Definition of Illustration (dictionary.com ha):
| 1. | something that illustrates, as a picture in a book or magazine. |
| 2. | a comparison or an example intended for explanation or corroboration. |
| 3. | the act or process of illuminating. |
| 4. | the act of clarifying or explaining; elucidation. |
| 5. | Archaic. illustriousness; distinction. |
I don't think any of those definitions really help...
Illustrator (Cambridge Dictionary)
noun [C]
a person who draws pictures, especially for books
That's better. That could be me. However that definition still seems slightly outdated. A lot of contemporary illustrators never go near book illustration. The field of illustration is changing very quickly take Kate Moross for example. She is not only an illustrator but a graphic designer, photographer and now a fashion designer with the launch of her range for Topshop. I was pretty staggered to find out Topshop had picked her up for a range, I've been aware of her for a while as she had done a lot of music/club promotion stuff but the fact she has now worked both with Topshop and Cadburys at the tender age of 21 is quite frightening. I know she must be an extremely motivated person and I should aspire to be like her however I do think that perhaps she could end up being a victim of her own success. Her illustration style echoes a lot of the soulless club/scene stylings of London that inevitably will burn out and become just as looked down upon as the neu-rave scene that preceded it. Maybe this all sounds a bit clumsy but what I am trying to get across is my dislike of illustration as its currently being defined at the moment. It seems to be becoming a very trend driven field. Increasingly I am looking towards children's illustrators to gain inspiration because this area seems to be quite immune to trends. I also see that in children's illustration there is beginning to be a lot more experimentation. I got this book a few months ago and its really opened my eyes to what has been happening in this field. Check out Morteza Zahedi and Harriet Russell. Both very different styles but I think they're both great and really go to show the variety of children's book illustration that's on offer.
Ok, rant over.
And back to my skills in illustration. I think I am going to try and be content with making pictures and hope the illustration skills arise somehow. Although I should bear in mind that time is of the essence me being already 23 years old....
3 comments:
...but surely the very fact that that book is titled 'new' childrens book illustration indicates that there are trends within that field and 'new' and 'old' can be clearly sperated.
Enjoyed reading your rant though.
If you actually looked at the book in question you would know that there are no discernible trends in the book at all. Everything is completely different. That is what is so refreshing about it and the fact it is termed 'new' merely states a distinction between recent illustration and what people normally think of as children's illustration i.e. turn of the century cutesy stuff.
try being 28 and only just re-learning how to draw on paper w/pen.
but more so, i just wanted to tell you i enjoy your work~
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