Another feather in our cap! For the second time I was asked to illustrate for The Folio Society—a London based, privately owned publisher since 1947. They are renowned for their luxurious hardback editions of classic literature and it is always an honour to be invited to work with them. This is the first time I have been asked to pastiche another artist’s work (William Blake) and I found it a very interesting experiment. Folio covers are blocked in foil onto leather or cloth bindings so they needed a strong line interpretation of one of Blake’s water colour illustrations—The Pilgrim’s Progress.

Previously I had illustrated the cover and interior of ‘The Vampyre and Other Macabre Tales’ by John Polidori.

foliosociety.com

I have included this title to make a point of adaptability to the subject. Grimm Press asked me to work with them on an illustrated version of Rashomon, a short story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa made famous by the 1950 film version directed by Akira Kurosawa. Nothing in my portfolio at that point pointed towards such extreme subject matter yet I was very happy to have been given the opportunity. So often we are ‘type-cast,’ or put into narrow boxes, and there are very few publishers willing to take a risk that an artist or writer can step outside their usual subject matter.

Fortunately, I have always been a fan of Japanese cinema, as well as having collected Japanese prints throughout my life, so adapting my style, characters, even colours to the subject matter came naturally. Using coloured papers and thick pens strokes I wanted to invoke an atmosphere of suspense and unease but one that also reflected the art and culture of Japan. The text ‘scrolls’ were a device taken directly from woodblock prints which successfully anchored the artwork in that period and culture.

GrimmPress.com.tw      ISBN-13: 978-986-189-357-0

We are taught to value ourselves, our families and our relationships, but what of the animals and the environment? Do we take these for granted? Set in the colonial era, with accurate botanical illustrations and depiction of clothing and utensils, this book also includes supporting historical and botanical notes, which will allow students to explore in detail the world created here. Many elements of the curriculum can
be discussed, history, literature and the environment, together with how a known fairy tale
can be retold to good effect.

Sample of the text Little Red was the runt. He was the smallest pup born that spring. The larger pups would not let him nurse. “Sorry, tiny pup” said his mother “big pups eat first so that they may grow strong and brave.” Grandmother Wolf who stood guard outside the den overheard. She poked her head in to gently lick Little Red’s face. Into his his ear she whispered “little ones can be brave too.”

Illustration style Historically accurate and detailed full colour illustrations throughout which are supported with sepia sketches and vignettes of flora, fauna and historical asides.

The typographic look Use of classic fonts with a hand drawn script add freshness while maintaining a classic look. Text blocks will have flexibility to adapt to each spread. A multi-tiered level of typography is used for the main narrative, the flora, the fauna, and historic notes.

The Blanket

Written and illustrated by Anne Yvonne Gilbert ©2020

The Pendleton Blanket is an iconic creation rooted in America’s history. It symbolises the meeting of cultures and how a shared history, and cultural respect, can be reflected in a simple object. Each strand of wool weaves a link to the past and the people who lived there. Imagine for one moment that we can see a young girl striding towards the future—her future—and live inside her head for a short while. What would we see? That girl is Martha Ann ‘Fannie’ Kay and the year is 1865.

Excerpted from The Blanket:
The clock ticked loudly in the room. Fannie brushed stray hairs away from her face—grey and dull now where once they had shone like gold. Her hands trembled as she rolled up the blanket, wrapping the memories tight in the folds of wool to keep them safe. Of all my possessions, after a life-time of work and
ambition, meeting the love of my life bearing our wonderful sons—this is one of my most precious things.

PLEASE CONTACT
A L A N L Y N C H
United States Telephone 607 257-0330

Earlier this year Templar Publishing decided to resurrect their ‘OLOGY’ series by adding the title ‘GHOSTOLOGY’. Always fun to work on, the ‘ology’s’ are complicated interactive picture books with flaps and wheels etc. The original series (I worked on ‘Wizardology’, ‘Vampireology’, ‘Spyology’ and ‘Pirateology’) held great appeal for boys the content being an entertaining mixture of fact and fantasy. There are usually 3 or 4 artists working on each book which means a lot of small drawings and details both under and on top of the flaps.

The covers are richly ornate with inset jewels surrounding a central image—in this case a wailing banshee. Previous covers have all been in a similar vein.

