Posts filed under ‘Short Reports’
Short Reports: Marika McCoola vs. Matilda.
Hello! Israel’s informed me he’s a little behind on his newest piece for Where the Red Fern Grows, so today we’ll drop in with another Short Report, this time visiting another well-loved Roald Dahl book with Marika McCoola. Enjoy!
I love the dark quirkiness of Dahl’s stories. His characters are at once ridiculous and so detailed that they must actually exist. Last year I worked on a series of illustrations for Edward Lear’s limericks, which share a strange sensibility with Dahl’s work. I enjoyed working with Lear’s texts and found myself thinking about Dahl as I worked. Wanting to work with a longer piece than one of Dahl’s poems, and fondly remembering Matilda, I decided to pick it up again. The dark, very British humor and ridiculous events tend to make me grin with glee and I can’t help but love characters who are enamored of books….
Chapter 1: The Reader of Books
‘Did you know,’ Mrs Phelps said, ‘that public libraries like this allow you to borrow books and take them home?’‘I didn’t know that,’ Matilda said. ‘Could I do it?’
‘Of course,’ Mrs Phelps said. ‘When you have chosen the book you want, bring it to me so I can make a note of it and it’s yours for two weeks. You can take more than one if you wish.’
Chapter 2: The Ghost
‘I’m fed up with your reading anyway. Go and find yourself something useful to do.’ With frightening suddenness he [Mr Wormwood] now began ripping the pages out of the book in handfuls and throwing them in the waste-paper basket.Matilda froze in horror. The father kept going. There seemed little doubt that the man felt some kind of jealousy. How dare she, he seemed to be saying with each rip of a page, how dare she enjoy reading books when he couldn’t? How dare she?
‘That’s a library book! Matilda cried. ‘It doesn’t belong to me! I have to return it to Mrs. Phelps!’
There are many books in this world I do not agree with and hope no one ever reads, but the idea of directing violence toward a book is unthinkable, as it rends not just thoughts, but, in the case of fiction, entire worlds. Though we as readers already dislike Mr. Wormwood, this scene establishes Matilda’s father as a truly horrid man and enables us to laugh at him later when Matilda exacts her devious revenge.
Marika McCoola holds a BFA in illustration from the Maryland Institute College of Art and currently manages the children’s section of the Odyssey Bookshop, an independent bookstore in Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley (a magical place where authors and illustrators seem to grow on trees). She once hoped to limit her book collection but finds that every time she turns around the stacks have multiplied. Marika will begin her MFA in writing and illustrating for children at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in the fall. You can see more of Marika’s work on her website, www.marikamccoola.com, and her blog, http://mmccoola.blogspot.com, and read her book reviews on http://readingofquality.blogspot.com.
Short Reports: Rodrigo Avilés vs. One Hundred Years of Solitude
Sorry for the silence, folks! Here is a Short Report coming all the way from Chile– meet Rodrigo Avilés, and then scope out his lovely portfolio and blog. He has chosen the classic novel by Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude.
(click to enlarge)
They were new gypsies, young men and women who knew only their own language, handsome specimens with oily skins and intelligent hands, whose dances and music sowed a panic of uproarious joy through the streets, with parrots painted all colors reciting Italian arias, and a hen who laid a hundred golden eggs to the sound of a tambourine, and a trained monkey who read minds, and the multi-use machine that could be used at the same time to sew on buttons and reduce fevers, and the apparatus to make a person forget his bad memories, and a poultice to lose time, and a thousand more inventions so ingenious and unusual that José Arcadio Buendía must have wanted to invent a memory machine so that he could remember them all. In an instant they transformed the village. The inhabitants of Macondo found themselves lost in their own streets, confused by the crowded fair.
This scene is when José Arcadio Buendía, the founder of Macondo, tries to see his friend Melquiades the gypsy again. Gypsies had always visited Macondo and introduced the population to many wonders; this time José Arcadio and his sons discover the existence of Ice, considered by him as “the great invention of our time.”
I chose One Hundred Years of Solitude because it is a story that reflects the human condition very well, through the story of the village of Macondo and the genealogy of the Buendia family (through its miracles, obsessions, tragedies, adulteries and discoveries). The book has the essence of old oral narrative: unbelievable things are told as something mundane or real at the time, in an aesthetic known as “magic realism”. They are great characters, and the story can be interpreted as a metaphor of the South American history.
