From travels in Africa to local book launch
Guelph artist and animator Garth Laidlaw has been able to combine his passions for unconventional storytelling and illustration in his newly published children’s book, Sayni and the Windowjet Brothers.
Having studied animation at Sheridan College, Laidlaw spends much of his time working on corporate and instructional videos, but creating a children’s book is something he has always wanted to do.
“It’s nice that I get to do something artistic for my job, but this is way closer to where my heart is,” said Laidlaw prior to his book launch at The Bookshelf on Sat, Sept. 17.
While spending a few months volunteering in Tanzania, Laidlaw found himself reverting back to his childhood love of writing stories whenever he had a spare moment. Out of the 26 stories he wrote during that time, the tale of Sayni was the one that really stood out.
Sayni and the Windowjet Brothers tells the story of a young girl finding her way in life by building her own compass and filling it with unique wisdoms and experiences.
“There are themes in it that were resonating for me at the time that I wrote it, like what I was going to do with my life, what I was going to do when I got back,” explained Laidlaw.
Upon arriving back home, Laidlaw followed his own literary advice and spent the next seven-and-a-half months working on the book, with countless hours dedicated to each painting.
Drawing from his background in film and animation, Laidlaw’s detailed illustrations tell just as much of the story as the words on the page.
“The nice thing about film is that it’s all about clarity and believability,” he explained. “The world has to feel like it’s more than just an image—it has to feel like it’s an actual place that exists somewhere. […] I want it to feel familiar enough that it’s recognizable—but it’s not quite—it’s a little bit ‘somewhere else.’ I like the ‘somewhere else.’ I think that’s a good place to be.”
By combining the storytelling qualities of Pixar and a visual style similar to Laika (Coraline, Kubo and the Two Strings), Laidlaw wanted to create a children’s book that would not simply entertain, but would also establish a deeper meaning for his young audience.
“I didn’t want it to be typical,” he said, admitting that his illustrations are a little darker and more complex than most children’s books on the market. “I think people going the self-publishing route shouldn’t just do something that is going to exist on the shelves already. They should try to push the medium a little bit more because they have the complete freedom to do so.”
Along with running his business ArtStory, creating a comic book, and teaching weekly life drawing classes, Laidlaw is currently working on bringing Sayni to life with an animated book trailer and hopes to publish a second book within the same universe next year.
Photo by Dana Bellamy.