The Children's Book Council of Australia

The annual awards from The Children's Book Council of Australia have been announced!
There are many fine books which have earned a gong. One of my favourites this year, is Bear and Chook by the Sea.

It's published by Lothian Children's Books, Hachette, written by the award-winning Lisa Shanahan and illustrated by the very talented Emma Quay. This book is a sequel to the equally delightful Bear and Chook. 
Who could resist that lovable bear and rascally chook? Check out both!

Talking of poultry,  Mr Chicken Goes to Paris  was also a contender for an award but alas, didn't make it this year.  This fabulous picture-book about a feisty worldly chicken, is a definite award winner in my view.  Written and illustrated by the amazingly creative Leigh Hobbs and published by Allen and Unwin.

Gustaf Tenggren

Gustaf Tenggren was born in 1896 in Sweden to a family of artists. He showed early aptitude and began thorough training as an artist.  His early illustration work shows an influence from his contemporaries, mainly John Bauer, and decorative styles of the day.  The subject matter was often mythological in nature.

Tenggren immigrated to the US in 1920. He opened a studio in New York  and began a prolific output in children's books and magazine illustration. His style changed to adapt to the requirements of the market. In 1936 he was hired by Walt Disney to work on the first feature length animated film, Snow White.
He also worked on Pinocchio,  Fantasia, Bambi and others, as a concept artist and designer. His Scandinavian background is evident in the artwork for these films.

From the 1940's to 1962, Gustaf Tenggren was a major illustrator of  Little Golden books.  One of his best known titles from these books is The Poky Little Puppy. He was amazingly successful and produced art for a wide range of subjects and age groups.

One of my favourite books from childhood is called Golden Tales from the Arabian Nights with superb illustrations by Tenggren. His approach is more stylised than his Disney work.

Gustaf Tenggren died in 1970 and his widow donated much of his artwork and papers to the children's literature research library at the University of Minnesota,

Early works from the 1920's.

Little Golden Book titles illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren

Golden Tales from the Arabian Nights. Simon and Schuster. First published in 1957

For further information and more of his artwork, there is a great site devoted to Gustaf Tenggren. Take a look here.

Annie to the Rescue

My book is now in glorious paperback!  Originally published in 2007, Annie to the Rescue is a companion volume to Annie's Chair.
Both books tell stories of a small girl who likes to do things her way. She considers herself resourceful and brave. Sometimes things don't go to plan in Annie's world but she always faces the challenges.

The artwork in these books were drawn and painted in the traditional method on watercolour paper, with some digital input.
Both books have been incredibly popular. I often get lovely letters telling me that the Annie stories have been very much enjoyed by the family.

More about these books on my website. (see side panel)  Also click on the books' covers to read more from the publishers at Penguin.

Korean folk art

Here are some gorgeous examples of Korean folk painting.  The dexterity and economy of line and colour is beautiful and so effective in depicting the subjects of birds, butterflies and insects, fruit, fish, foliage and one lumpy toad.

Black and white illustration

I've always enjoyed drawing with pen and ink in my sketchbooks and my finished art. It's a good idea for artists to sketch straight in pen sometimes, and not always rely on the trusty pencil.  If you are not worried by mistakes in your sketchbooks, and of course, you shouldn't be, then your hand-eye co-ordination will improve in leaps and bounds and you will acquire a confidence in quick sketching.
There are many styles and techniques artists use in monochrome art.  Some of my favourite artists are Gustave Dore, Leonardo da Vinci, Honore Daumier, Peter Bruegel, Hans Holbein and so many others.
Some favourite illustrators are William Heath Robinson, Edward Gorey, Aubrey Beardsley, Robert Crumb, Alan Stamaty, the list goes on.
My illustrations below have been taken from a variety of my previously published books.

Garden goat

Jubilant gnome

Gnome concentration

Giraffes in knots

Irate fortune teller Madame Fratlin

A conference of elephants

Favourite books from childhood

I have long treasured books from my own childhood.  I don't know how much of the style of certain illustrators influences other people's work, but in my case, I'm sure each artist, whose works I appreciate, is going to be an influence, however subtle.
Back in my childhood, I read and re-read collections of fairy tales.  Sometimes these books were given as gifts and I still have them with me today.

The artist, Libico Maraja (1912- 1983) illustrated a number of fine books.  The work below is from a version of The Wizard of Oz. This edition is dated 1958 and published in Australia by Golden Press, Sydney.
I loved then, as I do now, that Maraja's illustrations are well drawn with a straight-forward approach to the subject.  He does not cute-ify his images, so in my mind as a child, they were totally believable.

I'll show more great illustrations from my books in the next few months.

New book release...

It's Bedtime, William! is the title of my new book, published in June 2010.  This picture book looks into the world-wide occurrence of kids not wanting to go to bed as opposed to the parent who knows the sleeping hour has definitely arrived.
A battle of wills can develop but with some negotiation and some strategic thinking, a child can usually buy some more precious time. In this story William has played his last card and reluctantly trudges up to his room only to find his bed is already occupied by a huge uninvited lion.
After the initial shock of this unexpected discovery, it is William who tries to persuade the now energetic and wide-awake lion to stop fooling about and go to sleep.
Does William succeed and will his parents find out?

I had a lovely time working on this book, creating the characters and writing the story.  Nowadays I tend to keep the design and format of the layout quite simple and direct.  I can then concentrate on the rapport between the main characters, their expressions, and vitality of the book as a whole.

These illustrations were drawn on a Wacom tablet using Photoshop.

Its Bedtime, William! is published by Viking, Penguin Australia.

 

Margaret Clark

Margaret Clark was an Australian painter and illustrator who was born in 1901. She grew up in Sydney and attended Julian Ashton Art School for a short period.
In 1918 she was commissioned to paint pictures of fairies to decorate confectionery boxes for the firm of Sweetacres.
Margaret Clark had a short but successful career as an artist. She exhibited five fairy paintings with the Sydney Society of Women Painters in 1924 and held a solo exhibition at the Sydney Art Salon in 1926.

The painting shown here is from the 1924 or 1926 exhibition. Margaret Clark's work is influenced by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite, but nevertheless is well executed and skillfully painted. Despite her exhibitions of work being highly successful for such a young artist, her output after this was minimal.
After her marriage in 1929, she disappeared from the public art scene.
Some of her existing work is apparently now in the possession of the State Library of NSW.

Update...

Great success for Freya Blackwood!  She has been presented with the Kate Greenaway Award for best illustrator in 2010.  Her stunning illustrations for the picture book Harry & Hopper written by Margaret Wild, were judged to be the winner in this year's event. Very well deserved and I'm looking forward to seeing so much more of Freya's talent in years to come.

Grandpas and grandchildren

I've been very fortunate to work with Margaret Wild on two picture books. One is called Chatterbox, first published in 2006, and the other is called Grandpa Baby published in 2009. These are some illustrations from the lovely Grandpa Baby, one of my favourite books. Grandpa has swapped roles with his grand-daughter for the day and I think he is really enjoying the role!  This book has recently been nominated for the 2010 Speech Pathology Australia Awards, and was a delightful story to illustrate.
For these illustrations I worked digitally, drawing and painting using Photoshop..