John-Paul Flintoff
@jp.flintoff.org
Writer and artist.
📚 Seven books in 16 languages.
🗞️ ex FT Magazine writer and editor. Bylines: Guardian, Observer, Sunday Times
Agent: Jaime Marshall
Signal: jpflintoff.11
📚 Seven books in 16 languages.
🗞️ ex FT Magazine writer and editor. Bylines: Guardian, Observer, Sunday Times
Agent: Jaime Marshall
Signal: jpflintoff.11
I’d always drawn for my own talks, added illustrations occasionally to my own writing, including my books. But this was different: someone trusting my images to support and amplify HIS words.
That commission changed so much. 🧵/2
That commission changed so much. 🧵/2
November 24, 2025 at 8:59 PM
I’d always drawn for my own talks, added illustrations occasionally to my own writing, including my books. But this was different: someone trusting my images to support and amplify HIS words.
That commission changed so much. 🧵/2
That commission changed so much. 🧵/2
Five years ago, a major publisher asked me to illustrate a book.
Not my own book but someone else’s.
Not my own book but someone else’s.
November 24, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Five years ago, a major publisher asked me to illustrate a book.
Not my own book but someone else’s.
Not my own book but someone else’s.
6. Not allowed upstairs. (Kitchen chair blocks the way, to preserve the stitches.)
November 14, 2025 at 7:30 PM
6. Not allowed upstairs. (Kitchen chair blocks the way, to preserve the stitches.)
Medical suit like a baby-gro
November 14, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Medical suit like a baby-gro
2/ Did NOT want to go to the vet
November 14, 2025 at 7:19 PM
2/ Did NOT want to go to the vet
It’s NOT been a great week for Peanut.
November 14, 2025 at 7:14 PM
It’s NOT been a great week for Peanut.
Made this picture as a thank you to the people who look after sick animals (and do so from the building in the centre of the picture).
November 13, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Made this picture as a thank you to the people who look after sick animals (and do so from the building in the centre of the picture).
Helping someone assemble Instagram posts as a booklet.
November 5, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Helping someone assemble Instagram posts as a booklet.
October 31, 2025 at 10:44 PM
🧵7.
The same technique appears in Woody Allen's "Annie Hall."
Two characters have a sophisticated conversation on a rooftop.
But captions at the bottom show what they're really thinking.
The gap between image and words creates the meaning.
The same technique appears in Woody Allen's "Annie Hall."
Two characters have a sophisticated conversation on a rooftop.
But captions at the bottom show what they're really thinking.
The gap between image and words creates the meaning.
October 16, 2025 at 11:39 AM
🧵7.
The same technique appears in Woody Allen's "Annie Hall."
Two characters have a sophisticated conversation on a rooftop.
But captions at the bottom show what they're really thinking.
The gap between image and words creates the meaning.
The same technique appears in Woody Allen's "Annie Hall."
Two characters have a sophisticated conversation on a rooftop.
But captions at the bottom show what they're really thinking.
The gap between image and words creates the meaning.
🧵6. The most powerful technique:
Captions that work AGAINST the picture.
Michael Rosen's "The Sad Book" does this brilliantly. The drawing shows one thing, the caption reveals something different.
It makes you look twice - and think twice.
Captions that work AGAINST the picture.
Michael Rosen's "The Sad Book" does this brilliantly. The drawing shows one thing, the caption reveals something different.
It makes you look twice - and think twice.
October 16, 2025 at 11:39 AM
🧵6. The most powerful technique:
Captions that work AGAINST the picture.
Michael Rosen's "The Sad Book" does this brilliantly. The drawing shows one thing, the caption reveals something different.
It makes you look twice - and think twice.
Captions that work AGAINST the picture.
Michael Rosen's "The Sad Book" does this brilliantly. The drawing shows one thing, the caption reveals something different.
It makes you look twice - and think twice.
🧵4. You can even channel the voice of the people pictured.
Evans showed a photo of students cramming into a phone box (a 1970s thing).
The caption, in full:
"Breathe in, everybody..."
Evans showed a photo of students cramming into a phone box (a 1970s thing).
The caption, in full:
"Breathe in, everybody..."
October 16, 2025 at 11:39 AM
🧵4. You can even channel the voice of the people pictured.
Evans showed a photo of students cramming into a phone box (a 1970s thing).
The caption, in full:
"Breathe in, everybody..."
