SAMMY: Hi everyone, Sammy here! This week I'm chatting to illustrator Sona Babajanyan about her illustrations for our forthcoming picture book Filthy Fergal by author Sigi Cohen. The story is all about Fergal, a happy lad with a putrid stench! When even the rats and cockroaches are driven out of town by his ‘aroma’, Fergal sets out to find somewhere he belongs, and discovers that even a boy who smells like him can find a place to call home. Sona, can you tell us some more about Filthy Fergal and what it was like working on the book?

SONA: Oh, I loved working on this story! A story about a filthy boy? And he is not even going to change? What’s the moral? I loved that there is no “moral” in a traditional sense, that Fergal is happy just being himself, and that there is so much humour and lightness and freedom in it, and I’m pretty sure that the kids will love this story too. It’s so much fun! And it was a great book to illustrate, with all these quirky characters.

SAMMY: Did you always want to be an illustrator, Sona? Did you draw, paint or illustrate as a child?

SONA: Yes, I was actually seriously thinking about becoming an illustrator as a child. And I was an illustrator in a way. I used to illustrate my own stories and make these tiny books, which I was giving away to my friends and family. But then I wanted to be so many other things as well – a pirate, a traveller, a librarian, a swimmer, a writer, an artist...

I have been drawing and painting since I can remember myself. I grew up in a very creative and art-loving family, and my parents encouraged all my “artistic endeavours” to the extent that at the age of 5 I was allowed to paint all the walls of our living room with gouache. I can still remember those big bright flowers all over the place. How cool is that?!

SAMMY: WOW! That's soooo cool, Sona – maybe you could come and paint my home one day? Although my home is technically a tree... How long have you been working as an illustrator and have you illustrated any other books for children? 

I’ve only seriously started focusing on art and illustration since I moved to Australia, in 2008. Although I was painting and drawing all my life, art was mostly a hobby for me. Back in Armenia I used to work as a translator of literature from Western Armenian into Russian. That was great, but not quite useful here in Australia, as you can imagine. So I figured out that this is a great opportunity to get back to my childhood dream. I’ve illustrated six books for children in Australia so far and hope to do many more.

SAMMY: Have you ever both written and illustrated your own story before and is that something you would like to do, if not?

SONA: I have written and illustrated only one book myself, as an adult. But although I finished it years ago, I haven't made any serious attempts to publish it. It's very dear to me, but  so unusual that I'm not sure if it really fits anywhere… I think I'll let it be a secret for another ten years, while I decide what I am going to do with it.

SAMMY: I really hope we get to read your secret book one day, Sona. How did you first find work as an illustrator? 

I did some research, put together a portfolio of some of my personal work along with the old pen and ink illustrations to my Armenian translation of Mary Poppins that I did ages ago, then designed self-addressed response cards, and sent them out to some Australian publishers of children books. And it worked! Well, most of the responses were traditional “will keep you on file”, but then I got the real deal! Debbie Brown from Koala Books asked me if I could draw Aussie animals, and I almost shouted: Yes!!! I sent her some cute kangaroos and koalas and ended up with my first contract! That was a lovely book called Goodnight Possum by Coral Vass, and it actually ended up becoming a real bestseller! 

SAMMY: What do you enjoy most about illustrating?

Illustration reminds me of my first profession as a translator in a way. You have to interpret the story and try to tell it in a different language, with different means. But an illustrator has much more freedom and the best illustrators add their own layers, complementing the narrative and enriching it. I enjoy every part of this process, but probably the most exciting stage for me is the very beginning, when I have to think about my general approach to the style, composition, and characters. That’s basically when you try to see the finished book with your inner eye. You can end up with something quite different, but anyway, I think that's the most exciting stage.

SAMMY: Do you prefer to work with digital illustration tools or manual artistic techniques?

SONA: Usually I work with a combination of both. I do some pencil sketches, then scan them and the rest of the work is done in Photoshop. But I love to leave some of the raw, pencil lines untouched, to avoid a too polished and digital look. 

SAMMY: What children's book do you wish you could have illustrated?

SONA: I always loved and still love all kinds of folk tales and fairy tales. They carry the wisdom of ages, and talk about the most important and serious things in a way that children can understand, sometimes even better than adults. I don’t like stories with a too moralistic or didactic approach. Children are so much wiser and deeper than we adults sometimes want to admit. Most of my favourite books are written by the authors who try to encourage the innocent wisdom of children.  Hans Christian Andersen, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Tove Jansson, Michael Ende, Maurice Sendak and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry are just a few of my favourite writers. And interestingly enough, their stories are not just for children, they can be enjoyed by adults as well.

SAMMY: I've read some of those books too, Sona – I hope I get to read some more soon. Filthy Fergal will be out in bookshops and online soon, so keep your eyes open everyone.

I hope you've enjoyed reading my chat with Sona – come back soon and check out who I'm chatting with next!

Until next time...

Sammy