WIA2024 – Longlist Category Highlights: Publishing
Our Publishing category allows us to spotlight the diverse range of illustration in the publishing industry, beyond book covers and children’s books.
The Publishing longlist showcases anything from silent narrative to non-fiction. Celebrating illustration created for readers age sixteen and over.
Be sure to check out the full Publishing WIA2024 Longlist, sponsored by Rebelle, the digital painting software. This category highlights illustrations power in allowing us to explore deeper mediums of story telling through art.
From personal short stories to folklore, this category showcases the beautiful range of New Talent and Professional Illustrators on our Longlist…
Xavier Mula – Alice in Wonderland
Professional
This re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland was created as part 10 illustrations for a new collection for Austral publishing house ‘Austral ilustrados’.
The bold colours and dynamic composition bring Alice into a modern day world, whilst paying homage to the original story.
The playful scale and topsy turvy house indicates going down the rabbit-hole. Created using Wacom and Adobe Photoshop, the piece has a digital style that feels clean and crisp, contrasting with the playful scale.
Xavier Mula is an illustrator based in Barcelona, Spain.
Ania Kropla Malinowska – Il Giardino dei bambini storti
Professional
Originally a self initiated project “Il Giardino dei Bambini Storti” explores a dark fairy tale inspired by Japanese folklore.
Rome based publishing house ‘Bakemono Lab’ later saw the project and published it in 2023.
The piece has a melancholy feeling with moody techniques such as oil pastels and ink. All creating a beautifully eerie softness.
Ania Kropla is an illustrator originally from Poland, and now based in Italy.
Brian Britigan – Always Matt: A Tribute to Matthew Shepard
Professional
This powerful piece pays tribute to Matthew Shepard, the 21-year-old student who was brutally attacked in the US.
The illustrated cover reflects on the importance of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.
The beautiful use of contrasted light, creates a moving sense of tragedy as well as hope.
Brian Britigan is an illustrator based in the USA.
Nino Li – Nowhere, Now Here
New Talent
This personal piece expresses the feeling of change happening around you in a city, to the point of it becoming unfamiliar.
The exaggerated composition of the towering high rise buildings, creates an overwhelming feeling to the small figures. Whilst also showcasing the vibrant colours, energy and fast pace of life.
The piece has a futuristic feel with the clean lines and digital techniques. Emphasising the sense of newness.
Nino Li is an illustrator based in the USA.
Mereida Fajardo – Zayani Zam
New Talent
Created for the silent novel Zayani Zam, these illustrations depict the daily life of truck drivers who drive coal from Mongolian mines to the Chinese border.
The detailed, slow pace allows for the audience to really step inside the minds of the characters and travel along with them.
The innovative use of traditional comic storytelling, is dissected and restructured to create a dynamic composition.
The use of Pencil and charcoal also add to this sense of personalisation, creating an almost diary entry feel as we look into this characters mind.
Mereida Fajardo is an illustrator based in Bristol, UK.
Scarlet Thomas – The Courtship of Mr Lyon
New Talent
As part of a series of four images, illustrating Angela Carter’s ‘The Bloody Chamber’, these illustrations really capture the vast world of the book.
With striking landscapes and subdued dream like colours, we’re transported into the enchanted world.
The traditional use of medium lends itself to this world. Using thin washes of gouache over coloured pencil.
Scarlet Thomas is an illustrator based in Cambridge, UK.
If you enjoyed reading this curated list, be sure to check out the full WIA2024Longlist.
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