Twelve of the world’s finest contemporary picturebook makers take us behind the scenes. Be inspired and discover the immense creative potential of this unique and dynamic art form.
What exists in the space between the words and the pictures? How do the stories unfold? What happens from the first sketch to the finished picturebook?
In this book, world-class picturebook makers generously share their experiences, challenges, doubts, sketches, illustrations, and invaluable insights into their creation process. They reveal the complex and time-consuming work that happens behind the scenes, in service of their stories and their readers.
An inspiring collection of picturebook knowledge for anyone interested in this dynamic art form. The editor of the book is Sam McCullen, who runs the Picturebook Makers blog and dPICTUS.
Featuring Jon Klassen, Kitty Crowther, Beatrice Alemagna, Shaun Tan, Eva Lindström, Blexbolex, Chris Haughton, Suzy Lee, Bernardo P. Carvalho, Isol, Manuel Marsol, and Johanna Schaible.
- Hardback
- 160 pages
- 24 x 20cm
- ISBN: 9781739979201
- March 2022
- £24
- Published by dPICTUS
Order the book:
Available to order internationally from the usual bookstores.
Distributed worldwide (excluding North America) by Thames & Hudson.
For trade orders, please contact:
[email protected]
+44 20 7845 5000
English-language edition first published in March 2022 by dPICTUS.
Project originated with Lilla Piratförlaget, Stockholm.
Also published in Swedish as Bilderboksmakare
Meet the featured picturebook makers...
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![Jon Klassen Blog post]()
Jon Klassen
United States
Jon Klassen grew up in Niagara Falls and now lives in Los Angeles. After working as an illustrator on animated feature films, music videos and editorial pieces, he debuted as a picturebook artist with ‘I Want My Hat Back’. Jon has since received many prestigious awards for his work, including the Caldecott and Kate Greenaway Medals.
See this post from Jon Klassen > -
![Kitty Crowther Blog post]()
Kitty Crowther
Belgium
Kitty Crowther, who is half English and half Swedish, was born in Brussels and lives in Wallonia in Belgium. She’s written and/or illustrated about forty books which have been translated into twenty languages. In 2010, Kitty won the world’s most prestigious prize for children’s literature: the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.
See this post from Kitty Crowther > -
![Beatrice Alemagna Blog post]()
Beatrice Alemagna
Italy
Beatrice Alemagna, who grew up in Bologna and now lives in Paris, has created about thirty books which have been published all around the world. Her long list of accolades include the Premio Andersen Award, a BolognaRagazzi Mention, five White Ravens Awards and three Baobab Prizes for the most innovative books for children.
See this post from Beatrice Alemagna > -
![Shaun Tan Blog post]()
Shaun Tan
Australia
Shaun Tan grew up in Perth. As well as writing and illustrating world-renowned books, he’s worked as a concept artist for animated films such as Pixar’s WALL-E, and he directed the Academy Award-winning short film, ‘The Lost Thing’, with Passion Pictures Australia. In 2011, Shaun won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.
See this post from Shaun Tan > -
![Eva Lindström Blog post]()
Eva Lindström
Sweden
Eva Lindström studied at Västerås Art School and Konstfack in Stockholm, and has since created a long list of highly acclaimed picturebooks. For her contribution to children’s literature, Eva was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize.
See this post from Eva Lindström > -
![Blexbolex Blog post]()
Blexbolex
France
Blexbolex (Bernard Granger) is an award-winning French illustrator who lives in Berlin. His books have been published all over the world, and he’s widely revered for his experimental approach to printmaking and book production. Blexbolex won the ‘Best Book Design from all over the World’ award at the Leipzig Book Fair.
See this post from Blexbolex > -
![Chris Haughton Blog post]()
Chris Haughton
Ireland
Chris Haughton’s first picturebook, ‘A Bit Lost’ has been translated into over twenty languages and has won many international awards, including the Premio Andersen Award. Chris co-founded the fair trade social business, NODE, and he was listed in Time Magazine’s ‘Design 100’ for his work with the fair trade company, People Tree.
See this post from Chris Haughton > -
![Suzy Lee Blog post]()
Suzy Lee
Korea
Suzy Lee graduated from Seoul National University with a BFA in Painting, before heading to London to pursue a Masters in Book Arts at Camberwell College of Arts. Since then, she’s created a selection of award-winning picturebooks which have been published all around the world. Suzy lives and works in Korea.
See this post from Suzy Lee > -
![Bernardo P. Carvalho Blog post]()
Bernardo P. Carvalho
Portugal
Bernardo P. Carvalho is a graduate of the Lisbon Faculty of Fine Arts and a co-founder of Planeta Tangerina. He was a winner of the second CJ Picture Book Awards in Korea, the National Illustration Award, and he received honourable mentions for the ‘Best Book Design from all over the World’ award at the Leipzig Book Fair.
See this post from Bernardo P. Carvalho > -
![Isol Blog post]()
Isol
Argentina
Isol (Marisol Misenta) is an Argentine pop singer, illustrator and picturebook maker. Since her first book was published in 1997, she’s produced an impressive body of work and has won many awards. For her contribution to children’s and young adult literature, Isol received the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2013.
See this post from Isol > -
![Manuel Marsol Blog post]()
Manuel Marsol
Spain
Manuel Marsol, who grew up in Madrid, has degrees in Advertising and Audiovisual Communication, and a postgraduate diploma in Children’s Book Illustration. He received the Edelvives International Picture Book Award in 2014, and won the Fundación SM International Prize for Illustration at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2017.
See this post from Manuel Marsol > -
![Johanna Schaible Blog post]()
Johanna Schaible
Switzerland
Johanna Schaible is an artist whose work moves along the borders of illustration, art, and design. She has a degree in Illustration and Visual Communication from the Lucerne School of Art and Design, and she was one of the first members of Bolo Klub, a collective supporting an emerging generation of picturebook makers in Switzerland.
See this post from Johanna Schaible >
