"It’s Nice That Graduate Katie Scott explained how her work was “inspired by nature and the human desire to understand and code it over time.” From the Ancient Greeks onwards, her interest lies in how different civilisations tried to understand the natural world through a combination of “observation and complete fantasy.”
Katie Scott
I wasn't aware of Katie Scott's work but found out about her through the It's Nice That talks. Visually her work isn't something I'd take to, but I was quite inspired by what she had to say about illustrating for education:
[On Animalium] "I still wanted it to be different. It's an animal encyclopaedia but it has to be different from… why not use photography if you want it to be entirely accurate? I think there's something about illustration that can bring to a project like this that photography couldn't so it had to have a curiosity to it, and for me it had to have a nod to the pre-victorian natural history paintings."
I've been thinking about illustration for education in this project but sometimes am a little put off by it, feeling that everything has to be incredibly representational or basic. I want to investigate how educational image making can still have story, interest and integrity- and really just be a bit exciting.
Blexbolex
I love Blexbolex's 'People' and 'Seasons' series, and may well have noted them down before on this blog. Somehow with such a simple concept so much is said. The flow of the book itself reads like a poem, words and images carefully selected to juxtapose and fit with eachother. Visually it is simple too, the same format repeating and repeating on each page, giving a continuity that emphasises its poetic nature. This and Powers of Ten (below) also inspired me to think about connections and relationships as a theme for my project.
Charles & Ray Eames
(I forgot these had to be contemporary)
Not an illustration but so inspirational! At the minute my ideas for the project are very open, and I was worried that this would cause problems. It may well do, but to see the Eameses conquering such big subjects in the space of what is conceptually a very simple video that only runs for nine minutes is great. Educational, broad but simple, and also visually driven- something to aspire to.
Like Blexbolex's 'People' 'Ábécés könyv' follows a simple format. From what I can tell without seeing the publication it's less conceptually driven than Blexbolex's but the focus on recurring format is similar. I wonder if, as well as pacing the book, it also lends itself as an educational tool, making it easier for the child to read and learn the words. Visually her work is great. I've been interested in shape and simplicity for a while, and I'm keen to think about how a complex image does not necessarily equate to a good one. I'm keen to experiment visually so I won't necessarily be working like this, but it's a thought I've had in mind.
Ed Cheverton
Cheverton's work is the reason I considered being interested in children's illustration again. It's just so fun and playful, and whilst I'm sure a lot of work has been invested into it, it would be nice to take a break from more serious stuff to work like this. I wouldn't say Cheverton's style and methods are confined to children's illustration, but it definitely lends itself to it.
JooHee Yoon
Yoon is another artist who's art, like Cheverton's, made me interested in children's illustration. It's just very fun, and it's interesting to see how her print making processes informs her work.
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