Interview with Lisa Flanagan, Pet Sitters Illustrator extraordinaire

We caught up with illustrator Lisa Flanagan to ask her some questions about the Pet Sitters books and how she gets the pictures onto the page.

What did you think when you were approached by authors Penny and Cecily to illustrate the Pet Sitters?

I was thrilled! I have always wanted to illustrate for a series of books like this. It’s one of my dream jobs.

What appealed to you most about the project?

I loved the stories. They really do get you hooked, which is very exciting for me as a parent. I have read so many yawn worthy stories to my own kids. My 8yr old was extremely pleased when I was happy to keep reading the next chapter, and then the next. I wanted to know what was going to happen next!

Who's your favourite character to draw?

Definitely Gus. He sure does get into some entertaining predicaments and always has hilarious responses to Cassie and Lina’s pet sitting adventures. It’s never dull drawing Gus.

What were the biggest challenges of the project?

Probably drawing Gus! It took some thought to come up with all those expressions of his.

You've said your kids helped: how did that come about?

After reading the stories with them they had lots of great ideas about how the characters should look. My 8yr old also enjoyed looking over my shoulder and pointing out any important details that I shouldn’t miss. She was a great art director.

What's your artistic process? How do the drawings go from not existing to being part of the books?

I start by reading the story carefully, taking note of important descriptions. I then use that knowledge and the brief I am given from the publisher to draw rough sketches on paper. They get sent back to the publisher to look over and then it’s on to drawing them up digitally from a scan or photo. I like to use a digital tablet and pen to create the illustrations in Photoshop. There are so many creative possibilities drawing digitally, not to mention an undo button!

See more from Lisa Flanagan here