There were many inspirations for this book. I’m not able to tell which one came first or which was the dominant one, if there was even one. They probably came together all at once to inspire this book in a ‘flash of inspiration’.

Perhaps I can start with a story that took place during my university days in The Slade School of Art (UCL)’s Printmaking Department. There was a Master’s degree student by the name of Eddie (I’m ashamed to say I can’t remember his full name) who was extremely talented and had a great deal of humour too. He had long hippy hairstyle and an easy-going, no-fuss mannerism that reminded me of John Lennon (Eddie happened to love Music too!) He used to come up with these wallet-sized miniature etchings of fairy-tale like frames which were extremely popular with everyone in the department. As we had a practice of pinning up our work in front of our workstations, there would always be a crowd surrounding his workstation admiring his works. Amongst his many wonderful miniatures was a piece featuring a Wolf that looked as though it had come straight out of a Children’s Picture Book. The wolf was standing on a hill-top, confronted by a courageous boy with a circular disc on his chest. The disc was radiating light like a sun—probably a weapon the child used to ward off the Wolf. The Wolf’s posture was reminiscent of Picasso’s famous ‘Minotauromachy’, where a tortured Minotaur figure was reaching out in an anguished pose towards a little girl that was holding a light. On hindsight, Eddie’s work probably drew inspiration from Picasso’s masterpiece.

Anyway, from then on, I’ve always dreamed of making some ‘Wolf’ art of my own. The first attempt was in one of my earlier books—‘A Family Dinner’, where the Wolf appeared in 5 out of the 37 frames. In this book, the Wolf was featured in 30 out of the 34 frames, which was almost every page. Yet, even after drawing the wolf so many times, I still cannot say that I know how to draw a wolf, or at least, draw a wolf that is as imaginative and powerful as Eddie’s. I see this as a good sign though, as it means that I still have many more books to go and a long way ahead to perfect my ‘Wolf’ art.

Another major inspiration came from an impressive film called ‘Dancer in the Dark’ (2000), directed by the gifted Danish director Lars Von Trier. It tells the heart-rending story of poor immigrant factory worker Selma (played by the amazingly talented Icelandic singer Bjork) who suffered from a degenerative eye disease that will eventually cause her to lose her eyesight completely. In order to prevent her son from suffering the same fate, Selma worked hard to save money for him to go for an operation. One day (the scene that I drew my inspiration from), her landlord Bill confided in her that he was having some money problem. Knowing how bad Selma’s eyesight was (almost completely blind by that time), Bill pretended to leave the cabin by opening and closing the door, but actually stayed behind to see where Selma hid her money. Bill of course went on to steal Selma’s money, but was accidentally killed by her in an ensuing confrontation. In the tragic aftermath, Selma failed to defend herself in the court of law and was sentenced to death. Though she could have used her money

to hire a lawyer, she chose to proceed with the death sentence and save the money for her son’s operation instead. This film left a very deep impression on me, especially the scene where Bill pretended to leave the cabin but did not, taking advantage use of Selma’s weakness which was her blindness. In my book, the Wolf too tries to make use of Sophie’s blindness by making her believe that he is a real person-an old friend of her late father. In her innocence (like Selma’s), Sophie believes the Wolf and treats him with lots of kindness, sincerity and trust. As the story unfolds, however, Sophie and the Wolf begin to see things in some sort of ‘diverging parallel realities’, where the Wolf sees one thing, and Sophie ‘sees’ another, although they go through exactly the same experience. What the Wolf goes through is a series of unfortunate events where he, the ‘hunter’, becomes the ‘hunted’, and suffers a miserable and pathetic end. Sophie, on the other hand, with her natural inclination to see the positive and the good in people, experiences the very same events in a totally different light. To the Wolf, it is a day filled with ups and downs, ending with a near-catastrophic disaster. To Sophie (and Rudolf), it is simply a ‘Great Day Out’.

The whole moral of the book is of course condensed in the last two pages, where Sophie reveals her perspective of the events of the day to the Wolf, and shows to him that not everyone will stereotype and judge a person based on his past, his background, or simply who he is. It’s quite similar to what was being portrayed in the Disney hit animation ‘Zootopia’ where animals were being judged based on their historical archetypes (e.g. foxes are sly, lions are brutal, etc and ‘a leopard will never change its spots’). Perhaps I took some inspiration from this amazing film as well, but perhaps more so from my own life experiences. In my working life, I have encountered many people who judge you based on past ‘reviews’ (basically other people’s opinions) of you, rather than try to form their own opinions. And once ‘labelled’ as such and such, your miserable life begins, until such time when you are lucky enough to meet people who are open minded enough to appreciate you for who you are. This is how the Wolf in my book feels. So when Sophie, who is blind to his ‘labels’, sees him in a different light, it becomes a life-changing moment for the Wolf… rather like how the benevolent Bishop Myriel in Les Misérables pretended that the silverware that Jean Valjean stole were actually a gift from him (and added two more candlesticks to go!)

