Whimsy Talks

An Interview with Alison Jay

2008-07-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

By Michelle M. Mead
WHIMSY-Spring 2003

Regular readers of WHIMSY know just how much I admire the work of illustrator Alison Jay. I hope that you enjoy this interview with a talented, friendly lady as much as I enjoyed conducting it.

MICHELLE: Where did you study art?

ALISON: I studied graphic design at the London College of Printing
and specialized in illustration and animation in the second year.

MICHELLE: How did you get started illustrating children’s books ?

ALISON: I started by illustrating anything and everything I was asked to in all areas of illustration including advertising, design, editorial and publishing. I illustrated a couple of
children’s book covers, then poems and short stories in collections with other illustrators until finally I was asked to illustrate a whole picture book- I was absolutely thrilled.

MICHELLE: I’ve read that you have also illustrated greeting cards.
Do you still do this?

ALISON: Yes, I would still illustrate greeting cards but haven’t been asked for a year or so. I illustrated every occasion except a Christmas card which I would love to do.

MICHELLE: What is your preferred medium to work in?

ALISON: I work in a quick drying oil paint called "Alkyd" on paper.

MICHELLE: Do you have a favorite book of all the ones you’ve illustrated?

ALISON: I think so far I enjoyed working on "If Kisses were Colors." I loved painting the animals running around like children.

MICHELLE: Is there an artist/illustrator that inspires you?

ALISON: There are lots of illustrators I admire including Michel Sowa, Louise Brierley, Delphine Durand and Lane Smith. I also love the tiny detail in the backgrounds of some early Renaissance painters like Pisanello and Hans Memlinic. They must have used paintbrushes with only a couple of hairs. I am also inspired by Folk Art.

MICHELLE: What was your favorite book as a child?

ALISON: I can’t think of any favorite book, but the illustrations by Beatrix Potter, Sir John Tenniel and Arthur Rackham are all wonderful classics which seem to stick out. But any illustration with lots of detail would keep me quiet for a long time. Although very simple, I enjoyed Quentin Blake’s illustrations. I loved the humor in them.

MICHELLE: How do you do the crackle glaze effect that is on some of your artwork?

ALISON: It is a special varnish I paint on when the illustration is finished.

MICHELLE: Do you do art shows?

ALISON: I have had a few small exhibitions, but my time is mainly taken up with children’s books these days.

MICHELLE: "William and the Night Train" is filled with dreamlike pictures of a train ride. Did you watch passengers on a train to help with your paintings?

ALISON: Not really-the descriptions of the people were mostly in the story. The others I made up, but I would like to travel on a train with people carrying pigs in baskets!

MICHELLE: "A Ladder to the Stars" deals with death and the passing of time in such a beautiful way. Did you enjoy painting the sun, moon and stars?

ALISON: Yes, I love painting strange things with faces. I had already illustrated a few greetings cards with sun and moon characters, and I am working on a book now that features a moon.

MICHELLE: I really love how "The Shore Beyond" shows two girls following their dreams. What advice would you give children who dream of becoming an illustrator?

ALISON: I would say to draw anything and everything, and always carry a sketchbook with you.

MICHELLE: Also in "The Shore Beyond," the girls weave a basket boat to sail away in. Did you watch someone weaving a basket for
inspiration?

ALISON: No, but it would have been very helpful if I had. I got the reference from books.

MICHELLE: "The Race" was one of my 10 picks for best picture book in our WHIMSY Awards for Excellence this year (2003). It is a fun take on the classic tale of "The Tortoise and The Hare." In what ways did you make the Tortoise seem slow and the Hare seem hurried?

ALISON: Well, the Tortoise always looks very relaxed as he is just enjoying his cruise. I tried to make his expression look very calm and happy as he takes his ease fishing an dining on deck of the ship. In contrast, the Hare who is so desperate to win the race, always looks stressed and worried as things go from bad to worse. Also, the Hare’s ears are usually flying backwards to emphasize the speed he is traveling.

MICHELLE: The Tortoise and the Hare pass some famous landmarks on their journey. Did you create the paintings of them from photographs?

ALISON: Yes, I got reference for the countries mostly from photos in books and on the internet, and some memories of countries I have visited.

