Edward CAREY

The UK-born, Texas-based author and illustrator on shifty birds, the perfect pencil and his drawing hero. Interview: REBECCA BRADBURY

I illustrate every book I write… It makes no difference if it’s for kids or adults

Like many kids, I drew all the time. I would scribble on anything. I would sometimes draw on the walls and it would drive people mad.

I illustrate every book I write. It makes no difference if it’s for kids or adults. I can’t know my characters until I can see them, so I need to draw them.

The drawing and the writing always argue with each other. I like to do them both in tandem, so I’ll do some writing, then draw the character. But then the drawing will contradict the writing and push it in a new direction.

My new book of pandemic drawings, B: A Year in Plagues & Pencils, is different. During the lockdown I drew something new every day and posted it on social media. Sometimes I’d find something to draw, sometimes people would write asking for a drawing, and sometimes the day seemed to demand a certain drawing.

One of my favourite things to draw is the grackle.

It’s this awful, small black bird, which I love. They look very shifty. They’re everywhere in Texas and they make these odd squeaks which sound like they’re rusty inside.

William Blake is one of my big heroes. He kept me going when people questioned why I was illustrating my novels. Bruno Schulz, Leonora Carrington, Mervyn Peake, Alasdair Gray – they showed me I could do both.

William Hogarth’s work touched me so much as a child. I first saw Gin Lane in a history book at school and it so terrified me – and so fascinated me.

The Tombow Mono 100 B is a perfect pencil. It can do hard and soft. I spurn all others; this is the one I love.

Drawing is like a muscle – you want to keep it exercised. Find anything to draw, it doesn’t matter how simple it is. Maybe focus on portraits of the artists you love or the characters from literature that you love – that’s what I did during the lockdown.

I’m not trained as an illustrator. I haven’t done art classes since my A Levels, but you can learn by going to art galleries. Just stare at the work of an artist you love and try to understand how on earth they’ve achieved what they’ve done.

Edward’s new book, B: A Year in Plagues & Pencils, is published by Gallic Books. www.edwardcareyauthor.com