Sophie Dahl's first picture book, Madame Badobedah, has been out in the world for just over a week now, and illustrator Lauren O'Hara joins us to talk about bringing curious Mabel, mysterious Madame Badobedah, and The Mermaid Hotel to life on the page:
What was it like to illustrate Madame Badobedah?
“Madame
Badobedah was a delight of a book to illustrate. Sophie created a world so full
of joy, humour and tenderness I was hooked from the first page. I was itching
to bring her world into full and colourful life.
From
the first sketches, Mabel seemed to spring to life fully formed. Her grumpy
little face and suspicious glances often made me laugh as I sketched. Madame B
was more challenging. After a lot of attempts, she ended up looking
rather like my grandmother who was an elegant and formidable redhead with a passion
for antique jewellery and Bichons. Sophie described Madame Badobedah's
flamboyance and I had great fun designing costumes by watching old Marlene
Dietrich and Gloria Swanson movies and sketching feather boas and gold lame
leggings.
And what about the Mermaid Hotel, and the many fabulous locations imagined by Mabel?
The
world of the book is gorgeous. I enjoyed switching between Mabel's home in a
little English Bed and Breakfast by the sea, and Madame Badobedah's past as an
emigre and later a young ballerina in New York. I used two colour palettes to
show these worlds: Buttercup yellow, cadmium blue and peppermint green for
Mabel's world and a darker, more subdued palette of maroon, navy and gold for
Madame B."
To celebrate the publication of Madame Badobedah, Lauren painted a beautiful window for London-based independent bookshop, Ottie and the Bea:
