Yesterday, I reviewed Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak,
the fourth board book in Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd's collaborative series, First West Coast Books.
Illustrated by Roy Henry Vickers
Text by Robert Budd
Harbour Publishing
978-1-55017-904-0
20 pp.
Ages 2-6
June 2020
Today I am pleased to share this Q & A
with artist Roy Henry Vickers
and writer Robert "Lucky" Budd.
HK: I have been so impressed with the richness of the art and text in your First West Coast books that I’m intrigued how the collaboration between artist and writer arose. Please tell us how your collaboration began.
Robert “Lucky” Budd: The answer to this question is literally pages long! Here is the short short answer: Roy and I have been working together since we first met in 2011. He and I connected the first moment we spoke! I had a vision in early 2012 while working on his still-unfinished biography while I was at a storytelling event at his gallery. I saw the four books that would be our Northwest Coast Legends series, Raven Brings The Light being the first. We have a great synergy and the art he was able to create with the questions I asked was… amazing!
We brainstorm, work together and, as soon as he can see it, it comes to life!
Roy Henry Vickers: I was looking for Imbert Orchards audio files at the Royal BC Museum and was finally led to Robert “Lucky” Budd at Memories To Memoirs. Lucky came to my storytelling sessions and recorded each story I told at the Roy Henry Vickers Gallery. Lucky transcribed each and we co-wrote each story and I put the images together as they came through storytelling sessions.
HK: Knowing the plethora of West Coast animals and attributes that could have been selected for this concept book, how did you choose which you would focus upon?
Robert “Lucky” Budd: In the case of Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak, we brainstormed a whole bunch of animals and the sounds the make. I really wanted to focus on onomatopoeias in order to make the sounds really come to life for kids! Once we brainstormed sounds and animals, like a puzzle, I set to work on grouping them around a rhyme scheme. ☺
Roy Henry Vickers: The board books were an extension of the first books. The animals and birds are part of Beautiful B.C. and also part of the legends that have been told for thousands of years.
HK: Are there plans for additional books in the First West Coast books series?
Robert “Lucky” Budd: Four seems like a good number, but if inspiration hits, we can do more. I like the idea of a book about animal groupings, like a gaggle of geese or a parliament of owls. However, we are already super inspired by other books projects we want to do together…
Roy Henry Vickers: I have one book that my children want to see published. Ben the Sea Lion. Lucky and I have another book planned.. I like to follow the flow and run with it.
HK: Is the artwork used in Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak original for the books or is some of it previously created art for display and/or sale?
Roy Henry Vickers: Some of the art work was inspired by previous works and some was original works for Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak and is found nowhere else.
HK: What medium did you use to create the art in Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak and did you make any amendments to the way you would normally create because the art would be in a small format board book?
Roy Henry Vickers: I work in an old vector drawing program to create the works. I will soon be switching to Adobe Illustrator.
HK: I know that some illustrators are not always happy with the colour reproduction of their artwork once it goes to print. Did you have any concerns about translating your art into book format?
Roy Henry Vickers: I had no concerns about colour as I got to preview the colours. I am partially colour blind to all colours, but it seems to work.
HK: As with all the First West Coast books, the text is very simple yet powerful. Here it is evocative of sounds of water and land, animals and activity. Coupled with the artwork, Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak is a very sensory experience. How much editing did you have to do to find the perfect words that you did for all the sounds within?
Robert “Lucky” Budd: Oh my goodness! As with all of these books, it starts with finding the melody. Once I have that, I play with it and play with it, draft after draft, until it is just exactly perfect! I remember, in the case of Hello Humpback, I did 11 drafts!
HK: Now that the book has been published, are there some sounds that you would have liked to include but didn’t make it in?
Robert “Lucky” Budd: Good question! I tried to fit in all the sounds that I couldn’t fit into the text into the very last page! I am so very happy with all the sounds, animals and natural sounds we were able to bring together into this experience. I hope children resonate with it as much as I do!
