Illustrating for Irish-Language Publishers: A Perspective by Steve Simpson

16/12/2011 by Patricia Kennon · No Comments

Nuair a leag mé cos ar thalamh Bhaile Átha Cliath tar éis dom teacht ó Mhanchain déanach sa bhliain 1990, bhí borradh sa thionscal beochain agus gnólachtaí amhail Sullivan Bluth agus Murakami Wolf i gceannas ar an ngnó seo ar fad. Go gairid ina dhiaidh sin, d’iompaigh mé an treo ó bheochain go maisiú leabhar agus is faoin am sin a chuir mé críoch leis an gcéad 2 leabhar páistí i mBéarla sa bhliain 92/93.Fuair mé an chéad bhlaiseadh ar mhaisiú leabhair Ghaeilge do pháistí sa bhliain 2000 leis An Gúm nuair a luigh mé isteach ar leabhair oideachais. Den chuid is mó, ba iad an dearadh agus an mhargaíocht a bhí idir lámha agam ag an taca sin. Mar sin, disciplín nua amach is amach a bhí sa mhaisiú leabhar. Ní dóigh liom gur fhoghlaim mo cheird go dtí gur saolaíodh m’iníonse!

Fuair mé léargas nua ar an méid atá i gceist le leabhair pháistí ú ó bheith ag léamh leabhar agus ag breathnú ar pháistí ag plé leis na pictiúir; scéalaíocht na n-íomhánna, rogha na ndathanna agus coimpléascacht na gcruthanna. Le breith mo mhic ansin 4 bliana ar aghaidh, bhí níos mó taobhanna leis an scéal (ní hionann aon bheirt mar a déarfá)! Agus suim athnuaiteá cur agam i leabhair pháistí tháinig roinnt coimisiún ón gcomhlacht Scholastic i Nua Eabhrac i mo threo. Ba é an glaoch gan iarraidh ón uasal Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin sa chomhlacht Futa Fata a chuir ar mo chumas an tuiscint nua ar an margadh a chur i bhfeidhm trí bliana ó shin. An chéad leabhar de mo chuid ná Lúlú agus An Oíche Ghlórach le Bridget Bhreathnach agus le déanaí seoladh an dara leabhar de chuid Futa Fata, Cáca don Rí le Ailbhe Nic Giolla Bhrighde, sa siopa Hodges Figgis. Faoi scáth Thaidhg, bhí saoirse agam triail a bhaint as mo stíl níos mó ná mar a bheadh le foilsitheoir idirnáisiúnta. 

Domsa, is cuid lárnach í an chothromaíocht idir an téacs agus na léirmhaisithe. Mar sin, thug an tsaoirse seo deis dom táirge comhtháite a chruthú. Tá cló, páipéar agus ceangalna leabhar ar an gcaighdeán idirnáisiúnta is airde, gnéithe nach raibh thar moladh beirte in amanna le foilsitheoirí eile. Tá Futa Fata thar a bheith gníomhach chomh maith sa mhargadh um chearta eachtrannacha agus bhí rath thar na bearta ar na leabhair Lúlú agus Cáca don Rí thar sáile. Chuirfeadh sé gliondar croí ort do shaothair a fheiceáil sa tSínis no sa Chóiréis, cé gur deacair é a chreidiúint ó am go chéile! Bhain mé barrthaitneamh as a bheith ag obair leis an dream sa chomhlacht Futa Fata agus táim ag tnúth le hobair leo arís sa bhliain atá romhainn. Tá sé de phribhléid agam, freisin, caidreamh oibre leanúnach a bheith agam leis an gcomhlacht An Gúm; tá caibidil maisithe i leabhar agam don Uasal Seomamh Ó Murchú le déanaí. Ba chúis áthais dom obair ar an leabhar Na Laochra is Lú le Laoise Ní Chléirigh. Oireann an maisiú leabhar d’aoisghrúpa níos sine toisc go bhfuil siad bunaithe ar mhiotaseolaíocht na hÉireann. Arís, bhí tacaíocht ar fáil go fial flaithiúil agus mé ag iarraidh stíl a leasú a d’oirfeadh don léitheoir níos sine. Leis na deontais atá curtha ar fáil d’fhoilsitheoirí leabhair Ghaeilge, tá sé ar a gcumas beagán níos mó airgid a thabhairt ná mar a thabharfadh foilsitheoirí leabhair Bhéarla. Ach mar is eol do gach mac máthar, i gcoitinne, níl foilsitheoirí leabhair pháistí ina suí ar phota óir. An seanrá a threoraíonn mo chur chuige ná go gcaithfear am cuí a chur isteach i dtionscadal le go mbeidh tú bródúil as ag an deireadh. Chaithfinn ar an meán 3 nó 4 mhí ar leabhar pictiúir 32 leathanach, agus idir 3 agus 4 huaire á chaitheamh agam air in aghaidh an lae. Bheadh an chuid eile den lá agam ansin le díriú ar an margaíocht/ dearadh den léirmhaisiú. Ar an drochuair, níl ach rúinín beag níos mó ná cúpla focal agam agus mar sin, bím ag brath ar lámhscríbhinn le hobair ar na leabhair. Le cúnamh Dé, tiocfaidh feabhas ar an scéal amach anseo!

