Old Tom, the black-eyed, ginger-coloured cat and Mr Chicken, the adorably plump, grumpy-looking, yellow-coloured chicken — in the form of postcards and canvases — are strewn across a couch in the lounge area of Taj Clubhouse. Beside them, sits their creator Leigh Hobbs with a warm disposition and a welcoming smile. The author and illustrator, whose characters are the beloved Old Tom, Mr Chicken, Horrible Harriet, Mr Badger among others, is in India as part of the Australia Fest organised by the Australian High Commission.
“When Old Tom popped out of my head, he was smoking a cigar like a gangster,” laughs Hobbs, “Then of course, I had to change him a bit.” In 1990, when he started his career as an author-illustrator, Hobbs was asked to illustrate books for other children’s authors. “I liked seeing my character on print. But after doing it for a couple of years, I started having my own ideas. Also, I couldn’t connect much to the stories I was asked to illustrate for,” he says.
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This was when Old Tom was born; along with him, came Angela, his owner — in the form of multiple sketches. Much has been talked about the cat and its owner’s relationship, which resembles that of a mother and son. “I realised that my relationship with my mother was similar to what Old Tom and Angela had,” says the author, adding that it was a coincidence. Hobbs, however, did not want anyone else to write the story. He wanted to be in complete charge of Old Tom’s personality.
“That’s when it occurred to me to write the text, as if an adult is speaking, and do the pictures from a child’s point of view,” says Hobbs. This very contrast is what contributes to the humorous tone in his works, which children specifically seem to enjoy. He goes on to give an example. “Once, Old Tom had told Angela that he would be good for the rest of the day and she was very happy. But the illustration shows Old Tom fiddling with a fish bowl,” he says.
For Hobbs, who was declared the the Australian Children’s Laureate of 2016-17, the making of a children’s book revolves around how much a child enjoy the characters’ company. “When I do a children’s book, I place a specific character in a situation and try to work a story around that. The kids want to see these characters in different contexts, thereby learning more about them. Them on an adventure, mostly,” he says. “A family of very strange characters” — this is how he describes his creations.
Hobbs, who worked as an art teacher for 25 years, believes that the kids should feel safe in an environment, even when it comes to fictional worlds. “When I was a teacher, I consciously tried to make the environment mentally and physically safe for them, that reflects in my books as well.” Though the appearance of certain characters seems grotesque, part of their charm lies in the fact that they are relatable and not brash or rude. “I am conscious only in the sense that the characters do not behave in a bad way, since kids identify with that character.”
So, is there is a bit of Hobbs in each of these characters? The author who has worked on over 21 books is quick to say yes. “Unconsciously, I am writing about my life or at least aspects of it. As adults go through life, we fall in love, lose people and fall out of love, and thereby discover empathy,” he observes, “Even though my characters are grotesque and funny, there are such hidden aspects to them,” he observes.
On the other hand, his creative process follows sudden enthusiastic bursts of content. Hobbs says, “I get an initial idea, and I am very energetic; I do a lot of spontaneous sketches and drawings. It’s almost like, I put all of these drawings together to plot a story from them. What happens inevitably is that there would be also be a point where I run out of ideas — it’s like running through sand; very difficult.”
Hobbs says that he always goes through that cycle. “It’s distressing sometime. Here I am wrestling with this idea but I can’t make it work. But what makes it worthwhile are the responses of the children, which sometimes, have me in tears,” concludes the artist with a smile.
