Political Cartoonist or Children's Artist?
For awhile now, I’ve been conflicted with (on a superficial level, of course) the idea of being a “pure” children’s artist. Well, now I don’t have to worry any more. According to the latest SCBWI on-line article, Expressions, being a children’s artist or a political cartoonist has lines that overlap each other and in fact, many artists were doing both. Here is the article for your perusal:
Political cartoonists who illustrate children's books
Political cartoonists who illustrate children's books. Chris Riddell is one himself, and he explains why he is fascinated by others like him. Sir John Tenniel, for example, who drew many topical cartoons and caricatures for Punch in the late 19th century, but is best remembered today for his illustrations for Lewis Carroll's ALICE IN WONDERLAND and THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS. Or Ernest Howard Shepard, British artist and book illustrator who began his illustration career selling weekly cartoons to Punch, but is known especially for his human-like animals in illustrations for THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS by Kenneth Grahame and WINNIE-THE-POOH by A. A. Milne. Today, there's Chris Riddell. He has worked as a political cartoonist for The Economist, The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, and The Observer, but has also written and illustrated many children's books, including SOMETHING ELSE by Kathryn Cave which was shortlisted for the Smarties Prize, highly commended for the Kate Greenaway
Medal, and winner of the UNESCO Award for Children's Books. Riddell recently illustrated a children's edition of Jonathan Swift's GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, retold by Martin Jenkins and winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2004. Tenniel and Shepard are undoubtedly two fellow cartoonist-illustrators who continue to inspire him. He says that he has a pile of fading copies of Punch from 1943, which have Tenniel's famous cover engraving, and Shepard's beautifully drawn cartoons inside.
Guardian article http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1524497,00.html
Meet Chris Riddell http://www.andersenpress.co.uk/Biogs/chrisriddell/chrisriddell.htm
Gulliver's Travels http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0763624098/002-3110435-1032036?v=glance
For me, this was a huge relief. I don't have to "Choose" one side or the other. You can indeed do both. And like Dr. Seuss, perhaps, you can blend the two of them too!
And today the great Yertle, that Marvelous he,
Is King of the Mud. That is all he can see.
And the turtles, of course…all the turtles are free
As turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.
--Yertle the Turtle
Dr.Seuss
Political cartoonists who illustrate children's books
Political cartoonists who illustrate children's books. Chris Riddell is one himself, and he explains why he is fascinated by others like him. Sir John Tenniel, for example, who drew many topical cartoons and caricatures for Punch in the late 19th century, but is best remembered today for his illustrations for Lewis Carroll's ALICE IN WONDERLAND and THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS. Or Ernest Howard Shepard, British artist and book illustrator who began his illustration career selling weekly cartoons to Punch, but is known especially for his human-like animals in illustrations for THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS by Kenneth Grahame and WINNIE-THE-POOH by A. A. Milne. Today, there's Chris Riddell. He has worked as a political cartoonist for The Economist, The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, and The Observer, but has also written and illustrated many children's books, including SOMETHING ELSE by Kathryn Cave which was shortlisted for the Smarties Prize, highly commended for the Kate Greenaway
Medal, and winner of the UNESCO Award for Children's Books. Riddell recently illustrated a children's edition of Jonathan Swift's GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, retold by Martin Jenkins and winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2004. Tenniel and Shepard are undoubtedly two fellow cartoonist-illustrators who continue to inspire him. He says that he has a pile of fading copies of Punch from 1943, which have Tenniel's famous cover engraving, and Shepard's beautifully drawn cartoons inside.
Guardian article http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1524497,00.html
Meet Chris Riddell http://www.andersenpress.co.uk/Biogs/chrisriddell/chrisriddell.htm
Gulliver's Travels http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0763624098/002-3110435-1032036?v=glance
For me, this was a huge relief. I don't have to "Choose" one side or the other. You can indeed do both. And like Dr. Seuss, perhaps, you can blend the two of them too!
And today the great Yertle, that Marvelous he,
Is King of the Mud. That is all he can see.
And the turtles, of course…all the turtles are free
As turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.
--Yertle the Turtle
Dr.Seuss
Comments
http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/