Evans showed a photo of students cramming into a phone box (a 1970s thing).
The caption, in full:
"Breathe in, everybody..."
🧵3.
Go beyond basic facts.
Use specifics, not generalities.
Add spirit or attitude.
Evans' example:
"Mr X with chimpanzee (the chimpanzee is on the left)"
The attitude could be comic, furious, sad (see below), or tender.
Whatever serves the truth of the moment.
Go beyond basic facts.
Use specifics, not generalities.
Add spirit or attitude.
Evans' example:
"Mr X with chimpanzee (the chimpanzee is on the left)"
The attitude could be comic, furious, sad (see below), or tender.
Whatever serves the truth of the moment.
October 16, 2025 at 11:39 AM
🧵3.
Go beyond basic facts.
Use specifics, not generalities.
Add spirit or attitude.
Evans' example:
"Mr X with chimpanzee (the chimpanzee is on the left)"
The attitude could be comic, furious, sad (see below), or tender.
Whatever serves the truth of the moment.
Go beyond basic facts.
Use specifics, not generalities.
Add spirit or attitude.
Evans' example:
"Mr X with chimpanzee (the chimpanzee is on the left)"
The attitude could be comic, furious, sad (see below), or tender.
Whatever serves the truth of the moment.
🧵2.
First, avoid banality.
Harold Evans shared various hopeless caption examples in his book Pictures On A Page:
Picture: The Prime Minister enters his car
Caption: "The Prime Minister enters his car"
So don't merely describe what's obvious.
Instead, answer: who, what, where, when, why, how.
First, avoid banality.
Harold Evans shared various hopeless caption examples in his book Pictures On A Page:
Picture: The Prime Minister enters his car
Caption: "The Prime Minister enters his car"
So don't merely describe what's obvious.
Instead, answer: who, what, where, when, why, how.
October 16, 2025 at 11:39 AM
🧵2.
First, avoid banality.
Harold Evans shared various hopeless caption examples in his book Pictures On A Page:
Picture: The Prime Minister enters his car
Caption: "The Prime Minister enters his car"
So don't merely describe what's obvious.
Instead, answer: who, what, where, when, why, how.
First, avoid banality.
Harold Evans shared various hopeless caption examples in his book Pictures On A Page:
Picture: The Prime Minister enters his car
Caption: "The Prime Minister enters his car"
So don't merely describe what's obvious.
Instead, answer: who, what, where, when, why, how.
🧵 /5
By page 40, her mother is already 60 years old.
The father (Kalman's own dad) appears in just 3 double-page spreads total.
👉 This isn't a full biography.
It's a memoir with laser focus: Sara Berman's Closet.
What this means for you:
By page 40, her mother is already 60 years old.
The father (Kalman's own dad) appears in just 3 double-page spreads total.
👉 This isn't a full biography.
It's a memoir with laser focus: Sara Berman's Closet.
What this means for you:
October 12, 2025 at 12:25 PM
🧵 /5
By page 40, her mother is already 60 years old.
The father (Kalman's own dad) appears in just 3 double-page spreads total.
👉 This isn't a full biography.
It's a memoir with laser focus: Sara Berman's Closet.
What this means for you:
By page 40, her mother is already 60 years old.
The father (Kalman's own dad) appears in just 3 double-page spreads total.
👉 This isn't a full biography.
It's a memoir with laser focus: Sara Berman's Closet.
What this means for you:
🧵 /4
Then the surprising shift:
Photos of her mother’s CLOSET, incl possessions/clothes: 36 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Reunion with sister + death: 16 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Closet displayed at the Met Museum: 16 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Closing, incl publisher blurb: 8 pages
Notice anything?
Then the surprising shift:
Photos of her mother’s CLOSET, incl possessions/clothes: 36 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Reunion with sister + death: 16 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Closet displayed at the Met Museum: 16 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Closing, incl publisher blurb: 8 pages
Notice anything?
October 12, 2025 at 12:25 PM
🧵 /4
Then the surprising shift:
Photos of her mother’s CLOSET, incl possessions/clothes: 36 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Reunion with sister + death: 16 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Closet displayed at the Met Museum: 16 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Closing, incl publisher blurb: 8 pages
Notice anything?
Then the surprising shift:
Photos of her mother’s CLOSET, incl possessions/clothes: 36 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Reunion with sister + death: 16 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Closet displayed at the Met Museum: 16 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Closing, incl publisher blurb: 8 pages
Notice anything?
