Good afternoon everyone!

I hope you are all well. Today is my stop on the Rampaging Rugby blog tour and I have the utter joy of hosting a Q&A with the illustrator, Matt Cherry!

Rampaging Rugby is the first in the Stupendous Sports series, which aims to do for sport what Horrible Histories did for Year 6 history with Mr Simkin! Full of cartoons, player tips your coach won’t tell you, irreverent explanations, fascinating facts and plenty of practical instruction. With a foreword and pro tips by former All Black Conrad Smith, Rampaging Rugby promotes an understanding and a love of the game for boy and girls, which is as much about the spirit as the rules.

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How many books have you illustrated? Do you have a favourite?

Rampaging Rugby is the second book I’ve illustrated, the first being The Monster Spotter’s Handbook (written by me). I worked on both books at the same time and both were great fun to do.

What’s it like illustrating a book? Can you give us a brief overview of the process?

I receive a list of ideas for illustrations by the author then sketch loads of cartoons onto paper, trace them onto card and scan them into a computer to tidy up or colour in. Then it’s time to pick which ones work best.

Are there any illustrations from this book that you didn’t get to keep in?

There was a big scary looking rugby player squashing a ball in his hand that wasn’t in the book but luckily he did appear in the promotion.

Which is your favourite illustration from the book?

I really like the Alpha Centauri Giant from Rugby in the year 3000 section. I love drawing odd creatures… and he’s pretty odd!

Have you got any advice for budding illustrators?

Draw lots, draw everything but most of all enjoy it and have fun.

Who are some of your favourite illustrators? Shout them out here!

David Tazzyman (Mr Gum), Dav Pilkey (Captain Underpants) and anyone involved in drawing comics….I love comics!

What have you read recently? We love a recommendation!

The only reading I do at the moment is with my children at bedtime. They love the classics like the Mr Men and Roald Dahl. Wonderful stories like those will be with us for ever.

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A massive thanks to Matt for answering my questions! Go check out Rampaging Rugby out now! Why not check out the rest of the blog tour?

S x