Commercial Illustration: Research into Current and Past Trends in Illustration

For this task I have decided to look at current trends today within the sector of Children's picture books and how they have changed and developed over time. I have chosen to complete my research on this subject as it is an area I am highly interested in working in, in the future and would love to discover more how societal views have altered and 'improved' messages portrayed to young developing minds.

Dating all the way back to the 17^th century were the beginnings of creating picture books specifically for children, using a technique called ‘Chapbooks’ which were small pocket sized illustrated books which were folded rather than stapled making them much more affordable due to their creation process and size. These Chapbooks would often consist of small woodcut pictures which would illustrate themes such as folk tales, religious passages and popular ballads of the time. The designs are often simplistic relying on various line styles and placements to create detail due to the materials used which is a technique now known as xylography or relief prints.

These methods are still utilised today however they are often more commonly found in illustrative work rather than the development of picture books due to the developments within technology allowing access to digital designs and printing methods. The images formed today using this method are also commonly a lot larger and have a much higher level of detail due to their illustrative purpose alongside the fact most prints can be made multiple times quite cheaply whereas this would be more of a concern in the past where ink and printing would have been a lot more expensive.

The children’s book industry began to boom during the 1800’s and was led by the change in societal attitudes towards children predominantly in European countries during the 18^th Century where they were no longer viewed as miniature adults but rather as young minds who needed love and compassion, this was due to the increase in birth survival and improvements in medical care, which led children to having much greater levels of survival which in turn led their parents to begin valuing their children more. Alongside this there were also economic factors which meant paper and printing became a lot more accessible to create such types of work as well as the technology became older and cheaper to use.

In today’s society it is viewed as normal behaviour for a parent to be loving and caring for their children, shown by how many educational books fill the shelves of early learning departments and bedtime stories; however this was not always the case. This truly shows how history has changed society in order to construct these behaviours which have led to much greater development and opportunities for our young.

Whereas the beginning of story books for children remained in black and white, as technology has advanced we now see a much more vibrant selection of choices to entice the minds of younger audiences. These colourful and imaginative illustrations help provide moral lessons and relatability to their audience however, it is not until more recently there has been a much more clear level of inclusivity of diversity. For instance it is now becoming familiar to see characters that are not only Caucasian but showcase a much broader range of cultures and races. Not only this, but there are now stories who focus on the involvement and inclusivity of children with disabilities- both hidden and visible – which did not begin to appear until the late 19^th early 20^th century.

Unfortunately though this still remains an area which is lacking, I find it distressing that there is still a large amount of disabilities which have not been represented within the children’s publication industry, meaning there is no representation for those young minds which can lead them to feeling lesser than those around them.

This is what I really want to aim towards in the future, creating a series of books whose main characters all have a different disability which doesn’t stop them from going on wild, fantastical adventures like the children often depicted in children’s books. Through my recent investigations into some children’s books it is clear to see the concepts of inclusivity for race and gender equality are being addressed so I want to make my mark and use my own experiences to develop a line of children’s books that will leave children feeling included, empowered and unique.