WLM Winter 2016 | Page 13

WLM | art TIST – By June Johnston Images Created by Zachary Pullen back out of the building, when the editor stuck his head back in the door and said, “If I haven’t called you in 24 hours, call me. Let’s work together.” Zak summed that up as one of the most stressful, most humbling experiences of his life – and it probably took all of five minutes! On top of the world, Zak did manage to find his way out of the building and arrived home just in time to find a message on his answering machine. It was from the editor, asking Zak to call him back before a certain time – which had already passed. Zak called him anyway and was told that the assignment had already been given to someone else.  Disappointed, Zak refused to be discouraged. The editor called him back the next day with Zak’s first assignment, and his career has blossomed ever since. If it were not for this life changing evening, Zak figures he would still be trying to break into the children’s book market, which typically takes 1015 years. He shares that the opportunity has given him many enjoyable experiences. “{I get to} teach, visit schools, students – lots of stuff. You have to take risks,” Zak adds. “You never know where the opportunities will come from.” I asked Zak how he came to dive into the world of children’s books; he explained that it had always been a dream of his. He had his favorite books as a kid, and wanted to provide books that children could enjoy and learn from. A father himself to son Houston, Zak considers a good learning tool for children to be of prime importance. I asked Zak to explain “realistic caricature” portraits. He explains that he wants the characters to look like they’re alive. He aims to capture the person perfectly – with a few distortions, but the personality still there. “I think it’s more of an application of style www.wyolifestyle.com 11