MICHELLE: In "A World of Wonders," you were able to travel the globe with your paintbrush-was that fun?

ALISON: Yes, it was very exciting to try and capture the look and feel of different countries, and as the poems were so imaginative, it was great fun to paint. I especially liked "The Circle and the Poles," and the idea of the north and south poles being "plates of white ice cream."

MICHELLE: "Picture This" is a wonderful word book that allows children to use their imagination to tell the story. Do you enjoy making books like this?

ALISON: "Picture This" was such an amazing opportunity for me as an illustrator as there was only one word per page, there was all that space to use. I created a whole world within the book and had to draw out a map so when things appeared later in the book and from different angles, I knew what else could be seen and where trees, etc., should be placed. After illustrating this book, I have always tried to put in little details and events not in the story. I hope children notice them, I’m sure they do.

MICHELLE: You have a new book, "If Kisses were Colors" coming out in the States at the end of March (2003). Can you tell us about that?

ALISON: Again, I really enjoyed illustrating "If Kisses were Colors." It was great that the publisher allowed me to create five animal characters who keep appearing throughout the book. Also, as I mentioned before, I like painting faces on strange things, and had fun illustrating the acorn and pebble.

MICHELLE: Are there any projects that you are working on currently?

ALISON: At the moment I am working on a book about a little boy and the Moon and again putting in lots of incidental details in the backgrounds.

MICHELLE: Of all the great things you have been able to paint, what is your favorite?

ALISON: I think my favorite things to paint are animals and weird things with faces and legs. I also like painting insect characters, especially bees and lady bugs, but haven’t managed to fit many into my work yet, so if you notice them cropping up, you’ll know why.

In closing, I would just like to say a huge thank you again to Alison Jay. She was as absolute pleasure to work with, and made me like her even more than I did before, which was a whole heck of a lot, as she is my favorite illustrator.

JACK GANTOS INTERVIEW

2008-07-06T21:30:00.000-07:00

By Michelle M. Mead

Last year, I was fortunate enough to interview my favorite
children’s writer, Jack Gantos. Jack Gantos is the author of the picture book
series "Rotten Ralph," the Middle Grade series’ of Jack Henry and Joey Pigza,
as well as Young Adult titles "The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs," and "Desire
Lines." His autobiographical "Hole in my Life" has touched the lives of many
teens today. Rather than tell you why his books are so powerful and important
for young people today (and in future), I will let the interview and the man himself,
speak about his works.

Michelle: Do you see parts of yourself in the characters Joey Pigza and Jack Henry?

Jack: Yes, in part I exist in the Joey books. I’m not ADHD, but like any child you have hopes
and dreams and you feel victories and failures very deeply. Joey has strong emotional
responses to the tilted family life in which he is both trapped and embraces. As a child, I had
strong feelings, and so I draw on those feelings for Joey.
As for the Jack Henry books- since they are autobiographical, then I do feel what
Jack feels.

Michelle: I read DESIRE LINES before its recent reprint and thought the way you handled the
subject matter was excellent, showing the different perspectives in the situation. It seems to
me that it was ahead of its time. Do you feel your writing is edgy in that it tackles real life
in all its good and bad?

Jack: I appreciate that you read DESIRE LINES when it first came out. The book was well-
received, but not widely read. My children’s book reputation was largely established through
my ROTTEN RALPH picture books, and so when DESIRE LINES was released, I think it
surprised some readers. But for years I had been writing adult stories and novels, so I was
just using my adult writing skills to write a young adult novel. Writing DESIRE LINES was a
conscious decision to write for young adults, and to focus on material which I felt young
adults would like to investigate. So when you look at my young adult titles- DESIRE LINES,
HOLE IN MY LIFE, THE LOVE CURSE OF THE RUMBAUGHS- all three of those books could
have been written for an adult audience. But they are written for young adults, yet I don’t
pull my punches. As a result, they have the emotional range, and subject range of an adult
book, while clearly taking the point of view of the young adult.

