Authors & Illustrators
The Bookshelf: Inside the Colorful NYC Studio of Hervé Tullet
Written by Erin Feher
Photography by Dina Kantor
Jul 25, 2019
Reading the books of Hervé Tullet can give you the feeling that you are standing on a Paris street corner watching a clown with a knack for slight-of-hand. His beloved and interactive Press Here! has left millions of children squealing with glee and believing in the magic of books. The Parisian-born artist has more than 80 titles to his name (including Mix it Up! and Let’s Play!), not to mention dozens of exhibitions and even a musical inspired by his creations. He started his career working in advertising, but the birth of his son inspired him to ditch his day job and pursue his creative passions full-time. That was 27 years ago—today he lives and works in New York City, and is father to Leo, 27, Paul, 24, and Lucy, 19. He recently wrapped up his latest book: I Have an Idea!, which is an abstract exploration of the process of finding and fine-tuning an idea, and invited us into his colorful NYC studio to meet his daughter Lucy and show us where the magic happens. Click through the slideshow below for the entire tour, and prepare to be inspired!
For more children’s books inspiration, check out our previous “The Bookshelf” profiles with authors and illustrators Carson Ellis, Christian Robinson, Jon Klassen, Yuyi Morales, and Isabel Sanchez Vegara.
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- "My studio has always been in my home or right next to it. When I was in Paris, my studio was in the same building as my apartment. And, now, in New York, it is right next to my bedroom. I am often outside so I don’t mind working from my place."
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- "I feel that I do not need a big studio, as I am always chasing ideas. I really think that my 'work space' is in my head or in the space I invade when I am doing workshops or exhibitions."
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- "Whatever is good for the idea! Many times, that is ink, acrylic, poster paint markers, whatever! I just make sure the idea is there and understandable. And, of course, I need paper. I am linked to paper with my art and with my books."
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- "I go to a supply store called Blick in Harlem. Also, when I illustrate, I love to bring back different papers from anywhere I find them and include them in my work. Recently, I brought back paper I found in the street and used it in a collage."
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- Ideas and Inspiration are everywhere in the studio.
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- "I prefer to work in the morning. My ideas are much more clear in the morning and my energy to paint or draw is much better, more sharp. But, honestly, I really do not have a daily routine. I am always working and not working at the same time. I have written some of my ideas in the middle of the night on a small notepad or on a plane."
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- "I was working in advertising as an art director. Just as Leo—my firstborn—arrived, I left this job to become an illustrator. Without really knowing this sector, I decided to make a children’s book. It was not as developed as today and to some extent, like many creators at the time, I wanted to offer something different for my son to read. From a try, it really became a passion."
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- "It sort of came about by chance. I was working in advertising for more than ten years and felt that I wasn’t at the right place to grow older. I started illustration and tried many different directions, but children’s books became the most interesting part to me. I loved that I was able to combine different ideas and possibilities through one medium. I discovered that as an author I could help to change not only children's reading experiences, but could positively affect their lives. It really changed my life and truly gave a new sense of meaning to my work."
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- "Ideas, for me, trigger an energy and a desire to move forward and create. With all creative processes, sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. Often, I find myself waiting—in my studio, on a plane, on a train, in the street, in a museum, anywhere—for an idea to spark enough for me to put it in my notebook. Once I get an idea, I tend to work in the same way. I put it down on paper—both words and illustration—and I try to be in the moment, without expectation. I make mistakes, which I love. It is within the mistakes that I always discover something unexpected. When I make my books, I sometimes think of myself as a jazz musician. Much in the same way, with my workshops, I am the conductor."
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- "Interesting question! I actually don’t know. What I know for sure is that children love to be read to and they love to have that shared experience with an adult. I think that sometimes they love that story time experience more than the story itself."
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- Sometimes music is incorporated into the creative process.
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- "Scribbles, dots, and stains are a vocabulary that children understand. Since they are already familiar with the language, I am able to connect with them easily and elicit them to play with the shapes I create and the different ideas of the book."
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- Hervé and his daughter Lucy.
