Jerry Pinkney, US book illustrator, as died aged 81.
Here are links to the obituaries:
Meet An Illustrator 27 – Polly Noakes
Illustrator Avatar © Polly Noakes
We’re delighted to welcome Polly Noakes as the 27th guest on Meet An Illustrator, the regular weekend quick-fire Q&A.
Polly, who has been illustrating children’s books since the 198os and now lives in rural north Yorkshire, having moved up there from the deep south just over a year ago, recently gave her Instagram followers a glimpse of her new studio:
View this post on Instagram
The paperback edition of A Present for Rosy, illustrated by Polly and written by Jonathan Emmett, was published by Walker Books just a couple of months ago.
She was author and illustrator for Hide And Seek, published by Child’s Play in 2018 and described by KIRKUS as “a visual romp” and by Publishers Weekly as “a study in how to design a beautiful book with a young child’s sensibilities firmly in mind.”
Books coming soon!
- Love From Santa – Michelle Robinson and Polly Noakes (Bloomsbury, 2022)
- Me and my shadow – by Polly Noakes (Child’s Play, 2022)
This mini-series aims to pique a reader’s interest in the featured illustrator. With that in mind, the following interview (from last year – 2020 – on Elephant Books) is highly recommended:
https://elephant-books.com/2020/01/16/polly-noakes/
In the interview, Polly talks about her picture book, TheVery Long Sleep also published by Child’s Play:
As a child, what were the first illustrations you remember admiring?
I started drawing regularly from about the age of seven. I still have these drawings, mostly of fairies and imaginary worlds with lots of centaurs, no idea why!
Who/what inspired you when you were young?
I loved looking at books by Arthur Rackham and Shirley Hughes, especially the ‘My Naughty Little Sister’ books. I still admire Shirley Hughes’ work today and I am certain my love of illustration was sparked from gazing at her books while my mother read to me. It’s a very strong memory.
Who inspires you today?
The picture books of my tutor in the 80’s, Warwick Hutton – they are unique with an incredible use of perspective and light. And Brian Wildsmith.
Did you study art/illustration?
I studied illustration at Cambridge School of Art in the 1980’s and more recently on the MA in Children’s Book Illustration, graduating in 2015.
What is your favourite artist tool/product?
Tricky, as I have lots! But I love Blackwing pencils at the moment.
Where do you buy your art supplies?
What software/apps do you use?
After drawing/painting/mono-printing my work, I use Photoshop to clean it, resize and collage.
What was your first commission?
My first picture book, ‘Sally Sky Diver’, published by JM Dent/Orion – I walked in off the street and walked out with a deal. It was so easy in the 80’s!
What are you working on at the moment?
A baby board book publishing next year and a picture book called ‘Love From Santa’, written by Michelle Robinson for Bloomsbury.
Twitter or Instagram? Instagram
Coffee or tea? Both
Dog or cat? Both
Grape or grain? Both
Sunrise or sunset? Sunset
What do you listen to when you are working? Music – lots of jazz, Neil Cowley is a favourite at the moment.
Podcasts – anything about the creative process.
Radio 4 on and off.
Where can we follow you on social media?
Instagram polly_noakes_illustration
This is a regular weekend feature, publishing every Saturday.
Meet An Illustrator 24 – John Broadley
self-portrait © John Broadley
This week, on Meet An Illustrator, we are featuring an artist currently shortlisted for the 2021 Klaus Flugge Prize. This highly important children’s book award, named after the founder of Andersen Press, is presented annually to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration.
John has been shortlisted for his illustrations to Booker Prize-shortlisted Mick Jackson’s While You’re Sleeping, an ACHUKA Book of the Day in October 2020. Jill Bennett said of this title, on her superb review blog RedReadingHub, “To open this book is like opening a gorgeous box full of jewels – each page is stunning – so too are the endpapers, the cover: the entire production in fact and to read it is like being shown around a gallery by a wise, gently spoken curator eager to open our eyes to how the world works.”
John may be a newcomer to children’s picture books but he is hardly a newcomer to illustration. Since 1996 he has produced limited editions of hand-made books, with print runs ranging from 5 to 80. In 2010 an edition of all his work to date was published as John Broadley’s Books by Jonathan Cape Graphic Novels.
