For this third Spotlight interview, I am honoured to introduce graphic novelist, artist, writer and illustrator Isabel Greenberg, who lives and works in London. Isabel studied illustration at the University of Brighton and the Royal College of Art (RCA), and has worked for The Guardian, Nobrow Press, The National Trust, Seven Stories Press, First Second and The New York Times, amongst many others. In 2011 she won the Observer Jonathan Cape Graphic Short Story Prize, and has been exhibited at the V&A and Cecil Sharp House. Her award-winning books include Glass Town, The One Hundred Nights Of Hero and The Encyclopedia Of Early Earth but she has also worked on many other children’s books, comics and animations. You can read more about her work on her website: isabelgreenberg.com.

Could you tell us a bit about how yourself, and how you became an illustrator and a writer?
I studied illustration at the University of Brighton and Animation at the RCA. But my interest in writing and drawing comics was really something I fostered myself, as at the time it definitely wasn’t something that was particularly encouraged within the course. But as someone who loved to draw and to write, comics have always been the best way for me to tell my stories.

What is your earliest memory of drawing or creating art?
Probably drawing at my granny’s coffee table with the bag of crayons she kept for me. She had a very tidy house with white carpets and would follow you around with a little hand held hoover. I once managed to find a really waxy black crayon at the bottom of the bag and make a properly satisfying mess. 

Is there a special place you like to work?
We’ve just built a studio in our garden, so for the last few weeks that’s been my favourite place. But I’ve worked in my bedroom, and at the kitchen table, and on the floor and in rented studios, and actually so long as the light is good and I have all my drawing things, I can work anywhere. 

Do you have any favourite authors who have inspired you, or that you have connected with through descriptions of places or buildings in their work?
I read a lot of fantasy growing up, and have a fondness for books with big worlds; Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin was, and is, one of my favourites. In both her science fiction and her fantasy, she paints worlds that feel larger than the stories that they house. I also love books set in historical London, and I think you can still catch glimpses of it down quiet alleyways in the city or walking along the Thames. Phillip Pullman’s Sally Lockhart books remain a favourite of mine, and his descriptions of Victorian London have remained with me since I first read them.

Which favourite art gallery or museum is top of your list to visit after lockdown ends?
I want to go to the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth where I will be having an exhibition of my work on the imaginary worlds of the Bronte children. It’s called ‘Gondals Arise!’; and should be up whenever the Parsonage is able to open. 

What are you reading right now?
I just finished reading Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, which I loved. 

Coffee and cake, or cocktails and canapes?
Prior to lockdown I might have said coffee and cake, but I'm craving cocktails and canapes. I’d like to eat tiny food off a communal platter and hover by a busy bar. 

Which artists or illustrators should we be looking out for?
I would say watch out for my students from the BA Illustration course at Camberwell who will be graduating this summer! They’ve done an amazing job of staying motivated and making great work this year. 

What was your favourite book as a child?
I loved the Dido Twite books by Joan Aiken. They’re all set in an alternative Britain where James II was never deposed and the Hanovarians are plotting to overthrow him. My favourite was one called Is Underground, about a girl who travels to a mysterious kingdom in the North, ruled by an evil capitalist tyrant called Gold Kingy, to rescue missing children who have been spirited away to work in his mines and factories.

Finally, can you tell us a bit about your latest project,
or plans for the future?
I’m working on my first self-authored picture book (I’ve only previously illustrated non-fiction picture books written by other authors). It’s called The March Of The Babies. I’m also coming up with ideas for a new graphic novel, but it’s too early to talk about that!

Please visit Isabel’s website for more information about her work, and of course, for her contact details.

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