Play Pen: New Children's Book Illustration
The Sunday Age
Sunday February 24, 2008
Martin Salisbury
Thames & Hudson, $59.95This wonderful book showcases contemporary illustrators and their work. Each colour spread comes with an interview with the artist and background about the tools they use. Some, such as J. Otto Seibold (Olive the Other Reindeer) and Marc Boutavant (Around the World with Mouk), use digital technology to achieve their glossy, vibrant pictures. While other illustrators, such as Istvan Schritter (All the Money in the World), continue to achieve remarkable depth and humour by hand. Many of the interviews are revealing. Paula Metcalf (Mabel's Magical Garden) grew up in the '70s and says: "...the colours and motifs of the period still seem to dominate my palette". Play Pen is a great resource for anyone (younger readers, too) who admires the art of illustration. The insightful foreword by Shaun Tan is a bonus.
© 2008 The Sunday Age
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