Special Guest Northern Highlight - Orange Beak

SPECIAL GUEST NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT

MAISIE PARADISE SHEARRING (MPS) AND NESS WOOD (NW)

ORANGE BEAK STUDIO

Why did you want to work in the book industry? 

I have always loved books and I always wanted to be a designer, even though I thought that was someone who created record covers. From studying Graphic Design at college, I got an interview at Collins Publishers (as it was then). I was very excited. I told the small agency I was working for that my auntie was very ill so they would give me the day off and I would get paid for it... I didn’t have an unwell auntie in London! I got the job. NW 

I was very fortunate to be brought up in a home filled with books. My mum is devoted to reading, and passionate about stories, and she passed on that love of books to me. I loved drawing when I was growing up, but I never considered being an illustrator as I had never really thought of it as a job. When I was studying on my art foundation at Hull College, my tutors encouraged me to apply to study illustration and I got a place at Edinburgh College of Art. It was from then on really that I knew I wanted to work in books. After my BA at Edinburgh, I was awarded a grant which covered my studies at Cambridge School of Art on the Children’s Book Illustration MA. This course taught me so much and really changed my life, and I have been working on picture books ever since. MPS

Tell us about where you live. 

I live in South Manchester. I have lived here for about a year. I am Mancunian but have lived away, mainly in London, for many years. NW 

I live in Hull and moved here about a year ago. I am from Hull originally but moved away and lived in Scotland and Cambridge before returning back home. MPS 

We run Orange Beak from our homes, giving tutorials and workshops online as well as (before COVID) travelling to various places in the country and having a regular tutorial surgery in London four times a year. MPS & NW

Where do you do most of your work? 

I have been freelance for a long time and work from home. When I first started being freelance I worked in my bedroom and could roll out of bed onto my chair, but now I work in a room which I call my studio. I am much more professional. NW 

I had always worked from home but, since moving to Hull, I have been able to afford to work in a studio space out of my home (called Juice Studio) which really helps my work/life balance. It takes an hour to walk to my studio and an hour home, which gives me more of a chance to switch off from the job. It is a room with a door which I like as I like my own space, but it is also nice to work amongst other creatives. MPS 

What are the advantages of being based in the North? 

The North is a beautiful part of the country and we both love living in the North. We are excited about the news of London based publishers moving away from London, with your very own Emma of Hachette starting this off! There are so many creative people up North who would benefit from publishing houses having offices local to them. Plus it’s cheaper to live here! MPS & NW 

Tell us a bit about Orange Beak and your latest projects. 

We have been running Orange Beak for the past three years (it's our birthday in August!) We set up Orange Beak because we both love teaching and working closely with illustrators, helping them to achieve their goals. We specialise in children’s books, from board books all the way up to fiction. This includes teaching about drawing, materials, character design and pacing out a book. In fact, anything that relates to creating a book!

The core of the business is giving one-to-one tutorials with individual feedback. These can be one-off sessions but, more often, illustrators will sign up for a set of tutorials. This allows them time to work at their own pace, but knowing they have support throughout. We also run workshops, speak at conferences and have an annual retreat, which is a real highlight each year. We continue to grow, and are always open to new collaborations and ideas.

Our next workshop is an online cover design workshop on Friday 14th August from 10-1pm. It's a workshop for anyone wanting to gain new skills in how to create and think of ideas for their picture book covers. There will be a mix of presentations and time for you to work on your ideas. It would be great to see you there! MPS & NW

What for you is the 'spirit of North’ & has this spirit influenced your work? 

Not feeling entitled or deserving of ‘it’, so therefore you work really, really hard at everything you do. Northerners, on the whole, have a great sense of humour and are friendly and welcoming. MPS & NW 

Who for you are the great Northern/Scottish artists and illustrators (& any writers or designers you want to include)? 

Of course, I have to say Maisie! Jill Calder, Peter Bailey, Helen Stephens. Leah McDowell at Floris Books (elemdesign.com) is a good fiction designer. NW

Designed by Louise Jackson

Published by Walker Books

I will add Jonny Gibbs and Vivian French and Ness! I owe a lot to Vivian French, who has been a massive champion of my work. MPS 

If you could be transported to anywhere in the North/Scotland right now, where would it be? 

I would be in Northumberland at a beach, swimming in the sea. NW

Me too! I spent a lot of my childhood in Northumberland and, alongside Hull, it always feels like a second home of sorts. MPS 

What are your favourite children's books set in the North? 

Mmm, well I know lots of adult ones . . . I love North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. What about David Almond’s Skellig which Is a great read, plus, of course, How to Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens. NW 

When I was little, I loved the Katie Morag series which are set in Scotland. Mairi Hedderwick also came to the local library in Hull at the top of my street. I especially liked the one about the new baby. Mairi was the only author or illustrator I ever met growing up in Hull. MPS 

I used to work on the Katie Morag series when they were published as Picture Lions in my first job! (see question 1) NW 

Why is it so important that we continue to develop and support creative talent across the country?

This is VERY important! By supporting creatives across the country children's books will become more diverse and different voices will be represented. Books are often a child’s first look at the world, so children should be seeing different worlds and hearing different stories to build empathy and give a broader outlook on life. Children should also be able to access stories that relate to their world and things they may experience day-to-day. More needs to be done to support northern creatives, but there have been recent positive steps towards this. 

This report by Professor Katie Shaw and New Writing North (although not focusing on children’s books) is a brilliant read http://newwritingnorth.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ NWN_CommonPeople_36ppA4_Web2.pdf MPS & NW 

What would you like to see from children's publishing in the North? 

Job opportunities! All publishing houses to have offices away from London. Editors and art directors working on books should get the opportunity to visit libraries, schools and meet different communities who buy their books across the country. Regarding Maisie only ever meeting one author or illustrator when growing up, more funded author/illustrator book tours and school visits for deprived northern schools are needed. MPS & NW 

You can follow Orange Beak on:

Twitter @orange_beak

Instagram @orangebeakstudio 

Website orangebeakstudio.com