For these Aesop’s Fables illustrations I was keen to do some drawing from direct observation and chose the village of Ditchling, where I live, for the background settings.
The animals are specified, but their surrounding setting is not usually described in the text.
Some animals were drawn from zoos and pets at home and some were gleaned from references in books.
All this involves interpretation of course.
Interpretation not just for each illustration of each particular text but also an overall concept for the book as a whole – and how to display them with the text and how to sequence them.
Here is a view of the village green with the local church and other buildings.