Why do I find the Wolf such an intriguing character? Perhaps it’s because, based on my own life experiences, I find myself being able to empathize with the Wolf. The Wolf has been cast as the ‘Ultimate Bad Guy‘ since time immemorial, especially in Children’s Books and Folk Tales, and even in the movies (think ‘Wolf of Wall Street’)! The other evil character- the Fox- can barely come close. But why? The Wolf is such a beautiful animal with many different virtues. They are highly intelligent and are good team players. They hunt in well-organised teams, strategize, and attack their prey with coordinated moves and complex formations. They seem to know warfare. Most amazing of all, they share the kill and look after one another’s needs like a close-knit community. In fact, wolves have many similarities with humans! They live in well-structured family units called packs, respect social hierarchy and order, educate their young and look after their old. They comfort each other in times of need and protect family members from threats in times of danger…. The more I read about wolves, the more I find that they are so mispresented in literature and culture, especially in Children’s Books! One other key misconception is the fact that wolves hunt alone by themselves, which is so wrong. (This only applies to tigers I think.) Seldom do we have lone wolves acting on their own (except for weakened breakaways seeking to find and join another pack), much less wolves who blow down people’s houses and dress up as Grandmas to trick innocent young girls!

From the artistic point of view, there had been many portrayals of wolves in children’s book illustrations that utterly caught my imagination (other than my university friend Eddie’s masterpiece). There is a particular one by the phenomenal 19^th Century American Children’s Book illustrator Jessie Wilcox Smith which for me was probably one of the greatest children’s book illustrations ever. The piece had a simple composition and very little detail, yet the dominant and striking red of the girl’s cloak in the foreground perfectly balances the dark, sinister presence of the wolf lurking behind. The duo seemed to be entwined in a tango of death while one plots and the other remained indifferent to the impending threat. It reminds me of the dark, ominous and extremely realistic close-ups by the Italian Renaissance Master Caravaggio. I’ve juxtaposed works by the two masters just to illustrate my point. It’s amazing how Jessie Wilcox Smith was able to translate her mastery of the traditions of Neo-classicism (with a touch of Romanticism) to a totally different genre-Children’s Book Illustrations. There are of course many other masterpieces by Smith, but this one will always remain one of my top favourite. I hope that one day, I will be able to produce my own ‘Wolf’ drawing or painting with the kind of spirit and imagination comparable to Jessie Wilcox Smith’s.

What about the other characters in the book? Namely, Sophie and her dog Rudolf. Let’s first talk about my inspiration for Sophie the Little Blind Girl. One rainy afternoon, many years ago, I happened to be taking a light rail train on my way home. I remember quite vividly the scene in the train cabin. It was crammed full of people struggling to balance themselves on the shaky train as it shuddered along; large raindrops pelted down and formed diagonal lines in the sky; the windows of the train cabin were all misty with condensation on the glass outside. Suddenly, a girl standing next to the exit door caught my attention. She had a walking stick, her eyes appeared opaque and blank, and her gaze had no direction. I could tell that this young lady was either partially or totally blind. We were nearing our stop and I was preparing to come forward and offer my help to this young lady to get out of the train. The train station was badly constructed and had many dangerous designs. The staircases were too steep, and the floor tiles were of a slippery type which made it even more dangerous during a rainy day. The station itself had an open concept design and was totally exposed, so when the rain came in, the entire place would be like a scene in the middle of a typhoon. I was genuinely worried for this young lady. But lo and behold, when the door opened, before I had a chance to make a move, she had already stepped out the train and disappeared down the stairs! She walked with such huge confident strides as if she could see as well as anyone, and relied on nothing but her walking stick and her sheer courage to chart her way forward. I was truly astounded.

After that encounter, I continued to see this young blind lady on and off in the neighbourhood, for she lives somewhere near me. Each time I saw her, she was always walking with great assurance in big, bold strides, as if everything was as clear as daylight. And she always made it a point to dress well and look her best-her favourite outfit was a simple and formal dress in various pastel colours. Once, I happened to see her at the local shopping mall hanging out with her family. She was chatting and laughing so cheerfully that there were no sign of any misery or self-pity. When I took a second look, I was surprised to see her family member (maybe her mother) in a wheelchair. Instead of needing help from others, this young lady was actually caring for a wheelchair bound relative! My admiration for her just tripled. After all these years, the Little Blind Girl whom first met in the train is not longer young, but her radiance and independence will always shine forth whenever I see her stride confidently down the pedestrian walkway.  She will always be an inspiration.

