Shoo Rayner writes fun, character-driven series books for beginners and newly-confident readers.
Shoo has written over 200 books for major publishers, runs two award-winning YouTube channel, and is a favourite visitor in schools, libraries and festivals, storytelling, promoting drawing and reading for pleasure. Click for visit details.
Mandy wrote to me and asked: Please!!
Dear Mr Rayner, You are busy so I will be brief.
I am a mature student at Birmingham City University Yr 2. We have been asked to construct an artist profile.
I love your work and it relates to the project I am currently working on. I am currently working towards becoming a Children’s illustrator.
If you don’t have time I understand but I would be so grateful if you could answer some questions (or a couple of them).
1. What is your education background, were you self-taught as an artist or did you attend Uni?
2. If you attended uni did you find the transition from uni to having a working practice difficult?
3. Do you have an Agent? (why/why not)
4. Where do you work from ie, an agency, own studio/home and why?
5. What would you cite as the most important ways to promote yourself and your work?
6. Do you feel it is important to have a ‘style’? When did you find yours? Was it gradual or was that style apparent in your earlier work?
Thank you so much for your time. Any questions you could answer would be very much appreciated as I am a great fan of your work and it would give me a much better understanding of working practice. If you can send any reply I would be grateful. Thank you so much and I apologise for intruding on your time. Kind regards, Mandy
Watch the video and you will get all the answers!
Youtuber Auf Niederlander asked me to draw the Plague Doctor. Who’s he? He was the the doctor that visited plague victims in the 16th and 17th century. This drawing is based on an engraving of “Dr Schnabel” – or Dr Beak – of Rome. in the mid 17th century.
Towns would employ special plague doctors, to visit the sick and dying. their main job was to collect data and organise the removal of bodies.
As the plague was seen as a punishment for sins, he carried a stick to whip people with so they had paid for their sins before the plague got to them!
His coat was made of waxed cloth and the beak was stuffed with herbs and spices to give him a pleasant smell and to fight of the miasma or bad smells that were thought to carry the infection.
When you think about it, Doctor Plague’s protective clothing is not that far removed from those doctors and nurses helping ebola victims today.
Have fun drawing him.