Today’s story involves a cute hedgehog and a pumpkin.

Katy Hudson won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Book Award Gold in 2014 for her illustrations in the book Animal Teachers. Her debut picture book, Bear and Duck, received strong reviews, including a starred review from Kirkus. Katy is the author of the best-selling picture books Too Many Carrots and A Loud Winter’s Nap, which both received numerous positive reviews. Katy lives in London.  You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram.

A BOLD PUMPKIN PLAN is the story of a shy Hedgehog who has made plans to build the perfect pumpkin home.  However, things go wrong at every turn and Hedgehog has to step outside his comfort zone to accept help.  This story is accompanied by Katy Hudson’s lovely artwork for a beautifully well developed character that you will simply adore.  It’s a sweet tale for everyone who has had something not go quite as planned, as well as including friendship and problem solving.

Welcome Katy!

Me: Can you share about your journey? When did you start creating art and/or writing?  How did that bring you to where you are now as an author-illustrator of this book?

Katy: I always loved drawing as a child but I have more memories of daydreaming, playing pretend and making little worlds with my toys. I remember feeling quite lost when friends my age “grew out” of wanting to play those games. I think creating imaginary worlds in my books has given me an outlet in a way.

I studied Illustration at art college, after that I had a long period of doing lots of other jobs as well as my artwork. I signed with my agency, The Bright Group, in 2012 and started out in greeting card licensing. All the agents are wonderful and inspiring people. While one helped me improve and focus my portfolio, another suggested I try writing.  Writing had never been a thing I had expected to do, to paint pictures all day was the dream.

Of course my agent had other plans and my first book, BEAR AND DUCK with Harper Collins was commissioned. From then on I would write story ideas as well as draw characters, one of those characters was a cheeky rabbit needing a new home. I wrote and illustrated TOO MANY CARROTS with Capstone Publishing in 2016 and I’ve been writing and drawing my books with them since. I’ve been incredibly lucky. 

Me: I love this story of a shy little hedgehog with a plan so much bigger than himself that he’s got to ask for help.  What gave you the idea?

Katy: I’ve always been a big fan of the underdog. I love when people say the smartest person in the room is very often not the loudest. I was quiet as a child, as are my children also. We often talk about being brave and using our voices to speak up when we need to. They’ve realized that good things often happen when they do. This has very likely informed the story. In my experience, the quiet ones are often underestimated and they often surprise us with the wonderful things they can do. 

Me: What did your illustration process for this book look like?  Are you a traditional or a digital artist?  Or do you use a blend of both?

Katy: I’m traditional, especially at the start. I have lots of plain paper with notes and rough squiggles on, that only myself and sometimes my wonderful editor can decipher!

These are turned into pencil drawings, then I use a mixture of watercolour and drawing ink with an ink nib. All the elements are drawn separately then I clean them up and pull them together in Photoshop.

Me: I love that you have maps and mazes included in the book that readers can mull over.  They are so detailed and well thought out.  Did you plan to have those from the first draft?  Or were they added later during revisions?  Did this story undergo a lot of revisions?

Katy: Thank you so much! I love drawing maps and I remember as child wanting to know about the world of the characters in books, wanting to see past that tree at the edge of the page or see inside that basket they are carrying. I always hope I can squeeze a map or a snapshot of their room or house that you don’t see in the rest of the story as something extra to explore.

The world the animals live in, is the one that Rabbit in TOO MANY CARROTS lives in. So I’ve had this world in my head for a lot of years. For this reason I keep adding to it! Every time my Editor agrees to another book I’m excited to show a bit more of their world.

The story went through several iterations but the central premise didn’t really change. It was always going to be a timid hedgehog and a giant pumpkin!

Me: After publishing several picture books, has it gotten any easier to create them?  What’s the hardest part of picture book creation for you?

Katy: No! Haha! I absolutely love it but each one is a new challenge. Also with each new one, your standards are much higher because you’ve learned so much from the previous ones. I’d say the beginning bit with my Editor is more fun than terrifying now! We know each other much better and I have more confidence in what I’m doing. There’s always a bit for me, around halfway through artwork, where I doubt everything and want to just start all over again! Often I do. I think it comes from being too excited to start painting and not planning enough at sketch stage. Weirdly this seems to be my “process” now. 

Me: Any advice for other new picture book writers and/or illustrators?

Katy:

• Draw what you like drawing. If you end up getting a book deal, you will be drawing that thing for 32 pages! I love drawing animals. Can you tell!?
• Keep writing your story ideas down.
• Get an agent if you can. A good one is worth their weight in gold.
• Being nice and on time will get you far.

Me: Any other projects we can look forward to seeing from you in the future?

Katy: I’m currently working on the follow up book to A BOLD PUMPKIN PLAN. This one is all about Owl and I’m having a lot of fun!

Aww! That sounds terrific.  I can’t wait to read it.  Thank you for stopping by my blog Katy!

Dear readers, if you haven’t yet had a chance to check out this book, you should.  It’s not often that we see quiet heroes who succeed and communities coming together to forge enduring friendships.  This is definitely a story you won’t want to miss.