Windows into Illustration: Peter Brown

US author illustration Peter Brown is best known in this country for his young fiction The Wild Robot and picture books Mr Tiger Goes Wild and My Teacher is a Monster. Clever and stylish his books celebrate individuality and self-expression deftly and with immense amounts of humour. Here he explains the inspiration for his new picture book Fred Gets Dressed, and the technique used in its creation.

One day, when I was a little boy, I sneaked into my parents’ bedroom and began rummaging through my mother’s makeup drawer. I loved my mum, and I loved making art, so it makes sense that I was curious about the ‘paint’ she put on her face. But I didn’t know what to do with makeup, and when my mother found me, her makeup was smeared across my cheek.

Her reaction spoke volumes. She just calmly cleaned my cheek, and then showed me how to put on makeup, and we had a fantastic time trying on makeup, together.

That lovely moment was the inspiration for my new picture book, Fred Gets Dressed. At first, I thought I’d simply retell that true story, but as my ideas developed, I decided to change the story in four important ways. 1) I named the boy character Fred, instead of Peter, which helped me let go of my own experience and focus on the needs of the story. 2) In addition to trying on his mother’s makeup, Fred also dresses up in her clothing and jewellery. 3) Since the story is all about Fred getting dressed, it made sense for him to start off completely undressed. 4) I included Fred’s father in a minor but important role.

Fred’s home is a loving, nurturing place, filled with plants, books, rugs, art, and a family dog. I painted the illustrations digitally, and used only four colours: pink, green, black and white. By overlapping those colours and changing their transparency, I was able to get a surprising variety of colour and texture that creates a sense of warmth throughout the book.

The only hint of tension in Fred Gets Dressed comes when Fred’s parents walk into their room to find him dressed up like his mother.

I subtly heightened the tension by using the book gutter to separate the characters. This creates a physical, tangible distance between them, but is there any emotional distance? I didn’t want to tell readers what to think, so I made this a wordless spread, and readers can only wonder what’s going on inside each of the characters. However, the characters don’t give much away because I illustrated them with no expressions or body language. This scene is like a blank canvas upon which readers can project their own feelings. Some readers might see nothing unusual here and feel no tension at all. Other readers might feel slightly uncomfortable at the sight of a boy in a dress. My hope is that by following Fred, step-by-step, on his little journey, all readers will feel a sense of understanding and connection with him. Empathy is the focus of most of my books, these days, and this book is no exception.

I like the idea that readers might linger on this illustration, briefly examining whatever feelings it stirs up. And then, when they’re ready, they can simply turn the page to see what happens next.