Quentin

Blake

Born 1932
British
First publication at the age of 16
Taught for many years
Illustrated more than 300 children’s books
Has written 35 children’s books
Illustrated a number
of Roald Dahl books
such as:
James and the Giant
Peach
“If you want to read and you want to draw, Matilda
that helps you to express yourself”
The BFG
Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory
Fantastic Mr. Fox

“When I draw a
character, I try to
make it defined—but
I
not to close it up t
completely” h
How would you describe Blake’s style? t
How is his style appropriate for the
children’s books he is illustrating? h
How does he utilize color in his work?
Does he include shadows or highlights?
What can you tell about his characters from
the way he draw them?
Sometimes he frames his images and sometimes
not, how does this change the image?
 Shel Silverstein
Born in 1930 died 1999
Lived in Chicago
Drafted into the Army
Wrote and illustrates poetry books
for kids
Is also a songwriter, has several
grammys
Wrote screenplays
His Books:
Where the Sidewalk Ends

The Giving Tree

The Missing Piece Meets
the Big O
Don't Bump the Glump!
Every Thing On It
How do his works relate to his poems?
Falling Up
How would you describe his style?
A Giraffe and a Half
His illustrations are a bit strange, how does this
Lafcadio, the Lion Who
make his work relatable?
Shot Back
How does he create narrative by writing in poems?
Runny Babbit
A Light in the Attic
“There are no happy endings. The Missing Piece
Endings are the saddest part, Runny Babbit Returns
So just give me a happy middle Who Wants a Cheap
And a very happy start” Rhinoceros?
Jan Brett
Born 1949
Illustrator and author
Writes about a variety of cultures
Travels constantly
Researches the designs and
architecture featured in her work

Brett uses her travels and the cultures she

sees as inspiration for her illustrations. She
often uses folklore narratives and motifs in
her artwork. Animals are prominently featured
within her work.

How would you describe her style?

How do the borders impact the story?
Are the pages overly complicated?
Do you have to search for information?
Is this a good thing?
How has she connected her interests to
her artwork?
Is the accuracy she strives for
important? Why is it important to her
work?

Borders:
Brett uses the borders of her
artwork to tell a separate story,
or hint at what is coming next in
the main story. It creates a
detailed and complex work.
This is also known as a vignette
 Illustration in Children’s Books
Consider the following questions and how you would alter your story to
be for a younger audience. Does this fit your story better? What aspects
of children’s books would work well for your story? Experiment with
answering the following questions through creating short 3-5 frame
practice narratives.
Color: Characters:
How could you incorporate color into your Children’s books characters are often simplified,
work? Would you prefer it be colored in how could you simplify your character?
like a picture book? Or water colored and Often the characters are not human, how does
washy? Faded? Or vibrant? having a non human character change the
connection to a character?
Text:
Try designing your character in a few different
Text in children’s books is simplified for an
formats, if they were an animal how would they
easier reading level. Consider how much text
look, how few lines can you use to create a
you actually need to convey your story.
recognizable figure?

Detail:
Negative Space:
In contrast sometimes children’s books
Children's books often have lots of negative
are very detailed, how does your story
space incorporated into their designs.
read if you include everything you
Experiment with using as little information as
possibly can? How much time does this
possible to create a clear scene.
take? Is it overwhelming to look at? What
do you actually need?
Vocab:
Author: creator of any written work such as a book or play
Illustrator: a person who draws or creates pictures for magazines, books, advertising, etc.
Negative Space: the space that surrounds an object in a image
Wash: technique resulting in a semi-transparent layer of color.
Vignette: a unique form for a frame to an image, either illustration or photograph.

These artists all illustrate in very different ways, what are their
differences? Similarities?
Why do they illustrate the way they do? How does it work for their
story?
How does their illustration style relate to their narrative?
Could they illustrate in a different way for the same effect? Or would
it create something different?
 Bibliography:
Gottesman, S. (2017, August 21). The Illustrators behind Your Favorite
Children's Books. Retrieved from https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-
illustrators-favorite-childrens-books
Jan Brett. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://janbrett.com/biography.htm
Quentin Blake. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.quentinblake.com/
Welcome to Shel Silverstein. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.shelsilverstein.com/