Jane Porter: 'There’s no need to rush – take time to hone your skill'
BY Katie Smart
15th Jun 2021
Jane Porter is an award-winning picture book author and illustrator. Her books include titles such as The Boy Who Loved Everyone (written by Jane Porter, illustrated by Maisie Paradise Shearring), So You Want To Be An Owl (written by Jane Porter, illustrated by Maddie Frost), Pink Lion, King Otter, and most recently Tiny Penguins and the New Baby. Jane also giveseditorial feedback to the students on our online children’s picture book courses.
We talk to Jane about how she became an author and illustrator and how she creates engaging characters and stories for young children.
How did you become an author and illustrator of children’s picture books?
It’s a second career for me – like many authors and illustrators – so I have come the long way round. I used to work as an editor and writer on magazines about horticulture, garden design and landscape architecture, having done a degree in Geography. I had always loved drawing, and in my late 30s I signed up for a part-time Foundation in Art and Design, which led me to a part-time MA in Illustration and Animation at Kingston University. Even after that it still took me quite a while to find my voice and build the confidence to send my work out to publishers. The turning point was when a local art gallery invited me to show my work – and to my amazement lots of people wanted to buy it! That was what finally gave me the push to mail out a mini-portfolio, which led to some interest from publishers, and an agent.
My first book as an illustrator was Duck Sock Hop with words by Jane Kohuth, published by Dial Books in the US in 2012. Since then, I’ve illustrated three books written by Paul Stewart, all in collage (the third, A Little Bit Of Hush, is due out next year), as well as three that I’ve written and illustrated myself: Pink Lion(Walker Books), King Otter, and Tiny Penguins and the New Baby(both Simon & Schuster). It was only when my editor at Walker suggested I could think about writing for other people that I realised this could open up new possibilities – and it has been really lovely to collaborate with illustrators like Maisie Paradise Shearring, Maddie Frost and Carolina Rabei on both stories and non-fiction picture books.
Your picture books often feature brilliantly memorable animal characters (such as a pink lion, an otter that declares himself king, tiny penguins, etc.). Where do you find the inspiration for your characters?
I like to keep my eyes and ears open wherever I go, and put snippets or phrases in my ‘Ideas Box’ (yes, it’s an actual box, inspired by Allan Ahlberg). Once a week I visit a local nursery for an hour, and make pictures and read stories with the children – and this has given me SO many ideas over the years. The Boy Who Loved Everyone was inspired by a real boy there, and Pink Lion also came from a remark made by a child at the nursery. It’s also very, very valuable to observe how the. children think and interact, and what’s important to them – to try and see the world through their eyes. I am really happy that after 15 months of not being able to go there because of Covid, I am now back to visiting once a week.
I also try to put a bit of myself into my stories, which I think gives them a truthful emotional core. King Otter was inspired by my birthday cowboy boots, which made me feel like a different person the first time I put them on!
For your latest picture book Tiny Penguins and the New Baby you are both the author and illustrator. What was the creative process like? What came first – the pictures or the words?
I like to nudge both along together – so I might start with a few sketches of penguins doing different things around the house, then I would start scribbling ideas out on a grid at a fairly early stage. I usually make dozens of tiny dummy books.
What’s your favourite medium to work with when creating images for picture books?
I love experimenting and keep changing media – collage is always a favourite, and I particularly enjoy preparing all the papers for this with paint or monoprint. I also love a dipping pen – Pink Lion is drawn this way, with ink overlaying a base of household emulsion. Tiny Penguins... is gouache and coloured pencil, and I’d like to do more books this way. But I have also very belatedly recently invested in an iPad and I’m enjoying exploring Procreate, so who knows what the future holds…
You’ve been doing an excellent job of providing feedback for writers and illustrators on our three online writing and illustrating children’s picture book courses. What’s the most rewarding part of teaching others about picture books?
I love teaching – it’s definitely very rewarding seeing students develop the tiny seed of an idea into something with real potential, and to be able to help them to be bold and see when restructuring might really help with the pacing of a story. I also love seeing how supportive the students always are of each other.
What picture books would you recommend to aspiring picture book creators?
I think the most important thing is to keep looking at picture books all the time – go to the library and borrow a bagful every week, and sit down with a cup of tea to really think about how they are structured and what makes them work. Wonderful new books are being published every single week, so check bookshops too. I have a YouTube series where I interview picture book creators about their process – I started it with my students in mind! I hope people will feel inspired by watching.
What top tips would you like to share with would-be picture book creators who already write and/or draw but don’t know how to get going with becoming a children’s writer and/or illustrator?
There’s no need to rush – take time to hone your skills. Read your work out loud, develop a critical eye, and remember that most picture books take a LOT of work, many revisions and drafts along the way. But above all, don’t give up!