The Iron Man

This month 24seven Lifestyle magazine had the honour to chat with children’s book illustrator,

Chris Mould about illustrating for the 50 year anniversary release of Ted Hughes’ The Iron Man

which was originally published in 1968. Chris took some time to answer our questions about

being an award winning illustrator and working on such an iconic book.

Can you tell us a little about this iconic book?

Well firstly, Ted Hughes; The Iron Man should not be confused with the Marvel comics Iron Man,

which often happens. It's a different thing. It was first published in 1968 and written by the poet

laureate Ted Hughes, a writer from the North of England with a wealth of iconic work behind

him. He ventured into children's books and The Iron Man was his most notable of those texts. It

remains a strong children's title after 50 years and has several illustrated versions to its name. It

felt truly special to be allowed to illuminate this 50 year old anniversary edition.

"The Iron Man came to the top of the cliff. Where did he come from? Nobody knows" Is there a more enticing opening line to a children's tale?

Chris, who has been an illustrator for almost 30 years lives in Yorkshire, he has illustrated many a great book in his time such as the Award winning books; A boy named Christmas, The girl who saved Christmas and The Truth Pixie.

Ted Hughes is widely considered one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. How did it feel illustrating such an iconic book?

I'd discovered The Iron Man at school in the library as a young, nervous, out of place, awkward kid. I didn't care what the story was about. It had an Iron Man in it. So I borrowed it for as long as I could. The story stayed with me. I loved drawing and I loved to draw the iron man. Right through school and in and out of art school. So being allowed to do my own version was beyond exciting and it felt like my whole life had gone full circle (in a good way). I would be in my own 50th year when the book was released.

What was the most challenging aspect of working on such an amazing book?

Probably the scale. Whenever you upscale or downscale in literature (Borrowers, Gulliver, Old Mrs Pepperpot, etc) you have to keep your eye on the nuances of the given scale and make sure you're aware of how the world would work around you. There are some very challenging adjustments of scale in The Iron Man. Especially at the point where the space dragon appears as it's huge. Those were probably the biggest challenges.

You are now an award-winning illustrator. Can you tell us a little about this?

Prizes and nominations do tend to pop up when you're working in publishing. It's always

welcome if there's some recognition and acknowledgement of what you do. That's great. But I

think it's also important not to make that the focus of where you are with your work. I'm usually quite hard on myself. I'm never happy with what I produce but I see no real reason to be pleased with myself. It's better to be conscientious about what you're doing and look at how it could be better. So it's better not to bask in the glory too much. I mostly use all my solid gold prizes as doorstops (joking) Pah Ha.

The Iron Man was shortlisted for the Foyles Children's Book of the Year and is currently Longlisted for the 2020 Kate Greenaway Medal.

Is the book available at all book stores and online?

The book is available at Waterstones, Foyles, etc and all independent bookshops. If they don't have it in stock most sellers have access to next day delivery. Needless to say, it’s also on Amazon.

Can you tell us about any future books that you are working on at the moment?

I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you. It’s a cloak and dagger world and we're usually

embargoed from announcing future releases until near the time. The one thing I will say is that I've gone from The Iron Man, to, (after a long break from the studio) another iconic text from a classic English author. So I'm now excited and inspired again about putting pen to paper on something new and different.

The 50th Anniversary edition of The Iron Man is available to purchase from most major and

independent bookstores and online sellers and would make a great present for

adventure seeking little minds.

WIN!

Check out our competition page to be in with your chance of winning your very own 50th Anniversary of "The Iron Man" by Ted Hughes & Illustrated by Chris Mould.

Article by Chris Willingham Mncp