Michelle: The thing I appreciate most about your books is that they show a reality that isn’t
perfect, yet you add a hilarious humor, which is what is needed in real life to get through the
tough times. This really helps the reader identify with the imperfect beauty of your
characters. Do you ever find it difficult to get the balance right between how far you want to
explore serious issues and yet still retain the humorous side?

Jack: Good question. Yes, the humor is important. In THE LOVE CURSE OF THE
RUMBAUGHS, I examine, among other themes, "man’s" desire to pursue perfection at the
expense of reality. I find that romancing idealism-political, religious, interpersonal- can lead
to overlooking problems at hand. But when you do write about realistic problems, then, for
me, it is important to expand the emotional range through the use of humor. No one wants to
be hit over the head time and time again with a problematic theme. The humor provides not
only a rest, but also another avenue to examine a difficult issue.
In the JACK HENRY books, and the JOEY PIGZA books the humor is equally as
important as the drama. The books would not be realistic, nor would they be as effective,
without the marriage of humor and drama.

Michelle: It has been said that there is a lack of good books for boys to read. Do you think
this is true, and does it affect how you write?

Jack: No. I think there are plenty of good books to read for boys. I think it is a pathetically
weak excuse to say that the books are at fault when looking at why boys don’t read. I think
it has more to do with the curriculum, and the culture in which we live. I always wonder if
boys would read more if schools had fifty percent male teachers who were modeling out the
value of reading. And too, I wonder if boys would read more if books were a larger part of
the curriculum. And if their fathers read. And too, when I’m in high schools I see more
posters up for joining the army than I do for joining your local library. The problem is with
how much our society values reading.

Michelle: What advice would you give to children aspiring to be writers?

Jack: Keep a journal. Read good books. Set up good writing habits-write a little every day
and write about what you know about. Keep an eye on the relationship between content and
form. And don’t buy into the fallacy that you are "born" to be a writer or not. You can work
hard at this and get better and do quite well.

Michelle: In your new book THE LOVE CURSE OF THE RUMBAUGHS, some have said that you
have taken a turn towards the gothic with a dose of black humor. Do you think that gothic
stories help the author as well as the reader to confront their fears and find the levity in an
otherwise frightening situation?

Jack: The gothic elements in THE LOVE CURSE OF THE RUMBAUGHS work in the same way
that humor works in the JOEY PIGZA books- the gothic tone that sets the table for the more
serious subjects to be examined: obsessive mother love, nature vs nurture, eugenics and
newgenics and self will and destiny. So the tone allows for a comfortable resting place
from which you can set off to think about the themes.

Michelle: Your autobiography HOLE IN MY LIFE tells the story of your beginnings with
admirable honesty. What made you decide to write about this time in your life and did you
find it difficult to write about your own life?

Jack: I did not find it difficult to write about that event in my life. The difficulty was with
getting it right. To make sure the relationship between the physical events and the emotional
responses were true. Memoir requires all the skill of a fiction writer, but with all the ethics of
a journalist.
I wrote it because it was a good story. I mean, how could you not write it? And I’m
deep enough in my children’s writing career where I can write that book without fearing that
it is going to damage my reputation. As it turned out, the book has been well-received in
the field.

Michelle: I don’t know how anyone could not love JOEY PIGZA. With so many people dealing
with ADD, what inspired you as a writer to explore the subject?

Jack: I always knew a lot of kids like Joey. They were good kids. They were my friends.
they were smart and yes, often in trouble. But I never saw many of them in literature and so I
thought to bring those kids into the spotlight so that their interior goodness could outshine
their exterior friskiness.

Michelle: The ROTTEN RALPH books were in picture book format and aimed at a younger
reader. How difficult is it for you as an author to write for the different age groups?

Jack: I don’t think it is a difficult task to go from one form and sensibility to the next. You
just have to want to do it and devote yourself to the forms. Each form has its particular
difficulties and pleasures and the more you work on a range of books, the better you become
at managing the ideas and structures.

Michelle: Did you want to be a writer when you were a kid, and did you, or do you now, keep
a journal like JACK HENRY?

Jack: As a kid I kept journals with regularity and after awhile, I sort of wised up and thought
maybe all this journal writing is telling me something. I was also a big reader, so between
the reading and the writing I finally sensed that what I loved to do should be my compass.