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Talk: Cambridge Writers’ on book illustration
““There was a very good turn out on 6th July to hear Amanda Hall talk about her career as a children's book illustrator. She illustrated her talk with slides of her work and everyone was very quickly engaged by the intricacy and attention to detail in her charming pictures. She explained that it is not finished drawings, however, that secure commissions; when presented with a text she must first produce rough layouts of how she would illustrate it. Publishers, editors and authors return her sketches annotated with comments that she incorporates into more detailed drafts which, when approved, provide the template for her final illustrations. She told how, back in 1970s, as an eager young art graduate, she had toted her portfolio around publishers until she found one who would publish "Old Mother Hubbard and Her Dog", a book she had produced at art school, but nowadays most of her work is commissioned, much of it centred around myths and legends. Unfortunately this means she finds herself "typecast" so speculative work that doesn't conform to her image tends to meet with a negative response. Fortunately though, she likes being shut away in her own little world with inks and pencils and a magnifying glass. We were engaged as much by Amanda as by her work and, had it not been for the constraints of our rental of the hall, the meeting might have gone on all night.”
Cambridge Writers Newsletter
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