Artist intrview: Helen Ward

Helen Ward

This interview was with the talented Helen Ward, she creates illustrations for Children books by using watercolours. Her process of her work is to create rough drafts of what she plans to do in a little sketchbook. With the sketchbook she does portraits, zoom in, landscape and tries it in different styles. When it also comes to her drawing her rough sketches she looks at reference to get the sense of the body shape and to get the idea of movement. She also said to think of story that you would like to write but also think about the audience you are showing it to.

  

When she decided what she plans to do, she then plans it out on A3 piece of watercolour paper. She does the rough draft in a soft pencil, so then she had an outline to follow. She then outlines it with ink and then colours it with watercolour.


As an children book illustrator she has made her own stories which she has illustrated like "The Moonrat and the White turtle". But she has done illustration for book that she does not own, like the Wind and the willows. But also as a writer she has worked with artist illustrating her stories such as The tin forest which was illustrated by Wayne Anderson. She also does book collaborations with artists such as the book of Dragonology. But with working in the Children book industry, sometimes the project does not fall through. Helen Ward told us that she has had a lot of experience in this aspect, she has sometimes had the book cancelled or the project shorted by budget cost/cuts or clients changing the minds.


Overall this was an very insight interview because it showed me what I need to know when designing my characters for my stories and what might happen in the Children book industry.  

Helen Ward illustrated and written by Helen ward