the neighborhood as the weather changes throughout the day."

Just some of the many colorful studio embellishments.

"It’s a mix of traditional art supplies and digital supplies: Moleskine sketchbooks, a variety of pencils, an iPad, Micron pens, an Apple Pencil, round and flat paintbrushes, Holbein acryla gouache, a Wacom tablet, Tombow markers, my laptop, monitor, and xacto blade."

"There’s a small local shop called Case for Making that I love. They make the most wonderful handmade watercolors and have a whole bunch of other art supply goodies. A couple other local ones that I love are FLAX Art & Design and Mendel’s Art Supply."

Choosing the right hue.

A lovely painting...and a lovely ceramic paint dish, too.

"I try to keep regular daytime hours during the week because I like routine. I usually start around 7:30am and try to wrap up around 6:00pm with a couple short breaks and an hour-long break in the early afternoon to go for a long walk with my dog, Dosa. If needed, I will work at night but try not to make a regular habit of it. I tend to do my best work in the morning rather than at night, plus I need a break. If I overload myself then work will trickle into the weekend."

"It varies depending on what I’m working on. For books, it’s a really long process for me to find the story and it can be a bit of a rollercoaster of highs and lows. I’ve found that it helps me to make dedicated time to free write about anything without editing. This ends up being a mix of journaling about what’s happening around me, writing down a memory, simple observations, writing a little poem, or something silly. I’ve learned that it’s too forced for me to sit down and say 'I’m going to try to write a children’s book.' If I do it that way, I generally hate all my ideas or my mind goes blank. But if I let myself write and write and write regularly without the pressure that it has to be a book, then sometimes within all of that the seeds of a story forms."

"For the illustration end of it, whether it’s for a book or something else, I always start with a rough pencil sketch. Sometimes it’s so rough that no one but me would know what it is. And then I trace over that rough sketch over and over again while refining it and adding details each time. After I have an outline that I’m happy with I start to add color. Working with color is my favorite part!"

Whipping out the xacto knife.

"Neela Goes to San Francisco was independently self-published. At that point I was working at a design agency full-time. I was really focused on that job and had no idea how the publishing world worked or any connections in it. So, keeping this book as a small personal project made the most sense. With my design background I was able to do all the layout design, production, and felt comfortable working with printers. I did a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds for printing the book and was completely humbled by people willing to put their money towards it."

"After the book was printed, I learned a lot about how the book world works during the process of trying to get it into stores. The biggest thing I learned is that it’s incredibly difficult to get a book in bookstores unless it is in traditional book distribution channels. I was really fortunate to have some receptive local shop owners who were willing to take my book in. It’s still selling around town and I feel really grateful for those partnerships."

The tech-y 2020 tools of the trade.

"I think kids are oftentimes more open-minded than adults. Perhaps because they’ve had less time to be influenced by what our society determines to be the right or wrong way to be. Maybe this allows them to see more delight in more places."

"I’m definitely still learning how to do this. I try to observe and imagine how kids see the world. I try to be open-minded. I want kids to know that they have power to influence the world around them even in small ways that can be meaningful, so I try to let them have agency through the story. For illustration, my style and what I’m drawn to seems naturally kid-oriented. So, I guess I’m just making what I love to make."

"I only remember a couple and maybe it’s because I still have the original copies and my mind has made memories of loving them. I think I loved The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. In my mind I loved the staggered flaps and holes and flipping through it over and over again. As an adult I love great design, so I still love the simple yet thoughtful use of the pages in that book. The other two that I remember are Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle."

Wrapping up orders.

A peek at the author's personal bookshelf.

"Ha, well, I’m not sure that I’ve had a big break. I look at it more like a slow building process of learning a lot through making books and art. I still have a lot to learn and am looking forward to hopefully traditionally publishing one day."

A look at the illustrations inside of Meenal's first book, Neela Goes to San Francisco.

A peek at Meenal's new Plant Peeps collection with Cloud9 Fabrics.

"Priya Dreams of Marigolds & Masala is about a girl growing up in the United States and learning about her family’s heritage from her Babi Ba (grandmother). It’s about taking pride in your heritage and the power of sharing your traditions with others."

"The inspiration came from traveling to India with my parents for the first time as an adult. I had always wanted to see the country where my family is from with my parents, so it was a really special trip for me. India is a full-sensory place and I was so inspired by the people, colors, patterns, food, and sounds. I was also struck by how many experiences were deeply familiar, and at the same time, others felt very foreign. It was the everyday things that I saw there that felt so familiar to me because they were a part of my everyday home life growing up. I was comforted by this sense of greater human connection—these people halfway across the world doing things the way I did halfway across the world. Even though I had this sense of being so different and sometimes lonely growing up in a community that didn’t have much diversity, all along there were all these people who understood all those things. That’s comforting to me. It took a long time to unearth this story and a lot of deep reflection. All of this unpacking of my experience felt like a really honest jumping off point for this story."

"I hope that this book makes kids feel seen or offers them a glimpse into an experience they aren’t familiar with. I hope all kids see that they can make a meaningful difference in someone else’s life through their actions, big or small. And I absolutely think children’s books are for adults, too. It’s not necessarily a consideration but I think adults can gain as much as the kids they are reading the books to. It has been interesting to hear the reactions of both adults and kids to this book. I’ve been surprised that a lot of adults have told me that it made them teary or cry. It was an emotional process to make this book, so perhaps the emotion is evident and strikes a chord for people who can relate to the story or know someone who can relate. I didn’t realize until I was an adult that seeing myself in a story as a kid could have had a great impact on me. I think others are realizing that too and hopefully that means we are all making an effort to diversify what we expose ourselves and the kids in our lives to through books and other media."

"Practice your art form whether that’s writing, illustrating, or both. Dedicate yourself to making as much as you can. Know that you won’t like everything that you make but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep trying."

"I love the abundance of plants and trees all year round. There’s some California magic in the earth here that produces the most beautiful and inspiring flora! I also love the architecture and the incredibly supportive small business community here. Small businesses supporting small businesses is the best!"

"I love hiking in Mount Sutro and taking long walks in Golden Gate Park and through the Botanical Gardens. For food, I love the wood fire pizza at Ragazza (the Bianca pizza is so good), plantain tacos at Little Chihuahua, tea leaf salad at Mandalay, and cornmeal cherry scones from Arizmendi Bakery. My favorite shops are Rare Device and Tantrum for gifts, Green Apple Books and The Booksmith for books, and Case for Making for art supplies."

"I am currently finishing up illustrations for What Color is My Hijab? by Hudda Ibrahim and working on illustrations for the lovely folks at Bravery Magazine. Beyond book illustration and editorial work, my Plant Peeps collection with Cloud9 Fabrics recently launched! I’ve always loved making patterns and am looking forward to illustrating more patterns this year."

The yummiest homemade chai.

For more on Meenal and her work, be sure to follow her on Instagram.

1. would love her chai recipe

   January 13, 2020Reply