Behind the scenes
What sits beneath the tip of the iceberg? Illoguild share their monthly thoughts.
Last month I received the fantastic news that I had been placed in the Top 9 longlist for the Mentorship with Clare Helen Welsh, with Books That Help. It gave me such a boost, to believe that I’m on the right track for writing picture books. This month I attended the Writers and Artists Festival, organised by Camilla Chester, author of Call me a Lion. Once again, I was excited to be selected, this time for my pitch to be discussed, along with 6 other entries, by top publishers!
Currently I am writing and illustrating for the picture book fiction market and there is as much research and pondering going on, as there is drawing and note taking. The niche which lights me up concerns Sensory Processing and normalising the reactions which children have, as a result of their 8 senses. Proprioception, Vestibular and Interoceptive senses are rarely discussed but can play havoc with transitions through the daily routine.
Alongside my last few years of illustration practice, I written 3 picture books in readiness for submission to publishers and I am in the process of creating a non-fiction book, full of dramatic collage works. There is also an early readers detective book on my google drive, but I need to do a lot more research on authentic voice before my first draft comes to life. Social media only describes a small portion of the work happening behind the scenes, to learn as much as possible about the publishing industry.
So here’s a few clues about the extra work going on.
Following advice - striving for constant improvement
I have spent the past 12 months filling a messy sketchbook with observational drawings to find my own visual language for drawing people. This was in response to several professional critiques of my portfolio, which hopefully improves every season. Animal characters and landscapes seem so natural but little kids and strong composition are still an area of development for me, which I need to master if I want to illustrate my own picture book text. As Martin Salisbury advises in his book ‘Drawing for Illustration’, “the next big leap is to inject more of what you think and feel as well as what you see in your drawing”.
Expanding my bookshelf
It’s helpful to keep a selection of books close to hand, for research, referral or just pleasure. Behind my desk I keep a large unit of books, which cover fiction; non-fiction; vintage finds and instructive manuals.
Initially I might buy or order a book because I like the title typography, colour palette and an obvious use of traditional media. Even more appealing are books about science, natural history or neurodiversity. I have a soft spot for difficult or emotional topics but invariably I need to order them from our local bookstore, which only stocks a small and limited selection. Often my critique group will suggest books from their corner of the globe and last year I bought several beautiful European books at Bologna Book Fair, which I have been using for inspiration ever since.
Research and daily inspirations which encourage me to keep going
One of my favourite author-illustrators is Lauren Child and I also love all of the work by Yuval Zommer and Jon Klassen. It’s inspiring to see the visual language morph from board to picture to middle grade books as each requires a maturing emotional arc and allows for further complexities in texture and stylisation. I Want my Hat Back remains the only book to elicit a startled yet animated reaction from my youngest child. It made me laugh out loud when we read it for the first time!
Remembering influences which stand the test of time
As a child of the 70’s my lasting memories of reading books include Alfred Edmeades Bestall (Rupert); Shirley Hughes (My naughty little sister); Hergé (TinTin) and Harmsen van der Beek (Noddy; Faraway Tree). We used the library every week and my Grandparents would bring me copies of the Encyclopedia Britannica from auction houses and car boot sales. The thrill of finding a missing Enid Blyton book in the charity shop still can’t be beaten.
Thinking back, I had a preference for stories which depicted adventure and autonomy but illustrations which were rooted in realism. These realistic proportions are something I find difficult to break away from. It helps to read blogs from other creatives - recently I found an article by Rebecca Green talking about ‘style testing’. In my current practice I am trying to bend some rules; taking note of composition and emotions portrayed in works by Isabelle Arsenault, Beatrice Alemagna and Jan Pienkowski. They incorporate pattern, texture and detail in all of their work and yet offer the element of surprise, humour and ultimately delight.
How I am working during this season
My personal inspirations include the Scottish Highlands, vintage textiles and botanical lithograph plates (think Ernst Haeckel) and I love to include repeating patterns, emotive colour choices and detailed motifs in my work. I’ve got a pile of hand tinted lino prints which are fun to cut up and incorporate into collage.
Colour palette and materials make my work personal. I enjoy using a set of vintage coloured pencils, by Karisma (Berol) which I have owned since 1990, layered over gouache but my paints are not taken straight from the tube, instead they have the same base colour mixed into them, which gives the muted vibe of celtic botanicals. Often I will use up my leftover paint on sketchbook pages as a background, or glue down my hand tinted papers to make an altered sketchbook; building up layers of media. If I’m really stuck then I make new papers with a gelliplate, using hand cut stencils or torn cardboard, then put them away for a fun surprise.
My wishlist for driving my future growth
My book shelf is an ever growing and changing collection. Originally, it was on behalf of my children but then, as they started to grow out of picture books in particular, I had to admit it was for myself. If I was gifted a book voucher I would spend it on books illustrated by Sharon King-Chai; Lian-En Lin; London Ladd; Claire Fletcher; Anne Montel, Fiona Woodcock and Gemma Koomen.
There are plenty of books still missing from my shelf: The Secret Sky Garden; Luna Loves Gardening; The Invisible; everything involving paper engineering and anything recommended by Books That Help.
The ultimate goal that I would love to accomplish through all this work behind the scenes
Some books I have discovered recently include Ocean Speaks, Inside the Villains, Fergus Goes on Holiday and a new set of reimagined classics by Harper Design (Imprint of Harper Collins) which contain interactive elements from studio MinaLima.
My own personal favourite picture book is Pip and Egg, written by Alex Latimer, illustrated by David Litchfield. It covers the themes of growing up and apart; reaching adolescence and returning home to roost and I cry every time I read it. More poignantly my youngest used to bring me the book, knowing full well it would elicit feelings and then question me on my thoughts, which was a surprising and tender result of bedtime reading.
Evoking emotion or facilitating a conversation is surely the best possible outcome from a well loved picture book and if I could manage this in my own craft, for neurodiverse families, my life’s purpose would feel complete!
Thanks for reading Tabbykat chats. I’d love to know what you also do in the background to keep your craft going, which perhaps no one sees.
Stay creative!
xx Tabs xx