Traditional Illustrations

I have taken some photographs of the illustrations in some of the books I have been using to research fairy tales. These illustrations each have a traditional style. Although this is obviously not a style I want to recreate, I am interested to study it because stories are all about interpretation and interpretation is something that can change from one reader to another.

Benvenuti - from Favourite Fairy Tales from Grimm

The above illustrations from Benvenuti are from a collection of Grimm tales, published in 1972. The images all have a similar style and appear to have been created using felt tip pens. I selected these images because they are depicting well-known stories and ones that I have considered illustrating in this project. The stories are: Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin and Hansel and Gretel. The layout of these images amongst the text has obviously been considered for its child audience and is very effective. There is not much scenery shown in these illustrations, I suppose to allow space for the text. However, it is always useful to see how another artist has portrayed what they have read from the story.

Michael Foreman - from Hans Anserson: His Classic Fairy Tales

This next set of illustrations comes from a collection of Hans Anderson's fairy tales, illustrated by Michael Foreman. These are much softer in style than the previous ones, which is down to the difference in materials. Foreman has used ink and water to create his illustrations, which allows for a range of more neutral colours with a smoother transition between shades. The stories illustrated above are: The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen, The Snowman, The Ugly Duckling and The Princess and The Pea. There is more scenery shown in these illustrations than the previous, which is useful and interesting to study. I have also become interested in the story of the Little Mermaid, which I may look at in more detail at a later stage.

Sian Bailey - A Changing Picture Book: Sleeping Beauty

Finally, these illutrations are much more detailed and show whole scenes for each stage of the story. The design on the actual book is very interesting, and suited to its child audience. The illustrations and a twist mechanism, that changes the image shown to a completely different scene. This is often used to show a change of atmosphere in the narrative; for example, cheerful at the baby's Christening to fear as the wicked old fairy appears and casts her spell. I am particularly interested in the second to last image above, the Prince's pathway through the rose bushes. It shows a pathway heading towards the far distance, which is something I am eager to create.