Notes on the Artwork for Irving the Magician
(In response to queries)

Because the written text of Irving the Magician seemed largely complete, narratively speaking, the role of the images was no longer to complete the story's narration and plotting (as it often is in picture books), but more to amplify it.

To this end I felt it was important to try and illustrate the atmosphere of the story. The emotion of it. Perhaps in the way a musical score works in a film. In some ways I was trying to reveal a metaphysical dimension of the story. I aimed to do this with colour; light and shadow; stillness, quietness and emptiness in some scenes; and a soft haziness to the rendering that could imply an illusory quality – part enchanting, part questioning the nature of reality itself (which, then, is "the world of illusion" mentioned in the text: the magic or the mundane?)

Another device employed was the use of small monochromatic images on the left-hand side of each spread. The opportunity here, with this extra layer of storytelling, was to add whispers of mood and meaning without distracting from the text and main pictures.

I didn't plan it, and it wasn't in the text, but a bird started to appear in some scenes and I went with the idea of a bird presence in further illustrations. (See if you can spot them!) I liked the resonances of this, but I couldn't say I was really sure what it meant. It just felt right.

Readers may also recognise architectural details and streetscapes that evoke New York City. To me the story is simply set at the foot of a great metropolis. It doesn't have to be construed as NYC – more a kind of metaphorical New York of the imagination (New York to my mind being the iconic/symbolic great metropolis of the twentieth century).

Artists that particularly inspired me were Edward Hopper for his atmospheric urban scenes and Odilon Redon for his ability to depict the metaphysical. Various old photos of early 20th century NYC helped too. I also made notes and sketches for "Irving" on a visit to New York.

As for technique, the art was created with Indian ink lines and watercolour washes (sometimes many washes over the same area to create veils of colour). Frisk Film (a kind of low-tack contact) and masking fluids were also used during the watercolour process, to mask areas while washes were being laid down. The ink lines were drawn with sharpened twigs to get a more uneven and textured line. A picture of the twigs is on the back flap of the book's jacket. In terms of my other books, the art's style probably has most in common with the art from The Tip at the End of the Street.

– Tohby Riddle

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