Fun, Playful, Humorous: Alex Latimer Describes His Illustrations in From Aardvark to Zuma

Cayleigh Bright interviewed illustrator Alex Latimer about his quirky book From Aardvark to Zuma in which each letter of the alphabet is given a uniquely South Africa reference.

Latimer says that his favourite illustrations are the ones of Riaan Cruywagen and the Golfball letterbox. He also discusses the distinction between an illustrator and a cartoonist and the difference between creating a picture book for adults and illustrated children’s books.

How did the idea for From Aardvark to Zuma come about?

Initially it was going to be a book to give tourists an insight into South African culture. But as I started working on it, I realised that there were loads of references in it that only South Africans would really understand. So it evolved into a celebration of South Africa’s mix of cultures.

• Complete interview: GQ

Book details

• From Aardvark to Zuma : The South African Alphabet by Alex Latimer
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  EAN: 9780143530367
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