Leaning all the way into my deep love of picture books, especially when they are little and let’s say small enough to fit inside a matchbox…
I re-visited my illustrations for ‘Memory’ my response for one of the P&P club prompts from earlier this year.
I love the idea of a book form being altered, so that the book itself is an unconventional shape or the physicality of it as an object reflects the contents in a more activated way than just being a regular old book about a thing.
This little tiny book about memory seemed to be most reflective of its own subject matter as a book inside a matchbox - a little drawer secreted away in a little box -reminiscent of a keepsake in a box, possibly tucked away and forgotten about until (happened upon by chance in an antique piece of furniture) it becomes a great anachronistic curiosity. Which is sort of how I think of some of our memories work, carefully folded into our selves, resurfacing by chance.
The book begins:
More Darling-Murdering for this mini book. Quite a process to go from my original drawings which I felt very weird about and disconnected from. I drew the originals at a sort of mid air point: a moment between moments as I was mid progressive leap in the continuing learning process of drawing digitally and focused on my 100 day project zine. I published the originals on Instagram (whilst holding my nose and shutting my eyes) but had a mental pin in them to re-visit.
Some of the original digital drawings collated on paper:
The re worked drawings feel much more cohesive and appropriate for the purpose of them being a book. The drawings are a little bit looser as I get to grips a bit more with Procreate pencils and brushes. The sequence of the pages within the new little book feels like it hangs together better too. The new book isn’t a story but I think it has a beat to it and a good final page.
Some of the new pages:
The book starts with the pear’s life cycle story and segues into the pear being an object of reminiscence, leading to more reminiscences.
The process of gathering up drawings and ideas to put them together as a collection or a finished thing (whether that is a book, cards, T shirts) forces decision making and forces a project to fully fledge. It’s always so fulfilling to do this and the result is always a surprise. I don’t think I have ever realised a project that does what I planned or expected. But, these brain children are always such a reward.
The final page is designed to snap the reader out of reminiscence, in the way real world, churning on so very often does:
Pears and out.
Susannah
Book Box Memory