IN THE SHOES OF… David Melling
What's life like in someone else's shoes (or bunny slippers)? This month Françoise Price invites author and illustrator David Melling to tell us about his day.
6.45am - 7.45am
The first hour of my day involving the usual arrangements, before setting off for a walk which can be anything from 30-60 mins depending on the weather and if I have anything urgent that needs early morning attention. Already, I’m thinking about the project I’m working on…peppered with observations about the wildlife I encounter along the river.
'After breakfast, I take a walk for 30-60 minutes'
8.30/9.00am
Arriving at the studio, I’ll have my first cup of tea (or engine oil). Time allowing, I like to do a quick warm up drawing. It might be something that’s caught my eye on my walk, quite often a bird or dog doing something (usually funny). I’ll often go on to post it on social media a little later. (Instagram is my main platform). I have quite a few of these bird/dog related posts now and think it would be nice to do something with them, maybe publish a small zine, perhaps.
9.30am
David Melling (top left) collating sketchbook material (character sketches etc)
of his latest book Do You See the Tiger, to send over to Walker Books
11.00am
Around now I take a coffee break and post on social media. Wise people tell me it’s best to stick to the same regular time every day when you post. Whether it makes a difference or not, I’m not convinced but, for me, it’s more a habit than anything else.
I have waaay more social platforms than I know what to do with and often question why I bother. (I still haven’t got a sensible answer that makes sense). If I do have a preference, it would be Instagram, which is where I’m most active.
11.15 – 1.30pm
Morning is by far the most productive part of my day. This slot through to lunch shoots by, and it’s not unusual to keep going to 2.30pm/3.00pm if I’m on a roll.
It’s during this time I’ll be writing, sketching ideas or working in Photoshop. A few years ago, following an extended period of dithering, I made the concsious decision to finally make the shift to working digitally (a little). A long-held technophobe I began to recognise around the time of Covid that I really should have at least a basic understanding of how to navigate Photoshop. Essentially, I was being asked to do things that clearly needed some knowledge (not just in publishing) and realised that relying on others to help me out was not sustainable. Briefly, my process involves drawing, creating textures and layered effect etc all on paper, using paint, inks etc. I’ll then scan and drop it all into Photoshop and compose digitally. So it’s half and half really. I’m glad I made the move because it really has added to my skill set.
'Learning Photoshop around lockdown has added to my skillset'
1.30 – 2.30pm
Break for lunch and another (short) walk around my local park, if time allows.
2.30 – 3.30pm
The first hour back after lunch is always a little tricky. I almost always drift into that post-lunch sleepy fog. I’m a ‘part-time insomniac (it comes and goes) and on bad days the early afternoon shift can be really challenging. If concentration levels are particularly bad I’ll succumb to a quick 15/20 min doze.
I made an Instagram post that highlights this specific challenge, entitled 'Post-lunch-slump'.
'Post-lunch-slump' by David Melling
4.00 - 6.30pm
If I do have a cheeky siesta , the remainder of the day at the studio often (but not always) gives me a real boost of energy where I match the level of concentration I hit most mornings. If I’m on a real roll I might keep going to around 7.30.
8.00 - 11.00-ish pm
The rest of the evening is my down time. I might play around on the iPad in front of the tv though…maybe drop in a random sketch and play around with colour and textures etc. That said, I’ve noticed more recently if I do this past mid evening there’s a good chance I’ll take some of that overthinking active-mind to bed with me and, as a part-time insomniac the last thing I want to do is climb into bed with a busy mind. So alas, I do less of this now.
'During the evening while watching TV I'll maybe drop in
a random sketch and play around with colour and textures'
Well, that’s a snippet into my typical day. With all this talk of insomnia, I hope I haven’t sent you to sleep!
*Header image by Tita Berredo and Ell Rose;
All other images courtesy of David Melling
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By the early 1990s he began illustrating children’s books. He is probably best known for his Hugless Douglas series. To date he has produced over 200 books in over 30 languages.
www.davidmelling.co.uk
Twitter: DavidMelling1
Instagram: @davidmelling_illustrator
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Tita Berredo is the Illustrator Coordinator of SCBWI British Isles and Art Director of Words & Pictures. Contact her at illuscoordinator@britishscbwi.org
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