Picture This! winners 2019

the worldwide picture book illustration competition

Winners

2019

AND THE WINNERS ARE…

NAAM

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the worldwide picture book illustration competition

And the winners are‌ The Netherlands Evelien Jagtman Aida de Jong Vera de Koning Marijn van der Wateren (honourable mention) Germany Zeynep Oba Pauline Pete Julia Veits

France Beatrice Zampetti François Lalo Laura Hedon United Kingdom Beatrix Hatcher Sally Walker Gill Smith South Africa Emma Bosman Nicola Van Rensburg Thejal Mathura

Copyright: © 2019 Lemniscaat b.v., Rotterdam Illustration on cover: © Piet Grobler Photographs: © the winners Picture this! logo: © Tobias Hickey

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface by the publisher The winners

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The Netherlands Evelien Jagtman 14 Aida de Jong 18 Vera de Koning 22 Marijn van der Wateren (honourable mention) Germany Zeynep Oba 30 Pauline Pete 34 Julia Veits 38 France Beatrice Zampetti 42 Franรงois Lalo 46 Laura Hedon 50 United Kingdom Beatrix Hatcher 54 Gill Smith 58 Sally Walker 62 South Africa Emma Bosman 66 Nicola Van Rensburg Thejal Mathura 74

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PREFACE BY THE PUBLISHER

the worldwide picture book illustration competition

In this catalogue we proudly present the winners of the 2019 edition of the international picture book illustration competition Picture this!, with entries from England, France, South Africa, Germany and the Netherlands.

From the many entries, juries in these countries chose the three most talented new and unknown illustrators. The result is an impressive demonstration of the versatility and originality of the picture book.

Picture books have become a worldwide art form at which many try their hand, from newcomers to more established artists. And with good reason, as picture books are now a cherished part of many a child’s and parents’ world.

Also in child day-care centres, reading picture books is becoming a regular activity, which often inspires all sorts of further activities.

In short: the picture book is here to stay!

Nevertheless, coming to notice and finding a publisher often remains a challenge for recently graduated illustrators. That is why publishers, academies and other cultural institutes banded together in 2014 to launch the Picture This! competition: as a platform for upcoming talented illustrators to demonstrate their ability.

To bring the winners’ work to attention, this catalogue is distributed among picture book publishers, art institutes and academies, worldwide.

Also, exhibitions of the work by the winning illustrators will travel along art institutes and libraries in the participating countries.

On behalf of the juries of the Worldwide Picture Book Illustration Competition, the International Institute for the Picture Book in Society, Lemniscaat Publishers/The Netherlands, Protea Publishers/South Africa, Kaléidoscope/France and the Bilderbuchmuseum in Troisdorf, Germany, we wish you much enjoyment and the artists every success!

Jean Christophe Boele van Hensbroek Lemniscaat Publishers The Netherlands

THE WINNERS

Evelien Jagtman

The Netherlands

Aida de Jong

Marijn van der Wateren (honourable mention)

Vera de Koning

THE WINNERS

Beatrice Zampetti

France

Franรงois Lalo

Laura Hedon

THE WINNERS

Zeynep Oba

Germany

Pauline Pete

Julia Veits

THE WINNERS

Beatrix Hatcher

United Kingdom

Gill Smith

Sally Walker

THE WINNERS

Thejal Mathura

South Africa

Emma Bosman

Nicola Van Rensburg

BEAR JO

Evelien Jagtman

Evelien Jagtman used to walk past a beautiful sculpture of a bear every day. One day, the sculpture was gone. She missed the bear, and so did many others. Where was he? There was only one explanation; he must have gone on an adventure! This is how the story about Bear Jo came to life. Bear Jo is a story about finding your own path and talent, self-doubt, helping each other and imagination. It was executed in watercolour and pastels, since Evelien loves working by hand.

