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So, it’s the very last day of the year, but I managed to get this interview in here just in time. <\/p>\n As you’ll read below, David has illustrated more than 150 books (picture books and beyond), some—but not all—originally published in the UK and then released here in the States, thanks to publishers like Abrams and Candlewick. I appreciate David taking the time to talk about his work this morning and share some art. For breakfast, he told me that every Friday he has breakfast at Joe\u2019s Kitchen near where he lives in South London: poached eggs on brown toast with bacon and tomatoes. He also said he’d always make room for a Danish pastry, but I’m all about the toast this morning (with coffee, of course), even if it’s not Friday, so we’ll have that while we chat. <\/p>\n Without further ado, here’s David … <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Are you an illustrator or author\/illustrator?<\/font><\/p>\n David<\/font><\/strong>: Both. I have written and illustrated two books and illustrated more than 150. <\/p>\n Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Can you list your books-to-date? (If there are too many books to list here, please list your five most recent illustrated titles or<\/em> the ones that are most prominent in your mind, for whatever reason.)<\/font><\/p>\n David<\/font><\/strong>: <\/p>\n [Ed. Note: You can see a selected bibliography here<\/a><\/strong> at David’s site.]<\/em> Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What is your usual medium?<\/font><\/p>\n David<\/font><\/strong>: Watercolour, ink, pen, pencil, crayon, pastel, anything that comes to hand. Jules<\/font><\/strong>: If you have illustrated for various age ranges (such as, both picture books and early reader books OR, say, picture books and chapter books), can you briefly discuss the differences, if any, in illustrating for one age group to another?<\/font><\/p>\n David<\/font><\/strong>: I have illustrated for very young children with books like Dirty Bertie<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, Jack and the Flumflum Tree<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, and The Troll<\/a><\/strong><\/em>. I\u2019ve also illustrated for young adult readers with books like The Boy Who Kicked Pigs<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, the Tales of Terror<\/a><\/strong><\/em> series, and Tinder<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. <\/p>\n I\u2019d say I never really think too hard about the age that the book is aimed at. It\u2019s always the individual response to that piece of text, but the main difference would be that for picture books you are telling the story through the images, whereas for fiction it is more about creating an atmosphere.<\/p>\n Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Where are your stompin\u2019 grounds?<\/font> <\/p>\n David<\/font><\/strong>: South London and Liverpool, my hometown.<\/p>\n Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Can you tell me about your road to publication?<\/font> <\/p>\n David<\/font><\/strong>: Hated school, apart from art. Hair washer, shelf-stacker, egg-fryer, film extra, coffee-maker, milliner, fashion, illustrator, children\u2019s books — Hooray! Got there in the end!<\/p>\n Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Can you please point readers to your web site and\/or blog?<\/font> <\/p>\n David<\/font><\/strong>: www.davidrobertsillustration.com<\/a><\/strong>; www.davidrobertsillustration.tumblr.com<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n Jules<\/font><\/strong>: If you do school visits, tell me what they’re like.<\/font> <\/p>\n David<\/font><\/strong>: Very loud. Lots of “Urgh!” and “Yuck!” and “Blurgh!” and “Ew!\u2019” and “Blah!” and ending with a triumphant “trump!”<\/p>\n Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Any new titles\/projects you might be working on now that you can tell me about?<\/font> <\/p>\n David<\/font><\/strong>: I\u2019m really excited to be doing a fourth fairy tale book with my sister (Lynn Roberts). We\u2019ve collaborated on Cinderella: An Art Deco Love Story<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, Rapunzel: A Groovy Fairy Tale<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, and Little Red: A Fizzingly Good Yarn<\/a><\/strong><\/em> [pictured below]. The new one will be our interpretation of the Sleeping Beauty story.<\/p>\n 1.<\/font> Jules<\/font><\/strong>: What exactly is your process when you are illustrating a book? You can start wherever you\u2019d like when answering: getting initial ideas, starting to illustrate, or even what it\u2019s like under deadline, etc. Do you outline a great deal of the book before you illustrate or just let your muse lead you on and see where you end up?