Comparison

Comparison

Analysis of Are You Awake? by Sophie Blackall

Blackall, Sophie. Are You Awake? Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Henry Holt and Company. 2011. 40 pages. Ages 2-5.

 

 

 

Visual Elements

            Blackall uses curved, lines that are soft and thin throughout Are You Awake?. She uses curved shapes except for manmade objects such as the bedroom window or the bedside table. The texture of her watercolors is soft and sort of dream-like, which relates to the subject matter of the book. At the beginning of the book, the colors are are more neutral grays and blues, dulled browns. As the story progresses, so too does the colors. The colors gradually get lighter, with more blues, yellows, pinks and oranges, signaling the passage of time from night to morning. So to does the value.

Composition

            Blackall takes great care in composing her images. She creates dominance by using contrast in size, color and brightness. For example, the first few pages in the book consist of a black circle with white text and white eyes. Later in the story, she draws your eyes to the clock because it is in the forefront of the frame. Each illustration is well-balanced. One page in particular is a perfect example of this. The drawing shows the mother laying down and the son sitting on top of her looking at the moon. Their two heads and the moon are spaced out in a way that gives the picture balance. Though there isn’t much contrast in the beginning of the story because everything is dulled to convey that it is still nighttime, Blackall builds in contrast and gradations as the pages turn to show that the sun is coming up. She uses alternation in the form of pajamas – Edward’s pajamas are striped and his mothers have polka dots. The size and shape of each illustration varies. For example, the book starts with small circular shapes, then gets into bigger frames that fill up half the page, then goes back to smaller circular shapes, then ends with two full-page spreads. Blackall sustains harmony throughout this story because the edges remain soft throughout. She creates unity by replcating little parts of the image in the bigger part of the image. For example, the comforter has stars on it and Edward looks outside at the real stars.

Medium & Style

            As stated above, Blackall uses Chinese ink and watercolor. The best way to describe the art in this book is cartoonish. She uses the watercolors in such a way to create a soft-dream-like feeling.  

Analysis of The Five of Us by Quentin Blake

Blake, Quentin. The Five of Us. Illustrated by Quentin Blake. Tate Publishing. 2014. 40 pages. Ages 4 and up.

  

 

Visual Elements 

            In The Five of Us, Blake uses his characteristic straight, scratchy, and thick lines. His shapes are angular – even things that are supposed to be curvy or round such as a human body have an angle to them. Some of his shapes lack definition and outlines, like his clouds, which are just watercolor splotches. His scratchy pen gives the drawings a rough texture. He is not confined by lines as his colors often go outside them and there are even some white spots in his painting. He creates value in that his colors are inconsistent. One part of the grass in a drawing may be much darker than another part of the grass in the same picture.

Composition 

            He creates dominance with his use of circular stone shapes that border certain images. Despite his nature of inconsistency, all the images in The Five of Us are incredibly well balanced. He knows exactly where things should be placed to be pleasing and comforting to the eye. The Five of Us uses contrast in color and gradation to show the passage of time and contrast in size – “HELP!” to show a dramatic action. Blake varies the size and shape of each illustration. Some are full-page spreads, while others are tiny panels. He creates unity and harmony in the book by being consistently inconsistent on every page.

Medium & Style

            Blake uses watercolors and a scratchy pen dipped in ink as described in my analysis of his technique. His style in this book and every book he’s done can be best described as naïve. It is playful, inconsistent, sporadic, rough and whimsical.

Summary

            Both Blackall and Blake use watercolors, but they use them very differently. Blackall paints soft, round cartoonish pictures, while Blake paints rough, sketchy, whimsical pictures. Blackall’s pictures are curved and rounded, while Blake’s are angular and sharp. Blackall’s paintings have soft but defined edges, whereas Blake’s often lack definition. Blake’s use of color is inconsistent and he often goes outside the lines, while Blackall’s use of color is deliberate and nearly perfectly balanced. Lastly, Blackall’s style is cartoonish and sweet, while Blake’s is naïve, spontaneous and almost childlike.