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AND THE WINNERS ARE‌

E V E L I E N J A G T M A N used to be a medical doctor, but knew for a long time that she wanted to do

something creative. She did a journalism course in between her medicine study and her specialization and worked at a medical magazine as an intern. After twelve years of study, and just half a year short of attaining her diploma as a dermatologist, she decided to follow her heart, without knowing where it would lead. She followed model drawing classes at the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts and Design and did a course in graphic design. When she first opened the creative tap, ideas emerged like droplets. Now, they stream like a fountain. And out of this fountain came Bear Jo.

J U R Y R E P O R T Evelien Jagtman’s work can be described as an adventure

story, elaborated in an original and poetical way. A bear staring up at his own constellation, beautifully depicted by the light shining on his nose. The other main characters – the owl, the beaver and the dog – each have their own clearly delineated persona. Evelien does not need many tools to show how the animals help each other find their way in life.

E V E L I E N J A G T M A N - Bear Jo

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AND THE WINNERS ARE…

E V E L I E N J A G T M A N - Bear Jo

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THEN THE SEA MONSTER CAME Would you like to hear how I became friends with a sea monster?

It might surprise you that it came right up to my house, but then: my house is not a normal house. My house floats, wherever me and my family want it to, because we sail it all over

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AND THE WINNERS ARE‌

the world. And, everywhere we go, we try to do a little bit of good. We pick up plastic and we turn it into the strangest and most wonderful things. My life was already one big adventure, but then the sea monster came‌ This is a story about doing your own little

Aida de Jong thing to make the world a better place. About facing your fears and loving the sea and all her beautiful inhabitants. The illustrations are painted and made with collages, and were later coloured in using Photoshop.  

A I D A D E J O N G is an illustrator and doll maker

living in Utrecht, where she currently studies at the HKU Utrecht University of the Arts.

At 24 years old, she already has some years of experience in the art of illustration, working with independent media such as Hard/hoofd, with various NGOs, the Van Gogh museum, and others.

Nature and other cultures are a major source of inspiration for her. So are folklore, history and the news. She likes to be outside, whether in a forest, by the sea or in a busy city.

In her studio she travels further through her work. Here she can travel all across the world with just her brushes and paint.

WWW.AIDADEJONG.COM

J U R Y R E P O R T Aida de Jong tells a relevant

and contemporary story. In her illustrations she convincingly depicts the pollution of the sea, the threat posed to animals, but also the opportunity to do something about it. With seemingly simple shapes with an eye for many comical details, the theme does not become too heavy but is cast in an optimistic light. The discarded objects are recognisable, appealing directly to the viewer and reader: we, too, are responsible. Some of the stand-out ideas involve a turtle’s shell, pollution trapped in the light of the main character in the form of a sea monster, and the banjo with plastic tuning forks.

A I D A D E J O N G – Then The Sea Monster Came

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A I D A D E J O N G – Then The Sea Monster Came

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THE LOST GOAT

This story is about curiosity and kindness, and how vastly different situations can actually be very similar to each other. There is a valley where people live in simple homes by a lake and keep ducks. And there is a mountain right next to the valley, where people live in a big city and keep goats, and they hate the lifestyle of the valley people and their ducks. One day a girl finds a lost goat in a field and decides to bring him back to the mountain city in secret, to be reunited with its owner.

J U R Y R E P O R T Vera de Koning’s illustrations

would not be out of place in a graphic novel. Her illustrations contain a lot of depth combined with a detailed foreground, such as a face in a tree trunk and hazier backgrounds created with restrained colour use. The chosen perspectives, for instance from up in a tree or from the bottom of a hill, add intensity to her work. The action has a clear flow and the viewer’s gaze travels to the next scene in a very natural manner. You cannot help but feel concerned for the fate of the goat that got lost.

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AND THE WINNERS ARE…

Vera de Koning

VERA DE KONING graduated in 2017 as an animator, but she also likes to work on images that don’t necessarily move. She has been drawing since she can remember, and creating worlds and characters is something she continues doing with both digital and traditional techniques. Her inspiration for illustrated work comes partly from animated movies, nature, and people’s everyday life. She currently lives and works in Rotterdam.

