Recently published, Tiger,Tiger and other Short Stories is a collection for children. Penned by Sanjana Sadique, the anthology is accompanied by the handiwork of master illustrator, Sabyasachi Mistry. Mistry is a freelance artist who designs book covers, illustrates stories and also works in advertisement, and his clever artwork is a hit among children and adults alike.
ICE: According to the author, Sanjana Sadique, you were on your own when working on the illustrations without any guidance or directives from her.
SM: That’s correct. Although, most times the author of a book has an interesting image in mind, an illustrator’s job is not just to draw some pictures. Rather, it is to illustrate the message or meaning of the story. Therefore when I read the stories I have an image in my head – children’s books are usually simple enough to understand. Resultantly, it was quite easy to grasp which points need to be included in the drawings. A thing that needs to be taken into consideration is that when an illustrator is working on a particular story, he or she will always try to add their own little stories to the illustrations. For example, the story about the lion and mouse where they become friends in the end gives an illustrator a lot of different ways to approach the concept. To highlight the friendship, the lion and the mouse can be shown walking side by side or the lion can be shown walking around with the mouse on his head – each signifying a different type of friendship. It’s the illustrator’s responsibility to go beyond the written text and conjure a story within a story. This adds dimension and depth. Coming back to Tiger, Tiger – I wouldn’t say that there was a whole lot I could contribute as there wasn’t much scope for detailed work. When I was given the assignment of illustrating Tiger, Tiger, I was also given a limit; each short required one illustration. Then I started focusing on the most important bits to draw out, elements that individually represent the respective stories. For instance, when working on the story about the alligator I focused on the segment where the brother gets rescued. I would say that the illustrations weren’t meant to touch on the stories in their entirety but only the most important bit from each of them.
ICE: What aspects do you take into consideration when designing covers for children’s books?
SM: One important factor to consider when designing the cover is to check and see if the illustration(s) is appealing or not. Even two decades ago, not a lot of thought was put into children’s books’ illustrations. While now, a lot of emphasis is put on the ‘appeal factor.’ This deviation from the norms didn’t just come to happen in a day or because of superior technology either. Now, artists tend to include personal interpretations more. There is an elevated scope for observation and research. This helps in creating more articulate expressions through the drawings which, in turn, brings the characters to life in the eyes of children. For instance, take Tiger, Tiger. With a title like this, I felt that whether or not the author or publisher made a fuss, the children (whom this book was intended for) would definitely be dissatisfied if I hadn’t drawn the tiger on the cover.
ICE: How do you develop your art and where do you draw inspiration from?
SM: I do not pay much heed to techniques or colour balance and other such factors when drawing. I try to focus on the character, its gestures, staging, actions and expressions. I try to bring life to the characters, try to make the illusion of life believable in the drawings. I spend a lot of time with my young cousins and I noticed that the cartoons they watch nowadays are very different from what I used to watch as a child. Thundercats, Defenders of the Earth and Tarzan were the cartoons I watched in my day, and children nowadays grow up watching shows like The Powerpuff Girls and Dexter’s Laboratory. Simply taking into account the character designs, we can see how much has changed. There’s more life in the way The Powerpuff Girls are animated when compared to, for instance, the Thundercats. Also, I base my work on my emotional experiences. Where most people would express emotions by laughing or crying, mine are expressed through my artworks. When I work on children’s books, I read the stories with the mindset of the intended readers, take myself through the same journey a child would and sometimes, end up believing the stories even. When it comes to drawing the
illustrations, I try to execute my work in a way a child would. However, at the end of the day it comes down to research. A lot of research is required in order to find inspiration. As a result, I ended up working on several different mediums and couldn’t stick to just one. Like I mentioned before, I spend a lot of time with my cousins, who’re all young children. I notice many of the things only children will do or say when I’m with them. In a way they are an inspiration too.
ICE: Is there a message you would like to convey to our readers?
SM: Artists, in Bangladesh, face many difficulties. Forms of art are divided into classes – some deemed superior to others. Illustrations and other such forms are not considered to be a respectable art form. This classification of art exists only in Bangladesh. Whereas overseas, all forms of art are considered to be of equal significance. This mind-set needs to change in order for a substantial growth to occur.