I entered the 2023 Welsh Eisteddfod under the literary category, where I had to illustrate a Welsh story and create a dummy book for children aged 7 years old. The story is about a boy who loses his swimming trunks right before school, and his quest to find them before school begins.
I was excited to work on a Welsh story as a Welsh illustrator, and I had plenty of ideas for the look of the story. I have grown up in the Swansea Valley in south Wales, and this was my biggest inspiration. Think grey clouds, terraced houses and mountains on every side. Myself and my husband climbed a few hills ourselves to take plenty of reference photos for the setting of the story. We also visited Brecon to get a feel for those squashed together terraces.
For the interior of the house, I looked no further than my childhood home. The brothers’ bedroom was designed with my brother’s childhood bedroom in mind. Lots of blue, school uniform crumpled on the floor, and everywhere all kinds of rugby and football memorabilia. I also modeled the main character’s personality on my brother too. The text gives plenty of hints to a fun little boy who just wants to play football. He’s forgetful and has everyone running around the house looking for his swimming trunks! The full dummy book can be seen below, where you can see a bit more of his mischievous personality.
Katie Griffiths Illustration 