Interview with Illustrator AnnMarie McCarthy

Illustrator AnnMarie McCarthy is a native of Limerick, Ireland. Her first book was Fungie, on which Ré Ó Laighléis collaborated. AnnMarie and Ré further collaborated on Fungie & Mara, which was published in February 2011. A new edition of Fungie, with accompanying DVD was published in August 2011. 

Hello and welcome to Yellow Brick Reads AnnMarie! Could you tell us where you’re from and how you got started as an illustrator?

I am from Limerick. I studied Fashion Design in the Limerick School of Art & Design. Having worked in the Fashion Industry for 12 years Designing, I was involved in doing a lot of Fashion illustrations. Children’s illustration has always interested me. While working as an art teacher in a crèche I studied a Diploma in Children’s Book illustration part-time.

Because I was surrounded by children I was able to see picture books through their eyes and really see what excited them. While I was developing the Fungie books I kept the curiosity of the child to the fore. I would visualise the reaction of the children as I created the visuals and text.

I sent out the text and sample illustrations to different publishers; within a very short time I had a response from Móinín. I was delighted to have an Irish publisher and have developed a great relationship with them since.

Your picture books Fungie and Fungie & Mara have proved hugely popular with children. How do you come up with ideas and what inspires your work?

The Fungie series has touched the hearts of lots of children and I am extremely grateful. The books were inspired by holidays spent as a child and an adult in the wonderful seaside town of Dingle. When my daughter was small I wanted to get her a picture book about Fungie, but nothing jumped out at me so I decided to write her one. As many people come to see this famous dolphin each year it is wonderful to take home the memory in the form of a book.

©no images may be reproduced without permission from the artist

There are many things that inspire me, mainly the events of daily life and funny things that happen. I love watching animals - the way they move and interact with each other. Sometimes I can see a character develop without even being conscious of it. I am like a sponge listening to people telling stories that can often spark an idea for a book.

Are there any other illustrators that you particularly admire?

Yes, I loved Beatrix Potter as a child and that has stayed with me into adulthood, the little books you could keep in your pocket, fascinated by the illustrations I would spend hours gazing at them. I also love the work of Eric Carle the creator of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”. His illustrations are vibrant and jump off the page at the reader. I love the simple but effective layouts of his books.

James Christensen is one of my all time favourites, an illustrator of Fantasy art he creates thought- provoking images. The incredible detail in his work draws you in to explore his amazing imagination.

Fungie the dolphin is something of an Irish celebrity and your Fungie books are written in both English and Irish. Would you describe your work as being primarily influenced by Irish culture?

Yes. Irish culture plays a role in my work.  I am interested in Irish folklore and mythical tales passed down over the years. I also draw my inspiration from the Irish landscape around me.

It is appropriate that the Fungie books are written in both English and Irish, as Fungie is based in a Gaeltacht area. The bilingual aspect serves as a learning tool for children but also allows tourists to enjoy the books. It has proven to be a very successful element to the books creating a worldwide appeal.

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The Fungie books seem characterised by the use of bright bold colours against a white background. I find your use of blank space in your illustrations very interesting as it seems to invite the reader into the picture. Can you comment on your use of colour and blank space in these illustrations?

Working in vibrant colours is something I have always enjoyed. Bright colours always cheer me up on a wet day!!!

In the case of children’s book illustrations I feel they work particularly well. Children enjoy an illustration that comes to life and offers that feel good factor.

The blank spaces and white backgrounds are very important in my work, they give space to the reader to think and invite them to use their imagination to consider what else could be going on in the story.

©no images may be reproduced without permission from the artist

Are you working on anything new at the moment?

Yes at the moment I am working on the illustrations for two new books. The first is the third book in the Fungie series it is a collaboration with Ré Ó Laighléis .

The second one is an Irish language picture book about a cockerel who has lost his voice.This book is based on a cockerel I encountered on holidays that had a sore throat and a funny voice as a result. Ré Ó Laighléis has written the text as he is highly skilled in writing the Irish language.

Both books will be published by Móinín in 2012.