Children's Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling

193 Pages·2012·11.49 MB·English

by  Martin Salisbury

Children’s
Picturebooks

Children’s
Picturebooks
The art of visual storytelling
Martin Salisbury with Morag Styles
Laurence King Publishing
Published in 2012 by
Laurence King Publishing Ltd
361–373 City Road
London EC1V 1LR
United Kingdom
email: [email protected]
www.laurenceking.com
Copyright © text 2012 Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles
Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles have asserted their right under the
Copyright, Designs, and Patent Act 1988, to be identified as the
Authors of this Work.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopy, recording or any information storage and
retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-8566-9-735
Design: Studio Ten and a Half
Cover art: Beatrice Alemagna
Research assistant: Pam Smy
Book photography: Ida Riveros

Printed in China
Contents
7 Introduction 111 Chapter 5: Suitable for Children?
116 Violence
9 Chapter 1: A Brief History of the Picturebook 121 Love and sex
10 Early precursors 122 Death and sadness
12 The printing of books from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century 126 Man’s inhumanity to man
14 Colour printing in the nineteenth century 129 Professional case study: Portraying physical love
16 The birth of the modern picturebook in the late nineteenth century (Sabien Clement – Jij lievert)
18 From the golden age of illustration 131 Student case study: Stylistic suitability
20 The 1930s (Rebecca Palmer and Kow Fong Lee)
23 Puffin Picture Books, autolithography and the European influence
26 The post-war years 135 Chapter 6: Print and Process: The Shock of the Old
29 The 1950s and visual thinking 138 Relief printing
32 The 1960s 144 Screen-printing
41 The 1970s onwards 145 Etching/intaglio
43 Picturebooks in the twenty-first century 148 Lithography
149 Monotype and monoprint
47 Chapter 2: The Picturebook Maker’s Art 150 Digital printmaking
50 Picturebooks as works of art 151 Professional case study: The handmade picturebook
51 Education and training (Liz Loveless)
55 The picturebook artist 153 Professional case study: Merging old and new technologies
56 Learning to see (Claudia Boldt)
56 Thinking through drawing 156 Professional case study: From screen to screen
59 Visual communication (Gwénola Carrère – ABC des Petites Annonces)
60 Student case study: Capturing a sense of place 158 Student case study: Experimental narrative sequence in monotype
(Andrew Gordon – Last Summer by the Seaside) (Yann Kebbi)
62 Student case study: Narrative non-fiction 160 Professional case study: Digital printmaking
(Madalena Moniz – Manu is Feeling...From A to Z ) (Fabian Negrin – On va au parc!)
66 Professional case study: The innocent eye
(Beatrice Alemagna – Un Lion à Paris) 163 Chapter 7: The Children’s Publishing Industry
71 Professional case study: A wordless book 165 Publishing houses
(Ajubel – Robinson Crusoe: A Wordless Book) 167 The publishing process
167 Approaching a publisher
73 Chapter 3: The Picturebook and the Child 168 The literary agent
74 Preamble by Morag Styles 168 Contracts and fees
75 Children reading picturebooks 168 The editorial process
77 Defining visual literacy 168 The designer
78 Visual texts and educational development 170 The Bologna Children’s Book Fair
80 How children respond to picturebooks 170 Printing
80 Responding to word–image interaction 171 Distribution
81 Analysing colour for significance 171 Sales and marketing
81 Reading body language 171 Booksellers
81 Reading visual metaphors 172 The library market
82 Looking and thinking 172 The reviewer
85 Rising to the challenges offered by picturebooks 173 Case study: The publisher’s perspective
85 Looking and learning (Random House and Nadia Shireen)
85 Affective responses to picturebooks 176 Case study: Growing a publishing business
86 Conclusion (Thierry Magnier)
178 Case study: Small, independent publishers
87 Chapter 4: Word and Image, Word as Image (Media Vaca, Topipittori and De Eenhoorn)
90 Theorizing picturebooks 184 The eBook developer
92 Word and image interplay 185 The future
92 Filling in the gaps
94 Counterpoint and duet
97 Wordless books and graphic novels 187 Related reading and browsing
100 Pictorial text 189 Glossary
104 Professional case study: Author and illustrator collaboration 189 Index
(Vladimir Radunsky and Chris Raschka – Hip Hop Dog) 192 Acknowledgements
107 Professional case study: Designer and illustrator collaboration 192 Picture credits
(Marcin Brykcynski [text], Joanna Olech and Marta Ignerska
[illustration], Marta Ignerska [design] – Pink Piglet)
108 Student case study: Exploiting word–image disparity
(Marta Altés – No!)

