Michael Foreman is someone rather special.
He’s often described as a “national institution”, with a 50 year back catalogue of tremendous books for children and young people. I, however, think this is perhaps a little too staid a description for someone who has such sparkle in his eyes and who gently radiates a real sense of joie de vivre, hopefulness, and energy when you hear him speak about his work. Foreman may have turned 77 earlier this year, but his illustration and storytelling continues to innovate and be full of forward looking optimism, alongside the beauty and wonder which was there from the beginning.
Twice a winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, once in 1982 for the anthology “Long Neck and Thunder Foot -Sleeping Beauty and other favourite fairy tales” and then again in 1989 for War Boy: A Country Childhood, my own introduction to Foreman’s books as a child was through the eyes of a dinosaur and a panda: The copies from my 1970s childhood of Dinosaurs and all that Rubbish and “Panda’s Puzzle” are still much loved, not least by my own children.
I’m not a great one for the cult of celebrity, but I’m humbled and excited beyond measure to bring you today an interview with Michael Foreman, an author and illustrator whose stories have become embedded in my life, bringing it richness and – in both a literal and metaphorical sense – lasting colour.
Playing by the book: War Game, War Boy and After the War was Over are gifts to the interviewer. Your childhood home, life and extended family play an enormously important role in your work it seems to me. There’s a real grounding in a location and time that echoes through your work. And yet, alongside this inward reflection, there’s a big, wide-open view onto the wider world – a curiosity about our planet, a passion for travel, a keen interest in sharing this wider world with us your readers, a passion just as strong as for seasides, Suffolk and your family. How has this ability to look generously in both directions come about do you think? I’ve wondered if it has something to do with the way the world came to you during the war, with soldiers and POWs from all over passing through your home village.
Michael Foreman: Absolutely, yes. Family has been enormously important to me. The connections between generations – a sense of Time and Place. The questions my children have asked over the years – heightened now that we have new grandchildren – another rich source of stories.
Playing by the book: A wonderful animation was made of War Game and I understand there were plans for animated versions of War Boy and After the War too. What happened to these plans?
Michael Foreman: Nothing as yet, unfortunately. They are still awaiting funding.
Playing by the book: I do hope they get funded – I think they have such great potential. Having worked on animated films yourself in Denmark, what was the experience like for you to see one of your books re-imagined in another medium? (This stands for both War Game and The General, although I haven’t been able to track down a copy of the latter’s animation).
Michael Foreman: I was, of course, delighted that someone thought enough of the books to devote time and expertise to give my stories another life.
Playing by the book: These three books are all in one way or another about or inspired by your own family. Have you done any genealogical research further back in time, before your uncles’ generation?
Michael Foreman: One of my nephews has done quite a bit of research but it really just unearths earlier generations of fisher-folk.
Playing by the book: How would you feel if the makers of ‘Who do you think you are?’ approached you? Would you consider writing an up-to-date autobiography, including some of the more curious aspects of your career as a writer and illustrator? I’m sure there are some interesting stories to tell and scenes to paint from having worked at Playboy, with JG Ballard at Ambit magazine, for the police drawing female suspects when Identikit only catered for men and even working in the education/outreach department of Chelsea football club!
Michael Foreman: In October, Pavilion Books are publishing a retrospective view of many of the books I have done for them. War Boy, War Game, etc plus collaborations with Terry Jones and Michael Morpurgo, Edna O’Brien, Madhur Jaffrey, etc and classics like ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and ‘The Wind in the Willows,’ and two collections of Fairy Tales. The book, ‘A Life in Pictures’ also touches on some of my travels and working for magazines around the world.
Playing by the book: In the forthcoming exhibition at Seven Stories I understand there will be some sort of re-creation of your studio. Can you share a little bit about your favourite materials to work with – what sort of paper you like (what paper is good for different projects), what pencils and watercolours are your favourite for studio work, or for sketching on location? What is your top tip for anyone (but particularly children) who want to try out watercolour painting?
Michael Foreman: I am reluctant to give tips to anyone – I feel it is important to be able to draw well – but, I’m not sure it’s taught in Art Schools these days.
Liquorice Comforts – suck them and then use them as face paints! (It really works – I tried it out as research for this interview!)
Playing by the book: Over time it seems to me you’ve used some unusual art materials – here those liquorice comforts pop up again, and I’d be more than game for seeing if they still make great face paint, or can even be used on paper. Then there’s the biscuit tin paper linings you used as a child for drawing on, and I’ve also read you’ve used coffee grounds to create certain effects in your paintings. What other unusual art materials have you enjoyed / do you enjoy using?
Michael Foreman: I often use water colours because it allows the whiteness of the paper to shine through and illuminate the colours. Build up the colour from the back, layer upon layer. Sometimes the colours flow into one another, surprising you, sometimes disastrously, sometimes wonderfully. Go with the flow. You can always revert to a bit of acrylic to paint out mistakes which don’t work.
