BOOKISH TYPE: Ed Vere
ED VERE, the 35-year-old artist from London, (pictured left) could be one of the UK’s saviours of children’s picture books. Here the award-winning author of bold, modern and slightly subversive titles, Banana!, The Getaway, and latterly, Mr Big, talks morality, crime and idyllic childhoods spent in the Peak District…
LittleBig: How do you think you have got away with what some might consider risqué material for young children? For example, your Fingers McGraw mouse character in The Getaway who commits serial robbery (of cheese) and tries to enlist the help of the reader?
Ed Vere: I did wonder if it might be a problem - the fact Fingers doesn’t show any remorse for his crimes. But if you consider that as part of a mouse’s character they’re a bit cheeky and have the tendency to occasionally purloin the odd morsel of cheese, you could just about get away with it. Puffin were extremely encouraging. They wanted to do something less conventional, for which I’m very grateful. I think there can be a lot of pressure for English publishers to play it safe - particularly as they perceive the American market to be more conventional.
It seems sometimes that there’s also a perception that the book buying public in the UK aren’t particularly intelligent/sophisticated in their tastes, but I think that people who venture into bookshops to buy books for their children can be assumed to be intelligent people who want good, intelligent and challenging stuff for their children.
LB: Your books have a fabulous pre-war gangster feel to them (in a good way!). You’ve described it as Raymond Chandler for children. What other influences are in there?
Posted 1 October 2008 in Books
POP ICON: Clifford Richards
NO, NOT THE WIMBLEDON SINGING SIXTIES POP ICON. Clifford Richards - the famed graphic/paper products designer, who created cutting-edge London store Paperchase’s key products back in the day - is a whole different pop icon altogether. And now, at age 73 - and a grandfather many times over - his profile is on the rise again.
Cliff’s new moment in the spotlight comes courtesy of the V&A museum, who bought much of his paper work from the 1960s and 70s for its permanent collections a couple of years ago. It has since commissioned him to produce exhibition graphics for its Sixties Fashion show, as well as a number of graphics for the recently reopened V&A’s Museum of Childhood in 2007. (Their shop currently sells several of his exclusive print products.)
Posted 2 September 2008 in Art + Graphic Design, Designer Profiles
A GOOD READ: Anorak Magazine
EVEN THOUGH Anorak magazine, published four times a year, is aimed at kids aged five to nine, this writer’s 3-year-old is equally enamoured of the new mag as his older friends. Anorak has been devised, says its editor Cathy Olmedillas, formerly of The Face and Sleazenation - who works in conjunction with art director Supermundane and an unofficial team of up to 70 children - to fill the gap left by the demise of annuals like Jackie, Beano and Bimbo.
The paperback tome is sweet, quirky, engaging, and positive in outlook with story strips, colouring-in pages, debates about snot, and essays about fear. Despite the Ed’s editorial history, there’s not a hint of irony when she says, “Anorak is all about inspiring children with fun stories to read and games to play. It was launched because of our shared passion for illustrations and words, looking to bring together the wealth of talented graphic designers and writers in this country. It gives children a platform to express their creativity as they review books, favorite places to go, films and music. We simply want to inspire them and fire up their imaginations! And to give them the opportunity to express themselves.”
Posted 1 September 2008 in Art + Graphic Design
WALL ART: Paula Juchem
WE FELL head over heels in love with Paula Juchem’s vibrant, semi-naive graphic art when we saw her garden / beach scene designed for the Conran Shop’s summer Outdoor Collection windows (left, click to enlarge).
Based in Milan with her photographer husband Ruy Teixiera, and her two children, Pedro, 6 and Bia, 7 months, Juchem describes her look as being about: “Imperfection - my lines are never straight, nothing is symmetrical, and all is colour. It’s a very Brazilian style.”
And whilst it’s not designed “specifically for children or adults,” Paula’s illustrative style is influenced not just by her Brazilian 1970s/80s childhood - with its memories of brightly-coloured juice cartons, homemade fishing rods and impromptu waterproof clothing made from garbage bags - but by her own family.
Posted 1 September 2008 in Art + Graphic Design
COLOUR-IN: Leaf Wallpaper by Suzy Hoodless
THIS LEAF design is a special black and white, colouring-in-friendly image of interior designer Suzy Hoodless’s fabulous hand-printed Leaf wallpaper. If you love the wallpaper (which comes in moss green, petrol blue, chalk white and rose), find it at www.suzyhoodless.com
Click here to download the design as a PDF (1.3 MB).
Then simply dole out the crayons or felt tips. Scan in your child’s completed ‘wallpaper’ and email it to us at mail@littlebigmagazine.com if you fancy. We’d love to see it!
Posted 1 September 2008 in Colouring In
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