Nathalie Dion, the acclaimed illustrator behind The Big Bad Wolf In My House and I Found Hope in a Cherry Tree, gives us a tour of her studio and a peek at the original artwork for her new book, My Mom Is Like a Kite. 

Describe your creative process. How do you begin? What tools do you use? 

My process usually begins with the characters. I’m not someone who sketches extensively at the very beginning. At that stage there are too many open questions, and it can make me feel a little unsure.

Instead, I move quickly to colour. I like to build my characters through colour first — discovering how their hair, skin, clothes and eyes will come together, and exploring the textures and palette that will shape the visual language of the book.

Once the characters feel alive, I return to sketching and begin shaping the visual storyline of the book.

What are your ideal working conditions? Do you listen to music, or do you need silence to work? Do you work in daylight, or are you a night owl?

I like to work in silence. It really depends on which stage of the book I’m in.

At the beginning of a project, I need complete silence. That early phase requires a lot of concentration as I search for the visual direction and the tone of the book.

Once the visual signature is established, the work becomes a little more fluid. At that point, I sometimes listen to music, and occasionally even spoken radio while I work.

Pick 2-3 of your favourite items in your studio. Where did they come from? What makes them special?

One of my favourite items in my studio is a bouquet of flowers I received from children after a workshop I gave around My Mad Hair Day. It is honestly the loveliest bouquet I have ever seen, and it reminds me why I love meeting young readers.

Another favourite is a bright orange ball with a wonderfully soft texture. I use it to exercise my hands when they get sore from drawing, and it has become a small but very loyal studio companion.

The third is a book from the 1950s. I can’t get enough of its beautiful recto-verso cover illustrated by Claude de Sofia — it’s such a striking design and a constant source of visual inspiration.