R.W. Alley's Blog, page 2

Marc Simont

One of my all time favorite illustrators, Marc Simont, died recently. He was 97. Margalit Fox wrote a very useful obit for the New York Times which is worth a look. As she notes, Mr Simont�s career was bracketed by a 1949 Caldecott Honor for THE HAPPY DAY, written by Ruth Krauss, and a 2001 Caldecott Honor for THE STRAY DOG, based on a story by Rieko Sassa. In 1957, he received the Caldecott Medal for A TREE IS NICE, written by Janice May Udry.

For me, Mr Simont�s body of illustration is remarkable for both the amazing range of subjects he successfully took on and for the consistent freshness of his style. Like all the greats, Mr Simont created a drawing style that was out of time. It never looked old-fashioned. It never looked retro. It was simply, and wonderfully, his own.

Also, like all the greats, Mr Simont found truly creative solutions to some perplexing illustrative problems. Here, I have posted a drawing from THE STRAY DOG that made my jaw hit the drawing board. Somehow, he�s managed to convey the immediate impression of night while relying on a bright, all-white background. Brilliant, simply brilliant. A very apt description of Mr Simont�s legacy.

From Script to Graffiti

Here's a brief article I wrote for the SCBWI Bulletin, March-April 2013, Art Tips page, edited by Alison Davis Lyne. She had posed the question of how text can be usefully incorporated into an illustration. Since, that's the sort of think I do, I replied:

Sometimes, in picture books, the words just have to be incorporated into the art. You might think this demonstrates a lack of skill by the artist. You might think that realizing his/her inability to draw the action or emotion or tone described in the manuscript, the artist in desperation injects a text prompt into the art to get the job done. Yet, if this were really the case, my characters on horseback would be riding the typeset word �horse�; such is my comfort level at drawing these creatures. No, usually text dances into the art to keep both art and words zipping along at the same pace through the book. Just as you never want your art to give away what�s coming in the text, you don�t want the pictures to slow the reader�s experience of the story. So, when the action calls for big shouts, or muttered rumblings I often choose to illustrate those words. It�s important in designing this hybrid sort of drawing that the illustrated words are still read as part of the text. Often, these words are some of the author�s most playful and should not be overlooked. Part of the idea of illustrating them is to make sure kids will repeat them over and over again to drive parents and teachers to distraction. This is the true measure of success for both author and artist.

The sample of my own work I have attached here is from THERE�S A WOLF AT THE DOOR by Zo� B. Alley (Neal Porter Books / Roaring Brook Press, 2008). It helps enormously to have the author working in the room next door to your studio.

Paddington App

Recently, the good folks at HarperCollins developed a Paddington app.

Here's a link to see a demonstration of how it works and the fun stuff it can do. You'll also find a video of Michael Bond commenting on Paddington's move into this new format. To see both, click here: Please Look After This App

Also, here�s a link to a review by GiggleApps.

News

Bank Street�s 2013 Best Books of the Year include two of my illustrated books:

WHEN DADS DON'T GROW UP by Marjorie Blain Parker, illustrated by R.W. Alley�(Dial)

PEARL AND WAGNER: FIVE DAYS TILL SUMMER�by Kate McMullan, illustrated by R. W. Alley�(Dial)

32 Windsor Gardens

Last week, there had been a great deal of interest in Number 32 Windsor Gardens, home to the Brown family and to Paddington Bear since his arrival in London. As it turns out, the Brown�s �Windsor Gardens� exists only in Mr Bond�s books. Although, it is near the very real Portobello Road.

You may find two newspaper articles on the subject useful and amusing:
West End Extra, the Independent London Newspaper
and
The Independent Newspaper Online

Paddington plush set

This fall, the Tesco stores in the UK will be offering this spiffy new book and plush set. I think it looks rather handsome.

Paddington in Japan

There�s to be an all-new, full-length Paddington film in the theaters for Fall, 2014.
With it has come a wave of book re-issues. Here's what the Paddington picture books look like in Japan.

BECAUSE YOUR DADDY LOVES YOU

I�m pleased to announce a new Chinese edition of Andrew Clements� BECAUSE YOUR DADDY LOVES YOU. In the US, the book is available in hardback and paperback. When first published in 2006 it was selected as a Bank Street Best Books of the Year.

Elf-help

Over the years, I�ve sculpted many of my characters to better understand how to go about drawing them. Recently, I had a go at El the Elf from the Elf-help series of books. Of course, having drawn El since the 1980s, some might think it's a bit late to image him in 3D. On the other hand, his hat has always been something of a puzzle. So, fashioning it fully is helpful, even now.

In the picture above, El, the Elf-help elf, is at home in our back garden. photo by Max Alley