WIA2024 Shortlist Showcase – Publishing
The WIA2024 Publishing shortlist showcases innovative approaches to storytelling from the best New Talent and Professional Illustrators in the industry.
Image Credit: Lisa Perrin The League of Lady Poisoners
The illustrators in this category use their craft to harness the power of storytelling.
We’ve loved celebrating such a diverse range of entries. Thinking outside the box with dynamic composition, tactile mediums and emotive character design.
Take a look at this curated list of the WIA2024 Publishing Shortlist. Including a few words from our judges and an insight into why these illustrators entered their projects.
The WIA2024 Publishing category is sponsored by Rebelle, the digital painting software.
Lisa Perrin – The League of Lady Poisoners
Professional
Commissioned by Chronicle Books this illustrated book explores accused and convicted women poisoners from history.
Featuring 100 unique illustrations. Each piece is rich in detail with expressive characters symbolic motifs and ornate botanical drawings.
With a rich and dark colour palette that adds to the printerly quality of the illustrations. The book feels nostalgic in a nod to the history we explore.
Lisa Perrin is an illustrator based in the USA.
Liisa Kallio – Humanity in Drawings
Professional
It’s not often we examine the many layers of being human. This silent book for adults gets to the core of just that.
This emotive body of work captures big themes such as contradictions and observations we come across throughout our lives. The abstract artwork allows the viewer to be in charge of the narrative and interpret the story in various ways.
The book is a collection of original charcoal drawings on paper. Bound together to create this expressive book.
Liisa Kallio is an illustrator based in Finland.
Ying-Hsiu Chen – A Place Where Green Embraces Red
Professional
This beautiful series of illustrations takes us on a journey across vast landscapes on a high mountain train.
Playing with composition and scale to evoke the feeling a sense of pace. Stretching out across these rich surroundings, showcasing how small we really are in the grand scheme of things.
Ying-Hsiu Chen is an illustrator based in Taiwan – You can view the full project here
Thoughts on A Place Where Green Embraces Red from one of our Judges:
I love the colour and sense of movement in this collection. I think this illustrator does so much with reduced palette and geographic forms
Richard Harvell – Head of North American Publishing, Helvetiq
Yutao Shi – Beneath the surface
New Talent
This playful short story explores how we can overcome our fears, shifting our perspectives in everyday life.
The sketchy use of coloured pencils creates a diary like feeling, adding to the personal nature of the project.
Incorporating hand drawn text and playful composition that pushes outside the boundaries of traditional comic style narratives by using a variety overlayed elements and playful use of scale.
Yutao Shi is an illustrator based in China.
Lola Grainger – Imillaskate
New Talent
Imillaskate details the story of an indigenous Bolivian skateboarding collective. Skateboarding wearing traditional pollera dresses, as a symbol of resistance.
The book has an incredibly tactile feel, acting as a nod to the traditional clothing, with a sewn fabric cover and hand bound pages.
The Illustrations are joyful and vibrant using oranges and blues from a risograph machine. This printing method adds to the collective feel of the narrative as these women use skateboarding as a tool to share cultural identity.
Lola Grainger Is an illustrator based in the UK.
ZHOU ZHOU – I don’t want to play the piano
New Talent
This story highlights the importance of fighting back against others to find your true passion.
The use of colour powerfully expresses emotion in this story, from muted dark tones to burst of technicolored watercolour.
The illustration explores freedom through composition and variations of scale. Showing piano keys acting as prison bars before transcending into stairs for a great escape.
Thoughts on I don’t want to play the piano from one of our Judges:
I really enjoy the imaginative ways the illustrator has composed these scenes! Each page has something completely new and different to offer in terms of composition which makes the page turn really interesting.
Pooja Desai – Art Director, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing
Illustrator Interviews
We’ve also been asking some more of our amazing shortlisted illustrators about their practice and their shortlisted projects.
Shortlisted for New Talent Publishing Category Shortlist for their project Before
Why did you make this work?
I’ve always been a fan of classical literature and looked for chances to connect it with my artworks. This picture book’s story was inspired by Dostoevsky’s life event when he was sentenced to death but then suddenly absolved. I created these images about a person who was getting close to the end of his life, only to learn he may have a second chance. What kind of resolutions would he make then?
Shortlisted for Professional Publishing Category Shortlist for their project Icelanders
What’s your favourite thing about your shortlisted project?
I love the process to illustrate a narrative piece. The project feels special to me as it is not only an illustrated book, but also a collaborative project with my friend.
Be sure to check out all of the Meet the Illustrator Interviews:
If you enjoyed reading this curated list, be sure to keep explore the rest of the WIA2024 Shortlist Showcase. We will be adding materials until September.
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