Avid Reader — Window Drawings

For obvious reasons, Flyaway has had a fairly online release into the world, but one of the things I’ve been able to leave the house for was to draw on the windows at Avid Reader in West End, Brisbane (through whom I’m having an online event with Garth Nix and Fiona Stager on 18 August).

I went over on Friday afternoon, Sarah rearranged bookcases and I drew placement dots around them, then she pulled them out while I made vaguely helpful movements, and then I stood back, drew two great long swirly lines in chalk pens, and started filling in the rest (beginning, naturally, in the very middle at the top, which is naturally where to begin when working out how to use a new medium). Placing branches and birds, filling in space with wattle and lemons (lumpy bush lemons).

Three hours later, the sun was down, and I was done. It looked beautifully silvery at night — I’d love to try something like this, one day, with an etching effect.

One of the reasons I’m glad I didn’t draw up a detailed plan in advance is that I would have stressed myself into procrastination. But also there were location-specific elements I would have forgotten or had to adapt to — safety stickers and a sale table and, of course, a Georg Whelan painting on the outside of the window (I was drawing on the inside). With a design like this, it was nice just to flow fairly organically around (and through) those elements.

It also let me add in little hints and secrets from the book.

Here it is by daylight — but if you want to see it without reflections, you’ll have to get down to Avid Reader while the drawing is still up.

Flyaway is already out, and can be bought through all good bookstores! And the Australian launch event is through Avid Reader on 18 August (Brisbane time), with an introduction by Garth Nix and then conversation with Fiona Stager.

Photo by Karissa Cooke