In 2018 he published ‘Early Struggles’, a signed and numbered 64-page edition of 102 copies. It came hand-bound in a choice of four colours with each copy including a hand-drawn original insert of a drawing of a budgie.
In 2012 John became the in-house illustrator for the London restaurant Quo Vadis where his drawings appear on dozens of daily changing menus, tablecloths, vouchers (see below) and online. His client list includes Fortnum & Mason, Liberty London, Berry Bros & Rudd, Phaidon, The Fine Cheese Co, New York Times, and Zuni Cafe San Francisco.
John’s work is currently being exhibited by Hey There Projects, a gallery in Joshua Tree, California. The exhibition, Lost Then Found, runs through to July 9.
John’s second children’s book collaboration with Mick Jackson, We’re Going Places, is published in September this year.
Jump to the end of the Q&A for a video of John explaining how he worked on While You’re Sleeping and a link to a Pavilion Books blog page giving more details of how the book was compiled and some of the challenges faced.
As a child, what were the first illustrations you remember admiring?
I used to copy photos from horror film books, things like Nosferatu & Dr Caligari – still do it today to some extent.
Who/what inspired you when you were young?
The Tolkein drawings in the Hobbit. I probably didn’t think the drawings were very good but they had a weirdness which was different to anything else that I would have seen at that time.
Who inspires you today?
When I’m producing my own, self-published books, which are not led by a commission, I sometimes put a David Lynch interview on and get motivated by his thoughts on generating ideas.
Did you study art/illustration?
I studied illustration at Liverpool Polytechnic in the late 80s/early 90s. Before that, a Foundation Course at Huddersfield Technical College [now Kirklees College], which was one of the best years of my life.
What is your favourite artist tool/product?
A dip pen and a bottle of ink.
Where do you buy your art supplies?
As I work almost exclusively in black and white, before adding colour digitally, my supplies are basic. I get pads of A4 lined paper which I glue together to make larger sheets to draw on. I buy Chinese ink and Rotring ink online and decant them 50/50 into a smaller bottle. All of my pens and rulers that I use, as well as old ledger books etc, come from second hand dealers. I also have a lot of Letraset sheets which I scan in and use as collage elements, these are hard to find and can be quite expensive but you occasionally find a job lot on ebay that’s affordable.
What software/apps do you use?
Only Photoshop. I taught myself how to use it as at the time I was at college there was only one computer for the whole department. I only know how to perform the tasks which I need for my work, which are quite basic ones.
What was your first commission?
In 1991 I was a winner in a competition run by Elle magazine and Paperchase to design a horoscope image. I had two designs chosen to be made into cards and then got a commission to do the horoscope page for the magazine itself. I gave up illustrating in 1996 as it wasn’t going well. I came back into it after a collection of the self-published books was published by Jonathan Cape in 2010, called “John Broadley’s Books”.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m coming to the end of a long-running project to illustrate for the restaurant in a soon-to-be-opened redeveloped hotel in Oxford. The restaurant is named ‘The Alice’ after Oxford University tutor Lewis Carroll’s famous book, and also incorporated into the drawings are nods to a famous resident of the hotel, Osbert Lancaster, as well as the architecture and character of Oxford itself.
Twitter or Instagram? Instagram
Coffee or tea? Coffee
Dog or cat? Dog
Grape or grain? Cider!
Sunrise or sunset? Both
What do you listen to when you are working? I’m trying to restrict music for when I’m not working, so when I am at the desk it’s often a stream of voices. I have a cache of radio plays which I listen to again and again, such as adaptations of all the Raymond Chandler Philip Marlowe novels, Vincent Price’s ‘Price of Fear’ programme, Sherlock Holmes radio plays from the 40s etc.
Where can we follow you on social media?
My instagram is @john.broadley.77
BEHIND THE SCENES WITH ILLUSTRATOR JOHN BROADLEY
This is a regular weekend feature, publishing every Saturday.
