Who are they?
Jon Klassen (35) is an author, illustrator and animator from Ontario, Canada. His work has been published in 22 countries, 'I Want My Hat Back', and 'This Is Not My Hat' have together sold more than a million copies, & his books have spent more than 100 weeks on The New York Times picture-book bestseller list [3].
Fields and Outlets
Klassen mainly focuses on illustrating his own books, and books for other writers. However, he has also done animation, concept art for films, and editorial illustrations for other companies.
Outlets and Representation
He is currently being represented by a literacy agency, based in New York, called 'Writers House'. However Klassen also shares his work on many social media outlets including his website (tumblr), Twitter, and Instagram.
Visual Identity
I think that Klassen's illustrative style is very unique to him, as I haven't seen anyone else create work that has a simple composition, yet includes richly textured characters as he achieves in his work. His process involves working by hand, using coloured pencils, graphite, inks and paint, in which he then scans onto his computer to work with them digitally. This process gives him a sense of freedom and carelessness, so that he can create organic and messy textures on paper, and then tidy them up on photoshop.
His work is full of textures and hidden details, which play with your senses. This all occurs on a plain background, which really emphasises, highlights & draws the eye to the focus of the page. His illustrations have a lovely transparency to them, and the organic, toned down colours make his books seem life-like, believable, and mature. This way of working makes a very instant connection to the reader, as children will end up using in the same materials as Klassen when they become inspired to make art of their own.
Prolificness
He does create a large quantity of work, and regularly shows his process on his Instagram & Twitter accounts. He is always working on a future project, and is releasing some more children's books in April this year. Jon Klassen has so far illustrated 17 books, 3 of which he wrote himself.
Humour and Storytelling
Klassens illustrations are beautiful in the way that they exist on the page by themselves, and without the need for a decorative background. Many of his storytelling elements are shown through the slight movement of eyes, which he argues that are the key to all expression in his characters. His books also have a sinister element of humour, as characters get eaten and killed, but this is what makes his books so special, as they don't lie to the children - they show the brutal reality of life, but in a lighthearted manner.
Influence
I have only recently discovered Klassen's work, but I felt instantly inspired by his style, process and technique. I love his use of negative space, and the richness of his illustrations which really make his work unique and special. His work has also driven me to invest more time into working digitally, as I love the flexibility and freedom that Klassen gets from this process.
Breadth
Klassen has very much found his niche in the illustration world, however he is always experimenting and finding new ways to create different textures in his work. This is something that he will continue to do for the rest of his illustrative career, as I think that it is something that comes naturally from the way that we works and plays with materials.
Resources
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