Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Interview with Karl James Mountford - Freelance Children's Illustrator

Welcome, Karl James Mountford, to Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books. It's an absolute pleasure to host you on our little website. We loved your answers to our questions and finding out more about your amazing artwork, particularly for children's books. So without further ado, let me introduce Karl and his amazing post. I hope you all enjoy this. 

Karl James Mountford is an illustrator who works in both traditional and digital media. He has created artwork for such titles as ‘The Uncommoners ‘ by Jennifer Bell, published by Penguin Random House (2017), and ‘The Peculiars’ by Kieran Larwood with Chicken House publishing (2018), to name just a couple. Karl specialises in book cover design and chapter illustrations but also works on picture books, with recent titles including ‘Maurice the Unbeastly’ by Amy Dixon, published by Sterling Children’s Books (2017), and ‘The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth’ by Ellie Hattie with Little Tiger Press (2017).

Karl currently lives and works in Wales, where his sketch-books rarely get a day off.

How did you become an illustrator?

I went to art college and then Uni to study illustration. But I’ve been drawing since really young.

After uni I started freelancing, the first two years were a bit rough financially and work was few and far between. So I had many a part-time job then I started hunting for an illustration agent while building a whole new portfolio or work.

I didn’t apply to many as I was a bit nervous about rejection but you build a thick skin and after a while, I got signed up with the Bright agency (2nd time lucky) which was a game changer and have now been able to illustrate full time.

What is your favourite medium in which to draw/paint?

Pencil and paper. I know it sounds boring, but it’s always nice (for me) to just sketch using those tools.

Can you give us a good example of a great illustration and what makes it great to you?

A great illustration…anything by Shaun Tan, especially in the picture book ‘The Red Tree’. It’s stunning but his compositions and use of colours are on another level. I think he just delivers the emotion from the page to the reader, whatever that emotion is. Even if you were reading it in another language, the illustrations tell so much of the story.

What is the proudest moment of your career so far?

Work-wise… I'm not sure - I'm quietly proud of it all… I’m a bit proud that I didn’t give up on freelance and stuck it out. Even though some days I think, "Oh maybe you should have been a vet?”  But that thought is usually short-lived because I love what I do.

What would you like to say to the publishing world about illustrations?

Will have to be careful here, don’t bite the hand that feeds you and all that. Erm..the publishing world is a business at the end of the day BUT I think sometimes publishers and sales teams etc can over think the artwork. This is understandable as everyone wants the book to do well but the process can ‘clip the wings’ a bit of an artist, which isn’t great working conditions. However, when you find a client that gives you a bit of trust and freedom to create work that reflects the story inside and still be true to how the illustrator works, well that’s like a lottery win.
I think the most important thing regarding illustrations is that the artists/designers/illustrators are properly credited. For a long time, illustrators names were in a tiny font under the barcode - out of the way or not included at all! In some cases (especially in middle grade/YA and editorials) publishing houses, editors etc should strive to use their illustrator's names and artwork as a good tool to further a books longevity on the shelves. Whether it is credited on the front cover or clearly and visibly on the back.
I know there is a good argument that what's inside the book is the priority ..but 9/10 times people tend to pick up the book because of the cover and illustrations.

What projects get the creative juices flowing for you? 

I love stories that are set in the past or have a darker undertone. The style in past decades really resonates with me, from the clothes to the buildings, cars etc.

Could you tell us a bit about any of your upcoming projects?

I’m working on the cover and internal illustrations for a new middle-grade book, which I’ve really fallen in love with. I read the manuscript in one night - it was that GREAT!. 

It’s a noir mystery by Sophie Green. I think it’s her debut book? I just think the world is gonna fall in love with it too and the main characters. Especially if your reading taste is a little darker, it’s got some right scary chapters … as a 29-year-old, I probably shouldn’t say that - but it’s just great. I can’t tell you how chuffed I am to be apart of it.

I'm working on Katherine Woodfine’s 2nd book in the new series ‘Taylor and Rose’ as we speak. I'm also (slowly) working on my own picture book. But I’m taking my sweet time on it as I love it but it needs to be thought about a bit more as it’s not going to be directed towards children as it’s main audience.

Who are your favourite illustrators and why?