Meet An Illustrator 23 – Yuval Zommer
self-portrait © Yuval Zommer
The twenty-third subject of Meet An Illustrator is Yuval Zommer, best known for his award-winning Big Book Of… series published by Thames & Hudson and sold in countries world-wide. The latest title, The Big Book of Belonging, publishes in September this year [2021].
He also produces a seasonal series for OUP that includes titles such as A Thing Called Snow (a previous ACHUKA Book of the Day) and The Tree That’s Meant To Be, a Sunday Times Book of the Year.
He only began publishing illustrated books for children in 2014, after a career as a creative director, but has already built up an impressive list of titles.
In addition to The Big Book of Belonging mentioned above, we can also look forward to publication of The Lights That Dance In The Night, coming from OUP in October.
Yuval will be participating in The Children’s Bookshow, Warwick Arts Centre, this November.
As a child, what were the first illustrations you remember admiring?
I used to sketch all of my dogs—every dog we ever had became a model for my life drawings. I had no idea that decades on I would still be drawing animals!
Who/what inspired you when you were young?
My grandparents had books from the ‘World of Art’ series, about the great masters, popular at the time. As a child, I thought of these titles as picture books with every painting telling a story. I particularly remember trying to imagine what Gauguin, Rousseau and Monet were trying to tell.
Who inspires you today?
I discovered Brian Wildsmith relatively late—I love his flair and use of colour! Particularly his work from the 60’S and 70’s. I feel privileged and honoured to be published by Oxford University Press who, decades apart, published his pioneering work. I also find children’s art very inspiring and fresh! My readers are very creative and often send work inspired by my Big Books.
Did you study art/illustration?
MA illustration at the Royal College of Art, some time ago.
What is your favourite artist tool/product?
It changes, but I am enjoying the immediacy of liquid chalk markers which I use to draw on bookshops’ windows. Except more of, in the run up to Xmas.
Where do you buy your art supplies?
Usually Cass Art but whenever I get to travel abroad I always try to source local bookshops and art shops!
What software/apps do you use?
I use Photoshop mainly, and an extra large Wacom tablet to draw on with a stylus pen.
What was your first commission?
My first published picture book was The Big Blue Thing On The Hill and it set the tone for future things! I am forever grateful to Amanda Wood the then editor for seeing the potential in what was still a concept with just a few drawings.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am working on a large format book to do with Nature Art which I am very excited about. I very much support the idea that ‘Every Child Is An Artist’ and that’s all I can say for now.
Twitter or Instagram? Both—for different reasons, and for different communities.
Coffee or tea? Too much coffee.
Dog or cat? Dogs, dogs, dogs!
Grape or grain? Grain—Scottish and undiluted, maybe a few ice cubes.
Sunrise or sunset? Sunrises give me energy for the day when working on projects. Sunsets on holidays.
What do you listen to when you are working? I like ‘abstract’ noises such as the Italian staff from the restaurant opposite having their kitchen breaks, the hum of the buses from near by, the birds who have made the derelict building near me their home. I live in a very urban setting!
Where can we follow you on social media?
I’m pretty much daily on Instagram: @yuvalzommer
And you can follow me on Twitter: @yuvalzommer
This is a regular weekend feature, publishing every Saturday.
Meet An Illustrator 14 – David Litchfield
self-portrait © David Litchfield
ACHUKA is thrilled to have David Litchfield as the 14th guest on Meet An Illustrator, an informal weekend feature introduced this year.. Do visit the backpages to read the responses from previous guests.
The Bear And The Piano, David’s debut picture book, was published just 5 years ago, but he is already established as one of the UK’s leading illustrators and picture book creators. That debut title won Waterstones Illustrated Book Prize in 2016. Much more recently he has come to attention as the cover illustrator for David Almond’s Bone Music:
The Bear And The Piano became a trilogy with publication in 2019 of
The Bear, The Piano, The Dog And The Fiddle
and, this year, with the third title The Bear, The Piano And The Little Bear’s Concert.
A particular favourite of ACHUKA’s is Lights On Cotton Rock:
His 2021 publishing year kicked off with illustrations for A Shelter for Sadness by Anne Booth
and the paperback edition of Rainbow Before Rainbows by Smriti Halls is published this coming week:
Next month (May 2021) we can look forward to Pip And Egg written by Alex Latimer:
and, as we hear below, there is lot lots more to come.
