Chinese Brushstrokes

Thanks to the YouTube channel Obscure Animation, I am very happy to showcase for the first time

 a video from China. And a lovely one it is, too. This award winning 1960 short was the earliest example

 of brush painting animation. It was produced at Shanghai Animation Film Studio, and co-directed

 by Tang Cheng and Te Wei, who is also generally credited with inventing the technique.

The watercolor paintings of Qi Baishi inspired this unique approach to animation, which was reprised 

three years later in The Buffalo Boy's Flute. After a decade of Cultural Revolution

 had all but destroyed the Chinese animation industry, Te Wei utilized again the technique

 for his 1988 masterpiece Feeling from Mountain and Water. Hopefully this is the first

of many new interesting eastern discoveries...

Sunday Safari - Let's Dance

Toti Scialoja

Everyone's invited to the Great Italian Liberation Ball! 

Danse Fantastique from La Caricature, 1830, Via Vintage Printable

Elise Bake, Der Ball der Tiere, 1891, 

and Eugen Osswald, Der Ball der Tiere, 1917

via the International Children's Digital Library

W. W. Denslow's Mother Goose

The Grasshopper Ball, 1927, via SurrenderDorothy

 WIlly Schermele, Ondjes (1930s?), via Jan Willemsen

Garth Williams, Wait Till the Moon is Full, 1948, thanks to try-whistling-this

Anthony Gilbert from Lilliput, March 1947

Cornelius van Velsen, Het Draaiorgeltje,1965, thanks to Arthur van Kruining

Cristina Berardi

Kitty Crowther

Gianluca Folì, Kuma Dansu

Vladimir Radunsky, Hip Hop Dog

Oscar Baillif

Calef Brown

Jon Klassen, Cat's Night Out

Sunday Safari - Looming Presences

Martin Wittfooth, A Milder Fate Than Tyranny

John Brosio, Fatigue, thanks to Dark SIlence in Suburbia

Gerald Rose, illustration for Nessie The Mannerless Monster By Ted Hughes 

thanks to Hazel Terry's Classics of Children's Illustration Flickr set

 Michael Sowa, Haunted City

Peter Ferguson 

 Di Liu, two photos from the Animal Regulation series

 Pietari Posti

 Shuichi Nakano, Premonition of Storm and Chill at 5:25

from the Searching for Paradise series

Ryan Heshka

Chris Appelhans, Midnight Party

The Animal Rainbow

Some of you might remember that last March Sebastiano and I 

brought a few projects to the Bologna Book Fair in hopes to find publishers 

who would help us translate them into printed works.

I am delighted to say that one of these dreams has become reality: 

L'Arc-en-ciel des Animaux has just been published in France by Milan Jeunesse.

Although our previous series Rencontre les Animaux was already introduced to France 

by Odile Jacob, this was the first time that we worked directly for a French publisher,

and the experience has been a very positive one, which we hope to repeat. 

For this book my role was that of the organizer: I proposed the rainbow idea,

did some research to find suitable creatures, and used my french to communicate 

with the publisher. But all the beauty and creativity comes from Sebastiano. 

After working with bold, bright, saturated palettes of pop primary colors 

in Impara con gli Animali, he is continuing to experiment with a more naturalistic, 

but still very graphic style of illustration. 

And for the first time he made a book full of white backgrounds! 

The 39 animals (three for each color) are showcased on 64 pages in a large, 22 x 30 cm.

 hardcover volume. Our editor, the very charming and efficient Héléne Perignon 

was very happy with the results, and so are we. 

And till Sunday, you have a chance to win one of Sebastiano's brand new 2011

limited edition cat calendars on Moderncat... 

Aren't the endpapers great?

Monkey Photo

I've have already had the pleasure of writing about Tara books last year

when I posted the lovely London Jungle Book by Bhajju Shyam. Tara continues 

to be one of the world's best independent publishers of quality illustrated books, 

and their catalogue is full of interesting original productions for children and adults, 

  Indian re-editions of outstanding foreign books, and even gorgeous art prints.

Monkey Photo is a recent title in their pioneering series of children's books

featuring illustrations by traditional and tribal Indian artists. It was written by Gita Wolf 

(who is also one of Tara's founders) and illustrated by Patua folk artist Swarna Chitrakar 

from Bengal. The story is simple and sweet: Monkey, tired of being photographed by tourists 

all the time, decides it's his turn to take some pictures and grabs a camera...

This is the first time that Patua folk art has been used to illustrate a children's book.

As you can see, the result is a joyous festival of colors, perfect for small children

but also for any adult lover of folk paintings. And in case you DO love folk art,

stay tuned in the next couple of weeks for more offerings!

Also, the story and its happy ending reminded me of this year's recently announced TED Prize Winner 

JR, a French photographer who has been working on a series of wonderful projects around the world...