Alexander McCall Smith’s Long-Time Illustrator, Iain McIntosh, Answers Reader Questions
Alexander McCall Smith’s books are always as beautiful as they are enjoyable—and it’s thanks to his long-time collaborator, illustrator Iain McIntosh. In celebration of the thirty charming cartoons he designed in Tiny Tales, we wanted to get the inside scoop on what it’s like working with one of our favorite authors, so we asked Iain to answer some reader-submitted questions. Keep reading to find out his answers about working with Alexander, international editions, and more.
QUESTIONS FOR IAIN
How’s about a kid’s book with Iain as illustrator? —Frowsy S.
How do you determine when to reiterate Sandy’s text with one of your exquisite illustrations, or as you’ve subtly done many times, to illustrate “between the lines” to create a subtext? —Richard J. W.
Do you read the book before you come up with a cover idea or do you not read the entire book and brainstorm with Alexander? —Barbara A.
Do you create more than one idea for the cover of each book before selecting one? —Holly D.
Do you do the art for all the translations of the books? Do you do cover art for other authors? —Jan E.