Meet Briony May Smith, author of bestselling children’s albums

If you don’t know his early albums yet, we can only recommend them. These are, every time, real nuggets. My friend the unicorn, my little witch or the youngest My friend the little mermaidpublished by Gallimard, they transport us to a world of legends and mythological characters, all illustrated with sweetness and passion.

But who is hiding behind these brushes and these stories, one more beautiful than the other? Meeting with Briony May Smith, the talented.

Interview with Briony May Smith, author and illustrator of children’s books

To miss. How long have you been drawing? Have you always wanted to draw for kids?

Briony May Smith. I’ve always loved drawing – when I was little I would pose my brother and sister and draw the ‘characters’ we would have to pretend to be before we could play! I was the eldest, so I was able to come up with these rules. I think I have a very strong memory and connection with my me childhoodso drawing for kids is like revisiting that feeling.

Where do your inspirations come from?

They come from everywhere! Often it’s something I loved as a child, animals and folk creatures like unicorns and mermaids, combined into a place that has meaning to me. I find a place that really inspires me, to create a world where the character can evolve. A cat in a book is inspired by a neighbor’s pet, one’s location is where I studied in college, the tree on a page might look like the one I encounter on a daily basis…

The folklore and fairy tales I enjoy reading inspire the tone of the stories, and when I walk in the countryside, the animals and the landscape make me want to get out my sketchbook. Countrysides and farmhouses, ruins and castles, moors and mountains, all these places make me think of all the possible magical inhabitants who could live there.

You seem to live in the English countryside, in peace. Is it your environment that inspires you with such sweet and poetic stories?

I live in a small town in Devon [sud-ouest de l’Angleterre, NDLR], surrounded by lots of greenery, walking distance to places with lots of green space, so it’s the best of both worlds. Walking really helps me focus, makes me feel ready to start drawing again when I have time, and also helps me come up with ideas when I’m writing.

In the case of one of my books, A practical gift for Philippa Fagiano, this environment inspired me directly. During my drive along the country roads to my parents’ house, many little animals jump in front of you and the idea of ​​the ‘pheasant lollipop’ of this album came to my mind!

“My Friend the Unicorn” was a big hit. How did you get the idea for this story?

Thank you ! Like most people, when I was little I was obsessed with unicorns, fairies and mermaids. I also loved dolphins, I remember having a little book about whales and dolphins. I thought I had read that dolphins were gray and spotted. It must have been a childhood dream that turned into reality, because it really isn’t! But that’s how the unicorn foal got his baby coat in my book.

As for the setting of the story, I chose it because the unicorn is Scotland’s national animal. I went for an inspirational walking holiday and climbed Ben Nevis [le point culminant des îles Britanniques avec 1 345 mètres d’altitude, NDLR] my birthday !

I wanted a modern setting so the kids could relate to it but still have a strong connection to the wildlife around it. I had just moved from Berkshire to Devon and then to the small town where I now live. It therefore seemed logical to me that Margaret, the protagonist of My friend the unicornshe too has moved into his house at the beginning of the story.

Unicorns, and now witches in your new book “My Little Witch”. What do you like so much about these mystical characters?

I like the folklore that exists around them and the fact that you can choose as many attributes as you want to describe them! I loved reading about magical creatures when I was younger, and when we played our makeup games, we used ideas from children’s books for spells and fairy creatures. When I worked My friend the unicorn, for example, I tried to include fictional folklore, so that it seemed more real.

We feel your passion for British folklore in each of your works. Who will be your next character?

My friend the little mermaid is about two best friends: a human named Zoé and a mermaid named Océane. The setting is inspired by Cornwall, where I studied illustration, and many tales of mermaids in England that come from Cornwall. In the My friend the little mermaidDuring the moonlit night, Merporth’s sea creatures can come out of the water and explore the mainland, and for the first time Océane is old enough to participate and visit her friend’s house…

Many Cornish fishing villages have their own tales of mermaids. The sea seemed like one of the few places a mystical creature could still roam, so I started drawing the town of Merporth and the mermaid who lives there. Though I swim year-round at a beach about a ten-minute drive from my house, with a thermos of hot chocolate to warm me up, I’ve yet to see any mermaids.

Do you have any advice for anyone who would like to be able to make a living from their drawings?

I think you should try to draw inspired by nature and for this I suggest you bring your notebook everywhere. The more observational drawings you make, the easier it is to jump into a sketch. Don’t be afraid of complicated topics, the more you challenge yourself, the easier these things get! Draw what you like to draw. Personally, I’ve enjoyed drawing the same things since I was little, but try not to limit yourself to it either.

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