Cover Reveal Q&A: OFF THE WALL by Molly Idle and Juana Martinez-Neal

It’s a pleasure to share the cover for Off the Wall, a picture book collaboration between Caldecott Honorees Molly Idle and Juana Martinez-Neal. But before we take a look at the cover, I talked with Molly and Juana about how the book was made.

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Travis: What was the initial inspiration for OFF THE WALL?

Juana Martinez-Neal: When Molly and I created DON’T CARE, we learned how to work together. 

Molly Idle: We’ve been friends for AGES but we’d never made art together before. There was so much we didn’t know about each other’s processes.

Juana: One day while working on the book, out of the blue, Molly said there was a story in this process. I didn’t see it at the moment, but trusted her instinct. 

Molly: Trust, and sharing ideas— that’s what collaboration, and OFF THE WALL, are all about!

Travis: As you mentioned , this is your second time working together on a picture book. How does the collaboration work? How was it different/the same this time out?

Molly:  Ooo, that’s a good question! The first time around, we had Julie Fogliano’s brilliant manuscript as a scaffold upon which we could build our illustrations.

Juana: This time, we started with our sketches,  yet our back and forth process with the art did not change at all. We had video calls where we discussed what needs to happen for a sequence of spreads. These were all about brainstorming ideas and seeing the possibilities of the story.

Molly: We also talked about different ways to “show” what’s happening in the story — Like, you might say ‘we should try this in a profile view’, and I might say, ‘let’s try it in an aerial view’. So, we each draw a thumbnail sketch and share. Then we see which one works better, or if we need to try something entirely different, and we go from there. 

Juana: Once the thumbnails were completed, we moved on to make tighter sketches based on the thumbnails we picked. At this stage, our aim was to add the emotion we had in mind for each spread.

Molly: And the movement. Where the sketch is coming from, where it’s going to— how it leads to the page turn, and to the colors on the next spread.

Travis: The colors really stand out in this book. How did you make the final art?

Juana: The art is a mix of different techniques we used in different books. We used the print transfer method I used in Alma and How She Got Her Name to transfer the drawings to color.

Molly: We created the setting using negative space, like I did with Flora and the Flamingo. 

Juana: When it came to making the characters in the book, we decided to try new materials.

Molly: We used acrylic gouache, chalk pastels, and oil pencils.

Juana: We picked one color for each character. The colors are bold and bright and represent each character. We also had to make sure that all seven colors we picked worked together. Using black pencil to create the outlines helped unify the look of the characters and the book. 

Molly: The story is about kids making art together. So, we wanted the art itself to capture that childlike quality too. We made some of the art in our studios separately but there were pieces that we absolutely had to make together.

Juana: Yes. In the book, the characters work on a drawing together. So we didn’t finalize their art until we were together making the art— just like the kids!

Travis: What is the best part of collaborating with a friend? What’s the most challenging part?

Juana: Perhaps the best part is that you know each other. You have already built trust that is needed to create something challenging. You also have the confidence that they know what they are doing. It is important to give each other the space to create on our own, and at the same time create something that will work when creating together.

Molly: The parts that are the most fun to me, are the surprises that happen when we work together. Either one of us could come up with a solution to an artistic problem. But so often, when we collaborate, the idea that makes it into the book isn’t just Juana’s, or just mine. It’s something that we thought of together because we’re bouncing ideas off of each other!

Juana: Absolutely. 

Molly: What’s the most challenging?

Juana: I think we butted heads when we had to change the schedule. That was challenging. One of us would have the set idea that we would make some deadlines at a certain time but we couldn’t because we were both balancing the schedules of our other books.. It’s important to be careful and empathetic of each other’s feelings when we communicate, too

Molly: It’s true. Most of the time we move seamlessly between collaborative mode and friend mode. But in the times when we need to compromise I’m so grateful that— while we may not agree on everything— we always agree that friendship comes first.

Travis: Final Question: What snack puts you in peak creativity mode?

Molly: It’s not snacks for me. It’s music.

Juana: Yes, it is music for me too!

Molly: Food for the soul.

And it’s easier to share! Here is a playlist of some of our faves while we were working on OTW:

Spotify Playlist link:

Molly —

Anti-Hero — Taylor Swift

Movin’ Right Along — Kermit & Fozzie

Try Everything — Shakira

On the Road Again — Willie Nelson

We Are Family (1995 Remaster) — Sister Sledge

Turn the World Around — Harry Belafonte

Juana —

¡Que Bonito! — Rosario

The House That Built Me — Miranda Lambert

Hasta la Raíz — Natalia Lafourcade

we can’t be friends (wait for your love) — Ariana Grande

Cómo Te Echo de Menos — Alejandro Sanz

The Very First Night (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault] — Taylor Swift

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Travis: Thank you Molly and Juana! Now, for the first time, the cover for Off the Wall by Molly Idle and Juana Martinez-Neal (Creative Director, Jennifer Browne). Off the Wall publishes in May 26, 2026).

About the book (from the publisher):

Have you ever made art with your friends?

Sometimes it’s the most fun ever.

Sometimes it’s really hard. Especially when you have a lot of ideas!

Whether you use crayons or chalk, cardboard or clay, the most magical things come from making stuff together.

Best friends and Caldecott Honorees Molly Idle and Juana Martinez-Neal team up to tell a tale of happy messes, creative soulmates, and the art of friendship.

Filed under: Articles, Cover Reveal