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Info: every picture tells a story - story illustrations
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Maybe a well-written story, song or poem should not really need illustrations: surely the images we can conjure up in our own minds should be marvellous enough.
But don't tell anybody that, or I'll be out of work. |
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"The visitors"
newspaper short story illustration, ink drawing, 1985
Occasionally, the daily newspaper "The Athens Star", where I worked as a journalist and designer, published a light-hearted story - a welcome break from the usual diet of news and feature articles.
This story by David Lazarus, one of our editors, is a modern take on an old fairy tale in which wee creatures help a poor old cobbler out by stealing out of their hiding places at night to make beautiful shoes for him as he sleeps.
Here we witness a moment of surprise as the modern householder's flashlight catches the eyes of the little people hiding in a mousehole. The cat looks like it's seen a ghost. What a scaredy cat.
I also drew this scene from the point of view of the magic folk. Must dig it out sometime. |
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Info: every picture tells a story - story illustrations |
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"Lazarus in space"
newspaper short story illustration, ink drawing, 1985
Another illustration for a short story by newspaper editor David Lazarus (see picture 1 "the visitors" above).
This time the narrator finds himself in a Star Wars fantasy. There's a hint of David himself here: his blond curly locks, striped shirt and the chunky manual Yugoslavian typewriters we worked with at "The Athens Star". We didn't have such posh cups and saucers though, and our office chairs were nowhere near as hi-tech or comfortable as this one looks. Here our hero is startled out of his creative reverie by the blasts of laser beams from warring spaceships.
May the force be with you, David, wherever in the cosmos you may be. |
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Info: every picture tells a story - story illustrations |
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"Vive la France!"
poetry illustration, ink drawing, 1984
This is one of a series of drawings for a book which contained poetry by children from several countries.
As everybody knows, ALL Frenchmen wear berets and striped T-shirts, consume vast amounts of baguettes and wine and juggle garlic cloves while recklessly riding bicycles. It all makes crossing the road a tough business for snails (why did the snail cross the road?), but it ought to be grateful that it's not on the menu.
Cliché upon cliché, I'm afraid, mais c'est la vie. |
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Info: every picture tells a story - story illustrations |
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"A moving experience"
grunt and groan illustration, ink drawing, 1986
This was done for a change of address card.
The great British worker attempting to move the great British packing case. It reminds me of the song "Right, said Fred" about some removals men whose work is so tough that they have to keep stopping for a cup of tea. |
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Info: every picture tells a story - story illustrations |
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"Davey Crockett"
Illustration of a song by Edward Povey
Two computer drawings
It seems that the artist Ed Povey doesn't write songs anymore. Pity, he's written some great ditties, mostly blues and folk. His modern Davey Crockett is a real
rip-roaring yipee-ya-yea cowboy number.
Davey Crockett, I'm with you, so take me along
To the place in the valley where the outlaws belong.
I'm tired of my living right, So drive me away!
Put your foot on the pedal like a door on the day.
The song tells of someone bored of his mundane life dreaming of running off to join the shoot-em-up-rough-tough wild westerners.
Unfortunately, the historical Davey Crockett (1786-1836) wasn't a devil-may-care outlaw at all, but a down-to-earth backwoods man, soldier, politician and magistrate. How unromantic can you get?
This is one of a number of pictures I've made which are actually two images in one, like catching a blend between two scenes in a movie. I first drew this one by hand, then did the digital versions which have the advantage of making it possible to view the two viewpoints separately. |
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Info: every picture tells a story - story illustrations |
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"Boatfish"
dream illustration, ink drawing
Old Fishlips is back! This was an image of a being half-fish half-boat I saw in a dream. I don't know if it was in black and white, but it sure was weird. I'd probably been reading too much Dylan Thomas.
One day, as I was trying to find my way around a huge German supermarket, the muzak on the P.A. system was suddenly interrupted by the jaunty greeting: "Hallo, Fischfreunde!" I kid you not. |
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Info: every picture tells a story - story illustrations |
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"Periscope view"
dream illustration, computer drawing, 1989
Another dream picture. I'm not sure what's going on here, but I suspect the influence of Neville Shute's novel "On The Beach". In his post nuclear holocaust story, a submarine is sent from Australia to the United States to see if anybody has survived there. The captain's first view of a deserted San Francisco through his periscope is desolate.
This skyline is more like that of New York with its Twin Towers. This is one of the first computer drawings I did, around 1989. It seems even more eery now in our post 9.11.2001 world, especially as the periscope's sight is centred on buildings which look similar to the Twin Towers. |
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| Design, images and text copyright © David John 1984 - 2010 |
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