Great Illustrators

[Katie-Ellen]

Prompted by a discussion on another thread, shall we dig out some of our own favourite illustrators for general edification?

So many, so many...I, like so many, grew up with Arthur Rackham and Beatrix Potter and they're a classic choice but I nominate Alan Lee for starters.

Lee was influenced by Alan Rackham . He trained in London, studying graphics and Fine art and his medium was mostly watercolour.

Here's the cover illustration for 'Black Ships Before Troy', the Iliad retold by Rosemary Sutcliffe.

How frightening are those ships?

Alan Lee, born 1947 is known as a fantasy artist, and was one of the concept artists used for the staging and design of Peter Jackson's movie trilogy The Lord Of The Rings

VIDEO BOOK REVIEW HERE




And Tolkein's ring wraiths...

 

[Amber]

When I was a kid I liked Michael Whelan:

Michael Whelan

Now he seems cheesy and a little predictable. But I've been looking at his art for a very long time. They used to sell calendars of his illustrations in bookstores.

 

[Tim James]

Having seen a couple of @RainbowNerdAlix 's illustrations for her Shard of Ice book, I must say I'm impressed with her drawing skills. The sketches I have seen are very good.

When I was young, I read the Chronicles of Narnia and those had lots of wonderfully drawn illustrations in them, one at the start of each chapter. Sadly I can't remember who drew them, but they added so much to the story. I think they used some of them in the credits for the films.

The covers of my hardback first editions of Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series all have beautifully painted scenes but again I have no idea who did them.

 

[KateESal]

I think my dream illustrator for the MG magical adventure stories I'm writing would be Jonny Duddle. Rich, detailed, witty and characterful pictures that are deeply absorbing.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

When I was young, I read the Chronicles of Narnia and those had lots of wonderfully drawn illustrations in them, one at the start of each chapter. Sadly I can't remember who drew them

Pauline Baines? There were others but she is the artist I knew as a child reading Narnia

 

[Katie-Ellen]

When I was a kid I liked Michael Whelan:

Michael Whelan

Now he seems cheesy and a little predictable. But I've been looking at his art for a very long time. They used to sell calendars of his illustrations in bookstores.

New one to me. Thanks!

 

[Katie-Ellen]

I think my dream illustrator for the MG magical adventure stories I'm writing would be Jonny Duddle. Rich, detailed, witty and characterful pictures that are deeply absorbing.

As in the illustrator for Harry Potter but other work includes....



and

 

[Tim James]

Pauline Baines? There were others but she is the artist I knew as a child reading Narnia

View attachment 2328

She's the one. That's one of the pictures I remember.

 

[Amber]

Having seen a couple of @RainbowNerdAlix 's illustrations for her Shard of Ice book, I must say I'm impressed with her drawing skills. The sketches I have seen are very good.

When I was young, I read the Chronicles of Narnia and those had lots of wonderfully drawn illustrations in them, one at the start of each chapter. Sadly I can't remember who drew them, but they added so much to the story. I think they used some of them in the credits for the films.

The covers of my hardback first editions of Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series all have beautifully painted scenes but again I have no idea who did them.

Jean Auel's Original Cover Artist - I think

 

[Katie-Ellen]

My mother taught me to read with this, 'I Am A Mouse' and 'I Am A Fox.'

American Illustrator John P Miller.

 

[Amber]

My mother taught me to read with this, 'I Am A Mouse' and 'I Am A Fox.'

American Illustrator John P Miller.


View attachment 2331

That's adorable.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

@ink-eruption . Love it! But imagine the size of the poop in the marktplatz!


@Amber It's back in print...who'd a thought it? Delighted to see that. I couldn't find an illustration for I Am A Fox. But here's my painting of a fox. Watercolour pen and collage called 'The Apotheosis of St Fox.' heh.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

@Katie-Ellen Hazeldine It had had the size already, when I found it.

No worries. Love it. I was making a joke about the size of the dinosaur poo. What's German for poo? Mist? Dung?

 

[Amber]

@ink-eruption . Love it! But imagine the size of the poop in the marktplatz!


@Amber It's back in print...who'd a thought it? Delighted to see that. I couldn't find an illustration for I Am A Fox. But here's my painting of a fox. Watercolour pen and collage called 'The Apotheosis of St Fox.' heh.

View attachment 2333

That's really good! I like it very much. There's some sky and branches and vines... and the fox looks gentle and intent.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Thank you @Amber He's a saint! No chicken houses for him. Well, not many. At this time of year I can hear the cry of a vixen late in the evening. Calling out to the dog foxes.

 

[Amber]

I forgot about D'Aulaires' Greek Myths. The book has been in print forever and I suspect has supported generations of the D'Aulaires family.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Ooh, nice.

