Illustrator R.W. Alley on how he brings Paddington Bear to life

[0:00] Well, he's been a familiar children's figure for decades, but the origin story of Paddington Bear [0:05] is one born of darker times, and one worth noting on this Holocaust Remembrance Day. [0:11] Paddington's creator, author Michael Bond, recalled seeing Jewish refugee children during World War II [0:17] arriving in Britain with name cards around their necks and suitcases in their hands. [0:22] Those memories inspired the bear so beloved by generations. [0:26] Bond died in 2017, but for the past 30 years, it's been an artist in Rhode Island, helping to keep Paddington's story alive. [0:35] Ocean State Media's Pamela Watts has more as part of our arts and culture series, Canvas. [0:41] Hello. [0:43] For almost 70 years, Paddington Bear has entertained generations in books, on stage, on TV, and in live action movies. [0:55] Even the late Queen of England herself was bemused by the beloved bear. [1:00] However, Paddington Bear hibernates here, in Barrington. [1:04] That's because illustrator R. W. Alley has been looking after this bear, as the story goes, for decades. [1:11] There are very few children's literature characters who have Paddington's range and depth. [1:20] I think it's because the basis is kindness and acceptance. [1:25] That warm spirit of inclusion incubates in Alley's sun-drenched book-lined art studio at his Barrington home, [1:33] where he gets into the storybook. [1:36] I have to be the character I'm drawing. I have to be in my head saying the things that [1:43] the character is saying to get the expression on the face. [1:46] In order to do that, Alley uses pen and ink, colored pencils, watercolors, and... [1:55] Sometimes for Paddington's fur, some coffee. [1:58] Is that legit? [1:59] Well, sometimes it is a mistake, I have to say, because a coffee cup and the water jar are sometimes [2:04] too near each other. [2:06] Coffee-stained, furry Paddington Bear was first created by the late British author Michael Bond in 1958. [2:14] This is the original story that you see. [2:17] Translated into dozens of languages, Paddington's adventures charm families worldwide. [2:23] Alley is the fifth illustrator for the series and the longest serving. [2:28] He currently draws reissued stories or Bond's unpublished works. [2:32] Did you always want to be a children's literature illustrator? [2:37] I'm an only child and I would make up stories and before I could read, I drew out the stories. [2:44] He was illustrating for Hallmark, but then... [2:48] There was a card company in Pawtucket called Paramount Greetings and they were looking for [2:54] someone to oversee their humor department. [2:56] Alley finally decided to try his hand at book illustration full time. [3:02] While working on the Detective Dinosaur series, he had a fateful meeting with the creator of Paddington. [3:07] I had discussions with the author who gave me some insight into his vision of the character. [3:16] What do you think is Paddington's enduring appeal? [3:20] I think it's really simple. I think that he's not a character who judges. [3:27] I think he's a character who, who we would, who the reader would like to be. [3:35] Which inspired a new chapter in Alley's career, writing and illustrating his own [3:41] Breezy Valley comic book style series with animals representing the workers in your neighborhood. [3:48] What I'm trying to do is explain to young kids how important that a whole variety of jobs in [3:57] their community is and how all these jobs interact with each other and, and how they're all necessary [4:08] to building this whole community. And to do all this, I relied on local experts. This is fun. [4:17] I really enjoy drawing the little tools here and, and, and trying to fit all the human [4:24] construction gear onto an elephant. [4:26] The third edition in the series will be published in June. [4:30] It's based on a real local construction project that happened once upon a time. [4:36] And back to that staple of children's libraries, Alley says he's drawn a lot from Paddington Bear. [4:43] Has he influenced you? [4:44] I think so. It makes you less cynical about the world. It makes you more optimistic about the [4:51] people you meet. You know, it makes you, it makes you feel kinder and gentler to the folks you may disagree with. [4:59] For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Pamela Watts in Barrington, Rhode Island. [5:04] Support journalism you trust. Support PBS News. Donate now, or even better, start a monthly contribution today.