Grace Easton
About Author
Grace Easton was born in London and studied illustration at Central Saint Martins, Brighton University and Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Before becoming an author and illustrator she was a baker, a Christmas elf, and a designer for Penguin Books.
Her work has been recognised internationally by the Society of Illustrators New York, Society of Illustration West and the Young Creative Network. Cannonball Coralie and the Lion is her debut picture book.
Interview
CANNONBALL CORALIE AND THE LION
FRANCES LINCOLN CHILDREN'S BOOKS
MAY 2018
Cannonball Coralie and the Lion is a perfectly pitched story about a girl who likes to be wild and a lion looking for a friend, set in a colourful circus.
When Coralie sees a group of circus folk, she decides to join them as it looks like she might just fit in. The ringmaster, however, has a different way of working, one that involves rules and doing what one is told. Can Coralie and her new friend, Lion, help the circus people to break free?
We asked author and illustrator GRACE EASTON to tell us more about CANNONBALL CORALIE AND THE LION:
Q: What brought you into illustration and do you illustrate for other areas as well as children's books?
A: I studied my art foundation at Central Saint Martins and had some amazing teachers there who gave me the confidence to pursue publishing.
After that, I started working as a designer for Anorak magazine and then for Penguin Books before realising I really wanted to draw pictures full time.
Since then I've been lucky enough to work on a really wide range of projects, from children's books, to editorial illustration and product design.
Q: Your new picture book, Cannonball Coralie and the Lion, touches on themes of difference, freedom and authority, but what was the main impetus for you behind the story?
A: There are so many themes that are central to the book - friendship, courage, love. But on a personal level, I really wanted to tell a story that showed that the most significant thing about achieving amazing things (like flying from a cannon!) is rarely the act of doing them in themselves, but the people we meet along the way and what we learn about ourselves as a result.
Q: You also explore friendship and bravery between Coralie and Lion. Was it hard to develop their relationship - and this theme - in just a few images and with limited text?
A: Absolutely, this aspect evolved the most over the course of the books development. I was incredibly lucky to have an amazing editor, Kate Davies, and art director, Zoe Tucker, who worked really closely with me to achieve those moments where Lion and Coralie's relationship takes centre stage.
Q: Did any child in particular inspire Coralie and how did you develop her character? How did you decide on her 'look'?
A: The idea for Coralie becoming a human cannonball was inspired by a girl called Zazel. In 1877 Zazel became the first recorded human cannonball when she was just 14. I began thinking about what kind of little girl would become a human cannonball and Coralie's personality grew from there, tough and brave, but with a big heart and buckets of pizazz!
I love the classic style of early 20th century European children's books, artists like Hergée, M. Sasek and Ludwig Behelmans. Because Coralie's face is so simple I knew she needed another feature that could carry a lot more emotion, her bright orange bunches of hair became the perfect device to show how Coralie is feeling throughout the story.
Q: Why did you choose to put Coralie into a circus ring?
A: Aesthetically, the circus offers so many amazing opportunities for an illustrator, lots of exciting characters in mad outfits, hand drawn typography, animals, big red tents! There's also something exciting about the people in the circus being outside of mainstream society, it's a really authentic kind of performance that we don't get much of today.
Having said that, there are lots of more problematic things about setting it in the circus, particularly when it comes to animals. This offered a really exciting challenge for Coralie's journey to become a turning point for the other characters, leading her new friends back to the wild where they belong and away from the man in the big hat.
Q: What were the challenges for the illustrations in this story - especially creating a circus feel to it; is there any spread that stands out for you?
A: My biggest challenge was creating the environment inside of the tent. My artwork is typically quite flat so illustrating the moment when Coralie flies from the cannon in a perspective that was both convincing and true to my style of work was really tough to achieve.
Q: Your illustrations have quite a nostalgic feel to them, why did you decide on this style for your picture book?
A: It's partly because I love the work of early 20th century illustrators, but it also came naturally because Cannonball Coralie and the Lion is such a classic kind of story. I think people respond to the illustrations because you can see the human hand behind them. Daily life is so saturated with digital imagery that things with handmade textures and wobbly pencil lines feel like a bit of fresh air.
Q: How did you create your illustrations for this picture book?
A: The book is painted in gouache in separations and then digitally assembled. I love using physical processes and it's important to me to have fun playing with materials before bringing them into the computer.
Q: Did you do a lot of research into picture books before making your own? What are your top three picture book recommendation?
A: I have always loved picture books so it felt like I had been researching for a lifetime before Coralie came along. My favorites are:
1. Dear Diary by Sara Fanelli
2. The Stinky Cheese Man by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith - still the funniest book I have ever read.
3. A Lion in Paris - Beatrice Alemagna
Q: Where do you work and what are you working on now?
A: I work from my home studio in Minneapolis, but try to come back to the UK as often as I can. Right now, I'm busy illustrating some non-fiction books and I'm developing ideas for my next picture book.
Q: What is your favourite escape from your studio?
A: I wish I could say that I was the kind of illustrator who left the studio and headed straight into an art gallery with my sketchbook, but in truth you're much more likely to find me having a bath or on the dance floor after a long day at my desk!
