Northern Highlight - Lucy Farfort

September 28, 2020

NORTHERN HIGHLIGHT

LUCY FARFORT

1. Why did you become an illustrator?
Drawing and making things is something I’ve always enjoyed doing for as long as I can remember. From a very young age, I wanted to do something that involved drawing and art, but for a long time I didn’t know what exactly.

Aside from drawing, I loved to write stories and poems but working as a children’s illustrator or writer never occurred to me until quite late on in life. I think it was because I thought sub-consciously it was a job that people like me couldn’t do.

When I was growing up, I didn’t own or ever see a single book with a person of colour like me in it. Then at fourteen, my cooler-than-me cousin introduced me to anime and manga. I watched Akira open-mouthed, over and over again and became totally obsessed with Japanese animation and comics. Subsequently, I spent pretty much all my free time creating comics. It was that which drove my desire to become an illustrator.

I went to university in Manchester and left not really knowing which direction to take my illustration. I spent a long time doing graphic design stuff mostly, and selling artwork on the side but it was many years later that I started to focus on actually creating illustrations for children’s books. I finally put two and two together after realising all the images I loved creating were narrative based, and people kept saying that I should illustrate children’s books. And I thought - yeah, of course!

Written by Sarah Shaffi & Isabel Otter, illustrated by Lucy Farfort Published by Caterpillar Books

2. Tell us about where you live?

I live in Arthur’s Hill in Newcastle. I love its sense of community and how diverse it is. I guess it’s classed as a fairly deprived area, but there’s a lot of heart and people who really care about helping others. It was a big inspiration for a picture book text I wrote which will be on submission soon!

3. Where do you write/illustrate?

I have a home studio with a desk by the window where I paint and draw from, a station for my Mac, and a bookshelf. It’s compact but perfect!

4. What for you is the ‘spirit of the North’?
Fight in the face of adversity. Genuine, honest and open people.

5. Has this spirit influenced your work?
I’m not sure about direct influence, but creative work is always influenced by so many things that are picked up by osmosis. I suppose the northern spirit must have influenced my work in some way.

6. Who for you are the great northern writers and illustrators?
David Almond and Sara Ogilvie.

7. If you could be transported to anywhere in the North right now where would it be?
Weardale. It’s such a magical part of the world with breathtaking scenery, rivers to swim in and views to die for!

8. What would you like to see from children’s publishing in the North?
I would love it if there were more children's publishing houses in the North, and opportunities for illustrators and writers that came directly from up here. The publishing world still feels very London-centric.

9. What’s your favourite children’s book set in the North?
The Dam by David Almond, illustrated by Levi Pinfold.