Landis Blair is the author and illustrator of the new children's picture book The Night Tent. His other books include The Envious Siblings and Other Morbid Nursery Rhymes. He lives in Chicago.
Q: What inspired you to create The Night Tent, and how did
you create your character Watson?
A: The idea for The Night Tent grew out of my memories as a child lying in bed
being unable to sleep. I would do whatever I could to try and distract myself
from my fears and frequently that distraction was provided by crawling in and
out of the tent I created with my covers, playing whatever imaginary games I
could come up with.
Watson, therefore, became an easy extension of my own
memories, though he is far more successful at the game of distraction than I
ever was.
Q: Did you work on the illustrations first or the text first--or both
simultaneously?
A: I primarily worked on the text first; however, during the editing process I
did several preliminary sketches and test illustrations to try and figure out
the visual feeling of the book.
Q: The Kirkus Review of the book says, in part, “Dynamic pen-and-ink
crosshatchings against a palette of deep navy blues and dusk-colored purples
suffuse Watson’s story with an appropriately mellow bedtime feel, never
becoming too dark or bleak. Tone is Blair’s strength, and kids will enjoy
following Watson’s twisty paths with their fingers.” What do you think of that
description?
A: I am both flattered and relieved by that description since I typically work
in black and white. It took me many failed and frustrating attempts to get the
colour right and even then I ended up having to lighten all of the colours
right before submitting the final illustrations.
As such, I felt rather anxious sending the book off while I
worried how the colours would print.
Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started working on it, or
did you make many changes along the way?
A: Yes, I pretty much knew how the book was going to end when I started insofar
as nearly any bedtime book ends with sleep. However, along the way there were
definitely large changes made to the story and surprises that emerged.
I think this is one of the most rewarding aspects of
creating a story. When you let go you realize that the story starts telling
itself and you can sit there and enjoy it like anyone else.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am working on illustrating a black and white story that I wrote and which
will initially be released in France later this year. The story is about an old
man about to die who goes out in the snow and whimsically interacts with a
large group of birds.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: In The Night Tent, Watson carries around a little stuffed cat. While I did
not have a stuffed cat as a boy, I have hidden in Watson’s room my own
childhood stuffed animal which I carried around and slept with for many years.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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