A Charming Tale
The Little Bee Charmer of Henrietta Street by Sarah Webb, was released last month by O’Brien Press. I had the pleasure of illustrating the cover and interiors for this fascinating historical tale. I was asked to step back in time to 1911 Dublin, and the towering tenement houses of Henrietta Street. As you know, I absolutely love history and I relish the opportunity to illustrate it. What could have been a wholly sad story about tenement life and parental loss, is combined with the excitement and thrill of a visiting traveling circus! I illustrated dancing poodles, trapeze artists, and lots of performing bees! This was one of the most exciting books I’ve illustrated so far. I loved every minute; from the initial research to the sketching and colouring stages.
As mentioned in previous blog posts, I like to compile mood boards of reference imagery before I begin sketching. It informs my thoughts and visualisation. An old photograph may instantly spark an idea for a sketch, or allow me to make sure my ideas are historically accurate. Creating circus performers is just wonderful - I highly recommend it for the sheer fun of designing outfits, poses and personalities!
Another important thing to consider was the title lettering. Lettering from 1911 tended to flow decoratively in arches and waves. They also loved to combine this decorative lettering with both serif and san serif type. As the title was quite long, I decided not to have the lettering overly decorative in order for it to be legible from a distance. Therefore, I took inspiration from 1911 but made it a little bit more contemporary.
As you’ll see from the below sketches, I drew three different cover ideas. O’Brien Press had suggested an idea of a pattern of bees surrounding the children, or a Henrietta doorway with the children. I also had an idea which had struck my thoughts on reading the brief initially - an exciting scene comprising of most of the circus performers from the story, along with the children. This idea was eventually chosen (minus Coco the clown - children don’t like clowns, but I quite like drawing them!), and the Henrietta doorway was chosen as the back cover. I also provided greyscale illustrations for the interior, and you can see them in my portfolio.
I was asked to design a little bookplate, so Sarah could sign each book during its promotion in bookstores. I love these stickers, I think they add that extra touch of magic to an already magical story.
I hope you will pick up a copy or two of The Little Bee Charmer of Henrietta Street - it really is an enchanting read, and one which celebrates both Dublin and its circus and tenement history. There’s even interesting facts about bees at the beginning of every chapter! Happy reading ~ Rachel xo