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- "There were not that many children’s books around when I was young and, honestly, not a lot of time for reading. However, I still remember the illustrations from a book called The Brave Little Goat of Monsieur Séguin by Alphonse Daudet. It is quite well known by French children. The illustrations at the end at the book were really bloody and scary! All the things that inspired me came later in my life, when I was studying arts (the surrealists!) or by discovering music (Miles Davis)."
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- "Press Here definitely felt like a big break for me. I feel like children and adults, alike, immediately embraced that book. For me, the most rewarding part of being a book creator is going into schools and meeting children, many from underprivileged areas. It has provided me with a deep understanding of what I am able to bring to them and to their teachers and librarians. Through my books and creativity, I am able to feed them with new ideas. That is immensely rewarding."
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- "More than 80!"
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- "My most recent book is I Have an Idea! It is about the genesis of an idea and how ideas, big or small, are the spark that you need to create, inspire, and do. This book is different from my previous books, too, because it incorporates my creative process into the narrative. Previously, I used to let my ideas talk for me. In this one, I try to give a meaning to my work and use that meaning to inspire adults and children to create."
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- Dad jokes are considerably cooler when your dad is Hervé Tullet.
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- "I consider babies and children to be the first artists. They experience so many extraordinary things and sensations on a daily basis. I think that my books are an opportunity and a gateway for them to access and engage with the great range of sensations that they experience. I am trying to open them up to art, creativity, and play at the earliest of ages, and that may be why my books appeal so strongly to children."
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- "When I have finished a book, after it has been printed, I consider it being unfinished. For me, a book is complete only when it has been read and interpreted by the reader. Moreover, the adults play a huge role by the way they read my book to their kids. More than the idea that you can tell a story just with simple lines and dots, I think that what people gain from my book is a shared experience."
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- "My work with children—through book writing, workshops, performances, and residencies in schools—follows a simple rule: whether in front of a blank page, 30 pupils, or 400 attendees, I wish for all of my input to be unique and original and to reward me with some new, greater, distinctive emotion."
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- "The Ideal Exhibition! It is an art exhibition, inspired by my art and artistic process, that you can do without me! I have created a series of videos that you can find on the website. It is such an amazing feeling to finally be able to elicit people from all around the world (France, USA, Spain, South Korea, Cuba!) to create art in any dimension—in a shoe box, in a child's bedroom, in a classroom or in a museum—with all kinds of goals, from connecting different communities, to creating an actual exhibition to be visited, to just having fun. To create your own, you can visit our website and apply. There is only one rule: You have to create a genuine exhibition to contribute to the project!"
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- Hervé has created hundreds of iterations of his signature circles.
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- "I grew up in France and studied fine arts and decorative arts. I worked for ten years as an art director at various French advertising agencies. In 1991, I started my career as an independent illustrator and worked with many international magazines and newspapers, collaborated with globally renowned fashion brands—like Hermès, Petit Bateau, and Issey Miyake—and illustrated cookbooks with my wife, Marie-Odile Briet, and star chef Guy Martin. I have spent most of my life in Paris and New York City."
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- "I have always been an artist, but before illustrating full time, I worked in advertising."
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- “I have three children! Leo is my firstborn and is 27. I started being an illustrator when he was born, so yes, my children influence me a lot in my career. Paul is 24, and Lucy just turned 19. If you have a good eye for detail, I have placed references to each of them in my books. A picture, a drawing by one of them, and a dedication."
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- "The energy in New York is unlike anywhere else in the world. I meet so many people and just living here allows me to think and dream. I have come up with so many ideas in New York—from the Invisible Dog exhibit to the Ideal Exhibitions—and continue to be inspired here."
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- Learning the family business.
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- "A personal favorite place to spend time is the Frick Collection. I also enjoy visiting many places in the United States like the seaside of Maine. I particularly enjoy places that have museums and art foundations, like Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Marfa, as they always inspire me and motivate me to go further."
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For more on Hervé Tullet, be sure to follow him on Instagram.
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This was a lovely diversion!
I’ve been to his home before for a book event – lovely person and place!