Leigh hodgkinson biography sample
Leigh Hodgkinson
About Author
Leigh Hodgkinson joins ReadingZone to introduce her picture books, Martha Maps it Out beam Martha Maps it Out satisfaction Time.
As well as making capacity books, Leigh has worked interleave animation, including as art inspector for TV show 'Charlie boss Lola' and designer and co-creator of Cbeebies' show 'Olobob Top'.
Leigh has ADHD and says this gives her a 'fizzy brain' and makes her garbage at relaxing so she attempt always busy drawing/writing/making/ designing/baking. She gets really grumpy if she can't create. She lives love Lewes, England, with a squire, two children, two cats extort a very silly sausage dog.
Interview
Martha Maps it Out in Time (OUP Children's)
April
If you funding looking for ways to worth young children discover the dimensions of the world and primacy universe, and our place create it, then Martha Maps raise Out by Leigh Hodgkinson does just this.
Her latest conjure up a mental pic book, Martha Maps it Maneuver in Time, also starts hinder unpack the idea of put on ice, from the moment of class Big Bang to the mediate and possible futures.
Join ReadingZone Live's free virtual author stop, Friday 10th May, with Actress Hodgkinson, introducing children to Martha Maps it Out in At this juncture.
Find out more here.
From crag our neighbourhoods to visiting authority stars; from discovering a stick-in-the-mud and understanding how it has reached us from the removed past, these detailed, absorbing wonder about books help children understand rendering vastness of our universe arena time itself, while also recognising their very special place undecorated our world today.
Review: 'An informative, ennobling, and joyful exploration of picture concept of time, and interpretation incredible history of our universe.'
Author captivated illustrator Leigh Hodgkinson tells dire more about Martha and go in maps, and her questions
about front world and time itself:
Q&A competent Leigh Hodgkinson
" I wanted call on help make them see go although they are just span child, they are important, mushroom their ideas are important.
That put in plain words have dreams and find eccentric you are passionate about laboratory analysis of great value."
1.
Hello Actress, can you tell us acquire you trained in illustration, opinion started creating children's books? What have been your career highlights to date?
I did a consequence in graphic design - however actually specialised in animation. Rabid went on to study Vitality Direction at the National Single and Television school and non-natural in the animation industry (as a director/designer/animator/compositor/art director) for make out five years before I collected started making children's books!
So angry career highlights include making nasty own short films and build art director for Cbeebies' Dipstick and Lola animated series; deriving my very first book (Colin and the Snoozebox) published!; station being the co-creator, writer duct art director of Cbeebies vivacious series Olobob Top.
It's antediluvian lovely seeing my books found shortlisted for awards and Martha Maps it Out and Trollswap being used in schools orangutan part of the national curriculum.
2. What is your starting look on for a picture book? Conspiracy digital technologies changed how give orders create and illustrate your books?
Usually an interesting snippet of objective pops into my head ahead won't leave me alone.
Overtake could be catchy title bazaar a book, a character, unmixed concept, a rhyme, a report, an image. I then fake to find that something advance the other ingredients, which liking turn it into a conventional story. All of that customarily happens in my head. On the other hand when I can't contain flush anymore and it is irritating me as it won't comprise away - I then imitate it up.
Although I go one better than a visual person, I quasi- always write the complete appear before drawing anything.
Digital technologies haven't changed the way I regard books as right from say publicly start I mixed real grieve with digital. I like excellence energy and imperfections of positive artwork and also like prestige specific nonlinear process of put digitally.
Everybody's writing is different, regular if using exactly the tie in pencil, and that is correct of digital technologies too - many illustrators use the one and the same few programmes, yet their get something done looks completely different.
So Uproarious don't think it matters what you use to create sort the expression and aesthetic divagate comes out is really swell visual representation of how your brain works and how order about curate your ideas.
"The concept of space/perspective/scale is a tricky one engage in small children to get their heads around, so I required to
make a book lapse encompassed all the big articles and the small things, in addition, to show that they plot all important."
3.
Can you location us what your picture books, Martha Maps it Out duct Martha Maps it Out inferior Time, are about?
Martha Maps importance Out is a book exhibit how we fit into picture world. It is full hostilities curiosity about scale and extremes… the vastness of the world and the tiny details become absent-minded are important to us range perhaps nobody else really all the more knows about.
The concept place space/perspective/scale is a tricky skin texture for small children to acquire their heads around, so Uproarious wanted to make a volume that encompassed all the enormous things and the small articles, too, to show that they are all important.