Alice and Martin Provensons, Shaun Tan, all screen printers and there are some stellar current illustrators too, such as Zoe Persico, Matt Saunders, Cally Conway, Sonny Ross. I could list hundreds.

Where should a person start if they want to pursue a career in illustration?

It sounds daft, but just open a sketch-book and start drawing what interests you, then tackle the rest as it comes. 

What's the strangest question you've ever been asked?

I went to art school - most questions were strange and wonderful. 

Karl is represented by The Bright Group.
For any work, enquiries give my agents Arabella or Freddie a shout.

arabella@brightgroupinternational.com / freddie@thebrightagency.com

You can also find him lurking on Twitter: @karlj_mountford 

Sophie Plowden - The Children's Author of the Jack Dash Series - Mr Ripley's Festive Edition Q&A (Catnip)

This is the third festive interview Q&A. I would like to welcome Sophie Plowden, who is the author of the fantastic Jack Dash series. Two brilliant books to date have been fantastically illustrated by Judy Brown, who helps to bring Jack Dash's drawings to life. This series was published by the small and mighty Catnip Publishing Group. If you are looking for funny, action-packed stories for young readers then these are great gifts for this festive time. Fill the Christmas stockings with great books like these this year.  

Welcome Sophie and thank you for taking time to answer some questions. 

What would Jack Dash say about his books this Christmas?

I think he’d probably say that they make the most fantastic presents and you’d have to be leaking brain juice not to buy them.

Jack's magic feather makes whatever he draws come to life. What would he draw to bring Christmas to life?

I’m pretty sure he already did! In ‘Jack Dash and the Summer Blizzard’ he conjures up a snowstorm in the school playground, along with a hundred and eighteen penguins. Penguins make ideal stocking-fillers as they’re the perfect shape.

What makes you laugh?

Misunderstandings and minor injuries.

What can we expect next from Sophie next year?

Jack Dash 3 is coming out in September. I’m still wrestling with the title, but it features a cowboy, a castle and a Cake Off Competition.

Who would you have at a literary New Year dinner party and why? 

Dr Seuss, Lewis Carroll, Louis Sachar and Jane Austen would get along swimmingly. I’d also invite Peter Frankopan because of his Twitter feed and his magnificent name.

What book would you recommend to readers to get them into the winter/festive spirit?

Maurice Sendak’s ‘In the Night Kitchen’ is the lesser-known and distinctly weirder precursor to ‘Where the Wild Things Are.’ It lingers in the head for years because it’s magical, strange and dark.

Everyone loves books as gifts which book would you like to receive or give this Christmas?

I’d love to have the catalogue of Basquiat’s paintings, which are currently on exhibition at the Barbican Centre in London. It’s for this reason, I’m giving it to my husband.

What's the meaning of Christmas for you and your characters?

No school and family arguments – my characters and I are indistinguishable.

Are you any good at building a snowman/woman?

I live in London and there’s rarely enough snow to build anything much. I once managed a small conical structure – a sort of snow parsnip.

www.sophieplowden.co.uk

Daniel Whelan - Children's Author of The Box of Demons - Mr Ripley's Festive Edition Q&A

This is the second festive interview with many more fantastic ones to come. This one comes care of Daniel Whelan, who some of you might know from Harry Potter or maybe not :). He is the author of one of my personal favourite books The Box of Demons. It's a fantastic fantasy-fuelled story full of great humour that all young kids will really enjoy. The book cover above displays Chris Riddell's talent and who also features in the below Q&A. 

Thank you, Daniel, for taking part in the festive interview and welcome to Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books. 

The Box of Demons is fantastic book, what comes next?

Thank you! I’m not sure what’ll be out next. I’ve got two books on the go, one a bit more YA than The Box of Demons and one very firmly in Middle Grade. The YA-ish one is nearest to completion, but I keep cheating on it with the MG which has been a bit more fun to write. I’d hope to have one out in 2019, but that isn’t really down to me.

If your next book was illustrated, and you could choose any illustrator, who would it be and why?

If it were down to me, I’d pick Chris Riddell every time because he made the characters in The Box of Demons look better than I imagined them, and now it's quite hard when thinking of new ones not to wonder what Chris would make of them. Unfortunately for me Chris is very busy, so I can’t imagine I’d be lucky enough to work with him again.

