Traditional vs Digital Techniques in illustration

Julia Groves offers some observations on blending time honoured printing methods with modern computers. 




As a printmaker and illustrator I have developed a rather eclectic method of making images, utilising both traditional and digital media to create images which retain a ‘hand-made’ quality. 

I consider myself rather fortunate as I had a traditional art education in the (almost) pre-digital age of the late 1980’s/early 1990’s.Training first as an Illustrator at Cambridge School of Art, working almost purely in traditional non-digital media such as paint, collage and printmaking, typography was hand-rendered and we used the library for all our research, no Google back then! My love/hate relationship with printmaking continued as I pursued a Post-graduate Diploma in Fine Art printmaking at Brighton University, where I discovered that traditional methods of printmaking are both time-consuming and frustrating, but there is also a wonderful sense of achievement in the hand-made.

Isabelle Vandenabeele illustration from Een Griezelmeisje ('A Horrorgirl' written by Edward van den Vendel, published by De Eenhorn 2005)

 The recent revival in traditional printmaking techniques and the rise in popularity of beautiful children’s books with a ‘hand-made’ aesthetic may be viewed as a reaction to computer generated illustrations and the digital book. As much as we embrace the digital world, we are seeking the tactile familiarity of the books of our childhood memories as a counter point to the screen. 

Traditional illustration seems to have come full circle, from falling out of favour to photography in the early 1990’s to being superseded by CGI and vector graphics as digital technologies evolved. There are now more opportunities than ever for a broad spectrum of traditional and digitally created images (or better still a combination of the two) in picture books. 

I admire Illustrators such as Marc Boutavant, who creates all his work digitally, yet his images have a beautiful mid-century auto lithography aesthetic, combining retro colours and charming animal characters. Belgian artist Isabelle Vandenabeele creates beautiful illustrations combining traditional wood cuts, which are then scanned in layers and coloured and composed using Photoshop. John Lawrence works in a similar way, his intricate wood engravings are again assembled using digital techniques, this method was utilised to great effect in his illustrations to Treasure Island (Walker Books, 2010) and more recently Wayland written by Tony Mitton (David Fickling Books, 2013).

A wood engraving by John Lawrence (© John Lawrence/Walker Books)

Although I now regularly use Photoshop as part of the process of making illustrations, I also have a genuine respect for traditional methods and this will always be the starting point of my work.

Printing from traditional wooden fonts in the letterpress studio at Cambridge school of Art

The final text, scanned and digitally coloured using Photoshop

I have long been fascinated by the idea of printmaking without a press and combining various techniques into one illustration. I enjoy making mono-prints, transfer drawings and hand-cut block prints, all of which can be done with very basic equipment. I use water-based inks for speed of drying.

Monoprints are created by rolling a very thin layer of printing ink onto a smooth surface (such as plastic, glass or even a table top), next place a piece of paper over the ink and draw on the paper. The pressure of the pencil transfers the ink onto the paper, creating a beautiful ‘feathered’ line. Interesting effects may also be achieved by painting printing inks directly onto the clean surface with a brush, laying paper on top and taking a print by applying gentle pressure with your hand. Different effects can be achieved by wiping ink from the surface with a rag, or drawing into the inked areas.

Making a Monoprint

Printing blocks can be created by cutting shapes from sponge or rubber and gluing onto a wooden (or mdf) block. These can be inked with a roller and pressed onto paper, rather like a rubber stamp. Linocuts are also easy to create at home without a printing press. Use a linocutting tool to carve your design onto a piece of lino, ink with a roller, place a piece of paper over the inked lino and apply pressure by ‘burnishing’ with a spoon.

Rolling ink onto a linocut

I usually print everything in black ink or sometimes I’ll cut just shapes out of black card, scan and then colour and assemble the final illustrations in Photoshop.

Printing from handmade relief blocks

The final illustrations, coloured and composed digitally using Photoshop

The important aspect of this process for me is the sense of retaining the original traditional starting point in the finished digital illustration.

I also recommend Martin Salisbury’s books (Illustrating Children’s Books, Play Pen: New Children’s Book Illustration and Children’s Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling)

All images © the artists and publishers.
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Julia Groves works as a lecturer in Illustration and graphic design, but is also currently in her final semester on the MA Children’s Book Illustration course at Cambridge School of Art.

Follow her blog here.

