Ella Elephant interviews Divyesh Swamikutty, her Illustrator. This should be fun...

 

Let's hit the interview running. Or what's the fun in it?

 

Ella: "Mamma Elephant asked me to ask you how you made us."

Divyesh: "So unreal you're talking to me Ella. :) But I'll play along. You know, the first character that came to me after reading Rajesh's manuscript was you. I started off immediately with paper and pencil... Tried out a couple of sketches. Wanted to make sure that you looked simple, warm and friendly. So, I used basic shapes or outlines (whatever you want to call it) and kept the colors pleasant on the eyes. Does that make sense?"

Ella: "Mmmm. Guess it does... so we started off on paper. Hurray! Is that how it's always done?"

Divyesh: "That's how I do it. I've given you and your folks an original look so you'll stay unique."

Ella: "Yippee!"

Mamma Elephant: "You must be really good at what you do...."

Divyesh: "Ah, I don't know... it's a bit subjective there Mamma Elephant. I started to draw at a very early age... Mickey Mouse and the Pink Panther. Dad had got me a how-to-draw book... I still remember that book. But somewhere in between I kind of lost touch or did not draw too much. Ella has been a serious effort after a very long time... thanks to Rajesh!"

Mamma Elephant: "Looking at myself, I feel beautiful and ... and grounded. And my baby is everything I want her to be."

Divyesh: "Wonderful!"

Ella: "I love my toy engine... I love the colours"

Divyesh: "Speaking of colours, I wanted it to reflect your character - fresh, joyful and innocent. So, I haven't used any gradation or made the look complex with too many colours. I made it in such a way that even a kid can draw and colour you, Ella. And the same goes for all the other things in the book."

Mamma Elephant: "How lovely! We should leave now. Or Dada Elephant will bring the house down."

Ella: "Bye-bye!"

Divyesh: "Bye Ella."

Adventures of Ella Elephant is on Amazon Kindle. Would love to know what you think of it.