I’m Rodrigo Avilés, an illustrator and comic artist from the small city of Melipilla, Chile. I’ve worked coloring comics for various publications here in my country, but I also color some graphic novels for Image Comics. I want to start working on my own comics too! Aside from comics, I like editorial, children and fantasy illustration. For this illustration I did the drawing on paper, inked it on Manga Studio and colored in Photoshop. I usually experiment with styles and jump between traditional and digital media.
Short Reports: Corey Thompson vs. Egg Monsters from Mars
Last post this week is from Corey Thompson, be sure to check out his portfolio too. Monday starts the serialized contributions again, so keep your eyes peeled!
“The yellow blob throbbed. It made sick, wet sucking sounds.
It turned slowly. And I saw round black eyes on top of the lumpy yellow body.”
This scene takes place just after the egg monster from Mars hatches. It is morning time and Dana wakes up to find his egg hatching in his sock drawer.
I didn’t read much as a kid, but I owned a ton of Goosebumps books mainly because of the rad cover art by Tim Jacobus. Anyways when picking a book I narrowed it down to three books, and Goosebumps stood out the most. I picked Egg Monsters From Mars, because it was one of the first Goosebumps books I owned and one of the few I read.
I’m Corey Thompson, a freelance maker of things, anything from a one page zine to an identity for an apparel designer. Some clients include: Grenade, YouWorkForThem, HP, and LiveNow. I also post daily doodles on my personal site. Other things I dig: the Trail Blazers, warm weather, X-Files, and Stargate SG-1.
Short Reports: Gemma Correll v. Everything is Illuminated
Today’s Short Report comes all the way from Norwich UK and the lovely Gemma Correll! Please check out her portfolio and shop!
“I’m afraid of dogs,” he said. “i’ve had some pretty bad experiences with them”. I told this to grandfather, who was still half of himself in dream. “No one is afraid of dogs,” he said. “Grandfather informs me that no one is afraid of dogs.” The hero moved his shirt up to exhibit me the remains of a wound. “that’s from a dog bite” he said. “What?” “This thing.” “What thing?” “Here. It looks like two intersecting lines.” “I don’t see it.” “Here,” he said. “Where?” “Right here,” he said and I said “Oh yes,” although in truth I still could not witness a thing. “My mother is afraid of dogs.” So?” “So I’m afraid of dogs. I can’t help it.” I clutched the situation now. “Sammy Davis Junior Junior must roost in the front with us,” I told Grandfather. “Get in the fucking car,” he said, having misplaced all of the patience that he had while snoring. “The bitch and the jew will share the back seat. It is vast enough for both of them.”
This scene takes place near the beginning of the novel. The protagonist, Jonathan (aka “The Jew”, an American researching his family history), has just met his guides for his journey around the Ukraine: Alex (the narrator of this section, whose broken english is charming and funny), Alex’s narcoleptic and supposably blind grandfather (the driver) and Sammy Davis Junior Junior, Alex’s grandfather’s “Eye-seeing bitch” who has a penchant for “masticating” her tail and takes an immediate liking to Jonathan. All of the characters in this novel are, at turns funny, vulnerable, flawed and very human (with the exception, of course of Sammy Davis Jnr Jnr who is most definitely a dog)- the novel is at turns heartbreaking and hillarious, which is impressive- Jonathan Safran Foer manages to balance these characteristics cleverly and thought-provokingly- making this novel engrossing and as near to perfect as any book I have read.
Short Reports: Erin S. Tripp vs. The Count of Monte Cristo
Going in a completely different direction, today’s post is from Erin S. Tripp, who took on Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. A chilling scene to be sure!
“One! Two! Three!”
With the last word he felt himself flung into space. Fear clutched at his heart as he fell like a wounded bird, down, down, down. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, there was a tremendous splash and he plunged like an arrow into the icy sea. He uttered a scream which was immediately choked off as the water closed over his head. He was being swiftly dragged to the bottom by a cannon ball tied to his feet.
The sea is the cemetery of the Chateau d’If.
While I love to illustrate children’s literature, I wanted to try my hand at illustrating a novel, particularly one with heavy emotional imagery. This scene, from the Count of Monte Cristo is when Edmond Dantes is escaping from the Chateau d’If. I had to convey the fear and stress during this scene, and yet I wanted to keep it ethereal, as he is underwater and surrounded by these floating corpses.
I first completed a charcoal drawing for an ‘underpainting’ or as I call it, an ‘underdrawing’, spray fixed the drawing, and then I layered the colored chalk pastel over the top. By doing the underdrawing I was able to preserve the luminosity of the paper, and also control the shadows and contrast of the picture. This is the first time I have used this process, and I will continue this in the future.
