Ask the Author: Tim Hopgood, Singing In the Rain
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Here’s another great conversation with two-time Music Library author, Tim Hopgood. I enjoyed his book Walking in a Winter Wonderland so much that I just knew I had to choose another one of his books sooner rather than later. In this short interview, I asked about his book Singing in the Rain, his creative process and of course, his favorite types of music! Enjoy!
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Did you watch the movie during the creative process to help inspire your artwork? (Or have you seen it enough times that you didn't need to?!) 'Singing in the Rain' is one of my favourite films so I've watched it many, many times. We used to own a VHS copy and I remember making my children watch it when they were young. They loved it too!
Why did you decide to have the characters fly in the book? Because the lyrics are repeated in the song I had to think about how I was going to make the second half of the book visually interesting. I already had the idea of there being seven children each representing the colours of the rainbow but I think it was my editor Pete Marley who suggested that it would be good if we saw them fly. I loved the idea, so then I had to think about where they would fly too! I also think that the children flying captures some of the excitement and energy that we see in the dance sequences throughout the film.
I've noticed that the music notes throughout the book don't necessarily match the lyrics on the page. Is there a certain pattern you use when deciding what notes to put on a page or are they chosen at random? Well spotted! The musical notes are purely decorative, so I pick ones that work visually on the page.
Do you like to work with music/background noise or do you prefer a quiet workspace? When I'm writing I like quiet, that helps me think! When I'm illustrating I love to work to music, I find it relaxes me and often can quicken the pace at which I work at. Sometimes I play music to put me in a more productive mood.
What is your favorite song or musical genre? My favourite music genres are jazz, soul and funk. My three of my favourite albums are - 'Songs in the Key of Life' by Stevie Wonder, 'Kind of Blue' by Miles Davis and 'Aja' by Steely Dan. I couldn't possibly pick a favourite song as there are so many that I like. Sometimes when I'm painting I listen to the same track over and over again, I find it helps me work to have a constant sound in the background. Tracks that I can listen to over and over again include - 'The Sun in September' by Matthew Halsall, 'My Simple Thing' by Peter Sandberg and 'In a Sentimental Mood' by Duke Ellington and John Coltrane.
I know you use an interesting process of overlaying drawings to create a collage of sorts. Approximately how much time does it take you to complete one illustration? Illustrations usually take me anything from a day to one week to complete. Sometimes a page that you think is going to take no time at all can end up taking a whole week! I think the longest time that I've ever spent on one illustration is two weeks.
Besides illustrating for children’s books, what other subjects do you enjoy painting or drawing? In the UK where I am based I have illustrated several cook books, I really enjoy cooking and I really enjoy drawing food!
Are there any plans in the works for another music-themed book in the future and if so, what can you tell us about them? At the moment my work schedule doesn't include any more songbooks, but I do have two songs that I'm keen to illustrate (going to keep the titles under my hat for now!) so hopefully one day soon that'll happen.
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Thanks to Mr. Hopgood for taking the time to share his thoughts with the
Music Library Community! You can learn more about Tim and his projects at TimHopgood.com.
What do you want to ask the author?
Send your questions for Elizabeth Rusch,
author of our current book, The Music of Life to: shanan@musiclibrarybox.com!
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