I tend to favour quite cartoony or comicky illustrations. I love Sarah McIntyre’s stuff. There’s an author called Tatum Flynn who is also an artist, I’d love to work with her one day. And Marc Simonetti, who does the French covers for Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, he’s great.

I’ve been a part of the Save Hari campaign to save Haringey’s Children’s Librarians - I live in Wales now, but as I’m Patron of Reading at North Harringay Primary School it’s part of my job to protect access to books for those kids - and all our artwork for that was done by Emer Stamp, who I think is marvellous. 

Which book monsters/authors would you have at a literary New Year dinner party and why? (or actor maybe?)

This Christmas belongs to one monster and one monster alone: Mr. Underbed. Hopefully he’d bring his creator Chris Riddell along with him, because Chris is such fantastic company. 

Actor-wise, Morven Christie would have to be first on the guest list. She’s one of my best friends, and one of the few people I trust with early drafts of things. We don’t see each other nearly enough: she’s in Scotland, I’m in Wales, so we have an entire country between us! I’d also have Charlie Hotson, Stephen Wight and his wife Chloe, and Sophie Angelson and her husband, the director James Kemp.

Finally - and I hope this isn’t stretching the question too much - I’d like to have Charles Dickens’s Mr. Fezziwig along. That guy knows how to party. If he could come in his Mr. Fozzywig aspect from The Muppets Christmas Carol, that’d be super.

What book would you recommend to readers to get them into the winter/festive spirit?

Terry Pratchett is a big influence on me, so I’d say check out Wintersmith, the third book in his Tiffany Aching sequence. He wrote a Christmas-ish Discworld too, The Hogfather, but I’m less keen on that one.

Everyone loves books as gifts which book would you like to receive this Christmas?

I’ve asked Father Christmas for Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, a couple of Thames and Hudson’s books on myth, and The Ultimate Visual History of Labyrinth, one of my all-time favourite films. We shall see if I have been nice enough this year!

What's the meaning of Christmas for you and your characters?

For me, it’s about warmth against the cold. Christmas falls just after the shortest and therefore darkest day of the year, and I think the collective brightness and joy of it lets us pull each other out of the gloom. Humans have always needed a Winter festival. Before Christianity, we celebrated the Winter Solstice; the Ancient Romans had Saturnalia. It’s rooted deep within us.

For my characters, I think Kartofel would be grumpy and cynical about Christmas while secretly loving it; the excessive food consumption would be right up Djinn’s street: and Orff would complain about the cold and what the darkness does to the Seasonal Affected Disorder he doesn’t really have. 

What's your favourite thing about Christmas?

Mince Pies. They are so firmly attached to my Christmas experience I think I would throw up if I had to eat one between January and November. I moved back to Wales at the beginning of this year, so 2017 will be my first Christmas in over a decade without my favourite mince pies of all time: the Mince Pie Selection Box from Dunn’s of Crouch End, London.

Do you think the book cover has an important role in potential readers buying your book?

I can only speak from experience, and my experience is there are quite a lot of people who wouldn’t have looked twice at The Box of Demons if it didn’t have a Chris Riddell cover. I can only hope they have enjoyed the inside as much as the outside. A good cover is vital.

What is the strangest question you have been asked as an author?

I am often asked if I know Ron Weasley. When I was an actor, I once got a call from the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire production office about playing one of the older Weasley brothers. They asked a few questions, and I never heard from them again. (It became clear why when the film came out: the character in question was cut). I put this story on my website to illustrate how spectacularly unsuccessful my acting career was, and somehow it keeps being filtered into me having some sort of association with Rupert Grint. (I don’t).

I once did an in-store signing where the poster they put up to advertise my appearance said ‘he could have been Ron Weasley!’, which I thought was an interesting, if inaccurate, selling point.

What has inspired you the most to write?

That’s a tough one. I really don’t know. It just sort of happens. I liked a lot of fantasy-type things when I was younger, which I suppose helps. I went to a Catholic school, and Catholicism is essentially all stories so there was that too. And I’ve always liked to write, and read. 

Whenever I’m asked the classic author question "where do you get your ideas from?", I always say the swimming pool. There’s something about doing those repetitive laps that allows me to think of new stuff, make new connections to things I’m working on. So let’s say ‘swimming’.

Nicholas Gannon - The Doldrums - Book Review - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Archer B. Helmsley longs for adventure. But how can he have an adventure when he can’t even leave his house?

