Start Small, Think Big - Little, Brown Nut: Q&A with illustrator Dawn Cooper
The illustrations in Little, Brown Nut are stunning – where did you get your inspiration from?
Thank you! Having not had the opportunity to visit a rainforest, I was sent lots of very inspiring videos and images to pore over to create the artwork for Little, Brown Nut. I also like to think I got some of my inspiration from the great outdoors, albeit in less tropical climes!
Tell us a little bit about the process you use?
I created the artwork for Little, Brown Nut by drawing directly onto an iPad, and giving my images plenty of texture so that they still have the feel of a hand-drawn image. I also used Photoshop to make the colours sing and overlay handmade textures.
Tell us a little bit about where you work?
I divide my time between a shared studio in central Bristol, where a lot of my illustrator friends work, and a little room in my house. The studio is very sunny and has a little outdoor terrace which has been lovingly filled with unruly nasturtiums, pots of geraniums and various other plants. My home studio is dark and cosy, and home to a number of guitars which belong to my musically gifted partner.
Do you have a favourite image in the book?
This is a really tough choice, but I really enjoyed drawing the Brazil nut tree flowers in the style of a traditional botanical drawing. I never tire of drawing plants, and this pared back spread gives the book a nice change of pace.
Did you learn any interesting facts when you were illustrating the book? Which is your favourite?
I really enjoyed learning about the Brazil nut poison frogs, who use the hollow Brazil nut fruits to nurture their young tadpoles. Once the Brazil nuts have been harvested, the hollow fruits fill with rainwater which provides the perfect environment for growing frogs.
Do you have a favourite tree or forest where you like to walk?
I feel like I should have a favourite tree! My daughter has a favourite tree on our beloved Troopers Hill in Bristol, which I am therefore quite fond of. I also discovered Golitha Falls in Cornwall earlier this year, which is a truly enchanting woodland with beautiful waterfalls. I recommend a visit!
Do you like Brazil nuts?
I do! I now eat them with a much greater respect for their amazing origin story.
Little, Brown Nut is the second book in our new series Start Small, Think Big and is out now. Unfold a world of discovery with these information-packed picture books all about lifecycles. Beginning with the small and familiar and expanding to new areas of knowledge where you really have to think big!
Images © Dawn Cooper