V E R A D E K O N I N G – The Lost Goat

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V E R A D E K O N I N G – The Lost Goat

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STAINS

Marijn van der Wateren

It is starting to get dark when Mees’s mother slams shut the door of her studio with a loud bang. Wearily she drops down on the couch with Mees. Mees is frightened and looks questioningly at his mother. He sees tears in her eyes.

His mother is a technical draftsman and designs special vehicles for farmers, fishermen and the army.

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(Honourable mention)

‘stains and stains again! While tomorrow everything must be finished’, his mother laments. Mees does not understand. He decides to take a look in the studio. When he opens the door, he immediately understands what his mother means. It is as if the measles have broken out in the studio. There are orange spots everywhere. Some on the wall and ceiling, but

even worse, also on mama’s drawings. And they must all be sent in tomorrow.

Mees doesn’t hesitate for a second and decides to help his mother. And... who knows, perhaps those stains on the large sheets of paper can help him design amazing vehicles just like his mother....

As a child, M A R I J N V A N D E R W A T E R E N is often on the road with her grandfather to draw in nature. He has taught her a lot of skills by the sketches that they made together in the country side. Still, she found it hard to draw realistically.

As a comment on her work, he once said that it remained too illustrative. Without him knowing it, that felt like a big compliment.

Marijn works as a graphic designer / illustrator and runs the design studio www.podivium. nl since 2010 with her colleague Christel Bouwmeester. Marijn likes to solve complex problems in a visual way and illustrates, among other things, for education, government and healthcare.

Much of the work is digital, but the passion for analogue work and experimentation with various materials and techniques remains. She likes to fantasize and likes to look for expression and attitude in her characters.

WWW.MARIJNVDWATEREN.NL

JURY REPORT Marijn van der Wateren’s drawings emerge from orange splotches.

She develops them into a boat, an airplane or special vehicle. She uses fine black lines to indicate the action, and in that way tells a story per illustration, though not an ongoing story according to the jury. The fantasy vehicles are remarkable in themselves, but they are also capable of remarkable action. The jury also likes how Marijn shows the viewer that a splotch is actually also a drawing, or can be one. Marijn is therefore awarded an honourable mention.

M a r i j n v a n d e r W a t e r e n – Stains

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M a r i j n v a n d e r W a t e r e n – Stains

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IDA: A COLOURFUL LIFE WITHOUT MY GLASSES Zeynep Oba

A life without glasses is unimaginable for Ida. She has been wearing glasses with great pleasure ever since she was a little kid! But one day she loses her glasses. On the first page you can see what the world looks like for Ida without glasses. The blurry-grey view is not new to her, but she doesn’t like it. Ida is a lively child who likes to explore new things and actively participates in class. Without the glasses, everything is more exhausting and gloomy. A caring teacher decides to take her to the optician, and on the second page you can see Ida’s joy and amazement when she finds the exact same glasses there. At last she can see the world again, crystal clear and much more colourful.

This book is based in part on Zeynep’s own childhood. Her aim is to show how important visual aid is for a child that has myopia, and how eyeglasses make the world much safer and happier.

The illustrations were made digitally.

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Z E Y N E P O B A , freelance illustrator and architect, was born in Berlin in 1986. She studied architecture

(2005 –2011) and visual communication (2008 –2010) at the Berlin University of the Arts. After graduating from the Faculty of Architecture in 2011, she worked in various architecture and design offices in Berlin and Istanbul. In addition, she studied oil painting at the art studio of Halil Yavuz Ertürk and Zulal Ertürk in Istanbul. She also participated in a Children Book Illustration class by Daniela Volpari, and a Digital Illustration class by ValentinaFiore at the Figurative Art School of Rome. Currently Zeynep lives in Berlin and is working on several illustration and visualisation projects.

J U R Y R E P O R T This story is all about vision. The viewer experiences Ida’s struggle to see without

glasses, seeing her classroom in the same fuzzy way as she does.

The striking landscape format of the illustrations gives the book a cinematographic feel. This format works well for a range of settings such as the classroom, or the optician’s office. In the final panoramic image of the countryside, it offers room for the small details found in nature, which flash by just as if seen through Ida’s glasses.