As a child, what were the first illustrations you remember being pleased with?
I think that it was a drawing of a panda. It was in primary school and we all had to draw one. We then put them all on the wall and I remember feeling a bit arrogant and quietly smug that my panda was definitely one of the best ones on that wall.
Who/what inspired you when you were young?
Again at primary school our teacher sat us all down and read us Where The Wild Things Are. I remember being absolutely blown away by Maurice Sendak‘s drawings and characters and totally felt transported away from the reading mat in that classroom to that dreamy monster island. Mr Sendak and Albert Uderzo were absolutely the two biggest influences on making me want to draw every day.
Who inspires you today?
Still mainly Sendak and Uderzo. But I love finding out about new illustrators. There are an infinite amount of styles and techniques and approaches to drawing and I love being surprised by how different people create a spread or tell their stories. My current 2 favourites are Sydney Smith and Frances Ives. They both have such a free and natural style. They are amazing.
Did you study art/illustration?
I actually studied Graphic Design at Camberwell College of Art. Graphic Design felt like the most sensible career choice in the art world. I loved the course and I met some great people there. But I was really shocked at how little drawing was involved. I think more than anything that course showed me how much I really loved to draw and that I just wasn’t a Graphic Designer.
What is your favourite artist tool/product?
It sounds obvious but a pencil and a sketchbook. My absolute favourite part of a project is when it’s just me, a pencil and a sketchbook and I am just letting the idea develop by scribbling and experimenting and making a mess.
Where do you buy your art supplies?
I have two favourite shops here in Bedford. One is called the Arc which sells all kinds of incredible arts supplies and exotic paints and brushes etc. I also like Coleman’s which is obviously more of a standard stationary shop. But I don’t know, I like their pens. I spend far too much money on pens.
What software/apps do you use?
I only really use Photoshop. I tried to get my head around Illustrator but I’m just not that technically minded to be honest. I have had a play with Pro Create but my kids keep stealing my iPad so I have not had enough time to learn it yet.
What was your first commission?
My first commission happened when I was 13 years old and I drew a poster for a local comic shop. They paid me in comics. My first proper paid commission was with The Beano comic. I think that it was in 2013 or so when the editor Michael Stirling found my drawings online. For a few weeks I drew the illustrations that accompanied a poetry section in the comic. It was amazing to be drawing for a comic I had been in love with for most of my life. I will forever be grateful to that team for giving me that opportunity.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am just finishing drawing a pretty epic book written by Gregory Maguire. After that I’m so happy to be working on another ‘Earth’ book with Stacy McAnulty. I love drawing these books, and I learn so much about our planet too. After that I’m starting a beautiful book with the writer Nell Cross Beckerman which is going to be a total stunner. Towards the end of the year I’m creating artwork for my next author/illustrator book too.
Which is all very exciting. I always feel like I’m being very vague when I don’t give too much info but I’m never sure how much I’m actually allowed to say. What I can tell you is that my author/illustrator book is going to be a Christmas story set in Victorian times.
Twitter or Instagram? Instagram I think. I love Twitter but Instagram just feels a lot friendlier. Also as an illustrator it is a great, visual medium to share work on. I have also found so many new great artists from this site.
Coffee or tea? I love coffee. But I have had to cut back a lot. I was getting the jitters because I drank it so much. Now I just have two cups a day. And only in the mornings.
Cat or dog? Oh my goodness Dog. Dog every time. I always had dogs growing up. They were my best friends. We got a dog last summer. I was adamant that my two boys should have a dog growing up. My wife wasn’t that convinced I don’t think but now that we have one she loves her as much as we do.
Grape or grain? Hmmm, both good, but I would have to say grape.
Sunrise or sunset? Sunset. I don’t know if it’s a getting older thing but I love sitting in my garden as the sun starts to go down. It’s like a magic time of the day where everything is winding down and becoming peaceful.
