They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so in an interesting twist, visitors at one of the biggest word events in the world were treated to being immortalised in a picture.

Illustrator Marisa Attard turned book-lovers who visited the Malta stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair into humorous versions of themselves bringing out their shock of red, curly hair, their love for animals or their wide, blue eyes in her idiosyncratic bold and brightly coloured creations.

Attard spent two full days at the biggest book and media fair in the world. People would stop by to have a look at what she was drawing. They were invited to sit and pose for her while she worked on a humorous portrait of them.

“It was great getting to know a bit about each person, trying to bring out their character and adding a few personal details like Tatiana surrounded by all her pets, Helen in her garden and Vasand reading a book, wearing his comfortable slippers with his pet bird perched next to him,” she says.

As she started sketching, they would talk about Malta and Attard would sometimes put them in a Maltese setting, relaxing on a beach, eating ice-cream or walking on the seafront.

“I always enjoy drawing people. It was great meeting up with so many different people, different nationalities and characters,” recalls Attard.

The different responses were also interesting. Some were relaxed and just sat there while she scribbled away, others became very self-conscious especially when the illustrator had to really look at their faces to try to capture a likeness.

Attard explains how her love for watching people somehow influences the characters she illustrates and paints.

Attard works mainly in pen, ink and watercolour and acrylic. She studied art under Esprit Barthet, Harry Alden and Anton Calleja and has taken part in numerous collective exhibitions.

She was awarded the Premju Letterarju for Best Illustrator of Children’s Books in 2002 and 2003. Her illustrations can be found on numerous children’s books and workbooks as well as magazines.

Marisa’s preferred subject matter is the study of people whether in her paintings or caricatures. Her latest work combines both her illustrative style and humour and shows her preference for bold, bright colours applied in layers with added collage to help create texture and depth.

Attard is on the NationalBook Council and really enjoys illustrating children’s books as she feels that “encouraging children to read by presenting them with fun, colourful illustrations is very important”.