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Illustrations do more than accompany a story. They shape a reader’s first impression, breathe life into characters and invite readers into the world of a book before they’ve even turned the first page.
For The Shikipisha Club, illustrator, Funmike Ogaosun created artwork that captures the story at the heart of Mubanga Kalimamukwento’s story. We caught up with them to talk about the inspiration behind the illustrations, and what it was like bringing The Shikipisha Club to life on the page.
What was your first impression when you read the coverbrief for The Shipikisha Club?
My first impression was intrigued and connected, to its plot and the original use of names.
The novel explores themes of marriage, motherhood, patriarchy. How did you convey those emotionally themes into the illustration?
Because I could connect to the story, I drew images from memory and tailored it to the story. The picture of the environment, the composure of a wounded Sali, the poses of significant objects, and a dead husband we cannot fully see in the corner of the page portray the mood and themes, conveying quietly what world we’re about to enter.
Could you take us behind the scenes of your creative process from your earliest ideas and sketches to the final artwork that readers see today?
I would love to, but unfortunately, as a “returned- back- to-art” artist after so many years, who was working with so much pent up emotions, on very simple materials, and on my very first book cover, I was too excited and lost in the process. I did not even think of documenting much. I regret that and have resolved to document my process going forward.
Is there a favourite detail on the cover that you’re especially proud of, but think most readers might not notice on their first look?
I’m especially proud of the portraits in the background, especially the one with Grandmother, Mother and Daughter. For me, it ’s a poetic detail showing an invisible thread of generational connection and trauma . Many people may not notice it at first glance, but maybe after you have read the book, just maybe, you might see the significance of that particular portrait of silhouettes.
Every book cover presents its own creative challenges. What was the most difficult aspect of this design to get right, and how did you work through it?
Honestly, it was generally a breeze. After I read the book, I was so captivated and inspired that ideas for the cover just revealed themselves to me. The only work after that was to actually put my pen down and give it life. Sometimes though, I would be hit with the magnitude of this commission that would end up on shelves, in hands and reading spaces, but the joy of the part I was playing overruled the imposter ’s syndrome I might have been tempted to suffer.
In your view, what can an illustration communicate that words sometimes cannot?
An illustration is a poetic piece that not with words, but images tells a story. Illustrations have that abstract wordless power to pull attention, and then communicate to you ( on a personal level) what story it is telling, what emotions it ’s about and what you’re witnessing from the fourth wall. With colors and forms do illustrations speak. Words can make you feel and imagine these things but cannot give you the full picture at a glance. An illustration can also be interpreted even more deeply from person to person, and from time to time, because the more attention it is given, the more it tells.
When someone picks up The Shipikisha Club for the very first time, what do you hope they feel before they’ve even turned the first page?
I hope they feel the tense opening of a curtain into the world and realities of Sali, as we are pulled into it and compelled to become a part of it.
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The post Q&A: Illustrating The Shikipisha Club by Funmike Ogaosun appeared first on Cassava Republic Press.
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