Taking a Fancy to Book Illustration

I have been really getting into podcasts lately (a whole post of that is yet to come). One of my favourites, and regular audio accompaniment to the Lea river canal path, is Design Matters hosted by Debbie Milman. I like them for this purpose because they are a good length, well recorded (a shamefully important factor as I struggle to hear most things through my ancient earphones), and Milman is an excellent host. Each episode sees a particular person or group from a field of design interviewed about their career and achievements, in a way which encourages digression into more theoretical discussions. 

Though this series presents a large range of designers from different fields, I do feel that I have heard about many graphic designers, and most notably illustrators. Listening to these episodes, such as the one with Oliver Jeffers, has really made me think about illustration as a career path for me. Obviously it relies heavily on drawing (my life long love affair), along with CAD programs I am already highly confident with. I know I have never really connected with making 2D things, and I never felt destined for graphic design, probably because I never really knew what it was, and it seems to be an element of any other art course anyway. But someone once described to me books as being '4th dimensional'. 2D images and words which exist in a 3D object have the power to capture the imagination and take the person into another world entirely. It is a connection between narratives, images and words which excites me, so I felt compelled to get some illustration focused exhibitions into my calendar, as well as some much important creative work! 

Ladybird by Design - House of Illustration

I was really inspired by this exhibition, as it explained the technically simple and practical approach of the ladybird books, and juxtaposed that with the cultural and social significance the series had upon multiple generations of readers. 

This exhibition particularly focused on those published between the 1950's and 70's, and how the books 'depicted a soft and simple world'.

The books themselves were formed from one sheet of paper (suitably sized for the method of mass printing they used.) This was to work around paper restrictions, so every book had 56 pages and were of an identical size and shape. The illustrations were multi coloured, and vocabulary kept easy for children to read and understand. 

I greatly enjoyed being able to see the original illustrations up close; the vivid colours pop out off the thick card onto which they are painted. I assume gouache is used, perhaps with some oil. The illustrations range from depicting everyday life, to historical scenes, through to fictional tales, all perfect to inspire a young reader. 

I was particularly drawn to the image of a deep sea diving team, as I can imagine the bold colours and stunning composition as making a 5-year-old think; 'That's what I want to do when I grow up.' I also particularly enjoyed the 'Shopping with Mother' series for their illustrations, as they reminded me of Richardson and Ravillious's 'High Street'. 

What I think is most impressive about these books, having viewed this exhibition, reading a few chapters of Ladybirds they had in the final room, is their effectiveness. Working with the 56 page and size set rule, the ladybird's combination of image and word never fails to inspire and excite children, (nor 21-years-and-a-6th-old such as myself.) 

Animal Tales - The British Library

This exhibition gave a specific overview to how animals are used through physical illustrations as well as plot-lines for storytelling. With examples such as Orwell's Animal Farm for 'Animal Allegories', and the Beatrix Potter series demonstrating how 'after Darwin and Freud, neat distinctions between humans and animals blurred', this show provided an interesting socially and culturally aware view on a common theme within book illustration. 

Beautiful binding - from House of Illustration giftshop

I thought it was particularly interesting how animal themes and characters are juxtaposed with words, as they are unable to understand our language. Places such as 'the wild', and even the thoughts, intellect and feelings of animals still remain oddly unknown and unattainable to us. I feel if I should write then I could consider writing with animals in mind, as books such as 'The Bees' exist to be purely adult literature.

In terms of illustrations I liked, I particularly enjoyed William Stobb's for 'Kashtanka - Chekhov for Children'. I would also be interested in reading Garnett's 'A Man in the Zoo' for content. 

Funnily enough, a trip to the gift shop presented to me further illustrations that I adore. These are in the form of the National Railway Museum's 'Travel England' posters, which had been used on the covers of a range of BL books. The illustrations shared vivid and colour qualities with those that I saw at the Ladybird exhibition, but carry a concept relating to place and location, (albeit advertising). I will start researching these images, and definitely refer to them in my next project.

So, two highly inspiring exhibitions down, and two exceedingly brilliant gift shops visited. That isn't bad for a few hours work out in London! I'm taking away ideas to further my work exploring the relationship between image and text, as well as having learnt more about book illustration as a whole. What's next for me? To just keep drawing and keep writing!