Interview with Alea Marley – Illustrator of The Silver Shadow

Published by Walker Books
Written by Mariesa Dulak | Illustrated by Alea Marley

A spellbinding new picture book is making waves – The Silver Shadow is a beautiful and emotionally rich tale that blends lyrical storytelling with stunning illustrations. Award-winning author Mariesa Dulak and bestselling illustrator Alea Marley have created a timeless story inspired by childhood memories and the natural world, following a young girl’s discovery of a stranded silver shark.

“Alea’s collaboration with the Walker picture book team drew out a deeper level of her creative talent. You can see it in the layers of color, textures and light in the water, rocks and sky. It’s next level and stunning work!”- Anne Moore Armstrong

We caught up with Alea Marley to find out how she brought this story to life, her creative journey, and what this project has added to her toolkit as an illustrator.

Spread 6/7

This book has such a magical atmosphere. How did you first connect with the story?

I fell in love with the text as soon as I received the manuscript. I had so much visual imagery come to mind as I read over each page, I knew straight away I wanted to be part of it.

Tell me how your art style has evolved – how would you describe the shift in your style for The Silver Shadow compared to your previous work?

The shift in style was not intentional at first. I completed about four or five spreads in my usual style and I felt like something was off, I wasn’t quite sure what. Once I received feedback from Walker, they had notes for revisions, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right as a whole. So I started to play around with spread 6/7 and essentially drew on top of my existing art to create a whole new look, and Walker loved it. They gave me extended time to do the whole book in this new style.

Spread 26/27

What was your favourite spread to illustrate and why?

My favourite spread to illustrate was 26/27. Drawing all of those various circles was very calming, I like when there’s lots of little details.

The beach setting is so magical and immersive. What inspired you?

Half my family is from Barbados and growing up my parents took me there a lot. I spent most of my time at the beach playing in the water, jumping into waves, searching for fish, climbing rocks. All my memories of my time there influenced the art I created in this book.

You’ve worked with a variety of publishers over the years. How did you find working with Walker? Did they influence your process or push you in new directions?

Walker are very lovely to work with. They invited me to their little publishing house in London at the start so I could meet who I’d be working with and discuss my art and intentions with the book. They definitely helped push my art when I was having issues with the style – their feedback was extremely helpful and it was great to have people be able to help you see things in different ways.

How did Mariesa’s writing and vision shape the way you approached the world of the book?

Mariesa has such a way with words, it’s why I fell in love with the manuscript upon my first read. I wanted to make sure my art reflected the beauty in her language.

There’s so much emotion in the artwork – curiosity and compassion. How did you go about expressing those feelings visually?

I drew upon my own memories and how I felt as a child to depict many of the scenes in the book. For instance, in spread 6/7 when she’s alone on the rock, I used to sit just like that after coming out of the water, feeling sad I had to leave.

Looking back on your journey as an illustrator, what do you think this book has added to your creative toolkit?

It’s easy to feel stuck creatively when you’ve been drawing for so long. This book gave me the opportunity to draw in a new way, which in turn has made me feel inspired again – which I’m really thankful for.

And finally, can you give us a little glimpse into what you’re working on next – or any new ideas you’re excited to explore?

I can’t give specifics, but there’s a couple of exciting book projects I’m working on at the moment – one is a little spooky and the other is a little messy! In my spare time I’m working on my own pieces and creating illustrations in this new style.

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To get your copy of the book, click here.
To work with Alea, get in contact with her agent Anne Moore Armstrong here.