Illustrator Spot - Jon Klassen (+ Hats)

Whilst wearing my illustrator 'hat' I am always on the look out for new and exciting works. I am happy to hear that there is soon to be a new book in Jon Klassen's hat series of illustrated children's stories, We Found a Hat. 

WE FOUND A HAT BY JON KLASSEN - IMAGES FROM THE GUARDIAN

top: a sneak peek at the cover of the new book by jon klassen 'we found a hat', below: desert illustration scene from the new book

Beginning with my favourite of the books so far 'This is Not My Hat' (seen below), the trilogy is now to be completed with the new book 'We Found a Hat' featuring desert scenes with tortoises. I really love the quirky edgier style to Klassen's work and it makes a refreshing change in children's literature to some of the more widely available sweet and sugary books.

THIS IS NOT MY HAT BY JON KLASSEN - IMAGES FROM ART OF THE PICTURE BOOK + GALLERY NUCLEUS

top: from the cover of the first in the series 'this is not my hat' by jon klassen, upper middle/lower middle + bottom: illustrations from 'this is not my hat' by jon klassen

The colour palette featuring strong blacks and murky muddy colours goes against the common logic of using every bright, brash, clashing colour available to attract children. The characters are also given space to take centre stage, Klassen hasn't felt the usual commercial pressure to fill every inch of the page. Even the brush lines are 'scruffy' in parts, something that can often be airbrushed out, this gives the work a feeling of realism.

I WANT MY HAT BACK BY JON KLASSEN - IMAGES FROM ART OF THE PICTURE BOOK

top: cover of jon klassen's 'i want my hat back', below: an illustration from the book 'i want my hat back'

I like Klassen's take on how to make illustration unique and fresh in this snippet from his interview with The Art of the Picture Book.

It’s like anybody can take a good photo, where the color’s right and the focus. It’s beside the point now. Everybody is a photographer. So now it’s about where you’re standing again. It’s not about how beautiful the photo is or if you can apply a filter to it properly because anybody can do that. 

I think it should be the same with illustration. Lots of people can draw really beautifully or they can make something pretty with Photoshop. But where are you standing? What do you have to say? 

I'm hoping Klassen has plenty to say and am looking forward to many more award winning books in the future.