To celebrate the release of See You Later… we got together with creator April Suddendorf, to chat all about illustration, storytelling, and everyone’s new favourite alligator! See You Later… is out now, click the link below to get your copy!
Hi April! You’re a new creator to Flying Eye, and we’re loving your new book, See You Later! How did you come up with the idea?
I came up with the idea when I first moved to Dublin from Germany to do my Master’s. Moving to a different country was surprisingly (to me) difficult! I was rather lonely at first and it wasn’t at all how I’d imagined. I was trying to preoccupy myself by staying creative. That’s how Gary was born – a very ambitious little alligator who realises maybe the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the swamp. Thankfully, two years on, I am very happy here in Dublin and See You Later to me has become a tale of trying new things and figuring yourself out.
What techniques do you use to create your illustrations, are they digital, traditional or both?
I always sketch out my rough ideas with a 6B pencil in preferably a large sketchbook. I need space to try myself out and I like the permanence of a dark pencil on paper. I rarely rub anything out as it’s great to come back later and see where things came from. Or even to reuse old ideas in a different project! For touch ups, line art and colouring I then go digital. My iPad and Procreate come in very handy as I love drawing on the go and need to get ideas down quickly exactly as I picture them. Once the analogue sketches are down I love working digitally as it lends itself to quick changes and moving bits around (which I am very much wont to do). I do pretty exclusively use the 6B pencil in Procreate as well though!
There’s something about Gary’s physicality that makes him really funny, even when he’s uncomfortable or upset in the book (like when he matches the bumps going up the stairs) do you think you’re drawn to physical comedy generally?
I think I must be! I’ve never thought about it like that before but I’m definitely drawn to sillyness like that! I watched a lot (and I mean a lot!) of Wallace and Gromit growing up… and still now. Wallace’s ears flapping in the wind of the rocket and Feathers McGraw landing in a milk bottle. But also just my own style works that way – I definitely stay away from realism most of the time and go for whatever is most ridiculous. It’s more fun that way!
There are lots of fun details to spot in the house while Gary explores, which makes us feel like we’re being just as nosy as he is while he looks around. It’s a bit like watching one of those celebrity house tours! Did you have an idea of the personalities of the occupants that you wanted to put across?
I didn’t let myself get too specific with the family’s background as I wanted it to be as mysterious and nonsensical as possible. The pictures in the background are inspired by portraits in the National Gallery of Ireland, postcards on my wall, people I know and albums I like (see the music room in the cross-section of the house for those!) Otherwise there’s nothing concrete there really as I want reader to make up their own ideas of this little family that lives in a massive house on a hill by an alligator swamp.
Gary and the cat seem to get on well, do you think Gary will go round to visit again? Or maybe the cat might visit the swamp?
I think the Bernie the cat is honestly a little too fancy to venture down to the swamp. But Gary might want to explore the vegetable garden next, or their swimming pool, or the maze… maybe he’ll get in the trunk of the family’s car one day when he feels like a holiday! Either way, Bernie and Gary’s paths will cross again.
See You Later…
by April Suddendorf
See you later alligator…
Gary the alligator grows tired of his small, soggy swamp and decides a nearby human house would be far more comfortable and luxurious. How wrong he turns out to be!
This charmingly illustrated picture book is darkly detailed with a humorous ending.