Robert “Lucky” Budd: The answer to this question is literally pages long! Here is the short short answer: Roy and I have been working together since we first met in 2011. He and I connected the first moment we spoke! I had a vision in early 2012 while working on his still-unfinished biography while I was at a storytelling event at his gallery. I saw the four books that would be our Northwest Coast Legends series, Raven Brings The Light being the first. We have a great synergy and the art he was able to create with the questions I asked was… amazing!
We brainstorm, work together and, as soon as he can see it, it comes to life!
Roy Henry Vickers: I was looking for Imbert Orchards audio files at the Royal BC Museum and was finally led to Robert “Lucky” Budd at Memories To Memoirs. Lucky came to my storytelling sessions and recorded each story I told at the Roy Henry Vickers Gallery. Lucky transcribed each and we co-wrote each story and I put the images together as they came through storytelling sessions.
HK: Knowing the plethora of West Coast animals and attributes that could have been selected for this concept book, how did you choose which you would focus upon?
Robert “Lucky” Budd: In the case of Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak, we brainstormed a whole bunch of animals and the sounds the make. I really wanted to focus on onomatopoeias in order to make the sounds really come to life for kids! Once we brainstormed sounds and animals, like a puzzle, I set to work on grouping them around a rhyme scheme. ☺
Roy Henry Vickers: The board books were an extension of the first books. The animals and birds are part of Beautiful B.C. and also part of the legends that have been told for thousands of years.
HK: Are there plans for additional books in the First West Coast books series?
Robert “Lucky” Budd: Four seems like a good number, but if inspiration hits, we can do more. I like the idea of a book about animal groupings, like a gaggle of geese or a parliament of owls. However, we are already super inspired by other books projects we want to do together…
Roy Henry Vickers: I have one book that my children want to see published. Ben the Sea Lion. Lucky and I have another book planned.. I like to follow the flow and run with it.
HK: Is the artwork used in Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak original for the books or is some of it previously created art for display and/or sale?
Roy Henry Vickers: Some of the art work was inspired by previous works and some was original works for Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak and is found nowhere else.
HK: What medium did you use to create the art in Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak and did you make any amendments to the way you would normally create because the art would be in a small format board book?
Roy Henry Vickers: I work in an old vector drawing program to create the works. I will soon be switching to Adobe Illustrator.
HK: I know that some illustrators are not always happy with the colour reproduction of their artwork once it goes to print. Did you have any concerns about translating your art into book format?
Roy Henry Vickers: I had no concerns about colour as I got to preview the colours. I am partially colour blind to all colours, but it seems to work.
HK: As with all the First West Coast books, the text is very simple yet powerful. Here it is evocative of sounds of water and land, animals and activity. Coupled with the artwork, Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak is a very sensory experience. How much editing did you have to do to find the perfect words that you did for all the sounds within?
Robert “Lucky” Budd: Oh my goodness! As with all of these books, it starts with finding the melody. Once I have that, I play with it and play with it, draft after draft, until it is just exactly perfect! I remember, in the case of Hello Humpback, I did 11 drafts!
HK: Now that the book has been published, are there some sounds that you would have liked to include but didn’t make it in?
Robert “Lucky” Budd: Good question! I tried to fit in all the sounds that I couldn’t fit into the text into the very last page! I am so very happy with all the sounds, animals and natural sounds we were able to bring together into this experience. I hope children resonate with it as much as I do!
•••••••••••••••••••••
Many thanks
to
Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd
for answering my questions,
revealing a little more about their collaborative process
and
the creation of their master works of First West Coast board books
Thanks also to
Ariel Hudnall
Communications Manager at ZG Stories,
for arranging this interview
and review copies of Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd's
First West Coast Books
Many thanks
to
Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd
for answering my questions,
revealing a little more about their collaborative process
and
the creation of their master works of First West Coast board books
Thanks also to
Ariel Hudnall
Communications Manager at ZG Stories,
for arranging this interview
and review copies of Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd's
First West Coast Books
Hello, Humpback (2017)
One Eagle Soaring (2018)
Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak (2020)
I love these delightful books. I am a huge Roy Henry Vickers fan and the cover of Raven Squawk, Orca Squeak, is my favorite print hanging in my home in Spain! A great interview. Thanks!
ReplyDelete