Illustrator Sam Taylor on his psychedelic children’ e-book impressed by the band Phish

We’re massive followers of London-based illustrator Sam Taylor, whom we final coated in 2023 when he was experimenting with hand-made strategies. Now he is behind a brand new youngsters’s e-book titled All My Friends Reprise: Looking For Owls.

This vibrant journey, revealed by Banana Tree Books, takes younger readers on a whimsical journey. Up to now, so (comparatively) regular. However what actually caught our consideration was that it was impressed by the band Phish.

An American rock band shaped in Burlington, Vermont, again in 1983, Phish are a unusual outfit that blends many types, together with rock, progressive rock, jazz fusion, funk and psychedelia. They’re generally known as a “jam band” due to their improvisational method. And whereas we love their music ourselves, it is not the type of factor you’d instantly affiliate with youngsters’s literature.

So how, we puzzled, did this all come about?

Psychedelic essence

“The thought got here from Lindsay and Sara of Banana Tree Books,” explains Sam. “They’re massive Phish followers, they usually’d already made a youngsters’s e-book based mostly across the Phish World. So that they requested me to become involved for the second, and All My Pals Reprise: Trying For Owls was born.”

Translating Phish’s psychedelic essence into child-friendly illustrations was a pure match for Sam, who describes how he went about it. “The e-book is split into sections, a web page for the character and a web page for the world they inhabit,” he explains. “All the pieces is from the music of Phish.

“Lindsay and Sara made me a giant doc detailing the whole lot. I then went by means of every part and picked out the entire most enjoyable and enjoyable visible components – there have been rather a lot – after which I began drawing. My work is of course fairly psychedelic and full-on, so I had no bother developing with how the whole lot ought to look. It is very busy and vibrant.”

Artistic Course of

Sam made the drawings utilizing pencil, pen, and paper after which added color digitally. “I make a number of mock-ups and layouts earlier than I draw, so I do know I can embody each factor wanted,” he explains. I like to put all of it out after which have enjoyable with the drawing; that manner, I can maximise the area and squeeze out each bit.

“I all the time work this fashion,” he provides. “However I do not all the time do that many crowd scenes, which was fairly overwhelming initially. I had to make sure I deliberate them properly and obtained the whole lot in there. Each little blob or fish is vital. Making a mistake can have massive knock-on results, and it’s essential transfer issues round or redraw. This may be very annoying and time-consuming.

“That is why I got here up with a course of that works for me,” he provides. “This has made me extra assured and wanting to work on this fashion sooner or later. There are various layers, and it may be scary, however I am not scared any extra. At first, it was daunting, however I began to essentially get pleasure from it with every accomplished web page.”

Music and mythology

Sam provides that the e-book is deeply rooted within the band’s music and mythology. “Each little element is strongly impressed by Phish. Lindsay and Sara gave me ‘the doc’, after which I might disappear and draw. And generally, after that, they’d give me suggestions to make it much more Phishy.

“There are issues from gigs, dwell performances, and plenty of lore,” he provides. “I cherished taking it one unfold at a time, not realizing what’s subsequent.

“As an illustrator, that was a good way to maintain it contemporary as a result of in the future you are drawing an under-the-sea world, and the following it is in area. Then it is all lizards, after which it is all bugs and bugs. I additionally drew some actually cute little gummy bear characters that I like.”

Regardless of the varied array of components, Sam nonetheless wanted to take care of a cohesive aesthetic all through the e-book. “Technically, the e-book has a color scheme, and there are some reoccurring b-characters,” he explains. “It is all part of the identical world.”

Total, Sam has discovered this undertaking rewarding and a priceless expertise for his growth as an illustrator. “This was a giant undertaking for me,” he explains. “I began it in October final yr, and it is solely simply completed.

“There are many pages, a number of characters and plenty of crowd scenes. A lot of drawing. It is chaos. However I compartmentalised it. Made lists. I made a decision on my sport plan after which ticked issues off as I moved by means of it. I used to be down the drawing mine day-after-day, simply chipping away. So that is the principle factor I realized: tackling one thing this huge. Now I get to see it multi function place, and it’s extremely satisfying.”