Children’s Book Illustrators

by Philip Parodayco // written on 06 January 2003, saved in Pjournal

The downtown library is showing an exhibit of David Small's illustrations. I'm a big fan of children's book illustrators but I don't often have the chance to see original artwork. The most impressive difference in the originals is the richness and depth of color that's lacking in printed reproduction. Small uses watercolors with pen and ink, sometimes adding gouache and collage. There's one with a young girl standing alone in a vast train station where the girl was painted on a separate piece of paper and pasted into place. It felt like the artist was trying to create a completely undisturbed space and couldn't bear to put the girl into the painting directly.

Christie found another, larger show of illustrators going on at the British Library in London. My favorite would have to be Sara Fanelli, an artist who combines a great sense of design and drawing talent with a love of textures and unexpected materials. Unfortunately, I won't be anywhere near London in the foreseeable future so I'll have to content myself with the books I can find locally.

I have a small collection of children's books even though I don't have kids myself. Sometime an illustrator's style is so compelling that I must have their book. My favorite is J. Otto Seibold who, together with Vivian Walsh, create the best of the best. I own Penguin Dreams, an adorable little book based on a 3 year-old's explanation of penguin mobility “They fly in the water”, and Monkey Business, a story about a famous monkey, his business and its missing one-millionth product. I've also got My Friends by Taro Gomi, a beautifully designed book about a little girl who learns everything from her friends, whether they be human, animal or neither, and Squids Will Be Squids, involving the combined talents of writer Jon Scieszka, illustrator Lane Smith and designer Molly Leach.