Daishu Ma is an illustrator and graphic artist originally from China but now living in London. Her gorgeous new picture books starring Tiger and Mei are a joy to share with the very young, full of vivid experiences, and characters full of childish wonderment. Her textured illustrations, using oil pastels, perfectly create the natural landscapes that are intrinsic to Tiger and Mei's gentle adventures. Here, Daishu tells us about the development of her adorable characters, inspired by the stories told in mountain villages in southern China, and the animations of Japanese filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki.

Q. Do you feel your artistic style has been influenced by a particular illustrator? If so, can you tell us how this person inspired or influenced your work?

A. Tiger, It’s Snowing! and Tiger, Don’t Worry! were first inspired by a real place—a tiny village in southern China I visited a few years ago. There was an old house perched on a small hill, surrounded by tea groves. A stream ran through the village below, and in the distance stood a huge railway bridge with tall stone arches. When a train passed, it made a long, echoing whistle through the mountains. It felt like a scene from a Hayao Miyazaki film. The villagers told tales of planting tea and encountering wild tigers in the mountains when they were children. Again, it reminded me Hayao Miyazaki’s stories—the sense of wonder, his heroines and their unusual companions, and the magic of childhood. That’s when I first had the idea of Tiger and Mei, two friends who grow up in the village and have adventures together.

For the artwork, I was especially inspired by the Russian animator Yuri Norstein—his film Seasons, with its delicate snow scenes made using real lace. In Tiger, It’s Snowing! I tried to evoke that sense of quiet winter magic with the combination of bold shapes of mountains and the intricate shapes of snow-covered trees.

Q. How would you describe your own style of illustration? Do you have a preferred medium?

My illustration style has changed a lot over time. I started out working on a graphic novel, then moved into comic strips, editorial illustration, and picture books—both fiction and non-fiction. I try to find the right style for each project, and enjoy exploring something new each time.

As my books now are aimed at younger readers, my illustrations have also become simpler, bolder, and more colourful.

For Tiger, Don’t Worry! and Tiger, It’s Snowing!, I tried lots of different media—watercolour, acrylics, coloured pencil—but none of them felt quite right. Then I picked up some oil pastels, and straight away it worked. I love how chunky and soft they are, and how vibrant the colours look. They’re also a bit messy, so the lines can’t always be very precise or perfect, which suits Tiger and Mei really well!

Q. Do the illustrations or the words come first? Tell us about the process of illustrating your picture books?

For me, the pictures almost always come first, but I spend much more time writing and developing the characters. I usually see a particular moment or scene in my head and quickly sketch it down. Often, that becomes the beginning of a story.

From there, I sketch out the whole book in tiny thumbnails to see how it flows. I don’t worry about the details at this stage—it’s all about the shape and feeling of the story. Once the layout starts to make sense, I begin writing the text.

I also spent a long time developing the two characters: Tiger and Mei. I wanted to create two characters that are quite different, and have the fun and drama come out of their interactions together. Tiger is impulsive and curious, Mei is patient and thoughtful, together they create an interesting dynamic, and even the most mundane situation can turn into something unexpectedly fun and interesting. I like to imagine them in different situations: what would they say to each other? How would they react? What would their body language be? I sketch them in all kinds of moods—happy, nervous, bored, excited—and they begin to come alive on the page.

When the characters feel real, they start to guide the story themselves. With Tiger, Don’t Worry!, the original version was longer and more complicated, with a very different ending. But when I printed the dummy and read it aloud, it didn’t feel right—it was almost as if Tiger and Mei were standing over my shoulder, telling me they wouldn’t do that. So I rewrote it, made it shorter and simpler—and suddenly, it felt true.

@daishu_ma

Read on for our reviews for Tiger, it's Snowing and Tiger, Don't Worry, both published by Post Wave Children's Books. Purchase a copy with LoveReading4Kids knowing that with every penny spent, you support a school close to your heart.