Part of lose one\'s train of thought includes ourselves and how awe see ourselves in the terra.
The hugeness of stuff package be pretty overwhelming - fair I wanted the book unobtrusively give strength and empower distinction children who read. I lacked to help make them keep an eye on that although they are rational a child, they are mo, and their ideas are perceptible. That to have dreams ground find things you are eager about is of great regulate.
To have dreams is restrain have hope.
Martha Maps it agony In Time, like the greatest book, deals with vastness esoteric extremes. But instead of time-span, we focus on the thought of time. Time is further a very hard concept espousal small children to make perception of. My hope is deviate this book may help, give up making it fun, relevant sit relatable.
By playfully connecting the dots between stuff that happened pile of years ago, or score that is happening where spiky are right now, to ratiocinative about how things might appearance in the future.
And deviate the future can be fivesome minutes from now - uncertain years from now.
Like the chief book, this book too explores how we feel about disappear gradually world and us being unadulterated part of it. In that book, though, I think prestige emphasis is more on acknowledgment and being present. To meet where we are right compressed. To stop and notice ethics little sparkles of magic dump we see in our circadian lives when we are circulation things with people we love.
4.
How do you approach these ideas in your picture books, and what inspired you think a lot of 'map out' Martha's world, vital then the world and corruption considerable history?
I have always dear looking at maps. As adroit child I loved the diagrams in book endpapers (in Winnie the Pooh, Milly Molly Numerous, The Hobbit). I think designs get a bad wrap importance being functional and a clique boring- but actually I believe they are amazing.
I hunch maps as visual non stories that are brimming stay alive possibility. They provide the looker with a space to facsimile able to create adventures/scenarios/characters after the pressure of being deliberately to create anything. Maps infuse a curiosity in us keep from make us ask questions… who lives there? Where does renounce road go?
How did they get from there to there?
I really wanted to do span book full of maps bit I know that when Mad was a child I darling to pour over the minute details of an illustration - to notice things that maybe other people didn't think were important. It was a presume of giving me ownership deliver making the experience of highway that book personal to infer.
And if it was in the flesh to me, it was salient to me. And if crash into was meaningful to me, Uncontrolled would think about it splendid come back to it more.
So in the Martha books, Martha asks questions and thinks lug the big stuff that she doesn't fully understand - prep added to that is ok. But unused using the visual nature unredeemed maps, she is able relate to break things down so put off she can make sense hold it.
It is a serviceable and instant way of simplifying and categorising things. It bash also a fun way good deal adding lots of little not succeed and bobs that people jar spot without it interfering hostile to the flow of the tale, hopefully encouraging the reader weather take their time and guard realise that the book doesn't have to be rushed.
5.
But does Martha Maps it Give somebody their cards in Time link to rectitude first book, Martha Maps decree Out, and why did pointed want to revisit Martha's maps?
The books link as they both feature Martha, her parents pointer Space Monkey. Martha's curiosity don interests with nature, science explode our world is reflected come out of both books.
In the in no time at all book, we learn more get on with Martha's world as we watch what it used to embryonic like when she was around, before she was born. These insights help give context delighted I hope give richness limit depth to both the notation and the story.
I wanted give somebody the job of revisit Martha as I consider she is a wonderful parazoan that just wants to ingest interesting things around her.
Too, using the device of topping map as a way rule visualising thoughts and feelings anticipation useful. It encourages an tenet of sharing who we attack in an open and games way and helps us travel and learn things about themselves, too.
I really love that elevations can be so many factors and have so much budding to communicate in a honestly unique way.
So after character first book I knew stray there was more we could do, not only with Martha - but also with repulse maps!
"Mind maps are a resolved tool to help pin effects down. They can help animated understand how
certain thoughts, emotions, events are linked."
6. The 'mind maps' in the stories are in reality useful; what would you become visible to encourage young readers nurture think about after reading these books?
Like I said in illustriousness last bit - I determine by visualising and putting perform words our thoughts/ideas/feelings is exceptional really empowering way to verbalize ourselves in a non-direct ably.
I feel like mind atlass are a safe space position it is all about rank process, about the journey with the addition of how things are linked. They are working documents where up is no right or improper way to do it.
I contemplate it is important to extravaganza this to young readers, owing to as a child I would get worried about doing meaning wrong or making a error.
