Dave Barrow's THE BEST KIND OF BEAR

"When Nelly asks Bear what kind of bear he is, he isn't entirely sure how to answer. So off he goes to find out. But none of the different bears he meets on his travels are like him. Grizzly bears don’t have stitching; polar bears don’t have tags attached to their bottoms; spectacled bears are not as soft and bouncy as Bear is; and sun bears never wear bow ties. Disheartened, he returns to Nelly . . . only to discover what kind of bear he is — her own special bear!" Dave Barrow stopped by to talk about his newest picture book today. Kirkus says, "This heartwarming tale can be enjoyed as a simple story or used to talk about identity, relationships, and belonging. Thoughtfully layered and simply sweet." e: Hi Dave, welcome! What was your creative process/medium for The Best Kind of Bear, can you walk us through it?
Dave: Everything starts with a drawing. Lots of drawings in fact. Then I tend to throw any available medium I have to hand at an image. Ink, watercolour, gouache, pencils, pastels, the kitchen sink. Whatever medium that suits the ethos of the illustration. It can get pretty messy. I have to have some element of physical mark-making involved. It's almost an extension of your handwriting. I then compose all of these textures and shapes and scribbles and splats digitally. This allows me wrangle and control all of the chaos I've created! e: What was your path to publication?
Dave: After leaving school, I studied Graphic Design at university. On completion of my degree I vowed never to do Graphic Design ever again. It wasn't for me. For years I worked in the hustle and bustle of commercial print, avoiding being creative in any way shape or form. When I was inevitably made redundant, I found myself at a bit of a loss. I had no idea what I wanted to do next. I decided to go back to university and this time study something I was actually interested in. I was lucky enough to get onto the world-renowned MA Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. I didn't know it was world-renowned at the time which probably explained my flippancy during the interview.
      Being on the course was revelatory. It opened up a whole new world of children's books and how I could actually have career drawing! The MA has great relationships with many worldwide publishers and I was lucky enough to have two of my projects picked up by publishers whilst on the course. I was able to hit the ground running. e: Is there a unique or funny story behind the creation of this story?
Dave: When I was shown Greg (Gormley)'s text for The Best Kind of Bear by Nosy Crow with the possibility of me illustrating it, it was a lovely surprise as I was, unbeknownst to the publishers, already friends with Greg. We'd actually met at a Nosy Crow (UK publisher of Best Kind of Bear) party. Luckily, I loved the story. It could've been embarrassing if I'd have not liked it. Imagine the awkwardness of going for a drink with him afterwards. Although, saying no was very unlikely, Greg's a fab writer. e: What do you think makes an illustration magical, what I call "Heart Art" - the sort that makes a reader want to come back to look again and again? I'm looking for your definition of "Heart Art." (This is for a potential book - I may quote you!)
Dave: I feel that illustration is all about integrity. I try not to create images that pander to a perceived audience. I make images that I believe in. Images that I enjoy. Hopefully, these images subsequently find an audience and people get some sort of enjoyment out of them. Sometimes it doesn't work out but I think it's obvious when an illustrator has put their heart and soul into an image, rather than made choices based on what's currently fashionable or popular. I think people appreciate and recognise integrity. (Phew, that was pretty heavy!) e: How do you advertise yourself?
Dave: I'm atrocious at all things social media related and consequently I'm appalling at any form of self-promotion. I have an Instagram account which I got excited about for about 5 minutes, but then I found it weird and embarrassing talking about myself so that died a death. I will endeavor to rectify this though. It's my New Year's resolution (and has been for the last 3 years).
      However, I am pretty good at going into schools and libraries. Meeting and interacting with your audience is truly inspirational. Kids have great ideas (obviously I steal them all 😉). e: What is your favorite or most challenging part of being a creator?
Dave: I always equate picture book making to running a marathon; it takes loads of preparation and training, the process is long and hard and involves lots of blood, sweat and tears (mainly tears). But when you cross the finish line, when you have the final printed product in your hand, it is the most satisfying and rewarding feeling ever.
      I think the misconception is that making a picturebook is somewhat easy, probably because it doesn't have many words! But a picturebook is a sophisticated beast! You have to convince an audience of your story, create engaging and emotive characters, and give the reader reason to want to return, all in about 32 pages! e: Is there something in particular about this story you hope readers will take away with them, perhaps something that isn't immediately obvious?
Dave: I think Greg has created a beautiful story about belonging and self-discovery. And I got to draw loads of cool bears.
      Also, we'd like to emphasise the fact that all good adventures begin in libraries!

e: What are you working on next or what would be your dream project?
Dave: Weirdly, I'd love to illustrate gothic fiction such as Dracula or Frankenstein, bit of a departure from picturebooks I know.

e: That would be cool!