Levi Pinfold
About Author
Levi Pinfold is the author and illustrator of a number of books for children. The Django (2010) won the Booktrust Best Emerging Illustrator Award and was longlisted for the Kate Greenaway medal. His second book, Black Dog, was also shortlisted for the medal.
He has also illustrated numerous other books with pictures and is currently completing his next picture book for children, Clockwork.
Pinfold likes motorbikes, a lot of music, trees, and some cats. He currently lives in Brisbane, Australia with his girlfriend and Howard the lizard (i), (ii), and (iii). He attempts to grow vegetables in his spare time.
Interview
Black Dog is only Levi Pinfold's second picture book, following Django, yet it has just been announced as the winner of the 2013 Kate Greenaway Medal.
Levi, who is British but lives in Australia, is in the UK for the presentation and answered the following questions for ReadingZone members.
1. First of all congratulations - you seem to be striking a chord with your UK readership, having already won the Best Emerging Illustrator award and been shortlisted previously for Kate Greenaway. How do you feel about winning the Kate Greenaway Medal this year!
A: I'm very happy. For something that I passionately worked upon for a year to be recognized in this way is an unexpected compliment. Listed amongst the previous winners are a lot of names that have been influential to me: Anthony Browne, Alan Lee, the Ahlbergs, the list goes on. I was bowled over by the last two years' winners as well Jim Kay and Graeme Baker-Smith. To sit alongside some of those previous winners is a real thrill, as is being shortlisted alongside some other books I have very much enjoyed this year.
The Greenaway and the shadowing scheme give a good opportunity to celebrate reading and illustration to encourage children and young people to find enjoyment in something that I believe has real significance, certainly in my experience. So, to be involved with a process that promotes the act of reading or understanding is hugely exciting.
Exposure of this level is very rare, and I am hugely grateful for it. I think it can only be a good thing, over here and in Australia. Sharing your work is one of the greatest pleasures of working in this field.
2. How did you become an author/illustrator, was it something you'd always wanted to do or did you come into it by accident?
I have always drawn, I don't think I have put down a pencil since I could pick one up. I love everything about drawing, particularly when it is part of a narrative. When I discovered there was a job for people like me I wanted very much to pursue it.
3. Do you feel any particular attachment to Black Dog - are you pleased it is THIS book that has won?
Any book I have had the pleasure of working on feels like someone I get to know very well in a short period of time: Warts and all, for good or bad, I spent every day with Black Dog for almost a year. When you get to know someone like this it's always sad to leave them, but then you hear rumours and stories of things that they have done without you until your next meeting. I'm tremendously pleased that Black Dog has received so much attention and kind comments, I was not expecting it, and I'm pleased that someone I like so much is getting on with everyone else.
4. Can you tell us a little bit about how Black Dog came about, why you decided to write a book about confronting fear?
I did not consciously set out to write a story about this. From the outset I just wanted to write a spooky story because I liked them as a child.
What turned out to be the crux and eventual moral of the story was an accidental discovery in a library; a list of spectral hounds of the British Isles, all of which were terrifying except for one. Who was just a big dog.
This initial discovery led into the writing of a story about this misunderstood dog. Everybody gets anxious or is faced by something they're scared of at some point, and I'm no different. Plus, it is true that negative thoughts get bigger if you hide from them.
It sounds a bit like self help, but if something is a true thing then it's a good thing to talk about with children as long as there's a good story in there. At least in my view.
5. Was it hard to get the perspectives right when working with such a huge animal?
I'm not sure I did! I worked from what I imagined would look right in my head and exaggerated what I thought would look huge based upon the rules of perspective that I would use for drawing, say, a building. Hopefully it looks convincing to a viewer.
6. Settings and the detail of setting seems to be really important in your books, why is this? Do you work with real settings?
I think it helps to have a world to step into with any narrative. In the past I have been entranced by complex illustrations or conceivable scenes, and have taken longer to consider the narrative as a result. Roberto Innocenti is great to look at for this, as is Mitsumasa Anno.
I prefer to work entirely from the imagination and build every piece of the scene that way. I think your idiosyncrasies come out that way, and often this is what someone else will respond to or find interesting.
7. Can you tell us about the detail you like to include in your images, and why - like the little green octopus for example.
The detail is intended to help anyone step into the narrative - it also gives children who like to read the pictures more than the text something to notice, think about, and possibly ascribe meaning to. Hopefully.
Often someone will pick up on something I hadn't intended to be a feature - and that, to me, is what makes looking at pictures so brilliant: You bring your own thoughts to the table. In terms of the octopus, there is in fact a little story going on there, which I'll leave readers to figure out.
8. What about the page layouts, which are a significant part of telling the story in Black Dog. Are they all your responsibility?
There is a lot of extra atmosphere that I always want to explore with any text, that can't be done in just one picture. In this case I thought that a few extra sepia vignettes might help to give some more character - letting you get to know the people in the story better.
These came pretty late in the process, after all the main paintings were completed, but by then I felt I knew the characters well enough to provide these moments. I produced a lot of drawings quickly - in about 5 days, and selected the best ones. I like the sequence in which Small finds her way through the hedge tunnels - I think that page wouldn't be the same without it.
9. Did you find any particular spreads hard to create, and why?
The double page spreads with a lot of objects were challenging. First of all designing the objects , then figuring out light sources and so on. I think I cheated on a few and added more lighting than would really be there, but hopefully nobody is looking at that.
10. What media do you work in? How does each of your picture books evolve?
I work in tempera, which is quite an old technique in painting. It's great because the paint dries immediately and you can layer up a lot of detail in a relatively short time. The time I spend on each book varies, but it can take a year. I work from home and my hours tend to be dictated by what I'm doing - usually I'm up into the night so it's a good job I love what I do.
11. Can you tell us a bit about your next book, Clockwork?
It's getting there! However, there might be another book out before Clockwork surfaces: It's about a green baby. In the literal sense.
12. Did you have much practice in drawing dogs....?
My dog drawing experience was limited, but once I'd looked at as many dogs as I could and practised drawing them, I started to notice the things they did that gave them a bit of character. I think it's a case of learning the anatomy; once you have done this, you can draw anything to a reasonably convincing standard.
13. If you weren't an author / illustrator, what would you be?
Biscuit quality control officer, or 'cookie-man'
