When we have unannounced visitors, I often wonder what they think when they gaze upon our floors and tables. Books are everywhere. I know it probably looks messy, but I like it this way. There’s never a lack of anything to read. Our house when I was growing up was usually in a similar state. So I found it interesting these past two weeks when, out of everything to choose from, I witnessed both Keira and Riley pick up Parrot Carrot to read. Riley liked the pictures, whereas Keira could read the text and I heard her chuckling to herself. So on that score alone it’s a winner.
For an extra treat – as I do love having a sneak-peek at the creative process – Kate and Jon agreed to answer some questions.
Enjoy!
Co-Author Kate Temple
Is Parrot Carrot the first book you’ve written?
Parrot Carrot isn’t the first book we’ve written, but it is the first book we’ve had published.
I have a lot of readers who are very interested in the writing and publishing process. How did you conceive the idea of Parrot Carrot?
Our 4 month old baby needed lot’s of help getting to sleep. We ran out of nursery rhymes and this little word game took shape. He’s two now and speaks fluent nonsense.
How long did the project take?
It’s a little book but it’s taken a long time – over a year.
Rhyming books have been around for a long time, what sets Parrot Carrot apart from its predecessors?
Kids love rhymes. They will never go out of fashion. But Parrot Carrot is a bit different, it’s incredibly silly and contagious, inviting you to make your own rhymes. Jon, our illustration gave it a great look feels really fresh – and a bit odd.
Did you get to talk to your illustrator during the production?
Constantly. Jon is an old friend so he drew the pictures before we even approached a publisher. This isn’t usually the way things are done but we got very excited about it and put together a finished book. We love Jon’s style and knew he’d bring it to life. It’s great to be able to work with friends and choose the illustrator.
How integral is the role of the author in the publicity/promotion process? Is this a difficult commitment?
These days the author has a huge role to play in getting their book out there. As much as our publisher loves Parrot Carrot they have a host of other titles that they need to promote. So their time and resources can be stretched. The more you can do as an author the better. We don’t mind, we enjoy being a part of this process. We’ve set up the facebook page and website. We also sent it to blogs that we followed – like this one.
The book also has it’s own iPhone App. Was the decision to make your story available across different platforms an easy or tricky one to make? What factors need taking into consideration?
Easy! The only hard thing is convincing people that it’s a good thing to invest in. We were lucky that both our publisher and the app developer, Leo Burnett, saw it as an opportunity. There are very few children’s books published in Australia that are turned into interactive e-books. We’re very excited about how the app has turned out. They have brought Jon’s deranged little illustrations to life beautifully. It is not a game and its not passive entertainment – it’s really true to the idea. Oh, and it’s voiced by Kamahl. What’s not to like!
What has been the most rewarding part of this project so far?
Collaborating with very talented people. Working with Jol on the concept and seeing Jon bring it to life has been terrific. There’s a lot of fun, wine, heated discussions. It’s been great seeing it through the various stages. We’ve learnt a lot about the publishing game and app development. Now we just need to do it all again.
Illustrator Jon Foye
Is this your first book?
Indeed it is.
How did you settle upon the style/aesthetic that you wanted to use for the Parrot Carrot artwork?
This was a dream job because I was given complete creative license from the beginning. There wasn’t a lot of discussion for a specific style for Parrot Carrot. Thankfully this worked well, as I guess you could say my illustration style is the aesthetic equivalent of Kate & Jol’s quirky writing!
Were you able to create the animals autonomously without any external influence? If so, is this normal?
I was originally given a long list of combinations, I then came back to the guys with an interpretation of how I thought the illustrations should look. From there we would collectively discuss and evolve the characters and layout. The most difficult creature was the gnu/canoe. Translating this into my style was a challenge … But ultimately it ended up being one of my favourites.
How do you work? Fast or slow? What’s your preferred medium? Do you work by hand or use computers?
My favourite tool is the humble lead pencil! I tend to sketch mostly in lead and then I start to add colour. With Parrot Carrot, I scanned all my sketches and then coloured them on the computer. But I also like to do ink washes too. Initially I tend to sketch out my ideas quickly, then when creating the final art I take more care and attention to detail. For example, when I hand illustrate all my typography, this can be quite time consuming, but I love it. I have a real interest in typography and I like to combine this with my illustrations.
What piece of advice would you give to aspiring illustrators?
Trust yourself and your style. Influence is great, but you need to find your own technique and evolve it.
Thank you both!
Parrot Carrot was officially released this week. Here’s where you can find more information:
Website: Parrotcarrot.com
Facebook: Parrot Carrot
Twitter: @parrotcarrot1
App store link: Parrot Carrot for iPhone
RRP: $12.99
We received a copy of Parrot Carrot.
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