My second lovely picture book is here! The Inside Dog is extra special because it reunited me on a creative project with my childhood bestie, Carolyn Davis. She works as a Creative Director at New York’s top advertising agencies and lives in NYC with her partner Matt and adorable cat Shadow. As the book’s illustrator, Carolyn created the incredible character of Cuddles, based on my story.
Here she is talking about the art and design process:
“The Inside Dog was dreamed up by author Pip Harry, who also happens to be one of my childhood best friends. I’d read all her Young Adult novels from cover to cover, so I was beyond excited to receive her manuscript for this book. My first job was to decide what I wanted Cuddles to look like; his size, his fur, his face, his ears. I gave him locks of manicured fur and a slightly roly-poly physique and little twiglike legs that hadn’t quite reached their potential. I wanted him to have a whimsy and naïvety about his form. Not anatomically correct, just a sense of overall cuteness.
Next, I took Pip’s delightful words and set about building Cuddles’ world. The inside of his house, his neighbourhood, his humans, their car, the farm and everything in between. I kept the colours warm and comforting in his inside world. But I made the great outdoors cooler, with greens and blues, extending to the horizon. Turning 600 words into 32 pages of illustrations means establishing the beats in the story. I don’t always draw exactly what’s written word-for-word. I ask myself what single image best brings each moment to life and let the pictures tell us things that the words might not. Take the close-up spread of Cuddles being patted by his family, for example. Here I didn’t draw exactly what was described, but it completely embodies the sentiment.
For these illustrations I used Procreate on an iPad. But my years of hands-on experience with gouache, pencil, paper and even clay make digital drawing feel as intuitive and tactile as any traditional medium. It doesn’t make it easier, it’s just a lot less messy!”
How did I get the idea for The Inside Dog?
I was chatting on the phone to my sister Nico when she mentioned her family was going to her sister in law’s farm for a visit and bringing their fluffy spoodle Rufus – a sweet, gentle pup. She was worried Rufus wouldn’t get along with the farm dogs – tough working kelpies that slept outside – because he’s ‘an inside dog’.
As soon as I got off the call, I jotted down the initial storyline for The Inside Dog, inspired by Rufus. In my story, I created the character of Cuddles, an inside dog who loves warm laps, sleeping on the couch and lots of pats. During a farm stay, Cuddles is forced to step outside of his comfort zone, make new friends and try something new.
When Hachette were considering an illustrator for The Inside Dog, I put forward Carolyn. As an illustrator, Carolyn’s whimsical, naïve style and restrained colour palette bring depth and emotion to the worlds she creates. I’ve been following her art and design journey since were were teenagers and have always loved her style.
Carolyn’s sweet, classic drawings were the perfect choice for the book and she got to work bringing Cuddles to life in gorgeous digital illustrations. Together, we went to Milkwood Farm creative retreat outside New York to complete the final illustrations for The Inside Dog and to reconnect after many years!
We hope you and the children in your life adore cute Cuddles and his outside adventure!
Carolyn and me at Milkwood!