Grapes of Wrath

I'm starting a new project: to illustrate the Grapes of Wrath. I finished reading the book last week and it's made such a powerful impression on me - the hardship and injustice of the migrate people, but also the powerful writing style of John Steinbeck; it's hard to stop thinking about the images I have running through my head at the moment. Images, colours, moods and textures. I'm imagining simple pen and ink line drawings and screen printed colour and texture. There's also a beautiful Folio Society version out there with b&w wood engravings, but I can't lose the opening paragraphs of the book from my head and continual references to the red country, and feel I'd at least like to see what it looks like in colour.

The version I've got (Penguin) has an excellent introduction by Robert DeMott which really sets the intensity of Steinbeck's thoughts and writing. The book has so many levels to it, I can't imagine being able to do it justice in illustrative form, (and if that's the case it will hit the bin as quickly as it takes to type this) but I'm at least going to try. To quote Steinbeck:

"On one level it is the story of a family's struggle in the Promised Land...On another level it is the story of a people's struggle, the migrants'. One third level it is the story of a nation, America. On still another level, through...the allusions to Christ and those to the Israelites and Exodus, it becomes the story of mankind's quest for profound comprehension of his commitment to his fellow man and to the earth he inhabits."

Issues still so relevant today.

In my research I've also come across the amazing work of Dorothea Lange:

Bunty

When I was a little girl I Ioved Bunty - loved the drawings, loved the stories...often really dark, which seems so unusual for a comic written for young girls. Lots of stories about orphaned girls or evil dolls that came alive at night or impoverished girls who had an amazing talent but we forced to practice in secret because their cruel parents would beat them in the day time. Or something like that.

I once went to a lecture with one of the animators from Aardman - he told a story about Bunty (can't remember how on earth he got to the topic) and how the illustrators working on it would get so bored doing such repetitive work that they would see how dark and tragic they could push it. And boy did they ever!

Check out the link above to see a sample...








































Update: after a little bit of research I've come across this guy Sean Phillips - a Bunty illustrator! One of the good ones as well.

Marion Deuchars

I've been a fan of Marion's work for a while now - I'd love to commission her one day. Her drawing, her ideas, her style is sublime.