Z E Y N E P O B A – Ida: A Colourful Life Without My Glasses

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Z E Y N E P O B A – Ida: A Colourful Life Without My Glasses

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BIRD HOME

Pauline Pete

The story is about a bird who has to flee with its mother because the forest where they live is about to be cut down. During the attempt to escape, the little bird falls to earth. Its mother manages to save him but dies in the process. After a while a girl finds them and takes the little bird and its dead mother home. She buries the mother and gives the young bird a new home. Together they start a journey to plant new trees to give animals a new place to live and to make the world a better place.

The idea to make the illustrations in black and white came during the working process. The pictures are made with pencil on paper.

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P A U L I N E P E T E daughter of an artist and a

J U R Y R E P O R T A quiet story about the

stone sculptor, Pauline started painting and drawing early in life. After a wonderful childhood she decided to move to Hamburg to study. She has been studying Illustration at haw-Hamburg since 2017. She has already started to work as an illustrator, and her book Kotoris Rettung was nominated for the Hamburger Bilderbuchpreis in 2019.

destruction of a natural habitat that doesn’t use any colour – it’s not what the reader will expect of a story set in the jungle. But the full bleed pencil drawings with diverse hatchings and stroke widths, the shadows and textures, perfectly capture the diversity of the jungle in different shades of grey. One can feel the sense of security underneath the mother’s wing in the face of deforestation. Through the bird’s perspective, the viewer is transported to dizzying heights from which the little bird plummets back to earth.

AND THE WINNERS ARE…

P A U L I N E P E T E – Bird Home

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P A U L I N E P E T E – Bird Home

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THE MITTEN

Julia Veits

In winter, five animals find a new home in a lost mitten: a mouse, a rabbit, a fox, a wolf and a bear.

There is very little space but they all move over and welcome the newcomers. Every animal has its own way of contributing something to the community!

The Mitten is based on a Ukrainian folk tale. The text was revised and partially retold by Julia Veits. The illustrations are made with Adobe Illustrator using handmade textures.

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J U L I A V E I T S was born in Stuttgart, Germany, and studied communication design at the Darmstadt

University of Applied Sciences. She worked as a graphic designer and illustrator for about a decade before she gave in to another undying passion – traveling – and became a flight attendant for Europe’s largest airline. For her artworks she uses a wide range of both handmade and digital techniques. Julia loves art, literature and creative writing, is a huge film buff and likes to go hiking and surfing. She lives in Darmstadt and is currently working on her first children’s novel.

J U R Y R E P O R T The restrained style, using just a few bright colours, is reminiscent of colour lino-cut, and it perfectly supports the fairy tale-like story. The figures have well-defined outlines and appear so vividly in front of the schematic backgrounds that they seem to move in front of the reader’s eyes. While the masses of snow in white and ice-blue evoke a sense of coldness, the interior of the mitten is dominated by a warm dark blue.

J U L I A V E I T S – The Mitten

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J U L I A V E I T S – The Mitten

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CONNEXION

Beatrice Zampetti

Was there ever a child who did not go to a park to feed ducks with stale bread? There is no need to concentrate on macro-events to explore universal themes. The title is Connexion; a dematerialised connexion? Or the connexion between the child and her mother, and then with the ducks? What does it mean to be connected today? Every reader can draw his or her own conclusion. The illustrator’s goal is to create a narrative that offers heterogeneous answers, since there are as many realities as there are readers. Beatrice Zampetti used crayons, Copic markers and stylo gel, although she usually prefers to work with oil paint.

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As a child, B E A T R I C E Z A M P E T T I asked Santa Claus for only two gifts: a horse and a lot of crayons.

