Amy Choi OUIL503 Responsive: The Pan Macmillan Prize 2016 (The Secret Garden) Brief + Initial Research Brief: All entrants must submit: 1. Pencil roughs or sketches for a children's picture book – cover to cover – including text or a clear indication of the story line.
2. Finished artwork for at least four doublepage spreads, or at least three spreads and a front cover.
Initial research: There were three categories that I could I choose from to create a book, I selected to use a traditional story. To help me decide I collated a variety of classic children’s books into a table format and chose The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Prior to this I had never read The secret garden so to start off researching I read the book and watch the film (1993 version) to gather an understanding of the story. Based off this I formed mind maps on themes, characters and symbolism. Afterwards I researched past book covers illustrating palettes and common elements from book.
Some past covers
Entrants should bear in mind what is appropriate for the child reader. Three book categories to choose from: The book may be fiction or non-fiction. The entrant may:
Film~ 1993 version
Book
a. devise their own text/story or b. collaborate with a writer or c. use a traditional story (e.g. a fairy tale)
Initial sketchbook work: I wasn’t entirely sure how to begin this project so started off by drawing the garden and sceneries in the book which seems a bit of literal response but it wouldn’t really make sense if I didn’t include this.
Amy Choi OUIL503 Responsive: The Pan Macmillan Prize 2016 (The Secret Garden) Contextual Research + Ideas Development I had already researched some contextual artists but wasn’t really inspired by any and after a while I struggled with how to interpret a narrative to solve this problem I carried on sketching development. This encouraged me to use the pages effectively and translate the illustrations in fruitful ways. Meanwhile I researched into other contextual references and came across, Jon McNaught and Mary Blair. Jon McNaught in particular reminded me of how to communicate a simple story in a articulate way evoking sequencing into my development.
Jon McNaught
Mary Blair
Amy Choi OUIL503 Responsive: The Pan Macmillan Prize 2016 (The Secret Garden) Book planning Book text 1. Mary Lennox is a young English girl who grows up in India. She lives with her mother and father who ignore her and she is looked after by her Ayah. A cholera epidemic breaks out infecting the household except Mary. 2. She is sent away to live with her uncle Archibald Craven who lives in solitude amongst the Yorkshire moors in Misselthwaite manor where he travels often. 3. Mr Craven does not wish to see her so Mrs Medlock takes Mary to her room and forbids her to wander around the manor. 4. Mary meets Martha, a servant girl. Mary demands that Martha dresses her she is taken aback by this. 5. Martha mentions the secret garden she is intrigued so tries to find it where she meets Ben Weatherstaffe and a red breast Robin. 6. Mary continues searching for the secret garden. She learns that Mr and Mrs Craven used to spend a long time there but since her death he locked the garden and buried the key. 7. Mary wanders around the manor she finds portraits that resemble herself and a room full of white ivory elephants. 8. Mary hears crying and almost discovers where it’s coming from only to encounter Mrs Medlock who sends her back to her room. 9. Mary befriends the robin who guides her to the key. 10.As their friendship grows Martha gifts Mary a skipping rope as Mary skips she finds the hidden door under the ivy. And enters the secret garden 11.The garden is overgrown and she wonders if the plants have died. She asks Martha if she can buy some tools. Martha suggests she writes a letter to Dickon asking him to buy the tools. 12.Martha and Dickon meet and confesses about the garden. He agrees to help Mary take care of it. 13.Mr Craven is scolded for neglecting Mary so sends for at once. He asks if she’d like anything and she asks for a bit of earth. 14.On a stormy night Mary hears crying and discovers Colin, Archibald’s’ ill son. He’s afraid to go outside and is angry towards his deceased mother. 15.Mary and Colin get along and he enjoys her company. He gets jealous of Mary spending time with Dickon. 16.Colin has a tantrum and Mary tells him off for feeling sorry for himself. He realises his illness is in his head. 17.Mary and Dickon become determined to take Colin outside to the garden. Once he is outside in the garden he becomes a pink glow. 18.Ben sees the children in the garden and yells at them and insults Colin. He stands and proves he can walk. Colin plants a rose in his name and claims the garden.
19.Mary, Dickon and Ben carry on tending to the garden whilst Colin’s strength improves so he can surprise his father on his return. 20.Archibald Craven returns and finds his son and the children playing. Everyone walks home happy.
Pan Macmillan stated that the main focus of this competition was for a series of illustrations that show the artist understands how to match pictures to text. The pictures should also demonstrate the entrant’s grasp of narrative, pacing and characterisation. The judges primary focus will be on the quality of the illustrations rather than the standard of the writing, the text will not be the main criterion for judging. With this in mind I condensed the story down since the maximum limit for the book would be 32 pages. I made a few revisions of the text and eventually managed to break it down to 20 lines. As this was meant to be a children’s picture book I didn’t want the pages to be rammed and text heavy, I intend for the viewer’s attention to be on the illustrations.
Book roughs
Amy Choi OUIL503 Responsive: The Pan Macmillan Prize 2016 (The Secret Garden) Final illustrations These are the final series of illustrations for The Secret garden. I didn’t want to pick common scenes that others have illustrated in the past and tried to go for parts that readers won’t usually think of straight away but can still be appealing and interesting. I selectively created a colour palette for the book and remained using the same colours throughout until I reached the more happier and brighter parts in the book I interjected more colours.
Amy Choi OUIL503 Responsive: The Pan Macmillan Prize 2016 (The Secret Garden) Final cover + double page spreads
I decided to submit a final front + back cover and three double page spreads into the competition. Visually I felt like these where the most eye catching and I’m quite pleased with my final dust jacket. Majority of past covers were mainly of the garden but that didn’t seem visually challenging enough. I created a pattern of the Yorkshire moors were the novel in depicted and added small illustrations of the robin and the key in the story. I think these act as subtle hints as to what’s installed in the story.