Deadly Illustrations In The Arthur Series By Marc Brown

The first sentence in this picture book contains the words “many grandparents ago” which immediately positions the viewer to see that the story is from an indigenous point of view. John Marsden uses minimal written text which may be for two reasons. Firstly the Aboriginal people, at the time this story is set, could not speak English and since then they have never really had a voice. Secondly, the construction of the illustrations by Shaun Tan tells more of a story than words ever could.

Initially, the cover and title page of the book both play a key role in the layout of the story. On the cover, the artistic style of the illustration looks like a cartoon and a painting. This style is very realistic because of the situation portrayed on the cover; yet playful at the same time because of its comical vibe. The cover also looks three-dimensional and the author seems to be using a straightforward perspective of art. This idea is led be true because the child, wall, and table with the fishbowl are all facing towards the reader. The title is also as large in font as the child and fish bowl are. This shows that the cover is relatively proportional in both text and pictures.

The rabbits, an illustrative book by John Marsden and Shaun Tan, is a visually intriguing piece that evokes empathy toward the Indigenous Australians; using a wide variety of visual literary techniques to create a captivating, historical story. The story follows a historical look at the European colonisation of Australia and it’s devastating aftermath on the indigenous people and the land itself. Shaun Tan has really brought the book to life with his use of visually interesting aspects such as anthropomorphic characters, brilliant use of colour and the overall layout of the images. An excellent example of the visual literary techniques in this book would be the “They came by boat,” page, which is also featured as the front cover of the book.

The author of this book did make use of literary elements to tell the story. These elements are also used in other picture books such as lines, shapes, color and speech bubble. The book is a graphic novel and dialogue takes majority of the writing in the book. The dialogical and concise style of writing of the author including the pictures

Furthermore, the illustrations paint a beautiful picture that I like to think is an insight into a child’s mind, which I is a key element in this book and what makes it so great. Since the book is narrated by a child the intentional simplicity of the words and the controlled chaos that is the illustrations breathes unadulterated life into a rather normal children’s book.

Distinctively visual texts aim to manipulate the we perceive images critically affecting our interpretation of events and people we meet in our lives. Distinctively visual techniques are utilised in the ‘Run Lola Run’ directed by Tom Tykwer and the picture book ‘Red Tree’ written by Sean Tan. The way the distinctively visual is shown throughout these texts is through the use of motifs, different angle shots, colours, lighting and reading paths. These techniques aim to show the important themes in both texts such as time, hope and love.

Sentimental is a word often used when describing John George Brown 's work; it seems to be the all-encompassing feeling for both the creation and the popularity of his paintings. Since his name has faded from prominence, John George Brown has been labeled a 'neglected artist '. He is often overlooked in the history of American art, despite the fact that he was when he died, considered one of the richest and most successful genre painters in the late nineteenth century. Additionally, he dedicated the majority of his life’s work to painting children, while making most of his living off of specializing in those that lived on the streets. While street urchins seem like they would be an unpopular subject, his romanticized, rosy-cheeked entrepreneurs were highly sought after by the public, evoking a sentimentality that allowed his patrons to overlook the real life plight of those children and providing evidence that great success in an artist’s lifetime does not mean they will not be forgotten.

What I liked about this book was that the illustrator used a combination of photographs along with drawing and put them in to one big book. I like the stack of letter that are photographed in the begging of the book because they look so real and then having Duncan’s name on write on the front of the letters in crayon is just an awesome way to putting the two creations together and making them one. I also like how each page has a drawing corresponding to that color and they drawing look realistic to how a child would draw a picture. So children can look at that draw and think hey that how I draw my elephant or my dragons and trees. In addition, the book brings in what every child like to do drawing by bring the crayon they draw with to life and giving them a voice to talk.

Illustrations: The illustrations use a variety of colours, but always include blue and red. They are full page, realistically drawn and relatable for children. For example, there are children playing hockey on the outdoor rink, and in a driveway.

Shaun began drawing and painting images for science fiction and horror stories in small-press magazines as a teenager, and has since become best known for illustrated books that deal with social, political and historical subjects through surreal, dream-like imagery. The Rabbits, The Red Tree, Tales from Outer Suburbia, Rules of Summer and the acclaimed wordless novel The Arrival have been widely

Mercer Mayer was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on December 30 of 1943. He is the author and illustrator for Little Critter Spectrum. He moved to Honolulu as a young teenager when his father joined the Navy. He attended high school in Honolulu, and then attended Honolulu Academy of Arts. After he graduated, he moved to New York to begin his career in art. When Mercer Mayer was still looking for book illustration work many years later, a potential employer suggested he give up and throw away his portfolio. The thousands of kids that had enjoyed his books so far were very lucky because what he had coming as a writer would change the entire beginning reader sensation. After little success and many turn downs, he began writing and illustrating children’s

Artist and their artwork can show up in them most unlikely places. We learn about an artist and their style sometimes by accident. Attitudes, as well as appreciation, began to grow as we learn more about the evolution of the Artist or artwork and their influences on our lives. As our knowledge base expand, we began to “see” art differently. It can change form a totally visual experience to an experience that goes beyond visual and evolve into something that is educational and emotional. Ernie Barnes is an artist that became noticed for his artwork that was showcased on a popular sitcom called “Good Times. He was a master at capturing the emotions of life on canvas. He was able to personify their hopes, dreams and desire on the canvases his paint brush touched. (Tatum)

Though they may seem like simple stories meant for children, picture books can often contain deeper meanings using not only the story but also the design of the book. The artwork, placement of the text, and even the usage of the book’s gutter is intentional and can contribute to the central theme of the book. Eric Carle’s Little Cloud is an example of a simple looking picture book that is more than it seems. Through this story about a cloud changing shape, Carle demonstrates the process of children discovering their own identities and being accepted into society.

Doney, Malcolm, and Meryl Doney. The Oxford Children's A to Z of Art. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.

I chose to read and comment on Barbara Kiefer’s “Envisioning Experience: The Potential of Picture Books.” Kiefer’s main point in writing this essay was to get the message across that children enjoy picture books that allow them to identify and make connections with the characters or the plots, and that while reading and analyzing the pictures, they gain a better sense of aesthetics and how to interpret them.