I’m Erin S. Tripp, an illustrator from Salt Lake City, Utah. Growing up amongst the beauty of the Rocky Mountains, I developed a strong sense for all things visually dynamic. After attending Interlochen Arts Camp the junior year of high school, I decided to dedicate my life to art, and moved to Baltimore to study Illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art. I graduated from MICA cumme laude in 2010 with a major in Illustration and a minor in Literature.
I love all forms of illustration, but children’s holds a special place in my heart. I use a variety of mediums, but this past year I have fallen in love with chalk pastel as a medium. It allows me the vivid colors found in digital coloring, the subtlety of oil painting, and the speed of charcoal drawing. All in all it is one dusty fabulous mess!
My website is at www.erinstripp.com and you can also check out my blog. Thanks!
Short Reports: Mohan Ballard vs. Matilda
Next up on Short Reports week, we’ve got a piece from Mohan Ballard, an illustrator working and living in London. More Roald Dahl love! Once you’re done reading and enjoying, check out his portfolio too….
(click to enlarge, this gets big!)
Who are you and what do you do?:
Hi, I’m Mohan Ballard and I’m a freelance illustrator who lives in London, England. (More specifically, Hertfordshire.) I absolutely love the city of London, It is my home, my creative hub and most importantly my inspiration. I studied Illustration at Southampton Solent University, where I acquired and built up my certain style of illustration. It is since leaving university a year ago though that I have really taken my style forward and improved it to show wonderful, bright and colourful street scenes and eventful images. I love to pack my images full of events and little aspects for the eye to enjoy. Providing the viewer with an eyeful of colour, events and eye popping design is a passion of mine and the longer the viewer looks at my work, the more successful I feel I have been.
My chosen and preferred medium is acrylic paints. I have been using this medium since school, but have perfected my style around the medium only in the last couple of years. I feel the style I produce is perfect for the medium, and I absolutely love it.
While using digital media would be much quicker for the work I produce, I feel painting adds a certain charm and individuality to a piece.
Why did you pick the book you chose?:
As a child I was addicted to Roald Dahl books, as were most children. From the BFG, Fantastic Mr.Fox and the Twits, to James and the Giant Peach. For me, my most favourite book of his was certainly Matilda. This beautiful story always gave me the feeling of how an underdog, who is up against it all, can rise to the surface and reap the rewards of life if you are determined, bright and passionate. All through the story Matilda is bullied by her family and school principal just for being different. She never lets it bring her down or change who she is, and this was all from a girl who was only 5 and a half years old. Immensely smart, she used her intellect to get around the problems she faced in her young years. As children, we all have a dream of what we want to be and what we want to accomplish, and this story shows that if you are passionate, strong and want it enough, you can achieve anything and, most importantly, be happy.
I decided to choose this specific scene from the book because to me, it was the point of the book that Matilda realised that she quite literally had the power to change her destiny for the better. As she is eating breakfast, she focuses all her strength and mental fortitude on lifting the spoon with her mind, and she does it! It’s from here on out that she knows she can change her future.
Short Reports: Emily Carroll vs. Brave New World.
Hello everyone! We’re kicking off August with a full week of Short Reports! Today’s post is by the lovely Emily Carroll, an animator living in Vancouver, and she “draws a lot of things a lot of the time.” (which you can see at her Livejournal or blog). Check back next Monday for our regularly scheduled posts too!
In Grade 11 English, I gave an oral book report on Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. I had no notes and nothing planned. In fact, the only items I had brought were costume designs and character sketches that I posted to the blackboard; a backdrop while I stood in front of my class for thirty minutes and rambled enthusiastically about the plot, the themes, and the good ol’ social satire of a book I had absolutely adored (if memory serves, the resulting grade was pretty good!).
So often “dystopia” calls to mind grim, jackboot-to-the-face, oppressive regimes, and what appeals to me so much about the society of Brave New World is that on the surface it seems idyllic — there exists no crime, no war, no poverty — but yet the population is still being rigidly controlled. It is a world that snickers at emotional sincerity, derides intellectual pursuits, and finds individuality embarrassing.
“The lift was crowded with men from the Alpha Changing Rooms, and Lenina’s entry was greeted by many friendly nods and smiles. She was a popular girl and, at one time or another, had spent a night with almost all of them.
They were dear boys, she thought, as she returned their salutations. Charming boys! Still, she did wish that George Edzel’s ears weren’t quite so big (perhaps he’d been given just a spot too much of parathyroid at metre 328?). And looking at Benito Hoover, she couldn’t help remembering that he was really too hairy when he took his clothes off.