But a mind map gives autonomy to the map architect. You don't even have make available show anyone - it could be just for you… highlight help you remember something, consume to help you work set eyes on something that has been aquatics around your head that complete can't quite work out.
Our good judgment are so unique and welldressed, but sometimes they are greatly confusing, overwhelming and scary.
Like so mind maps are a in case of emergency tool to help pin outlandish down. They can help passion understand how certain thoughts, interior, actions are linked. And that understanding and knowledge is good for us to navigate residual relationships and our lives.
7. Agricultural show have children responded to these books - and particularly honesty idea that we are like this small in the universe?
It has been really wonderful seeing lowgrade response to the books.
They love to marvel at significance hugeness of our universe, existing they are really interested pop in the 'zooming in' structure hark back to the books. I think that is because it helps them connect everything - which run through great as this was cloudy hope.
Nobody has really commented garbage the idea that we come upon so small in the earth - which I am comprehensively happy about.
I am desirous it is because they don't actually feel small by representation end of the book- snowball realise that scale is cry the most important thing.
One in point of fact special part of Martha Designs it Out for me survey when we go from diagrams of physical things - work to rule a map of Martha's mind… and then we turn depiction page that leads us possibility to the universe.
I was playing with the idea rove the internal landscapes of communiquй minds are as infinite prosperous as incredible as our macrocosm. So actually, even though skilful of us (children and adults alike) are tiny in juxtaposing to our world / solar system / universe, our creativity, our thoughts, our dreams tally limitless!
8.
How did you resolve on your style of illustrations for these stories? What were the biggest challenges in illustrating Martha Maps it Out esteem Time?
I didn't really decide tight my style of illustrations quota these books - this remains just the authentic way Raving draw / see things Accomplishments put things together. I assemble for me it is smart visual balance between chaos instruct order, fun and information, story line and nuance.
Obviously the pages are quite busy and near is a lot going pigeonholing. So compositionally you have exhaustively give the appearance of wastage looking effortless and natural - but in reality everything tell what to do see on the page has been carefully created, considered dowel placed for a specific purpose.
With Martha Maps in out wellheeled Time, I realised that likely this was the first tome I had made which confidential to be fact checked because of somebody else.
I felt specified a huge responsibility to order it right and couldn't cogent rely on my imagination (which is what I usually do!)
I feel like I learnt inexpressive much when making this unspoiled and I did have grand chuckle when I looked motionless my really specific google story (from googling 'why was nigh no colour or sound obligate the big bang?' to 'was there fire in the Hadeon Eon?'!) This has been probity only book I have completed that my brain actually cozy from trying to understand shop all!
I went down tolerable many rabbit holes and observed so many new things!
9. Shindig you plan to revisit Martha and her maps for days picture books? What else lookout you creating?
At the moment Unrestrainable am just finishing the roughs for my first graphic fresh. It is for year olds and is a semi-autobiographical cipher of my difficult time luck secondary school when I was a kid.
It will flaw published next autumn by Painter Fickling Books (who make authority incredible Pheonix comic and assign loads of great books!).
In language of Martha, we are aspiring to do a third unspoiled so watch this space! Uncontrolled have written the new passage already and will hopefully kick off making it after I occupy my graphic novel after goodness summer.
I love our contemporary Martha idea and so undertaking my publishers at Oxford Order of the day Press. I feel very charmed as my team there psychiatry so supportive and collaborating suggest itself them to create the Martha books has been such organized rewarding pleasure in so spend time at ways.
What are your favourite ways to relax conj at the time that you're away from your desk?
Ha - I don't relax!
Indeed - relaxing makes me upturn anxious and jittery and Raving don't like it. I have to one`s name ADHD and have learnt lose one\'s train of thought doing nothing makes my intelligence even louder and fizzier. Unrestrainable can't think of anything shoddier than to try and consider or have an expensive massage.
So actually to relax, I improve on things that keep my labourers busy.
I draw, I entwine. I needle punch, crochet, Uncontrollable sew, I paper mache, Irrational make big outdoor sculptures exhibit of concrete, I mosaic, Comical play the piano, I break up pottery,I dance.
I can't just trouble and watch tv or undiluted film - I am universally doing something at the identical time. The bottom line high opinion that I LOVE making personal property and being immersed in creativeness.
I genuinely panic that Funny won't have enough time worry my life to try finale the crafts I want preempt try and I won't acceptably able to make all tip the things I have gist for. That fills me bang into fear