PWC/261/1/08A: Notes on the beautiful dancer, by Robyn Wells, March 2018

Summary

The character Steve the gorilla and the story Steve goes to Carnival were created after Joshua had researched gorillas as part of his Year 5 classroom project on endangered species. Joshua and Robyn did a great deal of exploration and development for the illustrations of Steve, carefully examining the posture and characteristics of gorillas. Cardboard stencils were created for each illustration to put down an underlying layer of colour for the body, rough brushes and hair curlers were used to create a layer of hair and finally, fine brushes were used to portray the details of the face, hands and feet. Many pieces of art were created during the development of his character. However, most of the illustrations used in the final publication were produced in a short period in 2016, to achieve a consistent style. In early versions, Steve was disguised in a top hat, coat and mask, but in the final versions, a simple hat magically transforms him. The illustrations were scanned and then embedded into the background of the zoo, the carnival or the jazz club, as needed.The character of Antonio and his friendship with Steve was described by Joshua in the first draft of the story in 2006 (see Notebook 1) In the initial drafts, Antonio and the saxophone player were two separate characters, but in the final publication, Antonio the zookeeper and Antonio the saxophone player were merged into one character, creating an element of surprise for the reader and giving Antonio a greater depth of character. The original inspiration for Antonio's look was Antonio Banderas. When Joshua came to illustrate the final pieces for the book, photographs were taken to achieve the right body language for each scene, with Robyn's friend Marcus Duncan posing as Antonio the zookeeper and Tim Malone, a saxophone player, modelling Antonio the saxophone player.Most of the animals in the zoo are native to Brazil: the jaguar, macaw, three-toed sloths, ant eaters and spider monkeys. The elephant and lion, like Steve the gorilla, are from Africa. Each animal has its own characteristic.This critical scene shows Steve heading headlong into an unknown, mysterious world. The atmosphere for this scene was directly inspired by an image in the Time-Life book Great cities of the world/Rio de Janeiro (p. 17) This scene appears in all the early storyboards and drafts. In addition, several pencil versions were made prior to commencing the final artwork.The illustrations of supporting characters reflect Brazil's rich history and the different types of people who live in Rio de Janeiro. Each illustration portrays an individual with a part to play in the story and particular character traits that give these supporting characters a great deal of depth. Steve meets with many acts of kindness from these characters and one message of the story is that of kindness shown by strangers.The characters at the Blue Jaguar Jazz Club were well-formed from the first drafts of the story: the elegant hostess, the kind doorman, the waiter, the piano player, the jazz singer and cello player.This character is a little like Beauty in Beauty and the Beast. She is a young woman without judgement and shows kindness to a stranger at a time when others may have chosen not to. The beautiful dancer's looks were based on Rachel bin Salleh, from Magabala Books. She went to school with Joshua's mother Dolores Button and has known Joshua all his life. These artworks were created as backgrounds for the favelas or the city.These artworks were inspired by the style of the Madeline series illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmen. The cages are ornate and lovely, so that the zoo is not too grim for young readers.