What do you listen to when you are working? Mainly loud rock music. But I’ve also started to listen to a fair few podcasts. My favourite ones at the moment are ‘Pod Save America‘- helps me get my head around American politics, which I can sometimes find quite baffling from time to time- and The Force Center – which is a massively geeky Star Wars podcast which has none of the snark and negativity of other fandom type discussions. I recommend it if you are a Star Wars nerd like me.
Where can we follow you on social media?
I’m on twitter: @dc_litchfield
Instagram: @david_c_litchfield
I also have a blog at: tinkerd.tumblr.com and a Facebook page at facebook.com/davidlitchfieldillustration -but to be honest I do keep forgetting to update that one.
This is a regular weekend feature, publishing every Saturday.
Meet An Illustrator 8 – Armin Greder
self-portrait © Armin Greder
ACHUKA’s 8th guest in our weekly (every Saturday) Meet An Illustrator slot is Armin Greder.
All previous features in this series are being archived week by week on this page:
https://www.achuka.co.uk/blog/meet-an-illustrator/
Born in Switzerland, but living and working in Australia after 1970 and for the last ten years in Peru, Greder is an uncompromising picture book artist and illustrator. He won the Bologna Ragazzi Award for his illustrations in The Great Bear, written by Libby Gleeson, with whom he has worked several times. The book was described by KIRKUS as “spectacular and deeply moving”.
In Australia he has won many book awards and been named as nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Prize.
His most recent book in the UK was Diamonds, a parable showing how the thirst for riches produces inequality and corruption.
His best-known book is probably The Island (2007), a book that has gained in resonance because of the way it focuses on how refugees are treated.
He tells ACHUKA that his next book with Allen & Unwin will be entitled The Inheritance.
After reading these responses to our informal feature prompts, let me point you to this in-depth 2016 interview with him on Playing By The Book.
As a child, what were the first illustrations you remember being pleased with?
The last one. Until I had done the next one.
Who/what inspired you when you were young?
The books on expeditions from the local library with which my mother kept me supplied
Who inspires you today?
Käthe Kollwitz, Daumier, Goya.
Did you study art or illustration?
No.
What is your favourite artist tool/product?
Compressed charcoal & pastel / brush & ink (both on paper).
Where do you buy your art supplies?
Wherever I find them.
What software/apps do you use?
Photoshop, to scan and scale my drawings.
What was your first commission?
A poster for a fashion shop.
What are you working on at the moment?
Nothing.
Twitter or Instagram? Neither
Coffee or tea? Tea (green)
Cat or dog? Neither
Grape or grain? Grape (white, dry)
Sunrise or sunset? Sunrise
What do you listen to when you are working? Nothing.
Where can we follow you on social media? Nowhere.
Now go to this in-depth 2016 interview with him on Playing By The Book.
This is a regular weekend feature, publishing every Saturday.
Do Creatives Need Websites?
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
There is ongoing debate about whether or not creatives need to have a web presence in addition to being on Twitter, Instagram and/or Facebook.
Many authors and illustrators have decided that their presence on social media is sufficient.
Some, who have had websites in the past, have let them crash and burn and seem to have no intention of resurrecting them.
For those who dislike social media, a website is really essential.
One of the troubles with websites is that they can so quickly go out of date, both in terms of content and design.
It is important that an author or illustrator retains control of their site, and that updates are easy to instigate.
There is no point in having a fancy and elaborate website that can only be appreciated on a laptop. A website needs to be mobile-friendly – just as functional on a mobile phone as on a full-size screen.
Many people assume having a website will involve high ongoing costs. Not so.
Annually renewing costs are limited to hosting and domain charges.
An author/illustrator site should cost no more than £50 a year to host and the domain name registration (usually free in the first year) will be a further £10. So that’s £60 a year, or just £5 a month.
A simple WordPress site is relatively straightforward to set up; much more so than it used to be. There are other options but I would strongly recommend WordPress.
Many people will like to have a little help with this initial setup. There are businesses that specialise in website design. Expect to pay upwards of £500 for bespoke design services.
But help can be found from freelancers for as little as £100. My own fee for WordPress setup ranges from £100 to £500, depending on requirements. Most of my freelance time is currently spent copyediting but I am always happy to help authors with website issues – updating an existing site, or starting one afresh. Reach out (as they say) if you need some advice.
