Northern Highlights - Jenny Bloomfield
NORTHERN HIGHLIGHTS
Jenny Bloomfield
Where do you live, and how would you sum up the place in three words?
Leeds - Urban, Dales, Evolving
What is special to you about creating children's books, and what is your favourite part of the process?
Children's books are mini-works of art and a favourite book will be looked at hundreds and hundreds of times - not many books get this much attention from their audience!
I am always drawing (I've drawn every day since 1st September 2014 - you can see every single day on my instagram @Jennybloomfield) so I love being able to transfer my sketchbook observations and ideas to a living breathing story. For instance, The Worry Jar, has some scenes at a swimming pool and I was able to go back to all the drawing I did sitting on the side of the pool while my kids were having lessons.
Tell us about your upcoming/most recent book.
The Worry Jar is written by Lou John, illustrated by me, and published by Oxford University Press - it's out on 4th August.
It's the story of Frida, who worries all the time, until her Granny helps her deal with worries with a special worry jar.
It was fabulous to illustrate as I had to really think about Frida's body language - at the beginning of the book she is all curled up and anxious, but by the end she is open and carefree.
If you could be transported to anywhere in the North right now, where would it be?
So hard to choose. While I love the Dales on my doorstep, it would probably be somewhere with a big empty beach - Northumberland in England, or the NW Scotland (if I could click my fingers and avoid the 10 hour drive) - the beaches up there look like they're in the Caribbean.
What literary/kid lit events have you attended or been involved with recently in the North?
Alas, nothing - I came of book illustrating age in a pandemic. Fingers crossed for the future though.
Name your favourite children's book/art organisations in the North.
I love Salt's Mill in Saltaire. Not only is it an incredible historical building, but it has a loads of David Hockney's work on display and an amazing bookshop with an outstanding kids section - I often find titles there I've seen nowhere else. A brilliant and always inspiring free day out (although I challenge anyone to not come away with at least one book).
What advice would you give to aspiring illustrators in the North?
Just don't be put off by your location. The pandemic has done wonders because meetings are now done on Zoom as standard. There are pros and cons to this of course, but one of the massive pros is that your location is no longer a disadvantage.
What would you like to see from children's publishing in the North?
I'd love to see the northern landscape better represented - I can't think of any examples of moorland in picture books for instance (but would love to hear of any).
Who for you are the great Northern children's writers/illustrators?
With reference to my previous answer I'm going to say the Bronte's for their depiction of the wild Yorkshire landscape.
Getting back into the present day, I choose fellow Children's Book North member, Helen Stephens. Her 'How to Hide a Lion' books were a real favourite with my kids when they were small and it's so good to see a successful author-illustrator who chose to leave London behind and whose voice has thrived in the north. Her support and championing of illustration and illustrators is also brilliant.
What's next on your TBR pile by a Northern creative?
I've recently bought Skellig by David Almond for my daughter so I'm hoping to give it a read once she's finished with it.
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