Task 2: Research

Art Styles

Information/Reference title - aimed at 9-11 years.

Photograph/Advanced painting, intricate drawings and experimental typography.

          

Q1. I feel that this art technique/style is commonly used through books aimed at 9-11 year olds. The illustrators in particular tend to be quite keen on experimenting with visual imagery and text to create an interesting design that mirrors the story's informational output.

Q2. It's important to try to understand what children at this age feel aesthetically pleased by. As these children are developing and approaching teenage years, a maturity of media is used throughout the imagery and text.

Baby/Toddler - First Objects Book

Very basic imagery/use of heavy rainbow colours/minimal

          

Q1. I feel that this art technique/style is commonly used through books aimed at babies and toddlers. With a humans first book, young children who have just entered the world tend to focus purely on the imagery and amazing colours that can be seen throughout the book, as they are unable to read at this point, the design of the typography doesn't really matter.

Q2. It's important to try to understand what children at this age feel aesthetically pleased by. Big bold colours and dominant characters, particulary characters that reference to what they see in real life, for example bears (for they may have toys that resemble these characters in which they can refer too).

Picture Books - aimed at 3-6 year olds

Extensive Colour pallets, introduction to typography and experimentation.

           

Q1. I feel that this art technique/style is commonly used through books aimed at babies and toddlers. As a child is developing, they are now beginning to learn how to read, making these books educational throughout bold text and size of text can help the child understand the meaning within the images used. 

Q2. It's important to try to understand what children at this age feel aesthetically pleased by. Basic but experimental imagery- taking into account some details that can be brought in from existing objects in the world.. For example the pumpkin in the 3rd book resembles a pumpkin in real life, but with a cartoon aspect. Children can then be informed and can seemingly link real life and books together through illustration.

Quick Task: Book Age Range Notes

9-11 Years

Bansi O'Hara and the Edges of Halloween by John Dougherty

Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne

Looking at the illustration for these books, they seem to be much more technical through the art style. Pictures tend to have more details and colour combinations, this is probably down to the author/illustrator wanting to combine the story with intense visuals that can fuel the young person mind and creative thinking.

3-6 Years

A Home for Bird by Philip Stead

Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman

These ranges of books tend to have quite a lot of white negative space, probably to allow the child to take in the visuals as they are at a much younger age, with creating basic visuals the author endorses these visuals by telling a narrative of very few words. Combining pictures with words, the illustrator also tends to introduce the child to material aspects of the book, often putting in various textures that the child can interact with, plastic that crumples/wooly material that is soft etc.

Babies/Toddlers

Winnie The Pooh and Ten Busy Bees by A.A. Milne

What Do You Say? by Mandy Stanley

These ranges of books are often wordless and just feature letters of the alphabet singularly. The images are often very mesmerising and don't necessarily always make sense. The idea of wowing the baby/toddler through an experience of a visual journey. Pictures tend to be very basic lacking in any detail whatsoever.

Task 1: Children's Book Illustrators Pt. 2

Christoph Niemann

• The reason I have chose this author is because I feel that I can really relate to his work- he comes from a Graphic Design aspect whereby he has had experience working for global companies such as Google & MOMA. To me- his area of work makes his approach to children's illustration seem different than strictly a Children's book illustrator, which is interesting to study. Working in a similar area I wish to persue- it is interesting to see how his workflow differentiates between working with business clients such as Newspaper  and Information Technology companies.

• His art style is pretty dynamic and quite unique. Browsing the majority of his projects (Both Children's book illustrations and his other works) there is a clear correlation that he has a talent in digital art painting, probably using a Graphics tablet and Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop to make his creations.

• Interestingly, all of his work is aimed at different ages and generations. But looking strictly at his Children's illustrations it seems he aiming to appeal at the younger 5-10 age group of children. Simply because of the use of simple understandable pictures and minimal text output.

 

Task 1: Children's Book Illustrators Pt. 1

Clare Mackie 

(Illustrator for various Children’s books ‘Red Cat’, ‘White Cat’)

Quentin Blake 

(Illustrator for ‘BFG ‘)

Lydia Monks 

(Illustrator for book ‘What The Ladybird Heard’)

Christoph Niemann

(Illustrator for ‘Subway’, 'The Pet Dragon', The Police Cloud')