[Other freelancers can be found on Upwork.com]
Isn't WordPress for bloggers?
Not any more, it isn’t. It’s a rich and highly versatile CMS – Content Management System. A WordPress website consists of a mix of Posts and Pages. The balance is entirely up to you. If you don’t want to blog, you don’t need to – your site can consist entirely of menu-related Pages.
So, for as little as £150 in the first year and £5 a month thereafter, you could have a professional and functional online presence.
It's a good time to take stock and decide. Ask yourself:
- Do I need a website?
- Is my current website fit for purpose?
- Do I think an online presence is worth £5 a month?
- Can I set something up myself with the help of YouTube videos?
- Do I need the help of a freelancer?
- Am I flush with funds and able to hire a design company?
An example of a WordPress site we like is that of Lucy Christopher:
https://www.lucychristopher.com
If you do not have a website currently,
or you have a site that is old and no longer fit-for-purpose,
take a moment to consider whether
a site like this would benefit your profile.
David Macaulay Feature
David Macaulay is renowned for his intricate drawings demystifying everything from how castles were built (Castle, 1977) to the inner workings of the brain (The Amazing Brain, 1984). But he may be best known for the comprehensive The Way Things Work, first published in 1988. A 1991 Caldecott Medal winner and 2006 MacArthur Fellow, the British-born illustrator, 71, has lived in Norwich for the past dozen years.
Now on view at the Vermont Arts Council‘s Spotlight Gallery, “Macaulay in Montpelier: Selected Drawings and Sketches” provides insight into the artist’s meticulous work translating a variety of technologies and structures into visual form. In addition, Macaulay presents the lecture “Illustrating Architecture From the Inside Out” on Wednesday, October 24, at the University of Vermont in Burlington.
Seven Days chatted with Macaulay about his process and perfectionism and what he’d like to do next.
Full interview >>> https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/illustrator-david-macaulay-talks-about-drawing-learning-and-forgetting/Content?oid=21877060
Oliver Jeffers Interviewed By Digital Arts
Oliver’s latest book, Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, isn’t a story but an introduction to the world for his first child – written and illustrated in the first few months of his son’s life.
[Digital Arts] caught up with Oliver on a recent press tour to promote the book, and interviewed him about his creative process and approach to mark making and composition – and how different it was to work on a non-fiction book with a very particular audience in mind.
Highly recommended link…
There is a video presentation of the interview (just under 10 minutes in length) and an edited transcript.
“I was never able to draw using a [graphics] tablet,” he says, “because it’s an unusual thing to be looking at the screen at something being created that’s actually happening with your hand. I tried it a couple of times [and thought], ‘No. It feels unnatural.’
He did find some advantages to working on an iPad though.
“You can zoom in, which is a huge advantage,” he says. “You can’t do that with an actual piece of paper.
“It’s strange because there’s zero friction. Whenever you’re drawing with a pencil across a piece of paper, there’s texture, drag, resistance. It’s just not there, and that’s a strange sensation, which I don’t know if you’ll ever really get used to.”
Chris Haughton Feature In Irish News
Jenny Lee chats to award-winning Dublin-born children’s picture book author Chris Haughton about his eclectic career, the secret of writing for young readers and seeing his work transformed into a stage production…
“In all my books, I use colour to tell the story, highlight the most important aspect and heighten the drama,” he explains.
His readers may be under five, but Haughton believes the secret of his success is that he makes them page turners.
“When planning my books, what I love thinking about is the before and after page turn. There has to be that anticipation and drama as you turn the page. With Shh! We Have a Plan, they are lining up to catch the bird and are poised with the net and looks like they are going to catch him this time, and you turn the page and you see the bird is flying off as they miss again,” he laughs.
An entertaining tale of three hapless hunters being bamboozled by birds, this funny, engaging and poignant tale won the Assocation of Illustrators award for best Children’s Book in 2014 and has been translated to the stage by Northern Ireland children’s theatre company Cahoots NI.
full feature >>> https://www.waterstones.com/book/shh-we-have-a-plan/chris-haughton/chris-haughton/9781406360035