Words and Pictures with Harriet Muncaster

Bestselling author, illustrator and lover of tiny magical, sparkly things

This week we are so excited to welcome the amazing Harriet Muncaster to Words and Pictures.

Harriet is the bestselling author and illustrator of the Isadora Moon, Mirabelle, Emerald and Victoria Snitch series.

Her books have been published into 37 languages, won multiple awards and there is an animated series based on Isadora Moon available to watch on Sky Kids.

We share a publisher with Harriet (hey there Oxford Children’s) and first met virtually during lockdown when our debut book published. Harriet’s family have always come down to Cornwall so we finally met in person a couple of years later for a lovely walk on the beach. The year after that we persuaded her to come for a dip in the sea with us too (yes it was very, very cold)!

Harriet creates magical worlds with amazing characters. We’ve recommended her books to so many of our friends for their children and we couldn’t wait to ask her some questions to find out more about what words and pictures mean to her.

Why are words and pictures important to you?

Words and pictures are important to me because I love how, with just one pencil, you can create a whole world to get lost in! Not only that, but you get to be the boss of everything in this world and decide just what it will be like!

How did you go from having an idea for a story to getting your first book published?

My first book was a picture book which I created by making 3D models and then photographing them. I actually created this book as my final project for my Master’s Degree in Children’s Book Illustration at Anglia Ruskin university. The inspiration for it came from wanting to create some illustrations using a 3D model technique and I wanted to do them all in autumnal colours.

I’d also been practising drawing different sorts of characters around that time, one of which was a little girl in a black cat outfit. I felt like she would work well for an autumnal themed book and I loved the idea of her pretending to be a magical witch’s cat! I was very lucky that the book was spotted and commissioned for publication by Harper Collins US after it was displayed on my university course’s stand at Bologna’s Children’s Book Fair.

Did you always want to be an illustrator/author?

I hadn’t realised being an author or illustrator was a job you could actually do until I was at secondary school and our art teacher took us to see an exhibition by local author and illustrator James Mayhew, creator of the Katie and Ella Bella Ballerina books. That’s when it clicked that it was a job you could do and from then on I knew that was exactly where I wanted to channel my creativity!

When you write and illustrate your own books, what comes first, the words or the pictures?

For me, because I’m a very visual person and I trained as an illustrator before I became a writer as well, the images definitely come first, and particularly a vision of how the characters will look. I think I am very character driven with my work! My first step with a new book is usually creating the character. Once I know what they look like, I start to get a sense of who they are, and then I can create a story around that character.  

Is making children's books your full time job? Has it always been your full time job or have you done any other work alongside it?

I’m incredibly lucky that I have always been able to create children’s books as my full-time job, because, after I went to university, I was able to go straight into my master’s degree and was very fortunate to get my first book deal off the back of this master’s course. I worked on picture books for a couple of years and during this time I was able to start developing my ideas for Isadora Moon!

Do you have a work routine? If so, can you tell us about it?

My work routine changes depending on what I’m doing: sometimes I can be writing every day for quite a while, and other times I’ll be illustrating for a while. Sometimes I’ll have to break from one longer project to write a shorter book in the middle.

Sometimes I’ll take a short break from creating books to do events, usually for two to four weeks in the spring and autumn, where I’ll travel to different bookshops or schools and get to meet some of the children who enjoy my books, or introduce my characters to people who might not have heard of them before.

So I don’t really have a single work routine, and it just changes with what I need to get done at that particular time, although as a general rule, I work best in the mornings, and I try to always make time in the afternoon to get out on a walk.  

What are the best and hardest bits of creating children's books?

The absolute top thing for me about creating children’s books is being able to escape into magical worlds! It’s also SO lovely and heart-warming, to hear from and meet readers, who have enjoyed that world that I have created.   

As for the worst things, even though I absolutely LOVE my job, it can sometimes get a little bit lonely when I’m just working on my own day after day in my studio on a tight deadline. Sometimes I think it would be nice to work in a shared studio but also I know I wouldn’t get as much work done if I did!

Where do you get your ideas from?

This is probably the question I get asked most, and I always have to say that I just don’t really know where my ideas come from! I feel like I just absorb things, like things I notice while out and about and experiences I have or sometimes from things my daughter does or says to me, as I go about my life, and they just sort of ‘percolate’ away in the background and then just sort of appear as ideas!

How do you create your illustrations? On paper or a computer? Can you talk us through your process.

I start with a sketch using pencil and paper, and then I scan it into my computer, darken the lines, and maybe tweak it digitally if there are things I want to change.

Next, I print that out and put it on my lightbox. I put a piece of watercolour paper over the printed image and use a dip-pen and black ink to trace the image onto the watercolour paper. I paint my ink drawing with watercolour, and then I scan this back into the computer.

Now I’ll use Photoshop or Procreate to edit the image digitally, and maybe add further details and tidy things up. So it’s a bit of a mix and not always the same! Sometimes I like to add a bit of collage or photography too.

Can you tell us what you're working on now?

Yes! Firstly, I’m always working on more Isadora Moon, Mirabelle and Emerald stories, so there are plenty more of those coming! I’m also super-excited to be working on a new series set in Wiskling Wood, the same world as my middle-grade Victoria Stitch series. It’s for younger readers than Victoria Stitch but it’s a step above Isadora Moon. I can’t wait to share more about it soon!

What advice would you give someone who wants to write or illustrate their own children's book?

I would say: follow your passion. If you’re passionate about something and interested in that subject, then it will help you feel inspired to keep working on that project. I would also suggest to read lots and to write or draw lots. Practice is the best way to get better at anything. Also, look at how lots and lots of other writers and artists have brought their own visions to life so that you can find your own unique way of creating!

A huge thank you to Harriet for taking the time to answer our questions. You can find out more about her and all her books on her website or follow her on instagram.

We interview a different author, illustrator or publishing professional every Friday.

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