Turning, with eyes a little saddened by the recollection of Benito’s curly blackness, she saw in a corner the small thin body, the melancholy face of Bernard Marx.”
In this scene, at the beginning of Chapter IV, the character Lenina Crowne has just been informed by a friend that her “long term” (ie. four month long) relationship with Henry Foster is being viewed by some as rather unseemly. Lenina, eager to conform to cultural norms and prove that she is indeed as promiscuous as society expects her to be, spots Bernard Marx, a quiet fellow commonly viewed as odd for his dislike of Obstacle Golf and his less than stellar height (among other things), and immediately sets about taking him up on his earlier offer of a date. The resulting outing gets the ball rolling on the rest of the story.
Short Reports: Gaia Bordicchia vs. Pinocchio.
Phil will be a little behind on his piece today, but don’t fret because that means August is going to be hit with a double dose of awesomeness! So let’s check in with another Short Report. This one comes from Italy, a different version of a well loved story I bet you’ll still recognize…
The Adventures of Pinocchio – C.Collodi
“I will explain it to you directly,” said the Fox. “You must know that in the land of the Owls there is a sacred field, which they all call the Field of Miracles. In this field you dig a little hole and you put, let us say, one gold coin into it. Then you cover up the hole with a little earth: you water it with two pails of fountain water, sprinkle it with one pinch of salt, and when night comes you go quietly to bed. In the meanwhile, during the night, the sovereign will germinate and flower, and in the morning, when you get up and return to the field, what do you find? You find a beautiful tree laden with as many gold pieces as a fine ear of wheat has grains in the month of June.”
When Pinocchio leaves the Marionettes Theater, Master Mangiafoco (Fire-Eater) gives him five gold pieces for his father Geppetto and tells him to go home. Instead, Pinocchio follows the Fox and the Cat to the city of Catchfools, hoping to turn his money into a bigger fortune. On the way they stop at the Red Crayfish Inn, where the Fox and the Cat eat at Pinocchio’s expense. They eventually disappear during the night, leaving Pinocchio to continue his journey alone. The following day, as he passes through a forest to reach Catchfools, the Fox and the Cat, disguised as bandits, try to rob him.
I was born and raised in Italy and Pinocchio was one of the very first books I ever received as a child and I remember not liking it at all. The original book is very different from the disney “child friendly” version that is commonly known. It’s a very dark story, dealing not only with life’s hard realities (like many Brothers Grimm tales) but also full of allegories commenting on the social structure of the time (respectability versus unconventionality – hard work and education as means to escape from the poverty and harshness of working class life). As a child, I could not understand or appreciate the complexity, I experienced only an unbearable sense of sadness whilst reading the story.
Even back then, the Fox and the Cat were the only characters in the book that appealed to me. They are true villains and maybe for this reason, easy to understand.
Gaia Bordicchia is a children’s book illustrator living and working in Italy.
See more of her lovely portfolio here!
Short Reports: Jared Andrew Schorr vs. The BFG
Hello! It’s your friendly ringleader Meg here; in lieu of our regularly scheduled post from Laura (she’s taking a little break) we’re starting up Short Reports– single illustrations from favorite books from fans and fellow illustrators. Keep your eyes peeled next week, as I will be trying to post a new one daily to add to the art goodness. We’re kicking it off with a great little cut paper piece from Jared Andrew Schorr. Take it away, Jared!
The BFG, like many of Roald Dahl books, really hit me when I first read it. It has everything: orphans, kidnapping, cannibalism, racism, breaking and entering, the invasion of dreams/reality, accosting a member of the royal family, murder and most of all, the open appreciation of flatulence. What 11 year old doesn’t want to read that? Even with all of these extremely dark themes, Dahl is able to create an easily accessible, childlike world.
(click to enlarge)
Since I’m only doing the one report for the book, I chose to illustrate the little girl Sophie and The BFG in his native environment.
“The ground was flat and pale yellow. Great lumps of blue rock were scattered around… lying against the side of the mountain, Sophie could see a massive round stone. It was as big as a house. The giant reached out and rolled the stone to one side as easily as if it had been a football.”
It sounds like some alien place but Dahl makes it very easy to visualize. I thought Quentin Blake, who illustrated most of Dahl’s work, always beautifully translated Dahl’s stories. The BFG is no exception.
I love the story just as much now as I did when I first read it seventeen years ago. It’s a frightening, wonderful, adventurous, gross, heartwarming story. I can only hope to one day create something so deep yet so simple and beautiful.
I’m Jared Andrew Schorr. I live in Montclair, CA. I studied at Art Center College of Design. I cut paper.