No-one's mentioned Quentin Blake yet, who remains massive in the world of story book illustration but I'm not sorry about that.

This one is from Graham Oakley who illustrated a series from 1972 onwards about a cat and the church mice. Sometimes Sampson the cat hunts them, other times he defends them from outside threats. It's a complicated relationship. He doesn't really want to hunt them at all, but feline dignity requires the occasional show of prowess. Even though he never kills a single one.

'I'm no longer publishable,' he says. 'Too old fashioned.' Wow!

I'd rather him than demi-god Blake, but of course it's a matter of taste.

Here is poor old conflicted Sampson as protective escort, guarding the mice at a rodent rights protest march





...and aiding the mice in the face of a ferocious rat invasion

 

[Barbara]

@ink-eruption . Love it! But imagine the size of the poop in the marktplatz!


@Amber It's back in print...who'd a thought it? Delighted to see that. I couldn't find an illustration for I Am A Fox. But here's my painting of a fox. Watercolour pen and collage called 'The Apotheosis of St Fox.' heh.

View attachment 2333

@Katie-Ellen Hazeldine , your pic of the fox is LOVELY!!!

 

[Katie-Ellen]

@Katie-Ellen Hazeldine , your pic of the fox is LOVELY!!!

Thanks @Barbara Pleased you like it.

 

[Carol Rose]

View attachment 2333

This is beautiful!

Just realized the attachment didn't copy. It's the fox painting.

 

[Carol Rose]

Ooh, nice.

No-one's mentioned Quentin Blake yet, who remains massive in the world of story book illustration but I'm not sorry about that.

This one is from Graham Oakley who illustrated a series from 1972 onwards about a cat and the church mice. Sometimes Sampson the cat hunts them, other times he defends them from outside threats. It's a complicated relationship. He doesn't really want to hunt them at all, but feline dignity requires the occasional show of prowess. Even though he never kills a single one.

'I'm no longer publishable,' he says. 'Too old fashioned.' Wow!

I'd rather him than demi-god Blake, but of course it's a matter of taste.

Here is poor old conflicted Sampson as protective escort, guarding the mice at a rodent rights protest march

View attachment 2337



...and aiding the mice in the face of a ferocious rat invasion

View attachment 2336

Those drawings are wonderful! Love them!

 

[Katie-Ellen]

so funny, those stories. Such charm.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

I forgot about D'Aulaires' Greek Myths. The book has been in print forever and I suspect has supported generations of the D'Aulaires family.

View attachment 2334

What are the names of his horses? Good old Wiki.

Helios (Apollo) was described as a handsome young man crowned with the shining aureole of the Sun, who drove the chariot of the sun across the sky each day to earth-circling Oceanus and through the world-ocean returned to the East at night. In the Homeric Hymn to Helios, Helios is said to drive a golden chariot drawn by steeds (HH 31.14–15); and Pindar speaks of Helios's "fire-darting steeds" (Olympian Ode 7.71). Still later, the horses were given fire related names: Pyrois, Aeos, Aethon, and Phlegon.

 

[Amber]

Ooh, nice.

No-one's mentioned Quentin Blake yet, who remains massive in the world of story book illustration but I'm not sorry about that.

This one is from Graham Oakley who illustrated a series from 1972 onwards about a cat and the church mice. Sometimes Sampson the cat hunts them, other times he defends them from outside threats. It's a complicated relationship. He doesn't really want to hunt them at all, but feline dignity requires the occasional show of prowess. Even though he never kills a single one.

'I'm no longer publishable,' he says. 'Too old fashioned.' Wow!

I'd rather him than demi-god Blake, but of course it's a matter of taste.

Here is poor old conflicted Sampson as protective escort, guarding the mice at a rodent rights protest march

View attachment 2337



...and aiding the mice in the face of a ferocious rat invasion

View attachment 2336

So many lines. It's very detailed. I like it.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Jim Kay's illustrations for Patrick Ness' A Monster Calls were highly effective. He's also illustrated Harry Potter.

Jim Kay: 'I worried I'd ruin the most popular children’s book in history'

 

[Amber]

Jim Kay's illustrations for Patrick Ness'A Monster Calls were highly effective. He's also illustrated Harry Potter.

Jim Kay: 'I worried I'd ruin the most popular children’s book in history'

This one is great.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Saw the film. Such a sad but brave story. Say it! the monster commands him. Say it before it destroys you.

I wish it was all over (says wrung out boy with excellent, terminally sick mother)

The monster is a yew tree. EIWAHZ in rune words. Regeneration, resurrection.

 

[Rachel Caldecott]

My lovely, beautiful, annoying, talented daughter should really think about taking up a career as an illustrator

 

[AliG]

Chris Riddell- Goth Girl. Fun stories, too