Narrative Illustration Artist research. Tove Janson

The work of Tove Janson is recognised for it's strong use of block colours, line work and distinctive characters. I find her work interesting and have been a fan of her creation “The Moomins” for a long time. She has worked on many children’s book illustrations including “The Hobbit” and “Alice in Wonderland” in a variety of mediums. 

The illustration to the right is a typical print by Janson from "The Moomins". I think this style of print works well as children’s illustrations because of their simple block'y nature. She also used a limited colour palate which helps the image to stand out and not look too crowded. This particular image has a lot of darker shaded areas which makes the image seem somewhat sinister. I also like the simplistic compositions of the price. The two trees help to break up the image and have some interesting stippling textures. The sweeping landscape has an interesting look as its kept quite flat in appearance.

The image to the left is also of a "Moomin" but this time is a more classical pen illustration. I particularly like the texture use in the sky and the smoke stack, the fact that the grass blades are all individually drawn adds a nice touch. I think Janson’s style works in this black and white depiction as well as the coloured. "The Moomins" had a set of comic strips which were presented similar to this small illustration. I don’t think colour is necessary for book illustrations but it’s an option with needs considering. 

 

Illustration number three is from the "Alice in wonderland books". This illustration shows the famous moment when Alice meets the Gryphon and Mock Turtle. This illustration still seems like the work of Janson but there is something unusual about it. I believe it is because of the mediums which are used, they seem to be coloured pencils. The colours in the piece work particularly well with the scene. The pencils also add some texture which is most prevalent on the Rocks and Mock turtles shell.

Tove Janson has a very classical children’s illustrating style. She often worked on fantasy worlds which is why I think her unusual colour chose works so well.

Narrative Illustration Artist research. Charley Harper

As part of my research I wanted to look at some examples of mid-century illustration. Charley Harper was a natural history Illustrator working in a very distinct mid-century printing style. His work often depicted animals in their natural habitats but with a visual twist when compared to the traditional styles of illustrating animals. Even though his work seems graphic or digital in today's out look, this work was created by hand, using mediums such as gouache.

The first illustrations are a set of three spider depictions by Charley Harper. The colours used in this piece are not typical of most mid-century art, these examples seem quite reserved and naturalistic. Most examples of work from this period were brightly coloured often with a emphasis on yellow or pink. This piece however uses greens, blues and browns which strengthen the natural tone. The compensation is interesting as the illustrations are set up in a way which is reminiscent to comic panels. 

 

Illustration number two shows a selection of creatures and plant life in a large interlocking print. This in an interesting illustration as it shows a multitude of textures and colour chose. The animals and plants are kept to a graphic and simplistic style. Even though the colours are a bit more vivid in this illustration, compared to the last they still seem to stick to a natural theme in this illustration. There is a use of tones including red and lime green but there are also a lot of blacks and browns, this seems to tone down the overall look of the piece.

Piece three shows the evolution of a horse through cave drawings. This piece highlights another trait of the mid-century style. Images were often simple as a product of the style, but had a lot of underling thought in their compositions and structure. This illustration seems quite intelligent and well thought through, the image still clearly depicts what it set out to do. This illustration also has some wonderful rock textures and a clever use of brush strokes for the clouds.

All of These images were taken from the book “Charley Harper an illustrated life”