She is still waiting for the horse but Beatrice has always used drawing to celebrate life. Was there a birthday? She made a drawing. Was she happy? She made a drawing. Was she bored? She made a drawing. In short, any excuse was a good one. And as a young adult she found two other excellent excuses: the Venice Academy of Fine Arts, where she graduated in Traditional Engraving, and the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts, where she completed a Master’s degree in Illustration for Publishing. She is now a freelance illustrator based in France, where she is learning the language and continues to find excellent excuses every day. beatrice.zampetti

J U R Y R E P O R T Beatrice Zampetti depicts the failings

of modern society with distance and humour. The simplicity of her staging (same point of view, same setting, same attitude of the mother throughout the three pictures) makes the narrative particularly efficient and the message regarding communication (or the lack of it! the reader will judge) crystal clear. The story moves from a minimalist and bleak daily scene to a very busy scene, full of fantasy. The illustrator’s ironic but tender view of the world, her great colour skills and her playful and vibrant fantasy won the jury over.

B E A T R I C E Z A M P E T T I – Connexion

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B E A T R I C E Z A M P E T T I – Connexion

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A HOUSE’S LIFE

François Lalo

As a child, François Lalo lived in an old house. It was not the most idyllic house ever; in fact it was a converted pig farm in the middle of a field. Still, he had a sentimental attachment to it, like most people have to where they grew up. As an adult, one day he returned to see the house again, out of curiosity. It had not changed much, but what struck him was the neighbourhood. The village had grown rapidly and the house was now completely surrounded by other houses. François had never paid

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attention to old houses before. Now, every time he sees one he cannot help but imagine that not so long ago, it was probably surrounded by fields, trees and nature. With this series of illustrations, he wanted to tell a story in which the house is the main character, and to show three notable moments of its life, without nostalgia. The family is there to picture how time passes and life goes on.

F R A N Ç O I S L A L O studied comics, graphic

design and children’s books illustration at L’École Pivaut in Nantes. He started his career as a wood and foam toy designer, and continued in various jobs as an independent graphic designer and illustrator. He tried several techniques, inspired by the dreamlike world of Japanese and African folk tales, but also the charming architecture of his old hometown of Le Mans, where he has exhibited his work several times. He has now returned to his first passion: illustration. He mainly works with a graphic drawing tablet, as a comfortable device offering a very pleasant freedom. But the calligraphic pen with black Indian ink or the ballpoint pen are still favourite tools as well. François especially likes to write, create or draw about Asia, mythology, tales, travels, dreams, fears, friendship, animism, and increasingly about ecology.

J U R Y R E P O R T François Lalo’s mixed tech-

nique of ink and digital colouring results in a strong contemporary narrative. The series explores a philosophical subject: the passage of time through the depiction of a country house, its changing surroundings and inhabitants, one generation after the other. The regularity of the perspective underlines the reassuring permanence of certain things in a world in constant motion. François’s gentle and cheerful treatment and his sense of mise en scène, in very detailed but clear scenes, show an evident understanding of creating a narrative.

F R A N Ç O I S L A L O – A House’s Life

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F R A N Ç O I S L A L O – A House’s Life

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FOXY AND CROW

Laura Hedon

J U R Y R E P O R T In a very poetic and sensitive way, Laura Hedon portrays the

cohabitation of nature with the urban world through the encounter of two characters with whom the young reader will easily identify. This depiction of a harmonious world, where forest and city are not in conflict, reflects present-day ecological concerns. The traditional style of her pencil and watercolour illustrations and the medallion shape she applied to her scenes bring sweetness and depth to this story and gives Laura’s work a retro charm.

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Foxy and Crow is a children’s book project illustrated using traditional watercolour. It tells the story of the encounter between the vixen Foxy and a bird named Crow. Foxy lives a peaceful and simple life in the forest. She likes reading, gardening, and having her bird and squirrel friends over for tea.

By contrast, Crow lives in the vibrant city where he is a postman.

He likes to be up and about all day long. At night he enjoys cooking tasty meals. One day, Crow has to deliver a letter to Foxy. He does not know her and has never been inside the forest.

