Task 3

Mock up a double page spread for: CBeebies "I Can Cook"

This can be either a story book or reference/information approach to help introduce children aged 5-7 to one of the simple recipes from the CBeebies website.

Made in Photoshop, free clip-art found on google images. I chose a reference/information approach as the target audience are at school age and are coming across info books regularly. I wanted the page to look colourful and detailed to engage the child, but not too much as they are still quite young so a simplistic layout and background isn't too overwhelming. The various cartoons (cow and smiley star) are appealing to children as they can relate to these cartoon characters. The title font is a hand-drawn style so children can recognise and relate to these textures from their own drawing. I kept a balance between text and imagery as if there was just a wall of text it would be boring to children and without the text there would be no task for the children to take part in or no educational purpose/practice reading for them. I added extra information on the top right page to further educate the children on where their food comes from. I used a sans-serif font as it links to the fonts used on the CBeebies website, and fits in with the art style of the modern clip-art pictures. I think my overall design works well, however I think next time I would try hand-rendered style and serif fonts, as this too is appealing and engaging to children as we learned in last weeks lesson. 

Task 2

Appropriate art styles

Information/ Reference title- aimed at 9-11 year olds.

I think that older children would respond well to this very colourful and detailed art-style. The front cover alone is very busy and interesting to look at. The images of the animals are very realistic meaning they are more educational as children will learn to recognize that this is what they look like in real life, as opposed to books aimed at younger children where animals are drawn and coloured in cartoon styles. As the title suggests the book enables the children to go on a 'search' making the book more appealing as they can engage in a 'search' for specific animals by looking through the extremely detailed imagery, similar to a 'Where's Wally' styled game. 

Baby / Toddler - First objects books.

The layout and imagery are very basic and simplistic - easy for a toddler to respond to. It's the sort of book the parents would start reading with their child to help them to learn basic words, then eventually as the child gets older they will be able to read and recognize the imagery by themselves. The use of photographs instead of drawings makes it easier for a young toddler to identify with the objects in real life. The rainbow colours makes the book look more appealing to children as well. 

Picture Book - Aimed at 3-6 year olds.

The Gruffalo's art style is a brightly coloured hand-drawn style, that I think would appeal to 3-6 year olds as they may notice within the texture of the drawing the sort of materials used are similar to how they may draw. The characters are cartoon-ish and the gruffalo/monster looks quite friendly so children of this age wouldn't be afraid of it like that characters in the book are. 

Task 1 - Children's Illustrators - Initial Research

Spot the Dog by Eric Hill

Roald Dahl Books (The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

'Dream Friends' by You Byun

http://youbyun.com/

I chose to focus on this illustrator as I have never come across her work before, and my initial thoughts were that her illustrations for this book are colourful and dream-like, the sort of thing I would have enjoyed as a child. Her art style seems simple yet detailed at the same time, such as the classic black dots for eyes making a simple yet expressive character amongst the vast colourful settings of the story. The hand-drawn techniques and water colour styled textures are very soft and visually appealing to children, especially girls I would think. I would say this book was aimed at slightly older children (6-10) due to the amount of detail and different imagery featured within. Younger children respond more to vibrant colours and block shapes such as in 'Spot the Dog' by Eric Hill, whereas 'Dream Friends' is ripe in textures and tones. I feel it is the perfect bedtime story as children will want to go to sleep and meet their own 'dream' friends.

"Byun is known and recognized for her detailed lines, colors and imaginative landscapes(such as background images and patterns), Byun also likes to draw characters and portraits.  Her illustration captures the magic of lush environments and a variety of memorable characters. She draws her influences from the various cultures she has lived amongst. Her illustrative storytelling is achieved through delicate details woven with rich colors, patterns and decorative ornaments. The works invite you into her fanciful realm that is playful yet sometimes tinged with a somber autumnal hint of transformation." - taken from Byun's website.