This book is equal parts funny, sad and uplifting so we wanted to convey these aspects, as well as a sense of movement, as music is a huge focus of the story. We had a tight budget, so briefed simple objects that could be manipulated in various ways rather than a complex full-scene illustration. The isolated figure of Blue, contrasted with the smiling Dr Boogaloo and the haphazard scattering of objects and musical instruments were carefully composed to do this. Blue is the only thing that is solidly anchored to the page and the white-space carves out her mental state.