The Crown, by Emily Kapff
The Crown by Emily Kapff is one of the six books on the shortlist for the 2024 Klaus Flugge Prize.
Dramatically sketched in pencil, black and white illustrations changing to images flooded with colour, a little girl wearing a headdress made from discarded rubbish addresses us from the future, urging us to protect the beauty of the natural world and bequeath her a different kind of crown. The judges admired Emily Kapff’s skill at drawing and the drama she conveys through her pictures. Children can spend a long time looking at this book, they said, and it will inspire people of all ages to pick up a pencil.
Former Klaus Flugge Prize judge, Senior Lecturer in Education: Primary English and Children's Literature, Mat Tobin interviewed Emily about her book.
Emily, you grew up on a farm, later moving to Canada, can you share a little on how your experiences with nature influenced The Crown?
We had a Jersey farm in Cornwall where I was born and continued to farm Jerseys in Canada when I was almost 9. I was very involved in helping my parents run the farm from an early age. It was one of the most valuable educations of my life in setting me up not just as an artist but as a person. You not only developed practical skills, initiative and common-sense but also saw the full cycle of life and death and learned to understand and respect them in equal measure. I learned to observe and appreciate animals in their own right, without the usual anthropomorphic filter.
This influenced my art massively. I felt very compelled to try and capture the energy and spirit of animals in my work in a way that was honest and true to them.
Can you share your journey into illustration and how your background has shaped your artistic style?
I have vivid memories of spending evenings after supper with my family watching an old film while my mother and I would draw our dogs. This really developed my observation and style. It taught me a lot about how to capture energy in my work.
I drew every day for most of my childhood, spending a great deal of time drawing in my school workbooks (when I probably should have been listening). I finally felt I was where I belonged when I did an Art Foundation Course at Exeter College. This allowed me to really explore my artistic interests. It is where I learned that there was a name for the thing I loved most, Illustration, which I would then go on to study at Falmouth University.
The Crown addresses themes of environmental preservation. How did you approach illustrating these themes, especially when it comes to colour and perspective, and what message do you hope to convey to young readers?
I was aware of avoiding being too 'preachy' on the subject of the environment. People don't tend to respond to that so well. I decided to rely on the energies of the characters and utilise more of the visual journey to carry the heart of the message. I tend to work from quite a filmic angle as I find it is perhaps more immersive for the reader and allows them to feel more of the impact of the story. Pencil is a wonderful and versatile medium for expressing emotion and lent itself as the base for the entire book. The introduction to the wild flurries of watercolour felt fitting to symbolise unapologetic nature in all her unleashed wild colour.
The colour palette and composition in The Crown are striking. Can you discuss a little about the process you went through in considering colour choices, both those dark and brooding greys and the vibrant, bright colours? How do the colours affect the mood of the reading?
I wanted the colour to amplify the build-up of the book. We start in grey to reflect the absence of the natural world and then are thrown into the visual whirlwind of unharnessed watercolour. I wanted to reflect the nature of land, sea and sky through the primary colours to represent them as the basis for all colour and life on earth.
As a child I remember finding a book in my dad's study of Rapunzel. I think the dust cover had been long lost so its cover was a very modest beige all except a small, gold, embossed vignette of a castle in the top left corner on the front. When you opened it, your eyes were met by an explosion of colourful illustrations. I absolutely loved the thrill of this contrast and felt I wanted to recapture that visual journey in The Crown.
What kind of research did you do for The Crown? Can you share any interesting findings or sketches from your research process?
I went pretty deep. I tend to hyper fixate when I research. The journey I went on for the book took me down some pretty extraordinary rabbit holes, but I surfaced with a great deal more clarity about where I stand in regard to the recovery of our planet. I suppose the main thing I carry with me is that nature is ruthless, unforgiving and unsentimental as much as she is beautiful, powerful and very persistent to survive. We have done a lot of damage as a species but if we adjust our view to align more to nature's code we will recognise that she is a powerful ally and is as keen to recover as we are.
The Crown is about redemption and recognising that all is not lost yet. We still have nature and therefore the opportunity to work with her to heal the earth.
How was your collaboration with the editors, art designer and designers for this book? Can you describe how their input influenced the final book?
We were warned at university that the children's book industry is ruthless and that it’s hard to make a living as an illustrator. I am pleased to say that this has not been my experience working with the Walker family who have been incredibly nurturing and supportive. I felt they respected and trusted my vision which meant a lot. They taught me a great deal about the process of bookmaking and helped me to become better at editing my ideas.
The cover, endpapers, and other peritextual elements play a crucial role in the storytelling - the endpapers especially. How did you decide on the designs for these elements, and are there any particular aspects you're especially proud of?
We ended up going with the current cover as we felt it was eye-catching but also projected the essence of the book without giving away the content. The child's eye looks out and hopefully engages the reader, enticing them to want to know more about her story. As throughout the book, there are also things to spot and notice on the cover which one may not see immediately. I like a book that allows you to notice new things with each read.
I loved creating the endpapers to carry us into and out of the story. I wanted the final endpapers of the horse and child in the meadow to close the book with a sense of not only what happened next for them but also with a hopeful sense of what could happen next for all of us.
Were there any significant challenges you faced while working on this book? How did you overcome them?
It was COVID during the making of the book. I have two children, so I was juggling their home schooling and domestic life like many others were at the time. Unfortunately, I was also going through some relationship challenges which made the process particularly difficult. I was very emotionally involved in the book. There were a lot of tears and joy during its making. I felt such a strong drive to create it that it seemed like it almost took on a life of its own. I think many artists have particular works that feel have come from a bigger or higher place and that they are just the messengers, this is exactly how The Crown felt to create.
I coped by trusting my skills and instinct. I used a lot of music to get me through the process and allowed the soul of the book to guide me along in times where I felt I had hit a wall.
Can you give us a tour of your workspace and share some of the materials you use?
My studio is a small bedroom in my house so it's pretty crammed. For illustration I tend to favour pencil, ink and watercolour but you will find a multitude of other mediums in my workspace because I am also an animal portrait artist. For this, I work in pencil, pastel, ink, watercolour, oils, wire sculpture and felted wool sculpture.
Are there any contemporary artists or illustrators whose work you admire and think everyone should encounter?
I really love the work of Charlie Mackesy. I feel his work is a wonderful example of the power in mastering the simple line. His soulful drawings, along with the gentle, yet impactful messages of his writing are a powerful beacon of light and inspiration. He has touched a lot of people through his work.
I also really like the work of Levi Pinfold. He's got a great style and knack for detail and colour. His books are a feast for the eyes and a wonderfully curious journey for the imagination.
Finally, can you share a little about projects you're currently working on and what we can look forward to reading from you in the future?
At the moment I am going through some life shifts and so my next project is on hold for this year. It will be another children's book which seeks to draw our attention and hearts to our precious soils.
The Crown is published by Walker Books, 978-1529516951, £7.99 pbk.
The Klaus Flugge Prize is funded personally by Klaus Flugge and run independently of Andersen Press.
Website maintenance & Copyright © 2024 Andersen Press. All Rights Reserved. Privacy & Cookie Policy.