<\/font> <\/p>\n David<\/strong><\/font><\/strong>: I start by reading the text, and if it\u2019s for a chapter book I will be looking for what I think will make an interesting illustration or scene to illustrate. Sometimes this might not necessarily be the most obvious. <\/p>\n For a picture book, it\u2019s working out the pagination, where the page turns should be, whether the text will be integrated in the image or kept separate, whether the text requires the illustration to tell more of the story than what is actually being said in the words. I\u2019ll then plan the content, thinking very much about colour, composition, and style. I\u2019ll usually get an image of how I want the book to look the first time I read the text. And although things can change slightly as I work through, often I stick to that original vision. I find inspiration from film, music, art, exhibitions, fabric, wallpaper, fashion. All of these can influence me in my work.<\/p>\n 2.<\/font> Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Describe your studio or usual work space.<\/font> <\/p>\n David<\/strong><\/font><\/strong>: I always used to work in a corner of my studio flat, but last year I moved and now have a whole room just to work from. One whole corner encompasses a floor-to-ceiling book case for all my own books and foreign editions, plus all the books I use for reference and inspiration. I then have a desk in front of a window to get the maximum light, which is always a complete chaotic mess. Behind me is a mirror, not because I\u2019m vain but for working out facial expressions for my characters. I have lots of postcards, pictures, and objects — and a lovely grey plan chest to store all my paper and artwork. The walls are white and grey with grey carpet, and I have three maps on the wall of places that I\u2019ve been to and adored — Scandinavia, Manhattan, and the Faroe Islands.<\/p>\n 3.<\/font> Jules<\/font><\/strong>: As a book-lover, it interests me: What books or authors and\/or illustrators influenced you as an early reader?<\/font><\/p>\n David<\/strong><\/font><\/strong>: Actually, I wasn\u2019t a very confident reader as a child and I really struggled with it, but I loved stories and my older brother used to read to me at night, so I would always fall asleep with images of Fantastic Mr. Fox<\/a><\/strong><\/em> or James and the Giant Peach<\/a><\/strong><\/em>. <\/p>\n I also loved Enid Blyton\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> I couldn’t let 2014 go by without posting this interview with British author-illustrator David Roberts<\/a><\/strong>. I’ve enjoyed his books over the years, but he also provided spot illustrations for Wild Things! Acts of Mischief in Children’s Literature<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, the book I wrote with Betsy Bird<\/a><\/strong> and the late Peter D. Sieruta<\/a><\/strong>, which was released in August of this year (Candlewick Press). David filled our book with a set of very entertaining startled bunnies, one pictured above (it’s hard to pick a favorite, but she may be it), and he also did the cover art, the image at the very bottom of this Q&A. <\/p>\n
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<\/em>Dear Tabb<\/a>y<\/strong> (HarperCollins, 2011)<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/7pics\/2014\/12\/rosiecover.JPG\")
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(from <\/em>Happy Birthday, Madame Chapeau<\/a><\/strong>)” …
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<\/em>The Boy Who Kicked Pigs<\/a><\/strong> (Faber and Faber, 1999)<\/em><\/center>
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<\/em>Iggy Peck, Architect<\/a><\/strong><\/em>
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<\/em>The Dumpster Diver<\/a><\/strong><\/em>
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(Hodder & Stoughton, 2005)<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/7pics\/2014\/12\/dr_colgal_image_08use.jpg\")
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\nOkay, we’ve got more coffee, and it’s time to get a bit more detailed with seven questions over breakfast. I thank David again for visiting 7-Imp.<\/font> <\/p>\n
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<\/em>Happy Birthday, Madame Chapeau<\/a><\/strong> (Abrams, September 2014)<\/em>
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<\/em>Puppy Love!<\/a><\/strong>, coming in 2015<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/7pics\/2014\/12\/dr_colgal_image_13use.jpg\")
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