Julie Morstad

Julie: When I first read the lovely manuscript for ‘Swan’ by Laurel Snyder, I nearly jumped for joy.
I had been interested in Pavlova from the time I was a young child in ballet classes. I had not yet done a picturebook biography and was so excited (and a bit nervous) to take it on.

In addition, I immediately had very strong visual images spring to mind for the text. When that happens it’s a good sign for me, in terms of the process of visualising a story. The writing was very evocative in that way.

There are so many beautiful photographs of Pavlova, both formal and candid, so the research was really a delight.

Because her life spanned some very beautiful periods of fashion, I was able to completely indulge in my love of early 20th century costume and fashion, pattern and textiles.

Also, the interiors and architecture of the time period (1880–1930) were exciting to depict.

The drawings were challenging and went through many, many drafts. I wanted to keep a sense of gesture in them, as it felt important to the subject of dance – but I also felt that they needed to be strong and bold (like Anna!) but delicate at the same time. Who knows if you ever achieve what you set out to do with these things or if the drawings take on a life of their own in the process, but that was my initial impulse when setting out.

In terms of composition, I tried to evoke the limited depth or flatness of a stage set to reference her life spent on the stage.

I used a mixture of graphite, coloured pencils, gouache, ink and digital layering.

For this book I was very inspired by the drypoint and aquatint prints of Mary Cassatt,^[1] Édouard Vuillard’s lithographs,^[2] Blair Lent’s version of ‘The Little Match Girl’,^[3] and Clare Turlay Newberry’s ‘April’s Kittens.’^[4]

The final art went through a few versions before landing where it is now, and it was definitely one of the more challenging books I have illustrated – due in part to the need for things to be historically accurate and biographically correct, but also because, well, it’s sad. Depicting Anna at the moment of her death: that was tricky to find the right tone. But I wanted to try to bring something else visually to the images – something light.

Illustrations © Julie Morstad.

Buy this picturebook

Swan

Laurel Snyder & Julie Morstad

Chronicle Books, United States, 2015

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One night, young Anna’s mother takes her to the ballet, and everything changes. So begins the journey of a girl who will one day grow up to be the most famous prima ballerina of all time, inspiring legions of dancers after her: the brave and transcendently gifted Anna Pavlova.

‘An enchanting glimpse of a dancer whose name has come to be synonymous with her most famous role.’
—School Library Journal

• English: Chronicle Books (USA)
• Japanese: BL Publishing
• Chinese (Simplified)