Illustration 2

My first task is to identify a range of illustrators whose work I find interesting, how long have you got?

Narrative

Vicky White for Can we save the tiger? and Ape (Interview here)  These are as realistic as I can handle but still manage to look as though they could walk off the page.
Brian Selznick for his inventive storytelling and detailed graphic drawings.
Christian Birmingham  for the beautiful pastel drawings that make the ordinary world seem so colourful and exciting.
Shirley Hughes Maybe not a current illustrator tho she is still drawing in her 90's. Her work spans my childhood and that of my children which is a massive feat when you consider that her stories are set in the characters homes and surroundings. The world has changed massively over the years yet her picture books were as popular with my kids as they were with me.
Staying nostalgic EH Sheppard who needs no explanation and Anne Bullen whose awesome pencil drawings I, studied and copied when I was young.

Reportage

I know this fits into the narrative category but there are so many people I admire here that I thought that they should have their own listing
Lucinda Rogers I love the fluidity of her drawings and the way that she uses thicker lines to direct your eye within the drawing. Also the way that she embeds people within the drawing, I love drawing people but find it very difficult to get them to blend into their environment.
George Butler has a similar drawing style but a different use of colour. He focuses more on individual people and leaves a lot more of the page blank. I think that illustration is about selecting what interests you and isolating it from the buzz of surrounding life. I admire Butler's bravery, drawing in difficult situations to bring storied to life. (list of articles in The Guardian  also here)
Matthew Cook is much more painterly although he does do some drawings which tend to be of a single line style. I am amazed by the range of colours that he mixes from red yellow and blue acrylic inks.
Linda Kitson Her iPad drawings are so saturated in colour. I wasn't excited by her work as a war artist until I saw it in  real life at The House of Illustration
Lynne Chapman for her work in the social sciences department of Manchester University especially the Dormant things project which focuses on the ordinary and everyday and makes us take a second look.
Veronica Lawlor More loose lines and scribbled colour. Lots of people and a feeling of life and activity.

Editorial

Christophe Niemann who has a whacky view of the world and changes the roles of everyday objects.

Identity

Becky Brown lovely loose characterful illustrations of animals in ink and watercolour. I'm a bit fussy about animal art, I don't want it to be photorealistic but it has to still manage to look as though the animal could still function.
Justine Osbourne.  More dogs, this time in charcoal (though her oil paintings are good too) executed like life drawings of people.

Technical Illustration

Why don't I know the names of any technical illustrators? Their work has been a massive influence on me. From the pages of my grandads copy of Virtues Household Physician to The Colour Atlas of Veterinary Anatomy  which has guided me when I make my own illustrations. I guess that the subject is too serious to make stars of it's practitioners. Maybe I haven't looked closely enough.

What do these illustrators tell you about current illustration practices?

Because I selected the artists I think that they tell you more about my tastes and interests than the world of illustration as a whole. I think that I have selected artists who aren't "headline" The degree show at the University of Hertfordshire had a lot of work that appeared to be aimed at the children book sector of the market and there seemed to be a house style although to be fair I didn't have long to study the work as I managed to blag my way in when the exhibition was supposed to be closed.
Creative Bloq highlights these features in their trends for 2017 but I think that surrealism  and hand drawn typography are the only ones I recognise.

Sources

I try and note illustrators that I like as I find out about them. Many of these I found online but Christoph Niemann was featured in a Netflix documentary recommended by my kids, a friend showed me a book by the childrens book illustrator Vicky White, colleague bought a card by Becky Brown. I keep cuttings of illustrations that I like or at least try and find out who made them, it's annoying how many illustrations are uncredited in newspapers and magazines.