The first book of Michaël Cailloux: Wonderful nature

from Number 8 Art by Nature Magazine

How did the idea of the book come about? Thierry Magnier, the owner of the publishing house discovered my work at an exhibition in Paris. He liked it a lot and he asked me if I wanted to publish a book with him and I agreed. It was very exciting because it was the first time that I had made the decision to make a children’s book.

Why a children's book? Thierry Magnier’s publishing house specialises in children's books, but with the special characteristic of always being surprisingly artistic. "Wonderful Nature" is not only for children but it also has potential to interest adults and this was how I was convinced to work on this project. I wanted the book to be a game for kids and at the same time appealing more broadly adults to display on their coffeetables.

" I DID NOT INCLUDE RARE CREATURES, SO THAT CHILDREN COULD EASILY RECOGNIZE THE ANIMAL OR THE PLANT."

What inspired you to make this book? From the first meeting with the publishing house, we agreed to develop a book about the wonderful wealth of nature. My work is very much inspired by nature in general, and the idea of hiding things inside for the children to find appealed to me a lot.

And how did you get inspired? I enjoyed myself drawing animals, plants, fruits, vegetables, flowers from all over the world ... I did not include rare creatures, so that children could easily recognize the animal or the plant. I featured the zebra, the swan, the rose for example… but still I added more difficult things like the snowdrop, to make it educational as well as fun.

I love the text, could you tell something about that? My gallery owner and curator of my work, Nathalie Béreau, wrote the texts. We get along very well and have become friends. She has a great sense of humor and is also keen on nature, living half of the year in the countryside. She was the ideal person to put words to my drawings.

"I DREW ALMOST EVERY DAY FOR SIX MONTHS. "

Could you talk about the process. How long did you work on it? I drew almost every day for six months. I had to make drawings that represented each month 12 boards in total. I thought about the big events in each month such as the snow in January, Easter in April, or the sun in July. And after, I let my imagination go. I drew according to my inspiration. I was free and the publishing house never interceded during those six months of work, so the result is as I felt it.

Is the book a success? Yes the book has been successful in pleasing both children and adults, and has been reissued. I received many congratulatory messages and reviews, and I am very happy.

Will there come a follow up, or another book? Yes now my publisher wants to make a collection around "Wonderful Nature". Over the last 6 months I have drawn for a book inspired by colour. It will be another "search and find" for children, and I hope adults will also enjoy it. v

This article is from:

Number 8 Art by Nature Magazine