An illustrated book with a similar theme to my picture book: 'On Sudden Hill'.
The location and setting of the book is a hill (of course), matching my own.
I wanted to investigate how the illustrator Benji Davies interpreted the location into a visual image and how he imbued tone within such scenes.
Although this picture book is intended specifically for children and centres around themes of friendship, I think that studying this book will help me to see how picture books can be presented and how another illustrator tackled a similar location.
I'm not sure how much factual research this story is based on. My project is driven by factual information, whereas Davies might just have been working to the brief of the author and publishers.
Davies uses gouache which brings a flat, opaque colour to his illustrations. I think that his application is appropriate in representing the natural elements. Brush strokes are used to communicate the varying textures in the pages, from tree bark to hair. The scene looks bright and full of energy, especially relevant to the themes of childhood in this story.
My hill will be cased in twilight and have a much moodier atmosphere than On Sudden Hill, but the natural beauty of this setting is still similar. I would love to make a scene as lush and natural as this.
I really love the typeface used for the masthead on the front cover. Is it hand-written or a computer generated type?
Benji Davies has a great talent in making noise in his drawings. He fuses quiet scenes, a remote hill, with childhood laughter, all in one image. The pages speak without the need for the words from Linda Sarah.
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