recent illustrators

Rodney Matthews

Rodney Matthews is a renowned British illustrator known for his intricate detail, vivid colors, and fantastical imagery. Matthews is best known for his illustrations in the realms of fantasy, science fiction, and music, particularly album covers and book illustrations. His artwork often features imaginative landscapes, fantastical creatures, and intricate details that transport viewers to otherworldly realms. These are the perfect ingredients to illustrate “Alice in Wonderland”.

Matthews gained prominence in the 1970s and 1980s for his album cover artwork for numerous bands, particularly in the progressive rock genre. Matthews has also illustrated numerous books, ranging from fantasy and science fiction to children’s literature. Some of his most famous book illustrations include editions of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as his own original works such as “The Complete Spellbound Book” and “The Art of Rodney Matthews.”

His “Alice in the Wonderland” was edited in 2008 by Templar.

Pat Andrea

Pat Andrea was born in Den Hague into a Dutch family of artists. He studied at the Royal Academy of Art under Co Westerik and later co-founded the ABN Group known as The New Hague School. Still a student, he won The Royal Prize for Painting in 1964 (which he received again in 1972). Andrea was a professor at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1998 to 2007. He lives and works between Buenos Aires, Paris, and Den Hague. Of note, Pat Andrea was also an illustrator for the Playboy Magazine, which is consistent with his neo-expressionist art and clear focus on sexual motifs. His provocative Alice in the Wonderland, often identified as on of the best illustrations of Carroll’s tale, is no exception.

First published in 2006 by Diane de Selliers in a joint edition that also includes a second volume for Alice through the Mirror (sold together in a case). A second edition with a softcover was published in 2008.

A “dreamlike and nightmarish fantasy, lack of logic, and bizarre characters” that Carroll probably would not dare to dream.

Emma Chichester Clark

Emma Chichester Clark grew up in the countryside in Ireland in an old  farmhouse that inspired her first works. She studied graphic design at the Chelsea Art School in the 70s and  post-graduated in illustration at the Royal College of Art.  In 88, she won the Mother Goose Award for best newcomer, with “Listen to this” , a collection of seven picture books. Her nice illustrations fill the pages of many books that can be visited using this link. You may also enjoy her PLUMDOG BLOG.

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Emma Chichester Clark illustrated Alice is a faithful condensed form of the original story, beautifully illustrated with new vivid versions of the mad characters brought to our imaginarium by Lewis Carroll. Alice itself seems to be inspired on the “Madeline“ books. This retold Alice was first published in 2009 by Harper Collins.

 

Benjamin Lacombe

Lacombe offers a subversive version of Alice. This French illustrator celebrated the 150 years of Alice with a magnificent piece of surrealist fantasy. Of note, Lacombe also wrote many of his illustrated works, which are clearly intended for a more adult audience. He obtained his degree in Paris, at “L´École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs”, and represents a new and great generation of French illustrators. His production can be consulted here.

 

Published in 2017 by Soleil.

Tomislav Tomić

Tomislav Tomić graduated from the Academy of fine arts in Zagreb (Croatia). He illustrated a variety children books since his early days, which together wih the excellence of his art granted him important clients (such as Templar Publishing, Scholastic, Royal mail, Oxford University Press and Museum of London).

His amazing and intensely detailed line work is based on Renaissance engravings. Tomić’s beautiful illustrations of Alice in the Wonderland are dated 2009, but seem to be unpublished.

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Anna Bond

Trained as a graphic designer, Anna Bond initially hesitated between following her passion in for illustration and a career in print design. She  end up soon discovering a lifelong love for stationery. She is the co-founder and CCO of the very successful Rifle Paper Co, which she started at the age of 23! If you check her portfolio  you will find a beautiful collection of notebooks, cards, patterns and hand-painted items. Using her vibrant patterns and colours, Anna Bond illustrated another amazing Alice’ book. Based on this colourfully upside-down Alice world, she created also a whole  fabric collection!

Deluxe hardcover edition from Puffin.  The completely unabridged book
features more than 70 full-colour illustrations, gold foil embellished
covers, and ornate endpaper designs. Published in October 2015.

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Justin Todd

Justin Todd  is a British historical illustrator that also contributed  with a lot of relevant work for children’s books. Of  note, he produced the early illustrations of ‘Penny Lane’ in the Beatles Song Book. In the 60’s, he was a tutor at the Brighton College of Art just like John Vernon Lord.Of  note, he produced the early illustrations of ‘Penny Lane’ in the Beatles Song Book. His artwork  is impressively detailed, and his Alice illustrations, which very  much resemble Alice Liddell, are certainly worth seeing. His work is conducted in a meticulous way, using extremely fine gouache painting, slowly covering his page in a detailed preplanned grid.

Published by Gollancz, 1984 (First edition hardback with dustjacket)

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Robi Dwi Antono

Part of a special Inky Parrot commemorative edition, Robi Dwi Antono illustrations are likely the most disturbing Alice interpretation ever published. Roby Dwi Antono is a young Indonesian surreal artist,  that creates an astonishing mix of  candid-terrifying figures, apparently deeply rooted on  Carroll´s Alice in the Wonderland. Robi Dwi, however, refers to his work as “heavily influenced by masters like Mark Ryden and Marion Peck”. A visit to Rosie’s Tea Party (Mark Ryden) or Marion Peck’s Animals exhibition easily confirms that.

Inky Parrot/Artists’ Choice Editions in the UK, in the “Mad Tea Party” chapter, 2015. (Only 340 standard copies printed, numbered and casebound and 56 Special copies, bound quarter leather with a folder containing four prints portraying Alice).

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Andrea D’Aquino

This is likely one of the most beautiful contemporary illustrations of Alice’s adventures. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Carroll’s book, Andrea D’Aquino has retold the story with hundred of colorful astonishing  illustrations. As commented elsewhere  “D’ Aquino illustrative ramblings run the gamut from watercolor to collage to everything in between, and it’s perhaps because of this cataclysmic range that she was chosen to illustrate this fantastic tale”. 

Awarded by American Illustration 2016, D´Aquino said “It’s my favorite book, but by no means had I ever considered illustrating it” – however – “when I was asked to illustrate it, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I know a great opportunity when it hits me over the head!”

The result could’t have been better…

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“The Caterpillar, perhaps the most psychedelic, explodes in reds and purples.”

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Published as part of Rockport Publishers’ Classics Reimagined series (2015).

Mervyn Peake

Mervyn Peake  was born in China (1911) from a missionary family. He moved to England in 1923 and entered the Royal Academy in 29. Through his career, crossed by World War II, he published  several novels and collections of poems valued also by  his own beautiful illustrations. In 1951 he won the Heinemann Prize for Literature for Gormenghast and The Glassblowers and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

When invited to illustrate other authors, Mervin Peake felt that by accepting the task he would have to  “subordinate totally to the book, and slide into another man’s soul”.

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His illustrated version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland uses a fine cross-hatching style and was first published by The Continental Book Company/Zephyr Press (Stockholm, 1946) an edition “not to be introduced into the British Empire or the USA“.

The UK version was published by Allan Wingate in 1954.

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