Review Fix chats with author and artist Matt Robertson about his amazing series of children’s books and more. Detailing his origin in art and creative process, Robertson let’s us know what makes him unique.
For more information on his work, click here and follow him on Twitter.
Review Fix: How did your journey in writing and art begin?
Matt Robertson: From as early as I can remember I’ve always had the desire to create new characters. One of my earliest memories is painting pictures with my older brother on the dining room table with my parents encouraging my every scribble and brush stroke. I took inspiration from Disney movies and children’s books such as Spot the dog, Fungus the Bogeyman and the books of Janet and Alan Ahlberg. I would trace over certain images just to see how images were created which really helped my own creations later on. At school the encouragement to create images continued and teachers from all areas of schooling would ask for a drawing even if it wasn’t really anything to do with the lesson at hand. However it was my art teacher at High School that really gave me the drive and confidence to pursue my journey into art and for that I owe him a lot.
Following in the footsteps of my father and older brother I decided to continue my study of art and design at Art College. It was there where my interest in illustration took off but it wasn’t until I was halfway through my Illustration degree at the Cambridge Schoo of Art that my love of children’s books really grew. The idea of telling a story within an image really interested me and from there I began to write my own stories. I have always been an artist/illustrator first and the writing side always came second. A few years after graduating I decided to return to Cambridge to obtain my Masters in Children’s Book Illustration. From there my illustration career fully took off and from there I haven’t looked back! I’ve been really lucky to have been involved in so many interesting projects over the last few years and I’m grateful to all the opportunities that my work has given me. It’s enabled me to travel to lots of different place including, Ireland, Scotland and even the United Arab Emirates.
Review Fix: Who inspires you?
Robertson: I find inspiration everywhere. From people that walk past our house in leafy Norwich, to people and animals we meet whilst walking on the sandy Norfolk beaches. Ideas for books and characters usually leap out from somewhere when you least expect it so it’s always important to keep an open mind and embrace experiences where possible. I also get a lot of inspiration from my children’s book creating peers and apps such as Instagram are excellent for inspiring me for when I feel a bit glum and out of ideas.
Review Fix: What makes you different?
Robertson: I like to think that the thing that separates my work from others is having the ability to show humour within both human and animal characters. I love telling stories which aren’t necessarily obvious from the start. I enjoy creating twists on an idea so the reader sees the world in a slightly different way. For example, in ‘Super Stan’, yes the book is about an amazing baby with super powers but the real hero in the story is the older brother who’s super power is just being a caring older sibling. Thinking outside the box has been a life long lesson for me and one I try to teach my young readers.
Review Fix: Which one are you the most proud of?
Robertson: The book I’m most proud of is Dinosaurs vs. Humans. This book was a real struggle for me as it was the first book I created completely independently. Although ‘Super Stan’ was the first picture book that I had published the majority of the book was concocted during my MA course and so had quite a lot of input from my friends and tutors. Dinosaurs vs Humans went through so many different forms as the publisher was really trying to push it’s potential. The decision to write in rhyme was new to me but I really enjoyed this method of writing and I hope to create another rhyming picture book in the future. The book’s message of community and friendship is important to me especially in the current political world we live in and so I hope children really embrace it’s message.
Review Fix: What are your goals?
Robertson: To keep producing children’s books for children to enjoy all over the world. I would love for one of my stories to be turned into an animation or movie one day but I think that’s a long way off…currently!
Review Fix: Has COVID impacted your work in any way?
Robertson: Yes. During Covid-19 I had two books published which hasn’t been great. Normally I would have a book launch within a children’s book shop and run art workshops to boost book sales and to see at first hand the joy my books bring to a child. Unfortunately due to lockdown I wasn’t able to do this. However I did take it upon myself to have a ‘at home’ launch of my ‘Do You Love Bugs’ book and decorated my window with illustrations from the book (see photo) which gained the attention from local press. Over the summer I would have also have been to schools and festivals to promote these new titles but of course all these events were cancelled. Having said all this, compared to other people I have been very lucky as during lockdown I was able to work solidly on two books which kept me sane during a very strange period of history!
Review Fix: What’s next?
Robertson: I have two books coming out next year. ‘Boo, Little Beastie’, a Halloween themed picture book and the follow up to ‘Do you Love Bugs’ called ‘Do You Love…DINOSAURS!’. I’m also in the process of creating a collaborative picture book with a good friend of mine and have just signed a new contract for a further two non-fiction picture books written by an established comedian.
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