How about Rudolf the white Labrador? Or I should say Sophie and her dog Rudolf? First of all, I really love Labrador Retreivers. Even though I do not have one myself, I will always stop and admire them when I see people walk their Labradors when I’m driving. And of course, we all know what a magnificent and amazing creature a Labrador is. They are gentle, intelligent and loyal, and are excellent companions for humans. Somehow, the soft fur of a Labrador has a calming effect on you, even just by looking at it. No wonder Labradors are often chosen to be guide dogs for blind people. They are even used as rescue dogs and are known to heal people with special needs or depression!

The idea of pairing Sophie with a Labrador came very naturally. It seemed like there was no other way. But I guess the inspiration also came from a TV cartoon I saw as a child- a Japanese animation based on English novelist Ouida’s novel ‘A Dog of Flanders’. It was about a poor little boy by the name of Nello, who lived in 19^th century Holland with his Grandfather and his loyal dog Patrasche. Nello and Patrasche made a living by carting milk cartons from neighbouring farms to the city to sell. Nello was a talented artist and his ambition was to become a successful artist.

The story culminated in a Grand Art Competition that Nello took part in, with the hope that winning the much-needed Grand Prize that would relief them of their poverty (even if temporarily). Sadly, in the end, the grand prize went to a rich man’s son (who didn’t need the money), an equally talented artist. The rich man’s son’s work, however, was not as original. It was about Angels and probably modelled after the works of other Baroque masters of the time. Nello, on the other hand, painted a moving portrait of his Grandfather and his dog, rendered very simply in charcoal. Unfortunately, following the disappointment, Nello and his dog died of hunger in the middle of a heavy snow storm. After his death, one of the judges visited his Grandfather and revealed to him that Nello’s work was very outstanding and he actually came in second place. This was a very moving moment for me as a young audience. The relationship and close bond between Nello and Patrasche was something that I have never forgotten even after so many years- and had probably re-emerged in the form of Sophie and her dog Rudolf.   

Of course, this is not the first time Sophie and Rudolf have made their appearance. If you have read my previous book ‘Theodore and The Cat with the Missing Sock’, you would have known that Rudolf played a very major role in that book (and Sophie made her appearance for the first time). However, I was a little uncomfortable in the way I had portrayed Sophie- it seemed to suggest that she was weak and helpless, even over a small thing like getting her socks sorted out. I felt that I have not done justice to the character of Sophie the Little Blind Girl.

The truth is, my image of Sophie is quite the opposite. Like the young blind lady I met in the train, and despite her visual handicap, Sophie is independent, cheerful, courageous, and the eternal optimist. She has no fear of the dark and will stride ahead unafraid of any obstacles or dangers that stand in her way, seen or unseen. But she is not reckless. She is just brave and unafraid, as being unafraid is one’s best defense against any threat in our lives. In fact, fear usually lead us directly into situations we fear most. Most of all, she believes in the good in others, and will always choose to see others in a positive light. And it is precisely because she believes in the good in others, that she actually bring it out, as was the case with the Wolf.

When I finished ‘Theodore and The Cat with the Missing Sock’, I was torn between working this new ‘Sophie’ book or another ‘Theodore’ book. I had to choose carefully as any new project can easily occupy at least half a year of my time! (This book took 8 months to complete.) In the end, I decided to work on this new Sophie book, and even start a new series called ‘Sophie the Little Blind Girl’, although I have no ideas for any of the subsequent stories yet. In a way, this new Sophie book is also like a sister-book to ‘Theodore and The Cat with the Missing Sock’, with one ending leading to a new beginning.

So you can see why there were many inspirations for this book, with no one single major inspiration for it. I suppose it is the culmination of years of seeing different imageries, visual impressions, and life experiences that finally erupted as a ‘flash of inspiration’ to produce this book. So I had no trouble coming up with the story at all-I was able to complete the story board in less than two days as the ideas flowed so easily. However, it took me a total of eight months just to complete the illustrations alone, working for no less than 3-5 hrs a day (with breaks during weekends).

