Welcome to Yellowberry Hill is a collection of amusing cartoon strips by Mark Mowforth about a gang of anthropomorphic animals tackling adult life. We thought we’d ask Mark some questions as to how this wonderful world came about.
- What made you come up with the idea of Yellowberry Hill?
I was experimenting with a duck in a woolly hat for a new series of greeting cards: The duck would pop up in front of well-known landmarks or random scenes with a relevant thought or two to share with the world. My mind wandered to other animals with a particular ‘thing’ (…a cape, a onesie…) and Yellowberry Hill was born!
- Who’s your favourite character and why?
That’s like asking Quite Small Panda what his favourite cake is… The characters all seemed to emerge of their own accord once I’d had the original idea, and they each have things about them that make me feel warm/proud/delighted/exasperated. Much like family.
- Are any of your characters or situations based on people you know in real life?
There are bits of many people I know (and myself) sprinkled through the characters and, yes, in some cases, it’s rather more than just a sprinkle. Real life situations frequently inspire the strips – my sister-in-law’s comedy moment with a hammock, for example.
- Do you usually create the strips as the ideas come to you or do you plan the stories out in advance?
Most readers will have spotted the running themes, but not much goes on that can be described as ‘planning’. Ideas can come out of anywhere and everywhere and seem to take up some sort of order as things unfold.
- What kind of books do you enjoy reading?
I borrow a lot of books from Warm Hat Duck on psychology, quantum mechanics, the universe and science. I also enjoy factual books on interesting projects or notable characters. Generally, I most enjoy reading about real places, real events and real people. Ironic, really.
You can buy the book here or on amazon!
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