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Frequently asked questions Here is a selection of questions I have been asked over the years:
What media do you use? Acrylic paint for its colour and versatility, and coloured pencil to add texture and detail. Do you use computers? Not for creative work. I am always impressed when I see people working on computers but I don’t think it would suit me. I enjoy the feel of paint. I sometimes use my hands physically on the board. Where do you work? I work at home in a room at the top of my house. Where do you get ideas for your books? I have always been fascinated by wildlife and that’s why my books are mostly about animals and where they live. I think we can learn a lot from nature. Some ideas for books spring out of nowhere, sometimes they take time to mull over. How long does it take to produce a book? The initial writing can take any amount of time, from two hours to two months of rewriting. Sketching out a book from early draughts to finished sketches takes about three weeks. Generally I take about a week on each illustration. This all adds up to about four to five months for each book. How did you start in children’s publishing? Someone said I ought to go and see a new publisher who was looking for illustrators. I went to his office above an Indian restaurant off Tottenham Court Road in London. He was Sebastian Walker of Walker Books, (who later founded a sister company, Candlewick Press in the USA). I illustrated about a dozen books for Walker Books. Sebastian Walker was one of the most inspiring people I have met. Who has most influenced you? The illustrations I most remember as a child are those of Arthur Rackham. I still have the very early edition of Rip Van Winkle in my studio that I had as a small boy. His illustrations are very atmospheric and imaginative and they are brilliantly drawn. I also enjoyed Thomas Henry’s illustrations for Richmal Crompton’s Just William books. Much sketchier but clever line work. I read The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris as a young teenager and that, along with David Attenborough’s programmes about wildlife, had a big influence on me. I illustrated the cover of one of Desmond Morris’s books much later.
Do you have children yourself? Yes, I have two grown up daughters. What do you like best about producing children’s books? If my books can give a little of the pleasure I got from looking at books as a child, that would make it all worthwhile. What do you like least? The deadlines.
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