12 July 07 A new children?s book about an adventurous New Zealand dog, features Illustrations by Weta Workshop designers Frank Victoria and Rebekah Tisch.

Award-winning journalist and author Dianne Haworth has written ?Paddy The Wanderer?, a book which chronicles the true story of Paddy, the legendary terrier Airdale dog who became a local icon in New Zealand during the Depression years of the 1930s.

After losing his owner to illness, Paddy quickly becomes a regular and beloved feature of the Wellington wharves and streets, and makes a small army of friends, including taxi drivers, seamen, children, and the wharfies who make Paddy a comfortable bed in Wharf Shed One.

Illustration by Rebekah Tisch, from 'Paddy The Wanderer' by Diane Haworth, courtesy of HarperCollins Publishing.

Paddy captured the imagination of all New Zealanders, particularly Wellingtonians, with his amazing exploits and adventures, which included sailing on coastal ships all around New Zealand, journeys to Sydney, a flight in a Gypsy Moth, regular tram rides through the city, surviving a kidnap attempt, featuring regularly in local and overseas newspapers, and even his own saucer of beer at a local pub.

Weta Workshop designers Frank Victoria and Rebekah Tisch created the illustrations for the book, and ultimately, it was Rebekah?s illustration that graced the cover of the book. This is the first time Rebekah has had her work make a cover of a publication, and it was a great process to be involved in, she says.

Above: an old newspaper clipping of the historic animal.

?Before I had read the book I hadn?t known about this wonderful story?, she says. ?The book deals with some adult issues and says a lot about New Zealand?s history surrounding the Depression. It was really interesting to read about Wellington?s history, our past and how it affects people in an historical sense.?

Rebekah and Frank were asked to create illustrations that reflected the adult subject matter, as well as incorporating the fun and energetic nature of Paddy. ?We were asked to create illustrations that looked realistic, rather than ?cartooney??, says Rebekah, ?because the book is so action packed. The cover illustration came about after having a think about the ?climatic? part of Paddy?s adventures. I wanted to create a piece that epitomised these adventures, and the climax of the book was when Paddy was on the aeroplane. As I was reading it, I thought ?that?s perfect?, and started to draw that scene."

Above: Paddy on display at The Museum of Wellington City & Sea.

The illustrations are in black and white, which makes a wonderful point of difference to most children?s books. ?Whenever I read historical books, or modern history I think in black and white, funnily enough?, says Rebekah.

Drawing in black and white allowed Frank Victoria to diversify his style. ?This project was great fun, because for the majority of time, I draw in colour, so it was nice to ?change gear? and to experiment with black and white illustrations?, says Frank. ?It was a challenge in itself to create just the right amount of grey shadowing and contrast, as when you draw in colour, you don?t think of those issues so much."

One particular challenge Frank faced while creating these images was making sure each image contained the right historical reference. Because Frank was born in France, he was not immediately familiar with Wellington?s history, and did a lot of reference reading to make sure each piece was historically accurate. Frank details the images he created for the book below.

Illustration by Frank Victoria, from 'Paddy The Wanderer' by Diane Haworth, courtesy of HarperCollins Publishing.

?I tried to create an ?authoritative figure in this image?, says Frank. ?I thought the dog catcher would look more intimidating with a moustache, because many people in authority often have moustaches!?

Illustration by Frank Victoria, from 'Paddy The Wanderer' by Diane Haworth, courtesy of HarperCollins Publishing.

?I am familiar with trams because I grew up in Europe, so I researched images from the New Zealand photo archives to make sure it looked like a tram from Wellington during that time.?

Illustration by Frank Victoria, from 'Paddy The Wanderer' by Diane Haworth, courtesy of HarperCollins Publishing.

?This was a fun piece to draw?, says Frank. ?Here the dog is cheekily relieving himself under the very posters that are advertising the fact that he is missing. I like the irony in this one! I drew this one several times before I was happy with it.

Illustration by Frank Victoria, from 'Paddy The Wanderer' by Diane Haworth, courtesy of HarperCollins Publishing.

?I wanted to make the plane a beautiful piece, because this was one of the climatic pieces in the book?, says Frank. ?I find that it is harder to attract people to the image when using black and white, so I tried to make this image very striking, using the shape of the plane and the contrasting of light.?

Paddy the wanderer is today immortalized with a fountain opposite The Museum of Wellington City & Sea. This touching book is a fitting memorial to an independent spirit who captured the heart of a city during the difficult and often turbulent times of the Great Depression.

He was awarded the Freedom of Wellington by the City Council and adopted by the Harbour Board as Assistant Night Watchman responsible for pirates, smugglers and rodents.

?Such is the charisma of Paddy that even now, almost seventy years after his death, he remains as large a personality as ever he was in life?, says Author Dianne Haworth. ?I had only to say to people working in many different spheres, that I was researching the life of Paddy the Wanderer, for all doors to open. Everyone, it seemed, had a grandfather, an uncle, someone in the family or an acquaintance who had spoken fondly to them of Paddy.?

Melissa Chu-Fong was the winner of Wellington Museum City and Sea's Paddy The Wanderer colouring in competition.

Author Dianne Haworth is an award-winning journalist and author of adult sporting books and biographies, and is HarperCollins leading local biographer. An experienced editor and journalist, she edits Animals? Voice for the SPCA, and is a devoted animal lover. Paddy the Wanderer is her first work for children. Dianne was raised in the Waikato and Wellington and now lives and works in Auckland.

Eight year old Melissa Chu-Fong was the winner of The Museum of Wellington City & Sea's Paddy The Wanderer colouring in competition. Click here to see her enjoying her prize - a workshop with Weta Designer Rebekah Tisch.