Author Interview! Matthew Evans talks about his children's book and why he is donating 25% of his royalties...

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Matthew Evans

Matthew Evans, author of 'Lucy's Loo-Loo La-La land' talks about his process and how he started writing for children.

Let’s start with some introductions, can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

Of course, I am 38 and have been married for 10 years, we have a daughter, 5, and a son, 2. I work in Technical pre sales at a large IT vendor and my role is pan EMEA. Away from the office I enjoy sports, I am keen runner and in the last few years have completed a 100km and a 50km ultra marathon, I am planning on my third later this year. As a family we enjoy travel both in and outside the UK, it’s good to experience different cultures but also experience those things on your doorstep.

How did you get into writing for children?

Unintentionally if I’m being honest. In August of 2011 we lost our first son following a premature birth. Since then I have entered a number of running races and undertaken challenges to help  raise money for a number of charities, Tommys Baby and Daisys Dream to name a couple. To date I think I have raised in the region of £5,500 but there is always that desire to do more and that’s where the idea of a book came in.

What process do you follow when writing?

I have only written the one book so I am not sure how much of a process I followed. I started with the overall storyline and then worked on it page by page, read time and time again and tweaked the words and story until I was happy. I then had my wife read it and then applied a few last edits. If I am honest I don’t think anyone if ever completely happy, if I could make a couple of edits today I think I would.

What gives you inspiration and who are your influences?

My kids. The whole story started out as written down things that my daughter had said to me, so the book is very much through the eyes of a child. As an example, we were on holiday a couple of years ago and visited a town just outside of Pool, I recall the town square was paved with these shiny white tiles and my daughter turned and said “look at the ice” and started skating around on it, that’s when the loose story started to form, it was lovely to see something normal and day to day to an adult mean something completely different to a child. Over the next 12 months I made notes and formed a we ideas around what else would happen. After our son was born I could see these little partners in crime, hence why the story is based on a little girl called Lucy and her brother, Jack.

What problems did you find when releasing your book?

I first published it as an ebook. On reflection this wasn’t particularly problematic but when you’re new to the process it is nice to get a guiding hand, I seem to recall I send you a few emails looking for advice. The formatting of the ebook was a little challenging, again if it’s all new to you. In the end I used a company called ‘Ebook Partnership’ as they were reasonably priced and provided an excellent service.

However, I found I didn’t get much traction with my ebook and that’s when I stumbled across Amazon Create Space. Create Space is a company owned by Amazon that allows you to self-publish as paperback. Again this wasn’t hugely challenging but when you are new to the options and settings it requires a little research. After a few attempts at formatting I decided to use a company called ‘Sleeping Cat Books’. They provided an excellent service and were great value.

What was the best part about releasing your book?

Seeing it live on Amazon and then showing it to my kids for the first time.

What was your favourite childhood book?

I enjoyed many of the traditional Ladybird books, such as the Magic Porridge Pot and the Enormous Turnip. I also have a copy of a book called ‘Podgy and I’ which was released around 1925 by Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd, given the state of my copy it could well be an original. I read this to my children who think it’s quite fun that I am reading them a story that I had at their age.

Who are your favourite designers and/or brands?

The books we get now are very much decided on by the kids, we have quite a few books by Nick Sharratt which we enjoy, as well as a few by Julia Donaldson such as The Gruffalo and Room on a Broom.

Do you prefer ebooks or physical books? Why?

Physical, not sure why, there is just something about holding book compared to holding and eReader.

How much does your book cost?

£1.99 for the eBook and £5.99 for the paperback, 25% of all royalties are being donated to Tommy's  (http://www.tommys.org/)

Where can we find your book / where it is for sale?

Ebook - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lucys-Loo-Loo-Land-Matthew-Evans-ebook/dp/B00O96HSYW/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424103135&sr=8-1&keywords=Lucys+Loo+Loo

Paperback - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lucys-Loo-Loo-Land-Matthew-Evans/dp/1507747217/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1424103135&sr=8-1&keywords=Lucys+Loo+Loo

Is there anything else you want to add?

Due to some guidelines from the Create Space service my book didn’t have enough pages so I added a version of the book with no colour or text which means this is a book and colouring book all rolled into one.

Thankyou for reading, and a huge thank you to Matthew Evans for the interview!

Do You Poop?

Do You Poop? and other great stories!

Wow, has it really been almost 5 months since my last post? It seems like 5 minutes! 

