Illustrator Interview: 20 Questions with Benji Davies

The 20 Question Interview with our very own Turkeybird is our feature interview that happens with all of the book authors, illustrators and poets we love!

Earlier this week we reviewed a fantastic new picture book from an incredible author/illustrator team of Lisa Moser and Benji Davies. We loved Railroad Hank! We loved it so much we decided we simply had to interview not only Lisa Moser, but Benji Davies as well! We’ve already shared our incredibly fun interview with Lisa and if you haven’t had a chance to read it we’d highly recommend it. Today though we’re extremely excited to welcome the illustrator behind not only Railroad Hank, but also a number of picture books we love, Benji Davies! So, without further hesitation on our part, the Turkeybird’s 20 Question Interview with Benji Davies…

1. You have lots and lots of books! Which one is your very most favorite?

Right now my favourite is Railroad Hank.

2. Why?

Because it has lots of fun characters in it. Also its my first book to be published in the US before anywhere else.

3. Trains, cars or airplanes?

Easy … trains!

4. Crayons or Markers?

Crayons

5. Why?

Because you can make them light or dark, soft or scratchy depending on how hard you press on the paper and the angle you hold them in your hand. Markers can go through the paper and ruin the next page in your sketchbook.

6. What’s your favorite color?

I love all the colours.. but the one I always find myself using alot without knowing are the bluey-green ones. But I also like splashes of red and bright pink and orange, they really bounce off all the other colours ( especially bluey-green ones).

7. Why do you like to color? (Illustrate)

I think my favourite things to illustrate are animals because you can make all kind of characters and expressions, and they can get up to all sort of things that drawings of people can’t always do. And on top of that they come in all the colours, texture and sizes you can think of.

8. Do you have a favorite treat? (Mine is chocolate ice cream right now, but yesterday I really liked chocolate popsicles!)

I’m not very good at picking favourites… ok, right now i’d go for a stroopwafel with a hot cup of tea

9. When you were my age did you like to draw? (I do! I even have a whole book already!)

Yes I used to draw ALL the time. Your book is looking great, you are already thinking about the words and the pictures together… keep it up!

10. If you were five what would you read next?

My favourite book back then was The Tiger Who Came To Tea.

I used to ask my mum to take me to my local library after school. I’d look at as many books as I could and then pick maybe one or two that I liked best, then take them home and read them lots of times (and look at the pictures even more) until I had to take them back.

11. What’s your favoritest part about school? (I just started kindergarten and I love recess!)

You can probably guess… Art. In my other lessons I would always find an excuse to draw something, add an illustration or doodle in the margins. The backs of my exercise books were full of drawings and scribbles, even in Maths.

12. Friends are my second favoritest part of school. Do you have lots of friends?

I have a few here and a few there… I am still friends with some of the people I went to playschool (kindergarten) with and I was Best Man at one of those friends weddings this summer. We’ve been friends for 30 years!

13. Do you have a favorite animal?

Very hard to choose… actually I know – Orangutans. They are big and hairy, and they look at you like they are people. They are strong but gentle at the same time. I once saw an orangutan in the zoo, and he was drinking from a watering can with one hand, and hanging from some bars with the other hand, and in the same hand he was holding a very small tomato without squashing it. It was most impressive.

14. What’s your favorite farm animal?

Its got to be the pig. But ducks are close second.

15. Swings or Slides?

These questions are getting harder… er.. swings.

16. Why?

Slides are over too quickly.

17. What’s your favorite iPad app? (Littlebug really likes The Three Little Pigs and the Bizzy Bear apps, but I really like Angry Birds and my farm game.)

I don’t have an iPad! I do have an iPhone though but I try not to play apps too much or I don’t get any work done.

18/19. Do you like drawing for books or iPads more? Why?

Its exactly the same process so I can’t tell the difference. Someone else does all the clever stuff to put it on the ipad.

20. What are you drawing and writing right now?

I have been drawing and writing some new ideas for books, which I hope my publisher will like, and I am just in the middle of working on my very first picture book that I have both written and illustrated. Its top secret for now thought so I can’t say any more than that!

The Turkeybird Speaks: Okay, those Stroopwaffle thingys look super yummy! I asked my mom if they have any here, but she said she’s never seen any in the US. Maybe some day we will have to go closer to where you live so we can try them or maybe we’ll have to try and make them. They look so super good!

Thank you so super much for all the great answers and thank you for liking my book! I’m adding bunches to it every day! I think it will be huge in 30 years from now!

Did you know that lots of the authors I interview say they like swings better, but we don’t even have swings at school. It’s really sad! I usually have to go down the slide at school or ride bikes at recess, but I like being in class better. I’m going to get on the swings the next time we go to the park instead.

Thank you again Benji! Your answers were the best and you did great even if you thought they were hard!

Find Railroad Hank by Lisa Moser and Illustrated by Benji Davies at the following spots:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | Goodreads

Thank you so much to the publisher, Random House Children’s Books, for providing a copy of this book for review and coordinating this interview with Lisa! Connect with Random House Children’s Books on Twitter, on Pinterest and on Facebook!
And be sure to find Benji Davies on his website & blog, on Twitter and on Facebook!
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