The HuglessDouglas app is expertly narrated by mop headed comedy legend and star of
QI Alan Davies - If you could choose three celebrity voices for the sheep who
would you choose?
Sorry if I cheated there but this has been the hardest
question.
This isn't the first time your work has been "animated" (David's
book Jack Frost was made into a full length animated feature)
So after many pain staking, hand crippling hours slaving away paintbrush in
hand how did it differ seeing your artwork transformed into an app as
apposed to a printed book?
To be honest there wasn’t much adjustment to be
made - in my mind or in the artwork. I
say that because with Jack Frost the characters obviously had to be interpreted
by animators, redrawn and translated onto a screen.
More than once I was reminded
of a comment made by a friend who had a similar experience. “It’s a different
format, different medium – you have to let
go!” But, as I say, with the Hugless Douglas App, there was no such
adjustment. The original illustrations were used, just manipulated into very
simple animation.
I call it the Captain
Pugwash style of animating. And they have done a fine job!
Sometimes it's hard to tweak perfection (just ask Justin Biebers hair) but
if you could change one thing about the App what would you change?
I’m really not sure, I honestly think they did a
fantastic job. But looking at the artwork…well, there’s a bit of dodgy drawing
in there which, given a bit of time (unlikely), I’d have a go at re-doing!
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| Buy the app here... |
The Hugless Douglas brand has confidently conquered a myriad of
formats and the app has proved a huge bearsized success - Which other books in your extensive back catalogue would
you like to see made into an app?
I think The Kiss
That Missed could lend itself to the app format very well. And I also have
a soft spot for The Scallywags. Oh,
then there’s the Goblins series.
Heck, why not do them all?
Your intricate and masterful use of brush and pen are admired far and wide
and I have on a few occasions been lucky enough to see some of the artwork up
close and personal - Do you feel your illustrations have a different
feel when viewed on a screen?
Definitely. And to be honest it doesn’t look so great
on screen…in my view! I think, alongside digital a/w, which is smooth, bright
and slick, my a/w lacks a little something. Don’t get me wrong – it’s still
awesome!
But seriously, in print form the hand painted nature
of my illustrations can sit comfortably alongside a wide variety of work that’s
out there. (I’d like to think so anyway!). You see, I don’t use the computer at
all, no screen, no tablet, no photoshop. But I do feel on screen the a/w is a
little weaker. Maybe it’s the lighter line. And of course the colours will
always be a little off. With digital illustration what you want is what you
get. So I’m not sure, but something is lost, or lacking…somewhere. I just can’t
put my finger on it.
Having said that, I’ve just completed some a/w for Discover Children’s Story Centre for an
online project later this year. I think 12 stories have been commissioned and
illustrated and will be interactive. I know at least two other illustrators
also don’t touch a computer. But probably, for the most part, there will be
plenty digital a/w on show, so it’ll will be very interesting to see the
different styles look and compare collectively.
It would be less interesting for me. I love books and
everything about them. Following on from the previous question, I would have to
think about adapting my artwork for the screen.
I can’t help but feel this
would be the beginning of a slippery slope for me, away from hand painted
illustration. On the other hand - he said
recognising this Q&A was all about how fab and exciting apps are – it’s
always good to challenge yourself, move forward and respond to what is being
done. I guess my knee-jerk reaction is to cling onto my ‘traditional ways.’ But
of course, it’s not like that, not as extreme as that, and any adapting I would have to do would
require, on my part, a shift in approach and technique. Not a bad thing to do
from time to time, creatively speaking. Ultimately, however, it’s still about
telling stories and that does
interest me.
So really, it might not be so bad after all! I guess I have a
built in resistance to illustrating with a tablet. As I say, not necessarily a
good thing…I do recognise that. And finally, at the risk of rambling on, I also
recognise there are things you can do digitally that are just not possible with
pencils and paint etc…and that is also potentially interesting.
I have recently trained the monkey butler to make a mean gin and tonic
(Pimms is SO last year)- If you could invent a gadget to assist you in your
every day life what would it be?
A shoulder masseuse. Something that could have come
out of Wallace & Gromit’s workshop…all leavers, pulleys and two giant white
handed gloves. It could go about it’s massaging without interrupting me while I
work. Oh, and I’ll have two; one for home and one for work.
As an old fashioned fan of the good old hard back picture book I have in
the past been accused of being a Luddite - Do you think more authors /
illustrators should be open to and embrace the world of Apps and downloads?
Um, bearing in mind my answer for Q6…absolutely, yes!
I’ll be honest, it’s not something that hugely excites me now but it is
something that will probably change…and probably should! I’d hate to see the app replacing the physical book, and in
particular the picture book, although I don’t see that happening (with the
latter), anytime soon. Then again, who knows what’s right around the corner?
Everything is moving sooo fast.
But, in truth, there are many new and exciting things
happening in publishing and that is to be celebrated. We (authors and
illustrators), can’t ignore that, or we do so at our own peril! There are so
many possibilities and it would be wrong to turn our back and stick to what we know. I genuinely believe that.
Move and adapt. I suppose what I’m saying is they work well side by side,
traditional and digital publishing. I just hope there will always be a mix of
the two and that digital publishing doesn’t make traditional publishing
obsolete.
You've recently taken Twitter by the scruff of the neck and wrestled it
into submission (Follow David @DavidMelling1) - Apart from
tittersome @maybeswabey Who do you think we should follow and why?
Author/illustrators:
Chris Priestley : @crispriestely , Sarah McIntyre :
@jabberworks , Ian Beck: @ianarchiebeck , @joecraig , @PhilipArdargh
Celebs: @TheRealJackDee , @SarahMilligan ,
@rickygervais @RobBrydon
And a couple of funny, entertaining off the wall tweeters:
@GarethAveyard
and @BertramFiddle
*Disclaimer: Apologies to all those wonderful people I follow on twitter
but there just isn’t enough space to list you here and I wouldn’t want you
thinking…
Say Hi to Andy Sharp at Hodder Children's Books for us next time you see him - we always found him to be a very inspirational chap!
NB you can send your very own special Hugless Douglas hug here.. very clever and sweet!!
BUY THE APP - HERE
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