7
Introduction
It is often said that we live in an increasingly visual, image-based increasingly crossing over with the book arts, a new understanding
culture. The digital age has brought with it a growing expectation of this hybrid art form will perhaps begin to emerge.
of pictorial instruction, signs and symbols. Images, moving or At university level, interest in and research around the
static, now seem to accompany most forms of information and subject of the picturebook has tended to divide clearly between
entertainment. The art of illustration is traditionally defi ned as the practitioners in the art and design sector and the theorists
one of elucidating or decorating textual information by in the education sector. Between us, we represent both of
augmenting it with visual representation. But in many contexts these worlds and have for a number of years sought to build
the image has begun to replace the word. An iconic image of links between the two, jointly supervising research students
a rubbish bin now says, ‘Do you want to throw this away?’ and bringing our respective masters students together to learn
The picturebook as it is today is a relatively new form. We from each other. In this book, we have also sought to bring
may debate its true origins but it is only 130 years or so since together the practice and theory of children’s picturebook
Randolph Caldecott began to elevate the role of the image in illustration in an accessible and insightful way.
the narrative. Today’s picturebook is defi ned by its particular In the following chapters we explore not only the history
use of sequential imagery, usually in tandem with a small number and evolution of the picturebook, but all aspects of the ‘art’
of words, to convey meaning. In contrast to the illustrated book, of picturebook-making – from education and training to the
where pictures enhance, decorate and amplify, in the picturebook interplay of words and images on a page, from the use of old
the visual text will often carry much of the narrative responsibility. and new printing methods to the editorial process and the
In most cases, the meaning emerges through the interplay demands of the publishing industry in the twenty-fi rst century.
of word and image, neither of which would make sense when As part of this exploration, we also examine the role of the
experienced independently of the other. It is a form that picturebook in introducing children to the visual arts as well
continues to evolve, and is being stretched and challenged by as language, and consider important issues such as the
an increasingly experimental body of ‘makers’ (a suitable term appropriateness of certain subjects and styles of illustration for
for the artist–author of the picturebook has yet to be found). children. We look, too, at the picturebook in the classroom.
This evolution sometimes seems to be happening too fast for a Here, we draw on the critical theory of scholars, such as
world that has grown up expecting pictures to play a subordinate Barbara Bader, and in particular on the research of Evelyn
role in storytelling. Many adults who come into contact with the Arizpe and Morag Styles.
form as parents, teachers or reviewers will be educated primarily The picturebook maker’s art is also explored through
in verbal rather than visual literature. It is still common to see professional and student case studies at the end of each chapter.
reviews of picturebooks that nervously venture ‘beautifully These studies, based on interviews with artists, students and
illustrated’ as a footnote. publishers (which took place in 2009 and 2010), look in more
Of course, the word ‘picturebook’ is usually preceded by detail at topics and issues raised in the chapters, and provide
the word ‘children’s’. But once again, this assumption about valuable information and inspiration for students studying
the form is being challenged. Traditionally, it has been regarded picturebook illustration.
as a stepping stone to accepted notions of literacy for three- Above all, Children’s Picturebooks is intended as a
to seven-year-olds. There is no doubt that this is indeed one celebration of an art form that we believe to be deserving of
important role of the picturebook. However, as its audience greater recognition, both as art and as literature – visual literature.
and its reach widen, and we see the art of picturebook-making
Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles, 2012
Opposite: Anca Sandu, 2010.

Chapter 1