V&A Illustration Awards 2007: Published Category

The 2007 published award categories were judged by comics writer and artist Dave Gibbons, Mark Gouldie from ITV Creative, Mark Jones, Director of the V&A and journalist and writer Kate Mulvey.

In the published awards, the Overall Winner received £3,500. Category First Prize winners each received £1,500 and the Second Prize winners £750 each.

First Prize (Newspaper, Magazine and Comic) and 2007 Overall Winner

Brett Ryder

After graduating from Camberwell College of Arts with a degree in Illustration and Design, Brett Ryder began his career as an illustrator working mainly in pen, ink and collage. He describes discovering the computer as an artist's tool as a 'revelation' and now predominantly creates his final artwork by digitally manipulating his collages and drawings. His regular work comes from creating editorial pieces for the 'Guardian', the 'New York Times', the 'Daily Telegraph', 'Los Angeles Times' and 'New Scientist', but his quirky illustrations have also been commissioned by a wide variety of clients, including Dr Stuart's Herbal Teas, Penguin Books and Vodaphone.

Ryder admires the work of graphic designers Milton Glaser and Abram Games, and enjoys the wit and energy of illustrator Gerard Hoffnung. He says he has enjoyed drawing from an early age and used to buy old comic books and 'Spectator' annuals from car boot sales purely for the illustrations. He is still the proud owner of a collection of Ladybird children's books.

Visit Brett Ryder's website

Second Prize (Newspaper, Magazine and Comic)

Paul Blow

Paul Blow gained an MA in Narrative Illustration from the University of Brighton and in 2006 was presented with the gold award for editorial illustration by the Association of Illustrators. Much of his commissioned work is editorial and he finds creating complex, compelling imagery within a narrative context to be immensely rewarding. His initial artwork is drawn by hand, but he works mainly on computer, appreciating its ability to allow him to change his mind about a colour scheme quickly.

Blow has worked for a range of clients including the 'Guardian', BBC Worldwide, Saatchi and Saatchi, 'Time' magazine, and 'Harvard Business Review'.  Of  'Well Swung' he says, 'The article itself was risqué and I could have been quite rude, but I think a more humorous approach was suitable. If you look closely at the image you'll see a list of names, including my wife Suzanna and I, and a selection of our friends, who were surprisingly pleased to have their names included on such a risqué image.'

Visit Paul Blow's website

First Prize (Book Illustration)

Lionel Le Neouanic

Lionel Le Néouanic studied at The Estienne School in his native France.  He works as a writer, illustrator, sculptor and painter and has published many children's books, a number of which have been translated into a variety of languages, including English.

'Little Smudge' is the story of a small black stain and its triumph over loneliness and exclusion. The illustrations cleverly incorporate shapes from well-known paintings, creating a charming tale that at the same time offers children a gentle introduction to art education.

Second Prize (Book Illustration)

Andrzej Klimowski

Andrzej Klimowski lives in London. He works in a range of artistic fields and is internationally renowned as a poster and book cover designer. He is also Head of Illustration at the Royal College of Art. Klimowski trained at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design before spending time studying and working in Warsaw.

Klimowski has published two other graphic works, 'The Depository' and 'The Secret', but 'Horace Dorlan' is his first book to combine lino-cut drawings with chapters of text. His inspiration for the work came one day in South Kensington when he noticed an elegant woman who resembled a praying mantis.

Intrigued, he had a closer look at the building into which she had disappeared to find that it was the International Institute of Entomology. The result of this encounter is a book that draws on a range of influences, including film noir, surrealism and thrillers, to create an eerie, dream-like world.

 

First Prize (Book Cover and Jacket)

Paul Bower

Illustrator Paul Bower studied graphic design at Lincoln School of Art and Design before moving to London where he joined illustration agency Pocko People. His clients have included The Paramount Comedy Channel, Virgin Atlantic, Merrydown Cider and Christian Aid. Recently, he won the silver prize in the Print section of the Clio Awards.

Bower uses lino-cut prints, acrylic paint, ballpoint pen, paper-cuts, stenciling and collage to create his pieces and says, 'I love things that show a hand-made quality to them and like to leave room for mistakes to happen. That can be the best part and there's always a chance factor in print making.

' For 'Barcelona Plates' , Bower wanted to capture Alexei Sayle's acid/sweet sense of humour and to create a book cover that 'looks like something that you want to pick up straight away but might leave a bad taste in your mouth.'

Visit Paul Bower's website

Second Prize (Book Cover and Jacket)

Paul Hornschemeier (in association with Nathan Burton and Toby Litt)

Originally from rural Ohio, where he studied for a degree in Philosophy at Ohio State University, Paul Hornschemeier currently lives in Chicago. He creates graphic novels and comic books, including the acclaimed 'Forlorn Funnies' series which has been translated into several languages. He also plays guitar in the band Arks, and works as an illustrator for a variety of clients including CNN and American 'Life' magazine.

The cover of 'Hospital' was created in association with author Toby Litt who sent an initial sketch of his idea for the book's cover to Hornschemeier. The pair then collaborated with the publisher's in-house designer Nathan Burton to develop a finished concept that ties in closely with the book's content, adding an additional layer to its narrative.

Visit Paul Hornschemeier's website