A spread from Michael Foreman’s Two Giants, published by Walker Books
In some of my early books, I used some collage – ‘The Two Giants’ and ‘War and Peas’ and, in ‘Mia’s Story’ I used scrap paper picked up from a rubbish dump in Santiago in Chile.
Two illustrations by Michael Foreman from Alan Garner’s The Stone Book
Alan Garner’s ‘Stone Book’ quartet, I illustrated with etchings.
An illustration for ‘The Day the Sun Hid’, in the anthology “Michael Foreman’s World of Fairy Tales”, published by Red Fox.
Playing by the book: Although blue is something of a signature colour for you, I think the choice of “Under the Rainbow” as a title for your new exhibition is wonderfully apt, for your use of the whole spectrum of colours is something very special (a personal favourite is the image from The Day the Sun Hid, where tremendous blues and greys are offset by rainbow coloured weaving in the traditional clothing of the people of Sikkim). With this in mind, I wanted to ask you something about your many illustrations which are reproduced in greyscale, often illustrating longer novels (sometimes by Michael Morpurgo). Are these created in greys, or simply reproduced this way? When you know an illustration is going to be reproduced using greyscale, do you approach it in a different way to when it will be printed full colour? For example, do you make more use of pencil lines?
Michael Foreman: When working in black and white, the line becomes more important. Sometimes, I use only line, building up the form by the traditional method of cross-hatching. Usually, I use pen and black water colour wash. Sometimes a book illustrated in full colour is reprinted later in paperback in grey scale. This can be with disappointing results as the paper used is often inferior to that used for colour printing and some of the strength of contrast can be lost. When setting out to illustrate in grey scale, you can make sure the contrast is strong enough to compensate for any loss in the printing.
Excerpt from 100 Great Children’s Picture Books by Martin Salisbury, published by Laurence King
Playing by the book: In the recently published 100 Great Children’s Picture Books, Martin Salisbury chose your book “The General”, describing it as one of your “finest achievements”. Whilst a first book will always have a special place in any illustrator’s heart, is it the one book of your own you would pick above all others? (I know asking anyone to choose their favourite book is somewhat unfair; here I am curious to see, from an illustration point of view which book(s) you are especially proud of, particularly challenged you, changed you in some way).
Michael Foreman: I didn’t know Martin Salisbury had described my first book, ‘The General’ as one of my ‘finest achievements.’ Flattering, but does this mean he thinks I haven’t got any better in 50 years?
I wouldn’t want to pick a ‘best book,’ but a favourite would be ‘War Boy’ because it is about my mum and people I love. I am pleased that ‘Dinosaurs and all that Rubbish’ has lasted so long, and ‘A Child’s Garden’ and Michael Morpurgo’s ‘The Mozart Question’ are among my favourites, and were very moving to do.
Playing by the book: And finally… Having watched lots of videos of you, seen you talk about your work, and reading between the lines in your books, you come across as an optimistic person, a glass-half full type (perhaps because of your early brush with death in the form of a near miss with an incendiary bomb?). In all the films I’ve seen, you’ve a sparkle in your eye and a glint of something quite playful (how you talk about crawling between old ladies’ legs in your Mother’s shop, or the delight and shock in Miss West’s periwinkle long drawers). In a day and age where there is much to depress us, especially when we consider conflict and the environment, and our lack of empathy for others – all themes in your forthcoming Seven Stories exhibition – how do you keep the sparkle? How can we help ourselves and our children keep believing in better, keep ourselves hopeful? What would you write on the Tree of Hope which I understand is going to be a central feature to which all exhibition visitors will be invited to contribute?
Michael Foreman: Yes, surviving the bomb at the age of three did give me a perspective on life. I try to appreciate every moment.
The world is full of ideas and people are full of stories and some stories demand to be told, need to be shared. I have been so fortunate to be given the opportunity to share some of my hopes and dreams with children. We must give our children endless hope and love so that they can be at peace with each other and that they can make their world a happy place.
With regard to my message on the Tree of Hope, my wish would be that the seeds from this tree of hope spread far and wide.
I’m extremely grateful to Michael for taking the time to answer my questions. The interview was carried out in celebration of ‘Under the Rainbow’ – a new exhibition opening at Seven Stories, the UK’s National Centre for Children’s Books on the 19th of July.
Through the exhibition Michael’s books are used to ask readers to consider the consequences of conflict, the fragility of our environment and the importance of friendship, empathy and tolerance through his insightful storytelling and beautiful illustrations. Families will be invited to add to the ‘Tree of Hope’ with messages for the future; explore stories of war and peace through War Boy, War Game, The General and Ali Pasha, build and play in a multi-sensory environment inspired by Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish and One World, and be inspired by Michael’s creative process in his artist’s studio with his own personal artefacts.
I shall be visiting the exhibition in mid August and will report back! I really can’t wait 