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Experts Discuss Significance Of Author-Illustrator Relationship At Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival
(29 April 2018)

Different techniques establishing an efficient relationship between the author and the illustrator of children’s books were analysed during a panel discussion on the tenth day of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival, which runs until April 28 at Expo Centre Sharjah.

Michelle Farooqi started off her talk by explaining the different techniques she uses when illustrating a book. “I read the story then think about what kind it is, whether it’s a comic, fantasy, action, for children or adults, and get a feel of the story itself,” said Farooqi, who started her career as an illustrator, before moving to Canada to become a visual artist and launching a publishing house in Pakistan.

She takes all the information provided by the author in question and writes down a physical description of the main character. “I then create character sketches and share them with the author to see if they have the same mental image of the character, and see if they mesh,” she explained.

As a writer of children’s books in both Arabic and English, Fadwa Al Qasem spoke of the importance of the relationship between the author and the illustrator. “If you want to get out a good book, then the author and the artist should be speaking together, working together, and there should be a collaboration so that the artist understands what story is about,” she said. “The author can look at the illustrations and appreciate the artist and their work, and find a way to put them together in a way that is harmonious and enjoyable for the children.”

She mentioned a variety of techniques that go into that relationship, aside from the illustration itself. “It starts in the book production and making sure the illustration doesn’t repeat what the text already says because it would be redundant,” she explained. “Making sure that the illustrations also match the tone of voice, the feel of the story, what the author intended, is also vital, because the illustrator is coming in afterwards, whereas the author already has a background.”

Abdul Fattah Sabri, a writer and critic who has published 30 books, spoke of the author-illustrator relationship as a creative one. “It’s a good and easygoing relationship,” he said. “The visual scene starts from the text itself.”

He also mentioned the importance of electronic books. “A book is a kind of text, a narration and a visual text by using new electronic devices,” he explained. “This helps drive children’s imagination. That relationship gives an easygoing vision, based on senses, and facilitates imagination – so it’s a complete circle and a partnership between both the author and the illustrator, in which the tale builds the child’s imagination and helps him dive into the text.”

 


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