A Q&A interview with debut author Michelle Beech
A little girl discovers her inner tiger in Michelle Beech’s debut picture book, The Tiger Child, a beautifully illustrated adventure story which benefits from cleverly placed peek-though pages, gatefolds and a surprise pop-up. Michelle answers our questions in this new interview.
Congratulations on The Tiger Child, your debut! Can you tell us where the idea came from – is there a particular image that sparked it for example?
Thank you! The idea began as a short booklet I made about a girl in a tiger costume following a tiger’s tail through the jungle. Although it was only a few pages long, it contained all the key elements of the final book: the characters, the setting, the die-cuts and the pop-up. In the booklet version, the pop-up showed the girl riding on the tiger’s back and roaring. This image, together with her tiger costume, made me curious about her connection with the tiger and sparked the idea for a story about bravery and finding her own roar.
How do you approach creating characters, such as the little girl in this story?
With the girl in the story, I knew I wanted to create a child who was gentle, curious and ready for a jungle adventure. I also wanted her outfit to feel connected to the setting, so I gave her a tiger costume. From there, I began sketching. I initially used photos of myself as a child for reference because I wanted to capture the sense of wonder I felt exploring outdoors. I also thought about her interests, dreams and fears, and how they might influence the way she moves and reacts. By imagining her personality and sketching her many times, I gradually refined her until she felt believable to me.
Were you a shy child? Does the story draw on any of your experiences?
I was very much a shy child. I used to find it nerve-wracking whenever I had to do something new on my own, so I often avoided those situations. Even so, my imagination was full of adventures, which I would write down or act out with toys in the safety of my room. As I grew up, I gradually pushed myself out of my comfort zone because my curiosity and determination became stronger than my fear. The girl’s determination to follow the tiger’s tail through the jungle draws on my own experience of finding the courage to turn some of my imagined adventures into reality.
You use watercolour in your illustrations. What do you like about the medium and how does it affect your illustration style?
I really enjoy painting with watercolour because I love mixing colours, using different brushes, and layering washes. I also like how varied the experience is — flat washes offer control, while other techniques are more unpredictable. Spattering paint or working wet-in-wet can create surprising textures and effects, which makes the outcome more exciting. Vibrant colours, subtle layers and textures help me capture the atmosphere of the story in my illustrations.
The book has peep-through die-cuts and pop-ups. What are the challenges of creating picture books with these extras?
Die-cuts require thoughtful planning both in their design on the page and how they are used to tell the story. To avoid feeling restricted by this, I initially imagined that anything was possible when drawing the illustrations for the die-cuts and pop-up. For example, I decided her tail would move in the pop-up before I knew how to make that happen. The challenge then became figuring out how to engineer and adjust the die-cuts and pop-up to fit the artwork. I found it helpful to make rough dummy books and work through the layouts digitally to get the positioning right. Although it is challenging, it is also very rewarding when things finally fall into place.
Are you working on a new picture book or project?
Currently I’m gathering inspiration, exploring new characters in my sketchbook and writing down ideas for stories. I love setting stories in the natural world, so I’m observing and researching different environments and animals. I really enjoyed the themes in The Tiger Child and creating a story that uplifts and empowers children, and that continues to guide my work. I also had a few project ideas on the back burner while making this book, and now that I’m revisiting them it’s interesting to see how they’ve evolved with time. I find myself thinking more about format too after working with the novelty elements of die-cuts and pop-ups in The Tiger Child.
The Tiger Child by Michelle Beech is published by Post Wave, 978-1836270980, £12.99 hbk.
