Martin Salisbury – författare

A treasure trove of visual delights: examples of the sketchbooks of sixty international illustrators offer new insights into their artistic practice. Intimate and often unseen, the sketchbook means something different to each illustrator. It might be a beautiful object, a work of art in its own right, where every line is painstakingly considered. It might be a pictorial playground, where mistakes can make art. The boundaries between sketchbooks, notebooks and visual journals are often blurred, lending to the creativity that fills their pages. It is likely that you will recognize many of the illustrators featured, including classic childhood favourites Beatrix Potter, Jean de Brunhoff, Edward Ardizzone and Tove Jansson, and established names such as Beatrice Alemagna, Oliver Jeffers and Shaun Tan. Others are up-and-coming, for example Charlotte Ager and Leah Yang. Martin Salisbury draws on decades of experience as an illustrator and educator to shed light on the lives and work of each artist. He even reveals pages from his own sketchbooks, exposing the rawness of his ideas and the narratives that surround them. As the reader will discover, sketchbooks are often a fascinating and surprising window into the mind of the illustrator.

An instructive book that examines the practice of drawing for illustration through case studies and sketchbooks, written by one of the world’s foremost experts and teachers on the subject. This essential handbook explores the subject of drawing for illustration in-depth, with an emphasis on drawing as a skill and fundamental language that every illustrator should master. It aims to encourage students through examples and case studies, by showcasing the often-unseen world of draughtsmanship that underpins the finished graphic. From book illustration to graphic novels, caricatures to commercial design, it draws on contemporary sketchbooks, projects and historical examples to make the connection between the practice of drawing from observation and drawing from imagination. Martin Salisbury sets out by explaining the fundamentals of this exciting discipline, before outlining the basic principles of line, tone, composition and colour through inspiring examples. Different approaches to drawing including anecdotal, sequential and reportage are examined, to enable students to acquire their own personal visual language. Interviews with illustrators also provide invaluable insight into the creative process, as they outline their challenges and motivations, and what drawing personally means for them. Packed with visual inspiration, this book features detailed analysis of works by key illustrators from past and present including George Cruikshank, Egon Schiele, Ronald Searle and Sheila Robinson through to Laura Carlin, Alexis Deacon and Isabelle Arsenault, looking at the differing roles drawing plays in their particular illustrative languages and how styles have changed over time.

An overview of the life and work of Oliver Jeffers, the Belfast-raised illustrator, bookmaker, painter, designer, campaigner and global superstar of the world of visual communication A phenomenon of 21st-century bookmaking, Oliver Jeffers has carved an extraordinary career that shows no sign of slowing. Still only in his forties, he has published an array of hugely popular books, both as illustrator and author–illustrator. This overview of his life and work – so far – charts his passion for the environment and his quest to understand humanity’s major challenges, and the impact this has had on his creative and intellectual output. The list of Jeffers’s accomplishments is long and glittering: he has held numerous one-man shows, in both the UK and the USA, and was appointed an MBE in 2022 for services to the arts. Most importantly, however, he has tirelessly pushed the boundaries of what a picturebook can be. His regular exploration of existential issues – whether through illustration or other media such as site-specific installation or film – has exerted a major influence on the practice of authorial picturebook-making. This addition to Thames & Hudson’s acclaimed Illustrators series is the first book to focus closely on Oliver Jeffers’s practice as an illustrator, offering an in-depth analysis of his processes, influences, styles and subjects as they have changed over time.

Learn how to create effective illustrations to match children's stories for different age groups.The art of illustration for children has a long and rich tradition, and for generations has been loved by countless readers. Illustrating Children's Books shows you how to create beautiful artwork for children, examines the approaches taken by advanced-level students and leading artists and describes how their ideas evolve from start to finish through step-by-step sketches.- Identify the techniques used by successful children's illustrators and get advice on how to tackle fantasy, fairy tale, realism and nature drawings- Learn tips on working in a wide variety of media and receive professional advice on illustrating for different age groups and types of publication- Discover how to interpret and enrich the text, build consistent character identities, and create vibrant settings that will stir readers' imaginations- Find out how to create storyboards and layouts, work to brief, and present your work professionally- Explore specific examples such as picture books for little ones, storybooks for older children and educational books, with the final chapters devoted to design and typography and the business of getting published