Windows into illustration: Michael Foreman
Michael Foreman is one of the UK’s greatest children’s illustrators, with an achievement which Michael Morpurgo describes as ‘mountainous in scale and scope’. His devotion to drawing and especially to painting, began in childhood, and has continued undiminished to this day. Here he discusses his approach and technique.
set – backdrop, scenery, then actors. M
For added contrast, texture (or to cover mistakes) I sometimes add pastel. Water-colour has the reputation of being ‘unforgiving’ – it is difficult to control, wonderfully fluid, sometimes with a mind of its own, and it is difficult to rectify or conceal mistakes.
However, it is this willful, unpredictable quality which is part of the magic. One colour flowing into another, changing, transforming, pleasing then upsetting, like a child you love being a bit naughty. A challenge, an adventure, a daily dip into a world of colour and imagination.
Accidents happen. A smudge, a spill. Once a ladybird landed on a still-wet painting of a flower. Thumbelina was quite shocked. I had almost finished a painting of ‘The Ogre’, one of Terry Jones’ Fairy Tales, when I spilled my mug of coffee over the top half of the picture. Fortunately, the ogre was in a dark cave and the coffee made a wonderful rocky texture in the wet water-colour. Grabbing the coffee jar, I sprinkled more coffee grains here and there to add to the effect.
I have done a number of books with the wonderful Terry and, when travelling through France together researching The Knight and the Squire, we stopped for a meal at a village bar. While waiting for Terry to pay the bill (it was his turn) I did a sketch of the garden across the street.
The garden didn’t appear in our book but, a couple of years later, it seemed the perfect location for the Angel to appear to the young Joan of Arc, as written by Michael Morpurgo. This often happens, fortunately, particularly with ‘the other Michael.’ While travelling and researching one book, ideas suggest themselves for future books.
ost of my illustrations are water-colours. A pencil line first then, building up the colour from the back, the sky, then middle ground, foreground, people, animals, monsters etc. Like constructing a stage
6 Books for Keeps No.216 January 2016
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