Shaun Tan: Trying to Keep it Simple

Posted on February 14, 2013 by lee cohen | 1 Comment

SHAUN TAN, one of our favorite illustrators, was asked by Publishers Weekly what he's working on. Here's a little of what he had to say:  

"There are a lot of unformed ideas – parts or ingredients looking for other ingredients, some that I’ve been thinking about for years. I’ve been working on a book about sibling conflict. That’s something that’s always interested me. I’m the younger of two brothers and I’ve always been aware of how that’s shaped my personality. 

I’m interested in work which is just fragments. I’ve been trying to do a book a little bit like that. I like the feeling of discontinuity in a picture book and how powerful that can be. I just show a few scenes and let the reader do the work. I’ve only got one desk and I only work on one project at a time. I have trouble dividing my attention. I often have dreams in which I’m living in a huge mansion and I’ll say, “Oh, I’ll go and work in the west wing,” and then I don’t have to clean up! But in real life, I find it’s better to work on one project at a time. It’s hard enough to be an artist and to have a normal life. I try to keep it simple."

Shaun Tan's books include The Lost Thing, The Arrival, Tales from Outer Suburbia and The Bird King. You can find  Shaun Tan's signed, limited edition prints right here at Art Kandy.

Posted in art from children's booksclassic illustration, children's book art, fantasy art, illustration gallery, Shaun Tan, Tales from Outer Suburbia, The Arrival, The Lost Thing

 

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