Recently we spoke to Susanne Gervay, and asked her a little about Ships In The Field. This week I spoke to Anna Pignataro who happens to be the very talented woman who illustrated Ships In The Field. Anna has also illustrated and written other books for children – one of which lives on my daughter bookcase and we love to read together in Always.
B&L: Can you tell us a little about how you got started as a Childrens Book Illustrator?
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to illustrate books. As a very young child I already knew what I wanted to be. I studied Fine Art and Design for seven years full time then after travelling took up various jobs. I painted murals, created labels for packaging and taught art. I put together a folio of work, illustrations of poems and children’s stories . Ann James at Books Illustrated helped me a great deal and when I sent the folio out to different publishers, I got a call back straight away from Allen & Unwin. They published my very first book, which later won the Crichton Award.
B&L: Do you write children’s books as well as illustrate?
Yes, now I both write and illustrate
B&L: How difficult is it to illustrate a book written by someone else?
Although it is easier to illustrate my own story, I don’t find it difficult to illustrate a book written by somebody else. It definitely takes longer and I tend to do a lot more roughs and a more detailed storyboard. Most times I find it inspiring and exciting to work with important and great writers from Australia and overseas. I have met and forged friendships with a lot of wonderful people.
B&L: How do you ensure your vision matches that of the author?
Now and then the illustrators vision of a book or parts of a story will clash with the author, it is important that the illustrator does not lose their own vision but at the same time see the author’s point of view. Making a good picture book is a long process and many points of view are taken into account. Communication and respect are key. Most of the time I have been on the same wave length as the authors I have worked with.
B&L: Has their been one stand-out scene you have illustrated that remains with you?
Many scenes I have illustrated remain favourites, funnily enough, it’s usually the first picture I paint for each book that I like best. There are two particular scenes, one from my book Always, and one from the first of my Princess and Fairy books that always stay in my mind. More recently one picture from Ships in the Field, where the mother is crying in the hallway while the girl sleeps has a lot of meaning for me.
B&L: What would you say is the most important thing to remember when illustrating children’s books?
When illustrating I think one of the most important things to remember is to see the world of the story as you would have seen it as a child. Inside I still feel the same as when I was seven and the first impression I have from the words of a story are the most innocent and honest.
B&L: You have recently illustrated the upcoming Ships In The Field, what can you tell us about the illustrations for this book?
The illustrations are very close to my heart. I used many, many pencil lines in the drawings to bring the characters together emotionally and physically. My daughter and husband were the models for the girl and the father so I took lots of photographs too. I tried to convey the feelings of sadness and hope that my parents and family talked to me about in stories of their lives before and when they migrated to Australia. The pictures subtly grow in intensity of colour from beginning to end. I used pencil, water colour and some charcoal for the illustrations. The pictures were a huge challenge because I expected a lot from them and they have so many layers. Hopefully children can see many things there in the pictures.
B&L: How did you come to be working with Susanne Gervay on Ships In The Field?
Yes, I was lucky enough to work with amazing author Susanne Gervay. Ford Street had her manuscript and asked if I was available to illustrate it. At the time I was looking for a project with people in it (so many years of rabbits and bears!) and after reading the story that Susanne had written I believed it was perfect for me, I fell in love with the words and could see the pictures straight away. I feel it is an important book that will resonate with many.
B&L: Can you tell us a little about your Crichton Award?
I received the Crichton Award for Illustration in 1998 for the book, “I’m in the sky and I can’t come back”. It was wonderful and very exciting. It is an award given to an illustrator’s first published book.
B&L: Have you got any advice for aspiring illustrators?
I do. Everyone should put a folio together of work that reflects a style and practice as much as possible in your selected medium.
After reading a manuscript I always write down all my first impressions of the characters, the feeling of the story, the landscape and how I imagine the world inside that story to be.
I used to choose a story I loved and illustrate it from start to finish. When creating a character it’s most important to be able to draw that character from all angles and to keep it consistent so that it is unmistakably the same character throughout, a child reading a book will always pick out even the most obscure mistakes. Find your inspiration in everything and always carry a moleskin and notebook around with you. Write down ideas, draw all the time, create and develop your own individual style.
Be prepared to be taken away. Illustrating a story becomes a journey. It’s challenging, mostly uplifting and always surprising.
Thank you so much for your time Anna, it was a pleasure to talk to you.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!