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When I arrived in Dublin from Manchester, in late 1990, animation was a boom industry led by firms like Sullivan Bluth and Murakami Wolf. Shortly afterwards, I changed direction from animation to illustration, and completed my first two children’s books, both in English, in 1992/93. My first taste of illustrating Irish language children’s books came in 2000 with An Gum where I focused on educational books. For the most part, my work at this time was for the design and advertising market, so book illustration was a very different discipline. I don’t feel I really got a true grasp of area until the birth of my daughter! Reading books and seeing young children interacting with the pictures gave me a new understanding of what was needed; through the story telling of the images, the colours I chose and the shape complexity. The arrival of my son, four years later added more dimensions (as they say, no two are the same)!

My renewed interest in children’s books coincided with a number of commissions from Scholastic in New York. It was, however, an unexpected call from Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin from Futa Fata that allowed me to put my new found understanding of the market into practice some three years ago. My first book was Lúlú agus an Oíche Ghlórach, written by Bridget Bhreathnach and I recently launched my second Futa Fata book, Cáca don Rí written by Ailbhe Nic Giolla Bhrighde, in Hodges Figgis, both in hard back. With Tadhg I had the freedom to experiment with my style far more than with a bigger international publisher

For me, getting the text and illustrations to balance is a hugely important factor. So, this freedom, gave me the chance to design a more integrated product. The quality of the print, paper and binding of the books is of the highest international standards a factor which has, on occasion, been a let down with other publishers in the past. Futa Fata are also very active in the foreign rights market and have had considerable success in selling both Lúlu and Cáca don Rí overseas. It’s incredible to see your work in Chinese and Korean, if a little surreal! I’ve really enjoyed working with the guys in Futa Fata and hope to do more with them next year.

I also enjoy a continued working relationship with An Gúm; I recently finished an illustrated chapter book for Seosamh Ó Murchú. The book, titled Na Laochra is Lú by Laoise Ní Chléirigh, was a real joy to work on. The illustrations, based on Irish mythology, are for an older age group and again I was given full support in adapting a style to suit the older reader. Obviously, with the grants for Irish language publishers, they are able to pay a little more than the Irish English language publishers. But as we all know, generally, there’s not a huge amount of money in children’s books. However, my approach is dictated by the maxim that to be proud of a job you need to put the hours in it deserves. A typical 32-page picture book would take me 3/4 month, usually putting 3 to 4 hours a day, this allows me the rest of the day to work on advertising/design side of my illustration work.

Unfortunately, I still only have a fraction more Irish than the average English person and rely upon translated manuscripts to work on the books. Hopefully, this is something I can improve over the coming years!

 

Steve Simpson is an award-winning illustrator and designer specializing in advertising and children's books.