Now, I had been drawing all this time - especially in France of course - so, when I came back, my father gave me the chance to do a cover for one of the books he published.

But we discovered that, although I liked publishing, the commercial side meant nothing at all to me.

I thought it was amazing to work with authors, to get a manuscript and try to make up a cover for it.

I want a nice picture book with 12 pictures - I do my best with that format.

I did about 2000 covers altogether, for all sorts of books - from Shakespeare to James Bond - and I always had the idea that I must give 100%, no matter who the author was.

My father realised that for me to become a publisher in his firm would have been the end of the firm!

I come from a family of business people, but I had the idea I wanted to become an artist.