I have been working hard and putting all of my time and devotion into some really great new projects. Sometimes I feel so privileged to get such great stories to illustrate! Often I get sent some copies of books once they’ve been printed, so I thought what better way to kick off this blog then with some photos of those great books I mentioned!

Do You Poop?

I loved the premise for this book as soon as Kerri contacted me. It was not only fun to illustrate, but it was great fun to read too! Take a look;

Do You Poop is a great book if you have young kids whether they are potty training or not. Check out Kerri's website for more information, or buy the book on Amazon!

www.kerriwoodthomson.com

Buy on Amazon

The Selfish Shellfish

You might remember I blogged about Grandma Paint Pot and her loveable sea creatures in the past. Well here are some (overdue) pictures of this brilliant book about the cute creatures and their crazy antics. The writing is superb, the characters are fantastic - and it’s set in Cornwall too! So what’s not to love?!

I highly recommend a visit to Grandma Paint Pot's website to find out more information and great pictures of REAL Leonard limpets and Pheobe periwinkles!

www.grandmapaintpot.com

You can buy this book in paperback;

Itunes

Amazon

And stay tuned for book two! I'm not giving anything away, except that it will be worth the wait to see some familiar faces!

TESCO’s GO CREATE colouring pad

I was a little surprised (and a lot pleased) to see my illustrations had made it into Tesco’s colouring books. At only £2.50 for 64 illustrations for your little ones to scribble in - you know that’s a bargain! 

Check out my two nephew’s handiwork too! Not bad, hey? We’ll make an illustrator of him yet!

What else?

Well it’s been a busy summer, and there’s lots of beautiful books and projects I have yet to share with you! Here’s a small selection of some of the latest - and there's more to come soon! 

I’ve even included some sneaky sketches of projects I’m working on right now! Can you guess what they'll turn into?

I actually do a much better job of updating my website then I do my blog! So if you’d like to see my most current work, or ask for a quote for your book, please visit www.izzybean.co.uk or email me at izzybean@izzybean.co.uk

Thanks!

How to draw for kids - a guide by a children's illustrator!

I’ve been illustrating children’s books for years now. I’ve done it all; baby books, rhyming books, counting books, books about grief, books about monsters, books about eating healthy and books about sustainable living, books about having fun and everything in-between.  

So what’s the secret?

Well, drawing for children isn’t as easy as it sounds. Children are the fussiest of readers, any parent will know how hard it is to keep a child interested in one thing for more than a second. They think differently, have different priorities, they’re still learning and they look at the world in their own unique way.

So I’ve got together a little list of tips and tricks for anyone drawing for children - weather that is for your own children for fun, or professionally as an illustrator. 

CHILDREN ARE NOT STUPID

First and foremost, don’t ever think that because children are young, that you can get away with cheating them. No chance! They gobble up information and process it faster than you can turn a page, and if you’ve drawn four pigs but the text only said three - busted! Perhaps you think they won’t notice your inconsistencies, but as everybody knows, children will ask all manner of questions and are very persistant. If the story says the main character wore a red coat - you better make sure that coat is always red. If you drew a tiny egg hidden amongst the clutter of a well detailed kitchen and forgot to draw it on the last page, parents will hear, ‘Daddy, where did the egg go?’ 

CHILDREN LOVE POOP!

And slime, and splats, and gunk, and smears, and any other disgusting, and dirty manner of filth. Forget keeping that bedroom looking spick and span to set a good example, that’s just no fun! Kids love mess. Picking noses, smelly socks, you name it - kids love it.

RED AND YELLOW AND PINK AND BLUE…

This one’s a given, but well worth mentioning as it’s one of the most important. Kids illustrations are almost always bright, bold and beautiful. Things which are quite neutral colours in real life, can be jazzed up for kids. A donkey can be light blue, a fish could be a strong orange... A good tip is to use a colour wheel to see what colours go best together, and utilise them in your art. Use your imagination too! A bright red jumper might be good, but how about a red and yellow striped jumper, with a green bow tie? If you page looks like the rainbow exploded, you’re probably on the right track, but there are ways to use eye-popping colour without using every colour known to man too - play around and see what works. I often employ a ‘colour theme’ per page. So if I’m drawing a little girl’s room, I’ll use lots of different shades of purples and pinks.

PEEK-A-BOO!

A lot of children’s books, especially rhyming books, rely on repetition to capture their audience.

