Agatha had been an idea of mine for a very long time. She kept popping into my head until I sat down and finally started drawing. From the start I knew she would be all about difference.
Whether we are children or grown ups we all have times when we feel like “we don’t quite fit in” . I felt this way many times as a child, especially in kindergarten and then later. I wanted to use those memories here.
Happily now, more and more in our world, difference is not only celebrated but also cherished.
Agatha is a mixed animal child and lovingly created with three kinds of charcoal, watercolour and a tiny bit of collage. She is a bit quirky, likes to make everyone laugh, is kind and curious and…… in the future we’ll find out more about her. I am very influenced by the people in my life and what happens day to day so Agatha’s made up of many people I love and feelings that have stayed with me.
After several tries at mixing animals and art materials Agatha started to tell me how she wanted to look, this happens quite a lot where my characters start to be quite bossy with me!
When Agatha was finally happy with the way she looked it was time for me to develop a story. This was more difficult because I wanted her to be unique and the story to be a simple narrative.
Rejection ensued, until the wonderful Karen Tayleur, at Five Mile Press, saw the same special something in Agatha that I did, she believed in her and that gave me the inspiration that I needed to start over.
Then there it was, the story that was always meant to be.
Here are sketches of how Agatha developed and materials I used in the book. As an illustrator I love reinventing and developing in my craft. I enjoy showing emotion in new ways, using different techniques and materials.
I love Agatha, I hope you do too. Let’s see what she does next!
Agatha, Anna Pignataro (Five Mile Press, 2015)