Dar Hosta has a sweet tooth. The author and illustrator of
children’s books admitted to a group of students at The Princeton Packet’s Take
Our Kids to Work Day that she eats icing straight out of the jar.
By: By: Shannon Potash, Staff photo by Frank Wojciechowski
Ms. Hosta took time out of her busy schedule teaching art
classes at the Arts Council of Princeton to talk to the youngsters about the
process of writing a book, creating the artwork and publishing it. She has her
own publishing company, Brown Dog Books, that she named after her dog, Ezra.
She has two children, Caleb, 6, and Ethan, 8, and she dedicated her second book,
"I Love the Alphabet," to her husband.
Her first book, "I Love the Night," was dedicated to her father,
also an artist. Ms. Hosta never thought she would be an artist. She went to
college and studied creative writing. After school, she realized it was hard
to making a living writing adult poetry and fiction, so she went back to school
to become a teacher. After three years of teaching, she became a mom and stayed
home with her children.
With Caleb and Ethan, she began creating artwork, especially
collage. She surprised herself at how well the artwork sold. She has sold her
favorite collage for $2,300. People complimented her and suggested she write
children’s books.
"I always liked books and remembered how much I liked to write,"
said Ms. Hosta.
She showed a film to the group that she made of herself during
the process of creating her second book. She starts with notebooks and pen,
then transfers it to a computer, continuously editing it, and eventually sending
it out to an editor. Meanwhile, she creates the artwork: She makes the background
using a computer and paints paper she cuts out to become the animals. The book
is ultimately printed in China.
Her third book she is working on is inspired by her craving
for sweets. It is about a mother cat with a sweet tooth who makes special cakes,
titled "Mavis and Her Marvelous Mooncakes."
"I get to write and make art and make money at what I like
to do," said Ms. Hosta. "What more can I ask for?"
For more information about Dar Hosta or to order her books, see www.darsart.com.