All the cats who appear in Clever Cats, Creative Cats and Cat Rules are the work of Ian Heath. Belvedere interviewed him recently, to see how he does it. Here he is in his own words.

Media 

“I always work on coloured card and paper. I am very conscious of what colours work well together. I have never used a computer for my work, as I imagine I would go nuts trying to find the best colour combination! Occasionally I will sit with the graphic designer  at my printers and change a colour or two - but not often.”

 “For my paintings, I use acrylic paints on canvas. “

 Process

 “I like to work s/s or a quarter or a half up. I always work to a deadline, whether self-imposed or publisher-imposed. I feel it’s important for me to work this way.This process can be quick (ish) or long. I might complete an image in a day (12 hours) or a bit longer, or I might complete two in a day. Sometimes I can spend many hours on an illustration, and when I view it the next morning I may decide to redo it. “

 “When painting, I usually work on several canvasses at a time, maybe an hour or two working on one, then switching to another, then back again or onto yet another. I work from 8 o ‘clock(ish) in the morning until 2 or 3 o’ clock  in the afternoon.”

 “I also make large  papier-mâché humorous sculptures -mostly cats, frogs and chickens; again I may work on two or three at the same time. I love creating these but, to be honest, it can become a bit tedious in the early stages. These sculptures can take from a week to several weeks to complete. However, painting them is very pleasurable. That’s when they come alive.”