Working with Pictures: Jane Tanner

What was the first piece of illustration you had published?

My first illustration was a Chinese story for the Thomas Nelson reading scheme. I learned heaps about continuity and attention to detail by working with educational consultants.

What’s the best part of your job?

Occasionally I make a drawing that captures a particular moment and I get a moving emotional response from my viewer. It feels like magic.

What’s the worst part of your job?

Late nights, short deadlines and waiting to hear if I’ve satisfied my author.

What’s been the most significant moment in your illustration career so far?

Receiving the Human Rights Award for children’s literature.

What’s the best (or worst) advice you’ve received about illustration?

‘Don’t say everything. Leave a space for the viewer’s eyes to rest.’

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve ever heard or read about yourself?

I’ve heard so many strange things said that nothing surprises me anymore.

If you weren’t illustrating, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

I’d be making much more personal and private art.

What’s your advice for someone wanting to be an illustrator?

Make sure that you develop your own unique style and ask yourself, ‘What are the stories I want to tell, to whom and why?’

Do you buy your books online, in a physical bookshop, or both?

I like to support my local bookshops, particularly as I can browse and often discover books I haven’t seen before. Occasionally I purchase something difficult to find online.

If you could meet any character from a picture book, who would it be and why?

I’d like to meet Jenny from Maurice Sendak’s Higgelty Pigglety Pop. I really relate to her story. We’d share a great sandwich.

What’s the picture book that’s had the most significant impact on your life or work – and why?

I owned a large format Alice in Wonderland when I was little. Both pictures and text have stayed close to me ever since. I knew what it felt like to be Alice.