He finds it strange that someone might live there. He imagines Foxy as a brutal, lone wild beast, but encounters a sweet creature instead. They become friends. Foxy shows him around the forest, its people and its hidden spots. But Crow cannot imagine himself living there as he would miss the comforts of the city. In turn, Crow invites Foxy to discover the buzzing urban area. But she could not live in the city as she would miss the quietness of nature. Therefore, they both imagine a green city, a forest-town, where they could live together.

After high school, L A U R A H E D O N studied biology at AgroParisTech, an engineering school in Paris. After completing her degree in 2017, she finally decided to follow her passion and started working on illustration and comics. Her studies were not that far from the artistic world: studying biology made her aware of the wonders of nature and made her want to express its beauty through illustrated stories, both poetic and ecological, for adults and children. In the meantime she followed graphic arts courses for a year at the Atelier Arts Nouveaux in Lille. There she discovered a variety of techniques, including engraving and Chinese painting, but the water techniques appealed to her most. Now she likes to mix watercolour with gouache and coloured pencils, and to discover new techniques and new ways to tell a story.

LAURA HEDON

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Foxy and Crow

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LAURA HEDON

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Foxy and Crow

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DEEDS NOT WORDS

Beatrix Hatcher

In the faraway lands lived a humble smith. His craft was so magnificent that he impressed the King of the First Tree so much that he gave the smith his firstborn daughter’s hand in marriage. The humble smith became the Smith King. Years later in his own castle he lived happily with his wife and daughter, who inherited the king’s smith craft. She would spend weeks and months without leaving the smithy, creating and inventing new tools and gadgets.

But in the Winter Lands the Cold Heart King was jealous of the princess’s gift and wanted her inventions to create a war machine so he could rule all the lands. With cunning and treachery his Cold Knights razed the Smith King’s castle and tried to kidnap the princess. All would be lost if it was not for the boy Squire of the New Knights, the Smith King’s personal guard. He bravely saved the princess and they escaped. Now they are on their way to the princess’s grandfather, the Tree King, where they hope to find safety.

The illustrations were drawn by hand with pencil and inkbrush, the colours were added digitally in Photoshop.

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B E A T R I X H A T C H E R is an illustrator currently based in London. She graduated with a First in BA Hon-

ours Illustration from Arts University Bournemouth in June. Because she loves and is inspired by so many things, her work touches on a lot of different subjects. She has worked on both fiction and non-fiction picture book projects, as well as recent editorial work that has focused on wellbeing and mindfulness. She is interested in narrative illustration which is what draws her to picture books, and she likes to think every piece of work she creates has a story in it. Since graduating, she has been lucky enough to have a steady flow of freelance work which has kept her occupied and creating images. The dream would be to create a published non-fiction picture book.

J U R Y R E P O R T A very stylish, confident and unusual approach to non-fiction. Great composition

and use of the negative space. Dynamic, expressive lines, inventive compositions and a striking palette combine to produce a contemporary, timely account of an historical narrative which is relevant to today’s audience. The graphic sensibility of the work captures both the era as well as the political significance and tragedy of the subject matter.

B E A T R I X H A T C H E R - Deeds not Words

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B E A T R I X H A T C H E R - Deeds not Words

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EVELINE

Gill Smith

The authenticity of the protagonist in James Joyce’s short story, Eveline, with her vivid, contradictory inner world, struck a chord. I marvelled at Joyce’s ability to shine a light on ordinary, human experience and I connected with the heroine’s fear of the unknown.

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Eveline’s inability to escape the shackles of societal expectation ignited my questions about human freedom and restriction, themes which often reoccur in my stories.

During my ma, I felt compelled to make work that is meaningful to me rather than fol-

low any assumptions about what was expected.

I drew upon my home city of Liverpool with its Irish immigration and maritime heritage.

It was important that my visual language was authentic and close to my sketchbook drawing. I came to value the more spontaneous sketch and the avoidance of ‘overdoing’ final work preoccupied my experimentation. I had new courage to follow rather than suppress my creative impulses.

I am interested in how a local story can also be a universal story. Eveline is relevant today as we witness many thousands of people desperately attempting perilous journeys by sea and overland to escape poverty, conflict and famine.