Linocut Class: Anne-Marie Perks

Anne-Marie Perks

Inspired by print artist and illustrator Gerry Turley facilitating at the SCBWI Picture Book Retreat this summer, I decided to learn more about lino cut and printmaking. This became part of my own professional development plan that I set myself every year. Sometimes it’s about learning a new skill I need to have for illustrating, animating, or storytelling, or it’s something completely different to shake things
up a bit.



Printmaking isn’t new for me. Like many of us who went to art school, printmaking was one of our required classes. I do remember having lots of fun back then doing monoprints, collagraphs, linocuts and etching. It was a while ago now. When I saw that Nick Morley was offering a three day intensive at the Art Academy at London Bridge, I had to go!  See what I learnt here!

FEATURED ILLUSTRATOR - Julia Groves

@julia2groves

Julia Groves, Norwich based Illustrator and Printmaker is this month's Featured Artist, see her work in the Showcase Gallery here!

Thanks for inviting me to be the Words & Pictures Featured Illustrator!

I have created a banner which reflects the Words and Pictures theme for June of; ‘Festivals, Workshops and Retreats’. The characters are from a picture book idea I have recently written and illustrated. The original story is set at night, but I wanted this illustration to be all about colour.

I joined SCBWI in 2011, on the recommendation of a friend in order to enter the Undiscovered Voices competition. To my surprise and delight I was selected as one of the six winners in the illustration category. It was a great introduction to children’s publishing and I had a wonderful time at the launch party; meeting new SCBWI friends and receiving invaluable advice from editors and agents. My selected entry was also published in the Undiscovered Voices 2012 anthology.

My winning UV2012 entry Birdsong

I originally studied Illustration at Cambridge School of Art and Printmaking at Brighton University. Since then I have worked as a lecturer in Art Schools (teaching most Art & Design subjects!). In 2011 I was fortunate to gain a place on the MA Children’s Book Illustration course at Cambridge School of Art as a part-time student and I am currently in my final year.

The course has been a rollercoaster ride and a brilliant crash course into the children’s book world. The first semester was all about drawing, we chose our own theme and I concentrated on ‘interiors’, giving me a great excuse to sit in museums and cafes drawing exhibits and people watching.

Sketchbook page, Cambridge Museum of Zoology

We went on to a Sequential Image module, on the advice of my wonderful tutors Paula Metcalf and Marta Altes, I bit the bullet and wrote and illustrated my first picture book, Monty’s Midnight Friend. A black and white story which explores issues of loneliness and new friendships, as well as teaching children about different nocturnal animals! The illustrations were based on chalk-board drawings; I started working on actual chalk-boards, then black paper and finally on washes of black ink on watercolour paper.

Spread from Monty’s Midnight Friend

My next book came about through painting and doodling, when my mind was a blank. It’s a ‘zoom style’ board book, I made it using relief prints and typeset the text using old wooden fonts. I really enjoyed working on a board book, there are fewer restrictions in terms of page numbers; mine was only six double pages (picture books always have to conform to the 32 page layout, for printing reasons). I can’t reveal the whole sequence as it is currently with a publisher in the USA, but here is a sample page.

Spread from I SEE board book

I have been developing a way of working using a simple table-top print method. I print black proofs and scan them as separate layers in Photoshop, where I colour and compose my final images. I favour simple, graphic images with an emphasis on bold compositions. I have also been working on a counting book. 

 

I have been lucky to visit the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy for the past two years. It’s an amazing experience for any aspiring children’s book illustrator, as publishers from all over the world congregate in one place to sell foreign rights to each other. Of course this presents a wonderful opportunity for British illustrators to meet publishers from all over the world.
This year I was selected to be represented on the Cambridge School of Art stand (the only participating university at the fair). It was all arranged by the amazing Pam Smy, our course leader. It was very exciting as I assisted in several meetings with publishers on the stand, had meetings arranged for me by my tutor Prof. Martin Salisbury, but also managed to see several other publishers during the week. The experience has enabled me to make contact with publishers and to gain invaluable advice about my work.

Cambridge School of Art stand at Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2013

My advice would be not to underestimate your own experience; I had no idea what sort of illustrator I would become. My years of printmaking and my interest in graphic design have really shaped my approach to design, colour and composition. My time on the MA course has opened my mind to discussing and developing new ideas, both with fellow students and tutors. SCBWI offers wonderful networking opportunities via workshops, conferences, the website and the NING social site.

My two children are also a constant source of inspiration, both for stories and characters.  It’s good to run any idea past a child if you possibly can, you’ll be amazed at their brainstorming abilities! 

See more from Julia in her Showcase Gallery, her blog and on Twitter.