ILLUSTRATION NOW
I LIKE IT WHEN IMAGES SHOW SOME
ASPECT OF A STORY NOT REPRESENTED
AT ALL BY TEXT – AND VICE VERSA
kind of thinking, so one set of shapes leads to another.
Sometimes I do begin with words first. A single misheard
phrase can be the basis for an odd chain of thought.
In either case, I tend to regard words and pictures as
quite separate entities. I like it very much when images are
showing some aspect of a story not represented at all by
the text – and vice versa. There should always be a gap
between the two, a space for the reader’s imagination.
The paintings for Tales from the Inner City measured
150cm wide. What’s the appeal of illustrating on that
scale when they will only be seen in reproduction?
It would be quicker, and cleaner, to paint them at a much
smaller scale, especially when working with my preferred
medium of oils. However, working on a larger scale feels
more comfortable, and allows me to use more of my upper
body to move brushes, and walk back and forth to review a
work. One thing we can often forget about painting is that
it is a physical process, about a relationship with physical
materials, and I suspect that this can affect how you think.
You’ve said you knew very little about picture books
when you were first asked to illustrate one. How did
you research or prepare for that commission?
By looking at picture books in my local library and
bookstore. There was also an educational institution
in Fremantle, not far from where I lived, which toured
exhibitions for school students of picture book
illustrations, complete with the artists’ research and
drafts, even letters between writers, artists and
publishers. It’s a place where I’ve since exhibited my own
work, but back then, knowing very little about picture
books, it was a great insight into that process.How do you utilise your sketchbooks?
In two basic ways. Firstly, as a laboratory for drawing and
writing random stuff. It can be as silly or poorly rendered
as I like because nobody is going to look at it except me,
which is naturally liberating. Secondly, as a structured
documentation of developmental process that makes for
handy reference. Interestingly, I was always told in school
to keep a sketchbook, but used to ignore that advice,
thinking it was only for the purpose of rigid assessment
and too structured to be wildly creative. Now I use themABOVEShaun
Tan,TheVision,
2016