Archer B. Helmsley has grown up in a house full of oddities and treasures collected by his grandparents, the famous explorers. Archer longs for grand adventures but ever since his grandparents went missing on an iceberg, his mother barely lets him leave the house. So, along with his best friends, Adélaïde L. Belmont and Oliver Grub, Archer forms a plan to get out of the house and set off on a grand adventure with crocodiles and parachutes and danger. It's a good plan. Well, it's not bad, anyway. But nothing goes quite as they expected…

I had a really good feeling about this book when it arrived. You only need to look at the physical appearance of it and you know that the publishing company have pulled out all the stops. It is really special to handle and lovely to look through. The cover is fantastic and inside the colour illustrations are exquisite; a delight to behold. The images are bold and use a good palette of autumnal colours with some delightful blues for added measure. The images are somewhat quirky and very engaging; I loved them all.

Interestingly, there are also some small black-and-white illustrations peppered through the chapters, which work really well. They give the reader a great sense of the amazing adventure that will soon unfold. What is particularly impressive, is that the author has produced these illustrations himself!

This book felt special right from the very first page.  It is a lovely poetic look at children being children, living in an adult world and yearning for adventure.  It leaves a warm feeling inside as the reader bonds with the plot and the unlikely trio of characters. Their friendships will make you smile from a tiger's head to a crocodile's toe. The characters will pirouette into your lives with such uniqueness and hold a special place in your own heart. 

The book is born out of wild imagination and leads the reader on a journey of fantasy escapism that everyone will love, from nine to hundred and nine. It's very witty and I love the subtleness of the
humour; slightly offbeat which works at all age levels, in my opinion. 

You'll find yourself being firmly whisked into a world that is rich in detail capturing the essence of New York City - magical and enchanting - where people's lives are played out in technicolour. Even though it might not be set there, it makes me want to go back. It's very cleverly written, especially from a debut author. It is well thought out and worded beautifully; thoroughly entertaining.

This book will become a timeless classic which is full of pure eventfulness just like Brian Selznick and Blue Baliett; wonderful books that will keep you reading all night long.  It's pure silliness and will soon have you talking to a range of stuffed animals. With a giddy sense of excitement and a touch of mystery, this is my favourite book of the year, so far. It's a visual feast for the eyes and the brain; an exciting new talent to watch. 

I would love to see it as a film one day soon, I hope! 


Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (UK) (8 Oct. 2015) and Greenwillow Books (USA) (September 29, 2015)

Authors web site: http://www.nicholasgannon.com/main.html

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Q&A Interview with Nick Tankard - Illustrator

How did you become an illustrator?
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be an illustrator. I drew all the time when I was a kid, everything else was boring, I just wanted to draw. I couldn’t wait to leave school and enrol onto a course in Art & Design at Bradford College and then an Illustration course at Middlesbrough College.
I was fortunate to have some great tutors including the illustrator Chris Mould who was a great source of support and encouragement and has remained so in the years since I completed my further education. It was Chris who gave me a nudge in the right direction (or kick up the backside!) just when I needed it most. I was beginning to think I might not make it as an illustrator but Chris encouraged me to continue sending work to publishers and hey presto, it paid off when Helen Boyle (then at Templar Publishing) commissioned me to illustrate the ‘Henry Hunter’ books. I couldn’t have been happier and I’m eternally grateful to them both.

Do you think an illustrator needs a style?
I think it helps Editors and Art Directors to commission illustrators who work in a particular style, however I think it’s good to be adaptable and willing to attempt new methods and to push yourself. Some of my favourite illustrators have the ability to produce work that is very recognizably their own but they also adapt and develop it to move in new directions. A good example would be someone like Shaun Tan who has a very distinguishable style, but with every new book he seems to push and challenge himself to produce new and unique illustrations.

Do you have tips on developing an illustration style?
For me it’s a process that comes about through experimentation and channelling influences. It took me a good while to find a method of working that was comfortable and felt like my own. I’m influenced by something new everyday and forever pondering how it was
produced. By experimenting it’s possible to integrate certain aspects of those influences into your work and little by little you develop your own style, it should be a natural, on-going process.