We live in a time when the need to celebrate both our shared humanity and our meaningful differences, is painfully pressing. Joyce’ s story has deepened my empathy for others and connected me to those from the past. I believe literature and art has the power to connect us.

After studying English Literature and Graphic Arts, G I L L S M I T H worked as a primary teacher, arts educator and carnival and theatre designer.

The ma in Children’s book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art was an absolute privilege and helped her to evolve as an illustrator. Observing ordinary life and wondering about how people experience it, preoccupies her a lot and motivates her illustration. For as long as she can remember, she has loved to draw people’s expressions and gestures. Getting into a character’s head, from fiction or history, and seeing the world through their eyes is a springboard for her own stories to emerge.

J U R Y R E P O R T The jury particularly appre-

ciated Gill’s sensitive approach to the subject, her composition and limited palette, and the powerful emotion she managed to get into her illustrations. The materials are skillfully applied and a delicate balance of line and texture is achieved to reflect the narrative. Gill’s use of hand-rendered text again reflects the personal documentary and combines effectively with the illustrations. Gill entered with two different books and in both of them the main characters are strong and well developed.

GILL SMITH

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Eveline

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GILL SMITH

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Eveline

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LILY AND THE DRAGON The three images from my submission are taken from a story I wrote called ‘Lily and the Dragon’. This is a picture book/comic hybrid that opens with a grandma telling her grandchildren a story, in answer to the question of whether dragons are real or not… Lily (the grandmother as a child) discovers a lone baby dragon in a cave and they soon become friends.

But this is a time when dragons are feared and unwanted. And when the two are seen together the villagers fear the dragon has taken a girl captive and they must act immediately to remove it. Lily fearing the worst comes up with a plan to save her friend.

The images are made from a mixture of different techniques, some monoprinting, stencilling, watercolour, ink and pencil composed and coloured digitally. Whatever I could get my hands on and create on the kitchen table.

I reworked these pieces numerous times, experimenting with different materials and tools until I felt I’d achieved something new and exciting. The ink lines for example were a last-minute addition, drawn on with the different ends of a wooden bbq skewer.

J U R Y R E P O R T Sally has developed her own

distinctive style- great characterisation capturing the emotion perfectly of the Dragon and Lily’s relationship. The simplicity of the main characters in contrast with the textured painting results in a lively, fun and engaging narrative. There is an inventiveness to the image making which exploits both conventional and digital techniques and produces images with lively mark making and expressive colours.

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Sally Walker

For S A L L Y W A L K E R , most days entail a bug hunt, slime recipes, watching swimming lessons and dance classes and creating things with toilet rolls and glue. Being a mum of young children immerses her into their world of play which forms many of her ideas for storytelling and image making.

Sally has worked as a graphic designer for almost 20 years, but decided to pursue her creativity further by joining the MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. It was here that she fell in love with printmaking and stepped away from the computer to create images by hand. Discovering such new techniques and being able to combine them with her graphics skills was what took her work in the direction it is today. Everyday objects are used to playfully create monoprints and textures to use in her artwork. This is then combined with drawings and other print making techniques and composed digitally. As an illustrator Sally loves sequential art and storytelling and is interested in human behaviours, and their relationships with each other and the world around them.

S A L L Y W A L K E R – Lily and the Dragon

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S A L L Y W A L K E R – Lily and the Dragon

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ANNA’S JOURNEY Anna’s Journey is a story of a deaf girl who travels to find the creature who made her, so she can ask it to fix her ears. On her journey to the other world she encounters many strange things like a train conductor who is an

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Emma Bosman

anteater, a broken mirror that talks back, and a dark forest where the trees have eyes. As she goes on many adventures she comes to learn that she is, however, not broken, and doesn’t need to be fixed.

The illustrations of Anna and her journey to the other world are done in vivid colours and tactile textures to reflect the fantasy elements of the story. The artist made use of ink mixed with colour pencils and oil pastels for texture.

