The Society of Children's Books & Illustration lovers Volume 4 Nov 2013 | Page 5

5 The Society of Children’s Books & Illustration Lovers – Newsletter #4 – November 2013 take my time. I usually limit my materials to a few coloured pens, and a dip pen and ink. Strangely enough, my best drawing happens when I am uncomfortable. If I feel time pressure, or I’m freezing cold, or getting in the way of passers-by, then something interesting usually happens. It's something to do with thinking less about getting the drawing technically correct, and just reacting in a more instant way. I enjoy it if people stop to chat, or look over my shoulder; it's all part of the fun. But if I really don’t want to speak I have my ‘Don’t talk to me!’ body language, it usually works! Sometimes the drawings stay in my sketchbook for months or years before I realise I have a character or story idea, sometimes the drawings just stay in my sketchbook, and that’s OK too. It’s rare for me to illustrate someone else’s text, but recently I was asked to illustrate a Michael Morpurgo story. It was set in Venice, so to find my way into the story I went drawing in Venice. Some of the sketches I did there almost became the spreads in the book. It was such a pleasure to illustrate. I am now working on another Michael Morpurgo book set in a small village in Switzerland, so I’ve just come back from a drawing trip there. Words Sometimes I think the idea will go nowhere, and then suddenly I have a breakthrough The interplay of words and pictures works so well in your picture books. At what stage do the words come into your books? Do you start off with a large word-count that gets pruned down as the pictures develop, or do the words gradually build-up along with the pictures? I usually start by playing. This involves drawing a character in different poses and situations and seeing what happens. I add words here and there and gradually the words and pictures develop into a story. It’s not always easy, there are lots of ups and downs, sometimes I 5 http://www.meetup.com/The-Society-of-Childrens-books-and-illustration-lovers/