Where do you work?
I work in south London, in an old police station that still has its cells and a ghost, who lives in the loo! I share it with two friends: comics creator Gary Northfield and graffiti knitter Lauren O’Farrell (aka Deadly Knitshade).
Do you prefer making books by yourself or working with a writer?
I like doing both! When I write my own story, it means I get to decide exactly what I’m going to draw. But when I work with other people, sometimes we spark new ideas off each other and the ideas are better than ones I might have come up with myself. I love doing Comics Jams, where one person draws a panel, then other person draws a panel, and neither person knows where the story is going to go.
Who are your biggest influences?
Thousands and thousands of other artists have inspired my work, but the top three might be Maurice Sendak, Satoshi Kitamura and Posy Simmonds. Funnily enough, all three of them are creators whose work slides between the categories of picture books and comics.
What is your favourite comic? *
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson! The comic strip ran every day in The Seattle Times, in black and white, and in colour on Sundays. I loved it as a kid, I love it now, it works on lots of different levels.
Why do you wear such big hats?*
If I wear a big hat, I can hide a little elf under it who tells me what to say on stage if I forget my lines. So if I say something silly, it’s her fault, not mine. It makes me less nervous; I think, no one is looking at me, they are all looking at my hat!
Reproduced with thanks to Sarah McIntyre. Read more about Sarah at www.jabberworks.co.uk