🧵 /3
First, here's how Kalman structured the book:
Childhood in Belarus (see video): 16 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Young adulthood in Palestine: 8 pages 📖📖📖📖
Marriage + two daughters: 8 📖📖📖📖
Divorce at age 60, moves to NYC: 8 📖📖📖📖
Life in NY: 8 📖📖📖📖
We’re still less than half way through the book...
First, here's how Kalman structured the book:
Childhood in Belarus (see video): 16 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Young adulthood in Palestine: 8 pages 📖📖📖📖
Marriage + two daughters: 8 📖📖📖📖
Divorce at age 60, moves to NYC: 8 📖📖📖📖
Life in NY: 8 📖📖📖📖
We’re still less than half way through the book...
October 12, 2025 at 12:25 PM
🧵 /3
First, here's how Kalman structured the book:
Childhood in Belarus (see video): 16 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Young adulthood in Palestine: 8 pages 📖📖📖📖
Marriage + two daughters: 8 📖📖📖📖
Divorce at age 60, moves to NYC: 8 📖📖📖📖
Life in NY: 8 📖📖📖📖
We’re still less than half way through the book...
First, here's how Kalman structured the book:
Childhood in Belarus (see video): 16 pages 📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Young adulthood in Palestine: 8 pages 📖📖📖📖
Marriage + two daughters: 8 📖📖📖📖
Divorce at age 60, moves to NYC: 8 📖📖📖📖
Life in NY: 8 📖📖📖📖
We’re still less than half way through the book...
🧵 6/7
Step 5: Make a PDF and print it
From Word, Pages or Google Docs save everything to a single PDF.
Upload to a printing shop online. Standard A5 size (5.8 x 8.3 in).
Create a limited edition. Number, sign, and date each copy.
The rarity is what makes it valuable.
Step 5: Make a PDF and print it
From Word, Pages or Google Docs save everything to a single PDF.
Upload to a printing shop online. Standard A5 size (5.8 x 8.3 in).
Create a limited edition. Number, sign, and date each copy.
The rarity is what makes it valuable.
October 7, 2025 at 8:26 AM
🧵 6/7
Step 5: Make a PDF and print it
From Word, Pages or Google Docs save everything to a single PDF.
Upload to a printing shop online. Standard A5 size (5.8 x 8.3 in).
Create a limited edition. Number, sign, and date each copy.
The rarity is what makes it valuable.
Step 5: Make a PDF and print it
From Word, Pages or Google Docs save everything to a single PDF.
Upload to a printing shop online. Standard A5 size (5.8 x 8.3 in).
Create a limited edition. Number, sign, and date each copy.
The rarity is what makes it valuable.
🧵 5/7
Step 4: Include pictures
Mix words with family photos, room-by-room shots of your home, or Google Maps screenshots of meaningful places.
It may seem ordinary today, but in a few years? Pure nostalgia.
Or fill it ENTIRELY with images.
Your choice.
Step 4: Include pictures
Mix words with family photos, room-by-room shots of your home, or Google Maps screenshots of meaningful places.
It may seem ordinary today, but in a few years? Pure nostalgia.
Or fill it ENTIRELY with images.
Your choice.
October 7, 2025 at 8:26 AM
🧵 5/7
Step 4: Include pictures
Mix words with family photos, room-by-room shots of your home, or Google Maps screenshots of meaningful places.
It may seem ordinary today, but in a few years? Pure nostalgia.
Or fill it ENTIRELY with images.
Your choice.
Step 4: Include pictures
Mix words with family photos, room-by-room shots of your home, or Google Maps screenshots of meaningful places.
It may seem ordinary today, but in a few years? Pure nostalgia.
Or fill it ENTIRELY with images.
Your choice.
🧵 4/7
Step 3: Follow a pattern (but make it your own)
Use a formula like the Guardian’s "Letter to… [whoever]” which varies each week.
Each formula / pattern provides a universe of possibility.
You could fill your micro-memoir by tackling ten different prompts, or ten attempts at the same one.
Step 3: Follow a pattern (but make it your own)
Use a formula like the Guardian’s "Letter to… [whoever]” which varies each week.
Each formula / pattern provides a universe of possibility.
You could fill your micro-memoir by tackling ten different prompts, or ten attempts at the same one.
October 7, 2025 at 8:26 AM
🧵 4/7
Step 3: Follow a pattern (but make it your own)
Use a formula like the Guardian’s "Letter to… [whoever]” which varies each week.