With every book, I try to seek breakthroughs in my technique. Painting digitally is not the same as painting using real paint and brushes- this I learned as I experimented with my iPad, Apple Pencil and the wonderful app ‘Procreate’ over the past four years. With this book, I have totally exhausted my hard disk space in my 128 Gb iPad bought in the year 2018. It lasted me slightly more than four years, and seven books later, it’s time for me to shop for a new iPad! What I’ve learned is that painting digitally is an entirely different ball game that decades of painting using the real thing won’t teach you. Even if you are real-life watercolour master (whom I admire very much), you may feel totally helpless and like a beginner all over again with an iPad. For example, If I want to render a watercolour effect, it cannot be done simply using a watercolour brush in Procreate. It has to be achieved in a series of complicated steps. Also, there are lots of special effects that traditional materials cannot achieve, such as the surprise effects of using ‘clipping masks’ on textured layers (one of my favourite tools). Of course, I have great respect for traditional materials, for that was where I started and lots of great art are done using traditional materials (and still are). But technology has greatly transformed the way we do Art and it would be quite risky if we do not at least give it a try, especially for artists who work on 2-D surfaces like painters, designers and illustrators. Just to name one advantage of using digital vs traditional media for illustration- you never have to worry about getting a shade of colour wrong, as it is just a set of numbers in digital language (RGB, CMYK etc). Another huge advantage of digital over traditional media is that you never have to worry about the colours fading or the paper or canvas turning yellow. You don’t even have to worry about losing your ‘original’, as there’s no such concept in digital art (except for NFTs perhaps?)- every copy is an original. But not to worry-the idea will always be yours. : )

Compositionally, what I have learnt is that there is no point spending your entire life trying to render all the details possible under the sun and hope that your picture would stand out. It won’t, not until you juxtapose these details with a contrasting texture like a flat pattern or an unfinished space. If this sounds too technical for you, imagine plating a fine dining dish you are serving up to your Master Chef judges. The plate must have variety. If you cook all the ingredients or components of your dish in the same way, the whole dish will fall flat, look flat and maybe even taste flat, no matter how intricate it is. However, if you employ a variety of cooking methods, each part of the dish will enhance one another and bring out the richest flavours and textures possible. So in a nutshell, painting is like cooking-something I realised when I watch those amazing Master Chefs in action. They are as much artists as they are chefs!

Lastly, I would like to explain why this book is dedicated to Robert Schumann, the wonderful Romantic composer who tragically ended his life in a mental asylum. During my younger days, when I first fell in love with Classical Music, Schumann was my one and only hero. I would listen (and try to play) his piano masterpieces like ‘Kreisleriana’, ‘Davidsbündlertänze’, ‘Fantasie in C’, ‘Kinderszenen’, ‘Carnaval’, over and over again. Schumann’s music was the soundtrack for my youth. Two of my most unforgettable concert-going experiences were also to Schumann recitals: the first was by Dame Mitsuko Uchida at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, seeing her sprinkle fairy dust on the keyboard with her performance of the ‘Davidsbündlertänze’; the other was to be absolutely awestruck by Nikolai Demidenko (with jaws dropped) at the Barbican Centre (London) as he pound out the majestic chords of the ‘Symphonic Etudes’ in contrary motion. Schumann totally captured my imagination during my 20s and 30s… until of course when I discovered Beethoven from my late 30s on. Still, I would like to pay tribute to the hero of my youth (and hero still) with this 9^th book of mine. But why a book about a Wolf? There are no wolves in any of Schumann’s composition whatsoever, despite the strong literary nature of his works (many of his works mimic imaginary and real-life characters, e.g. the Carnaval was actually a set of 21 character pieces, which included a portrait of Chopin!) From what I know, the only composer whose work contained direct references to a Wolf was probably Prokofiev, with his ‘Peter and the Wolf’. Yet somehow, if you listen to Schumann, you can see (or hear) Wolves, Red Riding Hoods and Grandmothers everywhere! There are four composers that I greatly admire, and maybe with the addition of Franz Schubert- five: They are Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin and Franz Liszt. In my world of classical music, Beethoven is the Grandmaster, Chopin is the Genius, Liszt is the Poet, and Schumann is the ultimate Romantic. As someone who loved children (he had eight children with the wonderful Clara Schumann), he lived in an eternal childhood full of innocence, imagination, longing and pure emotions. And every note that he wrote was like a swing of the wand-just pure magic. It make sense to dedicate a children’s book to a composer who loved children and did not let his childlike innocence and imagination be lost to the harsh adult world.

Before I end, a little note about the ‘repetitive’ way that the Wolf spoke: One moment he would be celebrating that this was the ‘luckiest day of his life’; the next moment, he would be whining that it was the worst… and so on. This manner of speech was actually inspired by my younger son, who has a tendency to swing from one extreme to the other, depending on his ‘fortunes’ for the day. I hope the reader won’t find it too annoying, as it’s part of the structure of the book to illustrate how the Wolf’s fortunes oscillate between good and bad luck, and get from bad to worse as the story unfolded, with a ‘happily ever after’ ending of course.

With this, I’ve finally come to the end of this blog. Thank you for reading. I hope you have enjoyed this blog as much as the book, and will come back for more stories of Sophie and her dog Rudolf when the next book in the series is out.