Great Illustrators

Saron Publishers

Learned cats and other pets?

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Katie-Ellen

Full Member
Sep 25, 2014
UK
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

black ships.jpg


And Tolkein's ring wraiths...


alan-lee-they-were-once-men-great-kings-of-men.jpg
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
 
@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.
 
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.
 
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

graham Oakley church mice.jpg



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

church mice rats.jpg
 
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! :)
 
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.
 
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.
 
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'


monster.jpg
 
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.

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

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