A Never-Before-Seen Olivia Illustration

I'm a huge fan of Ian Falconer and his spunky picture book pig, Olivia, so when I heard there would be a new book this year I couldn't wait to see what he would come up with.  In Olivia and the Fairy Princesses, Olivia is over the whole pink princess thing and she's flying her independence flag like never before--illustrated beautifully (of course!) in her sense of style (I particularly love the Hepburn-inspired ensemble) and career considerations--of both the princess and non-princess variety. We chose Olivia and the Fairy Princesses as a Best Picture Book of September and learned some interesting tidbits in our exclusive Five Questions with Ian Falconer below. As an added bonus he created the illustration you see here especially for this post.  As if I didn't love him enough already...

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH IAN FALCONER:

1.Olivia gives some serious thought to what she’d like to be instead of a princess--what did you want to be when you were a kid?

I'm not sure that I had any career in mind ( as in " I want to be queen."). I always wanted to make things; to draw pictures, build forts and tree houses, make rafts and boats ( I was fascinated by Kon-Tiki), make costumes. My father was an architect--he could build anything--and had a wood shop at home with huge power saws etc. which he, insanely, let me use, and my mother taught me how to use a sewing machine--really use a sewing machine--homemade Halloween costumes were a huge part of the calendar.  I could make all kinds of things with my hands and that's basically what I do now. I can cook too.

2. What’s the best piece of fan mail you’ve ever gotten?

I don't even know where to start with that one, I've had so many letters. I did get one suggestion for an Olivia plot--from a boy--that had her playing football, with her making " touchdown after touchdown." It was also illustrated, with yardlines, ball trajectories, goalposts, stadium... Ha.

3. If you could have one superpower, what would it be? (Flight and invisibility are off the table)

Apart from the ability to eliminate new, generic, glass walled, high rise condominium developments (and the developers) in Manhattan by simply glaring at them, I would like to be able to draw like Rembrandt or Picasso. Not a lot to ask is it?

4. Did you create the illustrations for Olivia and the Fairy Princesses one at a time or work on multiple spreads at once?

A children's picture book has a set number of pages, so the whole book must be planned out-- which drawings and which words go on which page--before you can start finishing drawings. I start by getting all the drawings and the text on the right pages--usually with simple sketches and post-its (so they can be moved about)--and then start to do more detailed pencil drawings on good paper that will then be the basis for the finished drawings. So it goes in stages, the whole book being done to each level of finish at the same time, together. The first stage is the hardest. Because of the page limits, if you decide to move a page, or make a single page into a double page, it disrupts all the other pages in the book. Very tricky.

5. Which is your favorite spread from the book, and why?

Oh, I'd have to say the Martha Graham spread. It is, I think, graphically very elegant and it is utterly absurd and funny as well. I like the international princesses spread as well. Well, really, of course I like them all. They wouldn't be in the book otherwise!