Seven questions with Five Wee Pūteketeke illustrator Jo Pearson

Bird of the Century is a big deal! What did you know about the pūteketeke before last year’s historic win for the little bird?

Honestly very little! I had heard about TV talk-show-host John Oliver’s passion for the pūteketeke and what some had considered his ‘meddling’ in the vote which resulted in their landslide win. But the birds themselves were entirely new to me! It goes to show how they were indeed worthy winners – such low numbers have meant they were virtually unknown to plenty of other people too.

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Where do you start when you illustrate a book? Can you remember what you did first to begin your creative process for Five Wee Pūteketeke?

The first thing is to gather resource material and really get to know the subject. I raided my local library for as many books as I could about the pūteketeke and their environment, namely lake Wānaka, and gathered plenty of online resources as well. From there it’s about establishing what parts of them make them unique, their little quirks, their personalities.

The pūteketeke are lovely, interesting birds to look at with their long necks and bright plumage, and then the babies are quite different with little black & white stripes. Those strong visual elements made them quite joyful and fun to illustrate. I generally try to communicate as much as possible with as few lines as possible, so that initial sketching process is really about taking that resource material and finding the essence of the subject.

Can you tell us more about how you illustrate? What media and techniques do you use?

I use a mixture of traditional and digital techniques. The initial exploratory work and sketches of Five Wee Pūteketeke were done traditionally (good old pencil and paper), and then the final art was done almost entirely digitally using an iPad and the Procreate drawing app. It’s a magical piece of tech!

Do you have any fascinating pūteketeke facts up your sleeve for us?

The most hilarious thing about the pūteketeke is their mating dance. This absolutely bonkers display of splashing and wriggling whilst waving plants in their beaks. I also love that they dive underwater for up to a minute as that gave me the opportunity to illustrate a few underwater scenes, which are my favourites in the book.

Were there any moments where you got stuck creating the illustrations for this book, or had to go back to the (excuse the pun) drawing board?

It was a challenge for me to convey the feelings and personalities of the birds. They aren’t like cats or dogs with almost naturally smiley faces, so that was interesting to tackle. I wanted the wee family to have warmth, and for readers to really care about them, particularly the babies. I think through the process I spent a lot of time finding that little angle in the beak or crease beside the eye that could convey those feelings and their personalities.

You’re a book polymath! You also own children’s bookshop Pictura in Dunedin—are the books in the shop a source of inspiration?

Absolutely. I have this amazing cycle of new books coming in all the time and sitting beside me every day to draw inspiration from, so I feel very privileged. In a very practical sense, when I’m illustrating and there’s something I’m struggling with or unsure about, I’ll hop up and have a flick through some books which will help me look at things in a new light. It’s like having a hundred teachers at my disposal for guidance and inspiration. I like the metaphor of breathing for creative work – sometimes you’re able to breathe out (and produce your own work), but other times you just need to breathe in (read, look, watch, absorb). It’s equally important in the creative process.

How does it feel, at the end of all the hard work, to see the final book?

It was really interesting working digitally and then finally seeing it in the flesh – like it had magically jumped out of the iPad and into my hands. It was a great feeling. Selling my own book in my own bookshop has felt like a weird circular experience too!

And finally, can you tell us, when Bird of the Year swoops in again later this year, how will you cast your vote?

As Ōtepoti Dunedin is my adopted home I’ll have to go with the Hoiho, the Yellow-Eyed Penguin. I feel very privileged that we get to see them in the wild regularly, especially given how rare they are. The idea that they could be extinct within the next 10-20 years is heartbreaking, so that’s where my vote will be going!