The Making of Broadway Bird - Part 2
The early development phase of a project is great fun. So many lovely rabbit holes to venture down, fascinating things to be learned, surprises to be had. Broadway Bird was no exception.
Before the project had officially started I was asked to create a sample of the main character, Louisa, who was described as a Parakeet. Fantastic, I thought, my head full of vibrant Moustached Parakeets, Rosellas, Sun Conures, and Plum-headed Parakeets.
I submitted the sample only to discover that the little bird that Americans know as a Parakeet is more specifically known as a Budgerigar in other parts of the world, including Australia, my homeland. Luckily my client was lovely and understanding. 😅
Now, armed with more info and some helpful images of Alex’s own pet Budgie, Louisa went through a small transformation.
Did you know that Budgies have been bred in all sorts of gorgeous colours, but apparently, the original, wild Budgies only come in green with a yellow face? Australia is the only place in the world where you can see a whole flock of these green and gold beauties in the wild. I love that, I’d thought they only lived in captivity, like Syrian Hamsters.
Apparently, under certain conditions, they gather in their thousands. I think murmurations are fascinating to watch at the best of times, but imagine watching the flashing green and gold of a Budgerigar murmuration like this one, filmed by the BBC. Truly breathtaking!
Budgies are extraordinary birds, sweet with a funny chortling voice that can create a mind-boggling range of sounds, but it turns out they can also be quite tricky to draw. Something about the shape of their heads isn’t classically cute (perhaps it’s the ‘cheeks’ ) but the way they move is utterly adorable – bobbing up and down, kissing and chatting to their reflection, scratching their stripy heads with the skill of a contortionist. So when hunting for reference material, a video was often more useful than a photo.
Youtube is a brilliant one-stop-shop for Budgie videos, that are super helpful in understanding bird anatomy and making decisions on how to anthropomorphize Louisa. If you have a project with birds, and you don’t have one of your own to draw from, I highly recommend searching YouTube. I especially loved Bird Tricks, Jamie Leigh and her partner Dave make fascinating films covering lots of different birds, particularly parrots.
Louisa needed to be sweet so one of the first decisions made was to give Louisa big eyes where you could see the whites, not just the pupil. I draw a lot of characters with dot eyes and Budgies actually have eyes like that, they look like black beads. But with all the acting Louisa would do, I knew I needed a range of expressions that would show vulnerability, passion, and humour, so eye whites were a must-have.
The other thing I gave her was eyelashes. Yep, that’s right, and not because she’s a girl. It was a request from Alex because he has actually seen them. I had no idea budgies even had eyelashes! Another fun surprise.
Once I felt I had Louisa’s design nutted out, I started sketching her in all sorts of different moods and poses. In my customary enthusiasm for a new project, I somehow managed to add Louisa 43 times to the book. Crazy right?! Fortunately, because Budgies are full of personality, and to be honest Louisa’s life is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, I had loads to work with.
And lastly, the main thing that defines Parakeets from Parrots is their long tail and Louisa’s tail is very important in this book.
Parakeet tail feathers are similar to the rudder of a ship, they help them steer and maneuver in flight, as well as provide stability during take-off and landing. To help Louisa slow down, she can flare out her tail to create drag, and while soaring it will provide lift.
That wonderful fanned tail, with its unmissable patterns, instantly makes them look much bigger and super impressive. Something I planned to use to good effect in the climax of the story.
Louisa’s long tail also helps illustrate how she is feeling, drooping and dragging on the floor when she’s feeling dejected and flipping up when she’s happy.
When it came to clothing this sweet little bird, I went minimalist. I mean she already has such beautiful patterns and colours in her little ‘feather suit’, it’d be a crying shame to cover them up. Therefore Louisa’s entire wardrobe consists of scarves. Something simple and chic for day, and something long and drapey, with a hint of sparkle, for evening. Oh, I nearly forgot, she also has a pretty pearl anklet. (Scarf styling inspired by my gorgeous Nanna)
I think that pretty much covers Louisa. Thanks for sticking around to the end, I hope you enjoyed the post. If you have any questions please feel free to ask them in the comments below, I’m very happy to chat about all things kids books, anytime. Stay tuned for the next exciting episode covering the creation of New York and its intriguing furry and feathery residents. All the very best till then. x
Broadway Bird, is written by Broadway Director Alex Timbers – the author proceeds will benefit two amazing organizations: The Entertainment Community Fund (formerly the actors fund) and The Wildbird Fund – the latter is the only organization in NYC that provides medical services for sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife found in New York City.
Broadway Bird is available through the links here, or through your favourite indy bookshop.