How long have you been writing and illustrating?
I am nearly as old as the dinosaurs. When I was a child, TVs were only in black and white, there were only two or three children’s programs a day, and nobody had been to the moon. Computers were as big as a classroom and were only used for things like launching people into space. Without endless TV and computer games to entertain me, I had lots of time to write and draw, and I’ve been doing both ever since.
Who are your favourite children’s writers?
Shaun Tan, May Gibbs, Tove Jannson, Edward Lear.
Who are your favourite children’s illustrators?
Shaun Tan, May Gibbs, Tove Jannson, Edward Lear.
What is your typical working day like?
What are you writing at the moment?
A story about a fish who falls in love with a computer programmer.
What are you drawing?
A small boy and a hairy elephant standing in a doorway, watching a goat tap-dancing on a kitchen table. It was supposed to be the floor, but the goat got carried away.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Try writing two lines that have to rhyme, eg using the words ‘door’ and floor’. You’ll be amazed at what your brain comes up with.
Listen to one of your favourite songs and illustrate it. Songs leave much more to the imagination than most stories.
Or just sit and watch the birds flying for half an hour. Then doodle or scribble in your notebook.
Julia Wakefield 