E M M A B O S M A N is a freelance illustrator and

Information Design student at the University of Pretoria. She grew up with a deep love of books and art, which turned into a love for illustrated children’s books. This plays a defining role in her illustration, and her work has a distinct playful, naive feeling to it. She draws inspiration from fairy tales, folk tales and the beauty of the everyday. Her preferred medium of execution includes a wide range of traditional media. This enables her to draw from the interplay of mediums such as gouache, ink and coloured pencil.

She works mostly in traditional media, first painting in either gouache or ink then adding tactile marks and details with coloured pencil.

Her love of nature as well as classic literature is reflected in her work as it features quirky characters engaging with colourful romantic landscapes. She is inspired by artists and illustrators such as Tove Jansson, Shaun Tan and Chris Riddell.

J U R Y R E P O R T The illustrator works in a vi-

sual language demonstrating a consciousness of contemporary international picture book making. The use of mixed media, including colouring pencil, washes and the imitating of printing technique adds warmth to the story. The colouring sensibility and compositional skill is good and there is enough tone difference and contrast to create mood and a sense of place. She demonstrates an ability to work with visual surprise by alternating block illustrations with vignettes. The two characters indicate an ability to capture personality. She can still develop a variation of facial expression for the girl and work on body-expression of the girl that is more animated or ‘flexible’.

E M M A B O S M A N – Anna’s Journey

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E M M A B O S M A N – Anna’s Journey

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URBAN CLANS After an apocalyptic event that left its buildings crumbled and its people scared and confused, the city of Johannesburg was invaded by giant airborne jelly fish. They are not aggressive, but they are deadly.

Their presence caused all electricity from computers to car engines to shut down permanently. The people of Johannesburg banded together in groups to make sense of their new reality. Each group provides a crucial service to the others and together these Urban Clans forge a new society that functions despite their changed circumstances.

N I C O L A V A N R E N S B U R G is an illustrator and designer. She likes to draw and design things. She is a sucker for getting stuck in a good creative problem that needs some out of the box thinking. She enjoys telling stories and creating worlds that her audiences can get lost in, and loves to break the rules and do backflips and barrel rolls with them while she’s at it! After many years of part-time studies and life adventures she is currently in her final year at The Open Window with a double major in Illustration and Communication Design. She prides herself on having a versatile style: from professional and corporate to playful, light-hearted and sometimes a little silly.

J U R Y R E P O R T Nicola has a fresh visual

language. She’d make very original and interesting graphic novels. Her illustrations are exceptional, her characters are original, and she has the ability to express movement and atmosphere with a skill that is not often seen.

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Nicola Van Rensburg

N I C O L A V A N R E N S B U R G – Urban Clans

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N I C O L A V A N R E N S B U R G – Urban Clans

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FELIX’S FIREPLACE Felix recycles and invents! One brisk morning, he is out foraging in the bins for things to use in his up-and-coming inventions when he stumbles upon an empty paint tin. Winter is on its way - it’s a good thing he found that tin! It’s perfect for making a stove & fireplace. It’s just the thing he needs to make his winters a little less chilly.

J U R Y R E P O R T Thejal Mathura’s characteri-

sation is believable, she creates a convincing sense of place and time and the colouring is interesting and varied, though coherent. There is enough indication that she understands a change of mood and pacing. The work is charming, pleasant and professional.

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Thejal Mathura

T H E J A L M A T H U R A is a graphic designer and animator. Her passion lies in bringing stories to life

through illustration. She finds her love for animals and the environment making its way into all her stories - it’s definitely one of her biggest sources of inspiration. She hopes to instill an appreciation for the environment through characters like Felix and that her stories will encourage people to take better care of Mother Earth.

T H E J A L M A T H U R A – Felix’s Fireplace

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T H E J A L M A T H U R A – Felix’s Fireplace

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T H E C O M P E T I T I O N I S S U P P O R T E D B Y:

Lemniscaat Publishers (nl) The International Centre for the Picture Book in Society (gb) Protea (sa) | Walker Books (gb) | KalĂŠidoscope (fr) The Burch Wissem Bilderbuch Museum (de)