Thursday Talk & Tea With Gus Gordon, featured on The Sunshine House Blog (interview by Zanni Louise, October 2014)

Gus Gordon’s book Herman and Rosie fell into our hands last year, and we fell in love immediately. After reading I Am Cow, Hear Me Moo! which Gus illustrated for Jill Esbaum, I was curious to know what inspires Gus, how he works etc. He’s sharing some insight with us today for Thursday Talk. Lucky us!

Hi Gus. Welcome to the Sunshine House! Australia (and the world) fell in love with your book ‘Herman and Rosie’ , which won the Honour Book award last year. Can you tell us where the idea for this story came from?

For a long time I had wanted to write an urban tale. I really enjoyed, as a child, the whole ‘city mouse, country mouse’ story – the juxtaposition of two worlds. In many ways I was just waiting for the right idea to come along. Then one day, for some reason that can’t be explained (nor should even be attempted), I drew in my sketchbook, an illustration of a suited crocodile playing a musical instrument on a rooftop in the moonlight.

I like those drawings that beg you to ask questions – that are intriguing. ‘What’s going on here?’ ‘Why is he in a suit?’ ‘Does he have a job?’ ‘What does he do?’ etc. It’s a weird thing asking one of your sketches ‘what are you all about?’ but that’s how it goes. You keep drawing until you figure it out.

In a different sketchbook around the same time, I had drawn a deer playing records in her apartment. It wasn’t long before I decided that the two characters should be in the same story, as music (something I am hugely passionate about) seemed to be the important link. Pretty quickly I realised that the two of them were unhappy, lonely in fact, which in itself is a fascinating idea – that they could conceivably be lonely surrounded by so many. This premise became the motivation behind the central narrative and music was a way of connecting the two.

How did your creative journey begin, and how did you end up where you are now?

That’s kind of a big question but I guess it all began with my mother who was incredibly encouraging and also quite a good artist in her own right. I was a compulsive drawer as a child and I also enjoyed writing stories – anything that involved using my imagination and I was up for it. Basically I was a huge daydreamer.

After school and some years in the wilderness chasing cows, I moved to Sydney and started drawing cartoons for magazines and newspapers. It wasn’t until I was offered my first children’s book to illustrate (about 18 years ago!) that I really decided what I wanted to do. I had forgotten all about children’s books – specifically books with pictures in them, and all of a sudden I was excited. For whatever reason it seemed to suit me.

I began to focus all my attention on illustrating books with the aim of eventually writing them. Throw a bunch of dumb luck in there too.

What are you working on now? What’s next on the horizon for you?

I am currently working on a book about Drop Bears by James Roy. I have also written and just storyboarded my new book, which may be about a duck. As far as the future is concerned, I am more than happy to continue telling my own stories and perhaps choosing to illustrate the odd story that moves me by someone else.

Where do you work? Can you describe your studio, or favourite place to sit and be creative in?

I work from home in a studio that used to be a garage a long time ago. It has a lot of natural light coming in which is nice. I have two main workspaces. One is a long desk where my computer, scanner and printer sit. It has a long bookshelf above it where my precious book finds live. The other workspace is an architect’s desk where I draw, paint, create messily and daydream a good deal of the day.

An old miner’s ‘trouble light’ I bought in Paris recently hangs above it. There is also room in the studio for a large corkboard (where I work out if my stories are making any sense), a list board full of deadlines, a layout table and my collage shelves. It’s a good space.

What inspires you?

Geez, all kinds of things. Here are some in no particular order: travel, children’s drawings, Badgers, positive people, good music, vintage engravings, old advertisements, postcards, interesting collage, Serge Bloch, Richard Scarry, JJ Sempé, William Steig, George Booth, Leigh Hobbs, Jim Henson, Middle Earth, New York city, France, dark woods, the ocean, cheese, clever friends, my wife, our kids. I’ve probably missed something really important.

What’s your favourite children’s book?

That’s an unfair question. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame would have to go close though. Harry The Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham is another great one. It does everything right – picture book perfection.

Have you got any tips or secrets you can share with people interested in illustration, or writing their own book?

I don’t have any secrets. It’s mainly hard work and if you love what you do you’ll do that anyway. Having said that, here are a few things I’ve learned.

–       Write for yourself

–       Read a ton/draw a ton

–       Surround yourself with ambitious, positive people

–       Plan your day, month, year (otherwise it won’t happen)

–       Teach yourself to approach problems from another angle

–       If you love it, stick at it (learn to be stubborn)

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