This is fine, but there are other ways you can sneak in visual surprises for the little ones to keep them on their toes. They’ll be grateful!

Try and use changes in angles when illustrating, a page looking down on your main character, or from behind shake things up a bit and provide a much better response when read in sequence. If the story involves a ‘peek-a-boo’ or ‘hello!’ then you might want to try some extreme close ups to make the kids laugh. Next time you’re watching a cartoon on the TV, count the number of camera changes and angles from which they tell the story, and use some of the ideas in your illustrations! 

HOW MANY RABBITS CAN YOU SEE?

This is an all-time favourite and a way of making the book last all that longer. Finding objects or counting doesn’t have to be written in the text, you can add this bit yourself without the author! Try adding some mini-games for your readers to entertain themselves with. It will be the difference between a child putting your book down after it’s been read to them, or not letting their parent turn the page until they’ve found all the flowers. Another little trick is to sneak a friendly face onto every page (without stealing the main character’s limelight!) so your child can look forward to finding him when they turn over.

THINK LIKE A 5 YEAR OLD

Or at least try to think about what your target audience likes. Countless times I’ve seen children’s books that were apparently made for adults. A 6 year old has no care about their clothes matching; princess dresses and trainers. Shorts and wellington boots. They have unbrushed hair, stained shirts, and mud on their face. Children like to see themselves in the book, so try to relate to what is most important to them, and make that important to your drawn character. 

NEVER TRUELY SCARE THE CHILD

They might like to be playfully scared, or surprised so they squeal in fright, but never, ever draw something too scary. You’ll lose the reader instantly! So forget realistic blood, or too much gore. Don’t make your character appear dead or ripped apart horrifically. You may think this is a little obvious, but you’d be surprised how many illustrators draw fangs dripping with blood, or an eyeball falling from the bloody socket of a dinosaur’s victim. They’re just kids! Keep it safe.

And finally…

HAVE FUN!

Be inventive, enjoy your work, have fun and laugh a little. It will show through in your work. Good luck!

If you're looking for a professional illustrator for your book, you can check out my site, at www.izzybean.co.uk for my portfolio of work, or email me at;

izzybean@izzybean.co.uk

Thanks for reading!

Step by Step HALLOWEEN DRACULA VAMPIRE MONSTER! With Free colouring sheet for kids!

I've been posting these halloween guides all week, and today it's the turn of DRACULA!

All you need is a pen and paper - or a computer and mouse. It's not too difficult and it's easy to personalise if you want to be creative too!

And there's a FREE downloadable colouring sheet for kids at the bottom of this post!

DRAWING DRACULA - STEP BY STEP GUIDE

To start with, make a shape like this;

And another one, exactly opposite. They want to be as near symmetrical as possible, and the same size!

Then, draw this strange shape. This is the most difficult part, I promise!

And as before, draw it's mirror image opposite. All these shapes should connect and create one shape - the face!

Next, add this line and curve as above. Try to end it about 1/5th of the way down from the top, and in the centre of the face.

Do the same on the other side, making sure they meet in the middle!

Now we'll be adding ears. You can draw any shape ears you like, pointy ones work very well for Dracula. It's good to keep them symmetrical.

His nose, again, can be customised to create your own look, but pointy, long and thin are always a winner.

Next, we add the eyebrows. Have them meet in the middle, but not touching - you can leave a little gap. Arch them high in the middle for that menacing, evil effect!

At either side of the nose, draw small curves like this...

... then connect them with a menacing smile!

Add a little curve under that smile to give him a bottom lip!

Next, draw a long line downwards from the chin, and flick it outwards at the end.

Do the same on the other side too

Then, find where the very bottom of the nose is, and starting from the cheek besides it, draw a long curve, stopping at about the same length as his chin.

From this curve, draw another curve (not quite so curvy!) inwards, but stop before you get to his neck!

Apply the same to the other side, and you're nearly there!

Add two little beady eyes underneath those eyebrows you drew earlier. 

Now we can add some details to the inside of the ears... but wait! 

We're forgetting the most important bit!!

The fangs! Draw these nice and big, with sharp points on the end! 

He wouldn't be Dracula without them.

And there you have it! A sinister vampire cartoon of your very own!

Add some colour and share him with the world! Or me... at izzybeanillustrations@gmail.com

And as promised, here is a downloadable colouring in sheet for the kids, little and big! Just right click on this massive image below, 'SAVE AS' then print onto A4 paper.

See you next time!