My interests in illustration mainly lie within the area of children's book illustration and visual narratives. I love illustrations that have a strong concept and an atmospheric aesthetic, setting the scene and creating a world within the frame.
My interests are changing all the time and since starting the course I have been exposed to an even wider range of illustrators and storytellers than I was aware of before. I have selected just five illustrators to quickly demonstrate my specific interest in children's book illustration.
For the sake of not blabbering on, I have not mentioned Tove Jansson this time. I don't wish to bore you again with my love for that woman and her work... I could talk for hours.
Above: Barbara Cooney. When I think of fairytales, I do not think of the Brothers Grimm - I think of Barbara Cooney. The depth and detail of Cooney's work is what draws me in and tempts me to step inside the stories she illustrates. Her landscapes are beautiful and her scenes are composed to give away just enough of the narrative to keep the reader guessing.
This illustration gives something that words can't. The illustration suggests a sense of place and firmly embeds Cooney's authorship within the book. If her voice is not apparent in the words then it can be found in the visual signature of her idyllic scenes.
This illustration gives something that words can't. The illustration suggests a sense of place and firmly embeds Cooney's authorship within the book. If her voice is not apparent in the words then it can be found in the visual signature of her idyllic scenes.
Above: Emily Hughes. An illustrator whose curiosity feeds her stories. Through the construction of her innocent characters, she is given the chance to explore and join the adventure on the page. Hughes has an affinity with the child's mind and manages to craft images that both relate to and inspire her young readers. Charming character design that always leaves me reaching for that friend.
[Source: http://www.brainpickings.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/foxsgarden_camcam1.jpg]Above: Camille Garoche. Garoche constructs these intricate papercut dioramas as living and breathing pages. The depth she creates is not an illusion, it is real. She really does make a world of her own with these layered trees that characters can literally get lost in. She uses light to cast shadows and illuminate the image.
Above: Brian Froud's beautiful conceptual illustrations for the major motion picture 'Labyrinth'. Labyrinth is my all-time favourite film. It features incredible puppets designed by the Jim Henson creature shop, but these drawings are the heart and soul of the characters in the fantastical narrative.
[Source: https://coyote.imgix.net/076-oliver-jeffers/this-moose-belongs-to-me-oliver-jeffers.jpg?w=700]
Above: Oliver Jeffers. Jeffers is an extremely talented painter. He is immensely skilled in painting realistic landscapes, yet he uses these in conjunction with his lo-fi hand-written script and scribbly linework. Perhaps this is how his audience of young children perceive the world, perhaps Jeffers intends to be ironic in his clashing aesthetics. I think that this technique is truly unique and definitely interesting. The juxtaposition of visual dialect in these two approaches to representation gives humour and a subtle naivety to the images. I think that Jeffers is a very clever individual and uses his talents to transform the world around him, merging imagination and reality into one.
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