Each formula / pattern provides a universe of possibility.
You could fill your micro-memoir by tackling ten different prompts, or ten attempts at the same one.
Step 3: Follow a pattern (but make it your own)
Use a formula like the Guardian’s "Letter to… [whoever]” which varies each week.
Each formula / pattern provides a universe of possibility.
You could fill your micro-memoir by tackling ten different prompts, or ten attempts at the same one.
🧵 3/7
Step 2: Set a constraint
Overwhelmed by the scale of your life? Choose just FIVE moments and write only about those.
Constraints are your friends. They cut through procrastination.
Deadlines, word limits, specific themes: they all help you finish instead of endlessly revising.
Step 2: Set a constraint
Overwhelmed by the scale of your life? Choose just FIVE moments and write only about those.
Constraints are your friends. They cut through procrastination.
Deadlines, word limits, specific themes: they all help you finish instead of endlessly revising.
October 7, 2025 at 8:26 AM
🧵 3/7
Step 2: Set a constraint
Overwhelmed by the scale of your life? Choose just FIVE moments and write only about those.
Constraints are your friends. They cut through procrastination.
Deadlines, word limits, specific themes: they all help you finish instead of endlessly revising.
Step 2: Set a constraint
Overwhelmed by the scale of your life? Choose just FIVE moments and write only about those.
Constraints are your friends. They cut through procrastination.
Deadlines, word limits, specific themes: they all help you finish instead of endlessly revising.
🧵 2/7
Step 1: Set your intention
Stop waiting to tell the "whole" story (as if that's even possible).
Start with a beautiful, heartfelt fragment.
You can always add more later.
(Or not.)
Either way: you'll have SOMETHING instead of nothing.
Step 1: Set your intention
Stop waiting to tell the "whole" story (as if that's even possible).
Start with a beautiful, heartfelt fragment.
You can always add more later.
(Or not.)
Either way: you'll have SOMETHING instead of nothing.
October 7, 2025 at 8:26 AM
🧵 2/7
Step 1: Set your intention
Stop waiting to tell the "whole" story (as if that's even possible).
Start with a beautiful, heartfelt fragment.
You can always add more later.
(Or not.)
Either way: you'll have SOMETHING instead of nothing.
Step 1: Set your intention
Stop waiting to tell the "whole" story (as if that's even possible).
Start with a beautiful, heartfelt fragment.
You can always add more later.
(Or not.)
Either way: you'll have SOMETHING instead of nothing.
🧵 5/7
Technique #4: Include faces from the "world" of your story.
Kalman playfully shows portraits of famous people who she says “loved” her mother.
These figures help capture the cultural moment you're building.
Which public figures belong in the world of YOUR micro-memoir?
Technique #4: Include faces from the "world" of your story.
Kalman playfully shows portraits of famous people who she says “loved” her mother.
These figures help capture the cultural moment you're building.
Which public figures belong in the world of YOUR micro-memoir?
October 4, 2025 at 1:48 PM
🧵 5/7
Technique #4: Include faces from the "world" of your story.
Kalman playfully shows portraits of famous people who she says “loved” her mother.
These figures help capture the cultural moment you're building.
Which public figures belong in the world of YOUR micro-memoir?
Technique #4: Include faces from the "world" of your story.
Kalman playfully shows portraits of famous people who she says “loved” her mother.
These figures help capture the cultural moment you're building.
Which public figures belong in the world of YOUR micro-memoir?
🧵 4/7
Technique #3: Use archival images to establish time and place.
If you don't have a photo of the actual boat your grandmother sailed on...
Find one from that era.
Use these strategically, only when they help "show" something important you can't otherwise illustrate.
Technique #3: Use archival images to establish time and place.
If you don't have a photo of the actual boat your grandmother sailed on...
Find one from that era.
Use these strategically, only when they help "show" something important you can't otherwise illustrate.
October 4, 2025 at 1:48 PM
🧵 4/7
Technique #3: Use archival images to establish time and place.
If you don't have a photo of the actual boat your grandmother sailed on...
Find one from that era.
Use these strategically, only when they help "show" something important you can't otherwise illustrate.
Technique #3: Use archival images to establish time and place.
If you don't have a photo of the actual boat your grandmother sailed on...
Find one from that era.
Use these strategically, only when they help "show" something important you can't otherwise illustrate.