Dawn: 100 Years of Inspiring Baking is the story of their first century in business, told through the eyes of the Dawn team members and customers who have helped them rise to success. Combining personal anecdotes with a century of photography from the Dawn archives.

In 1920, a new donut shop named Dawn Donuts was making big news in Jackson, Michigan. They served donuts that were consistently delicious, with customer service that was simply unmatched.

A hundred years later, that donut shop has evolved into Dawn Food Products, Inc., one of the world’s leading manufacturers of bakery products and mixes. They continue to make the greatest donuts and provide the best possible service and supplies to their customers, but now there’re doing it on a global scale, delivering an extensive range of baking mixes in locations throughout the world.

Here’s where I come in 100 years later. Publisher and friend Lynne approached me with a book assignment, my answer was “YES” before she could finish asking. We would team up once again, to say I was excited would be an understatement. Lynne gave me my first book assignment ‘The Frog Prince’, a retelling of the classic Grimm Brothers tale. What made that project special was that I’d work with my wife, renowned illustrator Anne Yvonne Gilbert. Lynne gave us a lot room to create and has continued ever since.

After reading the Dawn manuscript I set out to define what the design should be. It had to show their roots yet show also how they have grown; it had to employ some aspects of their brand (colours palette etc.); it had to look fresh, fun and inviting; and most importantly it had to honour their employees and customers.

I wanted the pages to have lots of white space for the photographs to breathe and for ease in reading. Brand colours were used in sidebars, graphic elements, titles, subtitles, captions, and call outs. For continuity and historic value, I turned all the early photographs into sepia prints. Early portraits were also given a white border and a deckled edge. The modern full colour photographs were given a bit of enhancement, they were from the archive and some images had faded.

For typographic clarity and freshness, I used a san serif typeface throughout which set well against the white page.

Picture books don’t always have words. It is possible to ‘read’ a book that has only pictures which makes it accessible to people who may be illiterate or from different nationalities to the publisher. Adapted from a traditional Chinese fable ‘Lost in Paradise’ relies on the sheer number of illustrations (64) to tell the story; though the written tale is included in the final pages. 

GrimmPress.com.tw     ISBN-13: 978-986-189-273-3

Anne Lamott Letter

Whatever happened to the city of Atlantis? Is there a conspiracy afoot to cover up alien activity at Area 51? Some of history’s Enduring Mysteries involve tales so incredible that they blur the lines between fact and fiction. The truth is out there—for someone to find. Can you find them in these books; Area 51, Atlantis, Bermuda Triangle, Bigfoot, and Loch Ness Monster?

Once again, I was called upon by The Creative Company, briefed on the project and hit the ground running. This series had to be Fun + Factual + Fascinating = Fantastic. So, off I went.

Rather than putting a title on the cover in the conventional manner, which would occupy valuable space, I needed to make the cover image THE HERO—the Batman—and the title THE SUPPORT—the Robin. They each play an important role. I chose a provocative image to start with then created a unique ‘badge’ for each title with its own identity and personality.

The ‘introduction’ was an opportunity to get the reader engaged from the start. To achieve this, a double page, a mysterious image, vivid colour palette, and large clear text to excite the reader.

For the ‘chapter heads’ a different strategy needed to be introduced, so rather than a chapter title and text to follow, I simply abandoned that way of thinking. This is a picture book, so why not use a double page spread to put the chapter title on and use an intriguing image to fill the background? This would also reflect the content of each chapter.

We’ve entered, been introduced, had a starter, now for the entrée. I try to keep the reader engaged and surprised each time they turn the page. My approach is to have the text and images embrace and inform each other. A dance of sorts. Wait a sec… I forgot to mention the ‘running heads’. You know, that text at the top of the page that mentions the book title? This is usually an afterthought with no importance given to it. Not here. Keeping the playfulness of the branding in mind, I addressed this by isolating an element from each book and stretching it across each spread.

To close each chapter with a bang, I turned a sidebar into a full page. The sidebar always an interesting fact needing special attention.

I’ve supplied you with the images, facts, the whereabouts, map included—now go out and solve these ‘Enduring Mysteries’.

The following are random spreads.