When I work with others, I want everyone to be happy with the final product, and it seemed especially so here. Well for one, it’s Lennon and McCartney! So, the pressure in my mind was pumped up a bit. How was this project a different challenge for you? You have created such a wide array of picture books, illustrating your own words and those of other authors. It was a lovely experience to thumbnail back and forth with Dan, whose sense of humor and imagination made brainstorming a lot of fun. We then switched to a school, thinking that school is something that every parent and child can relate to.
Originally, our vision of the story began at a summer camp, with the two characters bonding there. Did the vision for that interpretation come easily, or did it take some time to find? You visually interpret the song as the story of two girls, best friends who are separated geographically when one moves away-yet manage to remain close. Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Epic Rights were such amazing partners throughout the book process, and they had final approval of the illustrations. Yes! I loved the fact that Dan and I were able to work on a theme that we felt was important, and from our hearts. But Dan Potash at Simon & Schuster helped me create and develop a real story line, and then the song became something totally different and more meaningful to me.ĭid you have freedom to create your own thematic and graphic interpretation of the lyrics? I pondered over little vignettes on each page, with animal characters just being good friends. Why, from your perspective, does this celebrated song lend itself to picture-book adaptation?Īt first, it didn’t. Henry Cole, on With a Little Help from My Friends: But since Paul had said he liked my own drawing style from seeing my sketches, I just decided to treat the book like any other project and trust that he would like my illustrations. Grandude had a similar personality, so I took inspiration from those characters. Stylistically, I was inspired by the classic illustrations by Quentin Blake, who designed characters such as Willy Wonka and Mister Magnolia. However, they were all wonderful to work with and it went quite smoothly. all had eyes on the book while I was making the illustrations. It was also unique in that there was a bigger team working on the book-Paul’s team, Puffin U.K. But at some point, I had to decide to trust my intuition in drawing-so I just went with my gut. Because I knew who it was for, it was a little bit more nerve-wracking. Starting the book was the hardest part for me because it was so high-profile. In what ways was this project a departure from your prior children’s book illustration-stylistically or otherwise? I appreciated the opportunity to get feedback from such an amazing artist. It was a great collaboration, and he was involved in every step of the process when sending sketches back and forth to the publisher. He gave me a good starting point but left me lots of freedom to create the images.
#Illuminate magnolia science academy 3 full#
Paul suggested he should have a messy house full of interesting artifacts from his travels, and musical instruments scattered around the space. He had lots of ideas about the personality of Grandude that he wanted to come through in the illustrations. He initially told me how much he liked my drawings, and from there we chatted about his vision for the book. I was lucky enough to be able to speak directly to Paul over the phone from the start for the project. His excitement and passion for the project was infectious, and we both wanted to make an exciting and beautiful book that kids will want to read again and again. Paul’s lyrics have been so iconic and timeless, and I think his writing translates really beautifully into a children’s picture book. It has been a real treat to collaborate with such an inspiring and accomplished artist. I am a huge music fan and hobbyist musician myself, so it was very cool to work with a music legend like Paul. What was your reaction to having the chance to collaborate with Paul McCartney? My favorite kind of stories to read are adventures with a touch of magic, so this book was a perfect fit for me. He would take us on lots of day trips and would always have something fun for us to do. This story especially resonated with me because I have wonderful childhood memories of my dad taking my siblings and me on exciting adventures, just like Grandude does in the book.
What was it about this story relaying kids’ magic-propelled adventures with their grandfather that appealed to you?
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