Cicely Mary Barker

 

Cicely Mary Barker (28 June 1895 – 16 February 1973) was an English illustrator best known for her series of fantasy illustrations depicting fairies and flowers.

I have learned about her flower fairies long time ago but somehow her collection was not available in Hungary. Last week I received a letter from the bookshop I ussualy buy my books from and they announced me they have the entire collection. I went there and bought it. I would love to draw like that. Her flower fairies book have become a classic of children literature and a practical guide for them to get to know the flowers and their names.

Cicely Mary Barker and her fairies

 

William M. Timlin

William Mitcheson Timlin (11 April 1892 - 1943) was an architect and illustrator. He was born in Ashington, Northumberland.  In 1912, he joined his parents in South Africa where he completed his training in art and architecture and remained for the rest of his life.

 

Timlin worked on The Ship that Sailed to Mars for two years. It was started as a diversion for his son in 1921. The work expanded until in its final form it had 48 pages of text and 48 colour plates showing remarkable flights of fantasy.

 

William M. Timlin ranks alongside Dulac, Rackam, and Pogany as one of the greatest children's fantasy illustrators, despite his having published only one book in his lifetime (The Ship that Sailed to Mars, 1923). He died before his second great work, The Building of a Fairy City could be completed.

The Ship That Sailed To Mars, by Wiliiam M.Timlin

Recently I have started to collect Calla Edition books. A few days ago The Ship That Sailed To Mars had been delivered to me. I have never heard of this writer and illustrator before, so when I saw his book  amongst the beautiful books of this edition, I ordered it for my collection. It is a large sized book which is good (I think all the books destined for children should be large sized) and it opens easily in ones hands and stays open when opened which is good again. I hate when  books slide back if left alone open, there is no pleasure in looking at a drawing,  if one has to hold the book down with all one's might.

The Building of a Fairy City - William M. Timlin

 

Golden Age Illustrators of My Chilhood

Where are you beautiful books of my childhood??? I have lost you long time ago, but today I got  a glimpse of you. I want you all back. I can only hope that somebody in Romania will think of reprinting these beautifully illustrated books in a deluxe edition. And sure they did at Arthur Retro! Great initiative on their part, I didn't think it was possible. Such a nice surprise.

Some of my childhood books are really works of art, illustrated by some of the most wonderful talented Romanian illustrators: Val Munteanu, Iacob Desideriu, Livia Rusz, Romeo Voinescu, Done Stan, Eugen Taru, Doina Botez, Roni Noel, Angi Petrescu Tiparescu.

J.R.R. Tolkien

 

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.

 

J.R.R. Tolkien  was an artist in pictures as well as in words. Though he often remarked that he had no talent for drawing, his art has charmed his readers. In fact, his talent was far more than he admitted, and his sense of design was natural and keen.

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J.R.R Tolkien - The Hobbit illustrations

Maxfield Parrish

Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) was an American painter and illustrator active in the first half of the 20th century. He is known for his distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery.

His repertoire includes many prestigious projects, among which are Eugene Field's Poems of Childhood in 1904 (8 color plates) and The Arabian Nights in 1909 (12 color plates). Books illustrated by Parrish, in addition to those that include reproductions of Parrish's work—including A Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales in 1910 (10 color plates), The Golden Treasury of Songs and Lyrics in 1911 ( 8 color plates) and The Knave of Hearts in 1925 (with 23 color images)—are highly sought-after collectors' items.

Maxfield Parrish - The knave of hearts illustrations

 The Queen of Hearts

She made some tarts,

All on a summer's day;

The Knave of Hearts

He stole those tarts,

And took them clean away.

The King of Hearts

Called for the tarts,

And beat the knave full sore;

The Knave of Hearts

Brought back the tarts,

And vowed he'd steal no more.

Maxfield Parish - The Arabian Nights illustrations

King of the Black Isles by Maxfield Parrish

The young king was unable to restrain a tear

Maxfield Parrish - Poems of Childhood illustrations

Maxfield Parrish - Dream Days

Maxfield Parrish illustrations

Anemone

Harry Clarke - the Irish illustrator

 

Henry Patrick (Harry) Clarke (March 17, 1889 – January 6, 1931) was an Irish stained glass artist and book illustrator, born in Dublin.  Clarke's illustrated work is too unfairly compared to Beardsley, but it was as a stained glass designer and artisan that he devoted the most of his life.

 

Books illustrated: Andersen, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, The Year's at the Spring, Fairy Tales of Perrault, Faust, and Selected Poems of Algernon Charles Swinburne featured both pen and ink and pen and wash drawings and/or more advanced color work.

 

Ill-health plagued him for most of his life. He worked at a feverish pace creating glass and book illustrations. He died in early 1931 of tuberculosis, while trying to recuperate from his efforts. He was 41.

Harry Clarke - Tales of mistery and imagination illustrations

A tell-tale heart

 

Poe's stories have a unique haunting character, and with the aid of these pictures imagination will never fail to convey the description behind the words and the stories will stay thus forever imprinted in the mind. When Poe uses the word unnerve in his stories you can be sure it is not an understatement. He creates an atmosphere with  this word, a state of mind  felt through all bodily pores. Harry Clarke has followed this thread to a tooth in his drawings. One gets nervous only by looking at them.

Harry Clarke - illustrations for Andersen fairy tales