MEET THE ILLUSTRATOR
Cindy Lane is an award-winning artist and illustrator who loves the ocean. She was born and grew up by the sea in Sydney, lived by the Great Barrier Reef in FNQ, and now has her studio by the Indian Ocean in Perth. Cindy loves to make her own paints with materials she finds in nature, and collects waters from all over the world to use in her paintings. Seawaters from across Australia were used in Great White Shark, her first picture book, written by Claire Saxby.
From the publisher:
In Great White Shark we follow a female shark on her way to warmer waters to give her pups the best chance of survival. Set in a stunning underwater world, Claire Saxby’s signature poetic prose and Cindy Lane’s sublime illustrations showcase the grace, majesty and power of one of the ocean’s top predators.
Can you tell us a bit about how you created the illustrations for Great White Shark?
It all starts with a sketch – pencil on paper. I like the scratchy feel of graphite on a surface, with sound and feel for feedback as you create. I do also draw digitally, but it can be quite a clinical process, not what I want at this stage. It can be all too easy to erase the less-than-perfect lines when drawing on a tablet – a double tap of your fingers and it’s gone! I like seeing the messy, roundabout road maps of initial sketches, the sparks of ideas, and where they led.
From pencils sketches to a pencil thumbnail sheet! Once this was approved by the art director I went on to do some sample colour illustrations from the text, just to determine a style that the publisher, author and I were all happy with. This was a combination of pastel on sanded paper and watercolours on cotton paper, both with digital sketching over the top.
Once these were approved, I was let loose on the double page spreads, cover, title, index pages and the endpapers. There was still lots of research to be done, and luckily the PLANET SHARK exhibition was visiting Fremantle. I got to see so many sharks, including multiple Great White models up close, the preserved body of the massive Megamouth shark, plus the HUGE Megalodon jaws!
Using sea waters from my collection, I started watercolour painting the backgrounds and creatures that feature in the book. They were then photographed or scanned individually, then collaged together digitally to create the scenes.
Did you discuss the story/illustrations with the author (Claire Saxby) while illustrating the book?
No, I had no direct contact with the author during the illustration process. Claire Saxby’s feedback was always via the editor and art director.
How long did it take you (from signing the contract to going to print) to illustrate Great White Shark?
14 months.
Were you already interested in sharks before you were asked to illustrate the book?
Definitely! I’ve always had a love for the ocean and all of its inhabitants. Even those that get bad press. Especially those ones!
Great White Shark is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookstore or local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS:
See Claire Saxby & Cindy Lane talking about Great White sharks. [YouTube]
Watch Cindy Lane painting pages from the book here and here. [Instagram videos]
Download the Teachers’ Notes from the publisher’s website.
Learn more about Cindy Lane’s art & illustrations on her Instagram account.
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