Contemporary Artists for Kids: Brian Wildsmith
Wildsmith, a children's book author, is known for his colorful illustrations; he also was an oil painter. His first books were published in the 1960s, when there were new innovations in color printing technology.1 Previously, children's books were mostly words with black and white illustrations scattered throughout. Wildsmith's generation embraced the new innovations and put the spotlight on the illustrations.
Wildsmith's illustrations are lively and colorful. The variety of mark making and mediums breathes life into his animals. Textures are created with scratching, splatters, stippling and crosshatching. The colors aren't always those found in nature.
"When I paint a fish, I paint the kind of fish I would like to see. The same is true of my trees. I don’t care if they’re not the colours in photographs. I paint what I see with my eyes and feel in my heart.”(Brian Wildsmith)
From the book Carousel by Brian Wildsmith
In his career he produced over 80 books. The most famous is his ABC board book which won the Kate Greenaway medal, a British award for illustrations in children's books. The book features a colorful illustration for each letter of the alphabet including a koala for K, a rooster for R and Xenops for X .
Brian Wildsmith’s ABC board book
His art work is very popular in Japan where there is a small museum in Tokyo devoted to his work. The inside of the museum recreates his home in Southern France. The museum houses hundreds of his illustrations and paintings. 2
Wildsmith felt that children should be introduced to art and culture at a young age, and he believed that illustrations were an effective way to bring the world of art to children:
"Children are all-important, and so is art ... Art is food for the soul. And books are a child's first encounter with art so I felt it was a way I could make a contribution to the world. A drop in the ocean maybe, but picture books offered a chance to communicate the importance of things such as kindness, compassion, friendship, beauty."(Brian Wildsmith)3
Brian Wildsmith from the book Bluebird
We couldn't agree more which is why Brian Wildsmith is one of the spotlighted artists in our virtual art membership Art Club.
Resources
1 “Brian Wildsmith,” Gallimaufry, January 22, 2020, https://gallimaufry.typepad.com/blog/2020/01/brian-wildsmith.html
2 "Brian Wildsmith Animals and ABC's Part Two", Fish Ink, March 20, 2015
https://fishinkblog.com/2015/03/20/brian-wildsmith-animals-and-abcs-part-2/
3 Joanna Carey, “Food for the Soul”, The Guardian,May 13, 2006, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/may/13/featuresreviews.guardianreview27
Links
Official Brian Wildsmith website https://www.brianwildsmith.com/
All images used are courtesy of the Brian Wildsmith estate.
Beat boredom with weekly art projects. Got an artsy kid? Keep them busy as a bee with art lessons inspired by contemporary artists. Lessons at your fingertips in drawing, painting, origami, and clay.
Join Pop up Art School's Art Club for kids. Get on the waitlist and we’ll send you 5 art activity PDFs for free!
Join us twice a week on Facebook, when we go live with tips and art tutorials for kids. Wednesdays at 3 PM and Friday at 7 PM EST.
Join our email newsletter community:
Click here to find out where we’re popping up next, get helpful art-making tips and free mini video tutorials!
Pop up Art School – your one stop for art lessons
Ditch the car keys, choose a lesson, fire up your device, and create with Pop up Art School – from the comfort of home!
Even if you can't draw a straight line, our step-by-step art tutorials help you relax and feel confident.
Our Art-to-go library has prerecorded art projects for kids, teens and adults in a safe ad-free environment. We now offer kits with free shipping in the USA.