Meet the Illustrator: Sophy Henn

In today’s Meet the Illustrator feature we chat with Sophy Henn, author and illustrator of the adorable Pom Pom Panda Gets the Grumps and the all-new Where Bear? book. Sophie tells us what Mizzle is, why the best design resources are the ones you create yourself, and the one book that’s stayed with her from childhood.

What first made you excited about art?
My dad is an artist/art teacher so I guess the idea that drawing and painting was just something you did was planted in me at a young age. But actually really excited would probably have been when I was studying Art Foundation at Camberwell College of Art in London. I was surrounded by all these busy, creative people and we were all starting out together, endless possibilities and all very exciting!

What illustrated book from childhood has stayed with you over the years?
Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s Cops and Robbers is a favorite from my childhood. I love the rhythm running through it, the exciting characters, and all the wonderful details in the illustrations. Ho! Ho!

Where do you find inspiration for your illustrations?
Anywhere and everywhere! I keep scrapbooks filled with torn magazines, bits of fabric, sweet wrappers, and doodles on train tickets. If it catches my eye and can be stuck into a book, in it goes! I love Instagram, it’s like a little visual journal, a scrapbook in my pocket; I can snap and store anything that catches my eye. For example, the sideboard in Where Bear? (the bearish and big spread), is something I spotted in a junk shop on holiday. And in Pom Pom Panda Gets the Grumps, Pom Pom’s Mummy loves vintage print dresses, so that was a good opportunity to scour my scrap books for textile inspiration!

What does your workspace look like?
I try to keep it as tidy as possible, but when things get busy piles of paper can start to appear! It’s nice and light and has some treasures dotted around to make me smile, particularly vinyl toys and old tins! I have a big pinboard, which I use when storyboarding books and another behind my computer covered in photos and lists. So many lists!!! I always have plans to give my studio a makeover, but I just need to find that spare week!

What materials do you most like to use?
Pencils! I use soft pencils to do roughs and then to create all the elements of the finished illustrations. I scan those in and use my trusty Mac to create the finished images. But I also love to use ink with brushes or dip pens and when I have the time I LOVE to do some printmaking. I love the process, the smell of the inks, and getting my hands dirty!

What design resources would you recommend to young artists?
Hmmm, I’ve pondered this one long and hard and I really think the best design resources are the ones you create yourself. My sketchbook and scrapbooks are filled with masses of super inspiring stuff that I have collected, so as a resource for creating new work, what could be better? I will flick through them and ideas start pinging around because I LOVE everything in there!

But Edward Muybridge created an amazing set of books about humans and animals in motion, which I find hugely helpful!

How do you get your kids excited about art?
My daughter loves art and is busy trying out lots of mediums and styles; it’s really lovely to watch. I’ve taken her to exhibitions since she was tiny; the Tate Modern in London is great space for children to experience, and was a particular favorite of my daughters.

What have your kids taught you about books and reading?
Remember who your audience is. Something you think ever so beautiful or clever is utterly pointless if it doesn’t support your story or connect with your audience. And having read Lauren Child’s books to my daughter endlessly when she was little, to have a rhythm (not a necessarily a rhyme) that carries you through the book is great. I never minded rereading her books at all.

What’s the best name for a color that you’ve ever heard?
I’m not sure if you have the house paint brand Farrow & Ball in the U.S., but it has a very lovely range of colors here in the UK. They are wonderful muted and traditional colors with a high-pigment content, but have the most brilliant names. It’s a toss up between Elephants’ Breath and Mizzle (a cross between mist and drizzle!).

Sophy Henn is the author/illustrator of Where Bear? (available now) and Pom Pom Panda Gets the Grumps is available Nov. 2015. She lives and works in Sussex, England.