In The Studio with Beatrice Blue

Author-illustrator Beatrice Blue’s work has been translated into more than 10 languages so far and she was nominated for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020 for Once Upon a Unicorn Horn (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books).

We caught up with Beatrice to talk about her process, her approach to work and her inspiration.

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My Love of Stories

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Telling stories is something I’ve been in love with ever since I was a child. For years now I’ve been enjoying both writing and illustrating them, at the same time as working in the animation industry.

Stories are everywhere I go; in the past, the present, the impossible and the hypothetical. It feels like an endless ocean where time pauses and I can just swim, and I love that.

Evolution of artwork

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My Inspiration

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I’m inspired by authors like Barrie, Roald Dahl, Kipling or Neil Gaiman among so many others. They continue to inspire me every day.

Beatrice’s artistic process

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My Approach

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With Once Upon a Unicorn Horn my aim was to keep a folktale mood while adding a colour narrative to it which, together with the design, would make a nice modern neo-pourquoi tale about the creatures we apparently know so much about.

Character sketches for June from Once Upon a Unicorn Horn

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My Work

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Books by Beatrice Blue

My aim for Once Upon a Unicorn Horn, as well as the two following books (Once Upon a Dragon’s Fire and Once Upon a Mermaid’s Tail) was to encapsulate certain values that would go together with a folktale story.

Sketch versus final artwork for Once Upon a Mermaid’s Tail

Theodore character sketches versus final artwork

I wanted to reinvent magical creatures from a different perspective, while talking about important social, environmental and emotional aspects.

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My Process

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Different approaches: traditional and digital

I use both traditional and digital media. Exploring all the different textures and outcomes from each media is fascinating to me. I also get easily bored most times and tend to experiment with what I have handy.

Beatrice’s character detailing process

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Art as a Passion

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I love every single stage of making picture books, but the ones I enjoy the most are storytelling with colour, and building the story itself.

Colour development for Once Upon a Dragon’s Fire

Colour development for Once Upon a Unicorn Horn

The emotional transitions in Once Upon a Unicorn Horn

I usually start with the story but having some of the visual elements already in mind, I build up around that. Seeing the final book after all the hard work from the whole team is so satisfying - and addictive!

The evolution of a cover

I hope to bring many more stories into the world in the years to come.

A selection of spreads from Once Upon a Mermaid’s Tail