What is your favourite medium to draw/paint with?
Initially I’ll sketch roughs and final compositions in pencil and then crack on with the good part…inking-in. I use a Micron 01 black fine line pen and work in a crosshatch style. The technique is a painstaking process and one which does my eyes no good at all! With the fine line pen I make a tiny mark in one direction and then turn the image around and add another layer in another direction to create shade and depth or leave bits out to hint at light and space. The image might turn ten to twenty times until it’s finished. It’s a very enjoyable process but a bit mindboggling at times.

Could you tell us a bit about any of your upcoming projects?
I’m really excited about my plans for this summer. I have the third book in Charlie Fletcher’s ‘Dragon Shield’ trilogy to illustrate for Hodder, it’s been a fantastic series to work on, a real privilege. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed exploring London and it’s statues through Charlie’s eyes, I’ll see London in a different way from now on.

I’ve been working in my black & white crosshatching style quite a lot these past couple of years so I’m really looking forward to doing some experimenting with colour techniques. I really like the little pots of ‘Magic Colour Acrylic Ink’ as you can fill the empty cartridges of Rotring pens with them and this enables me to do- wait for it…colour crosshatching! It’s something I’ve been hoping to play about with so I can’t wait to get cracking.

I’ve also got a couple of ideas for Picture books rolling around in my head. Writing and illustrating my own books is something I haven’t attempted yet but the ideas are up
there somewhere and they’re refusing to go away so I’m going to finally put pen to paper to see what comes out. I’d love to illustrate a picture book, it’s a long held ambition so I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Who are your favourite illustrators and why?
There are three illustrators/authors whose books inspired my own ambitions to become an illustrator; they are Raymond Briggs, Tove Jansson and Maurice Sendak. Their work made a huge impression on me when I was a kid to the point where even now looking at the books they made brings back thoughts and feelings I had about them as a child. They were a little bit unsettling, frightening even. Stripy monsters, mysterious islands, lighthouses and bogeymen populate my childhood memories, it explains a lot! Aside from being scared witless I could also see the beauty in these books and I return to them again & again.

A contemporary illustration hero of mine is Shaun Tan. His illustrations have the same ability to unsettle, fascinate and inspire me much the same as Raymond, Tove and Maurice did in my childhood. I think his work will stand the test of time; ‘The Red Tree’ ‘The Arrival’ and ‘The Lost Thing’ already feel like Classics.
There are lots of other artists, authors and illustrators whose work I love and take inspiration from; Levi Pinfold, Jim Kay, David Roberts, Neil Gaiman, Jon Klassen, Aardman Animation, Carson Ellis, Gustave Dore, Faye Hanson, Philip Pullman, Chris Riddell, Alan Lee, Heath Robinson, my old tutor Chris Mould and tons more.

What helps you to be more creative?
I love listening to audiobooks when I’m in the middle of a project. I’ll work in silence when I’m sketching the initial roughs and ideas (for me that’s the worst part, agonizing!) but when it comes to inking-in the final illustrations give me a long night, tea and an audiobook and I’m a happy man. I know I need to get out more!


Where should a person start if they want to pursue a career in illustration?
Ooh that’s quite a difficult one and I guess I can only speak from experience. As I said, it took me quite a few years to achieve my ambition of becoming a published illustrator with a few wrong turns along the way. Persistence and self-motivation are good strengths to have. Editors and agents are the folks you need to approach but they’re very busy people so you need to try and stand out. Sending emails with loads of jpegs probably wont get you very far. There are so many hugely talented illustrators out there all trying to get published so we have to use our imaginations to make an impression. If it seems you aren’t getting anywhere don’t give up (like I almost did) just keep trying.


What do you read for pleasure?
Unfortunately I don’t get much time to read nowadays, that’s where audiobooks come in useful. I quite like ghost stories on audiobook, ‘Dark Matter’ by Michelle Paver is a favourite as is ‘Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You My Lad’ by M.R. James. Both are great on a dark and stormy night. Other favourites include ‘Watership Down’ and ‘The Box of Delights’.
I haven’t read the ‘Harry Potter’ series yet but I’m clearing a space in my diary for the forthcoming new editions which are being illustrated by Jim Kay, it looks like he’s done an amazing job from what I’ve seen so far.

All images on this post subject to copyright.....

Web Site: http://nicktankard.co.uk/
Twitter: @NickTankard