Illustrator Shaun Tan You look at a car

Illustrator: Shaun Tan “You look at a car, and you try to see its car-ness, and you’re like an immigrant to your own world. You don’t have to travel to encounter weirdness. You wake up to it. ” Shaun Tan Aaron Weaver LIB 732

Biography: § Born in 1974 in Fremantle Western Australia § Grew up in the suburbs of Perth Western Australia § Is of Chinese, Irish, and English Heritage § Father was an architect § Graduated with a degree in Fine Arts and English Literature from University of Western Australia § Currently Resides in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Facts: § Consultant on films Wall-E and Horton Hears a Who § Began doing Illustrations for a magazine § Did not know much about Children's Literature. He liked what he saw and knew he needed to make money § Learned most of his illustration skills doing flyers, posters and the like around the collage campus § Believes that his illustrations are the ‘text’ of his books § It can take about a year to create a book but his book Arrival took 4 -5 years

Style and Influences: § He does not claim to be influenced by any one artist or illustrator, but rather by them all § Some main influences have been from artists and filmmakers who see things ‘in a different light’ such as Tim Burton and Stanley Kubrick § His style has a very imaginative twist to it § He bases his illustrations on real life or observation of real life § He works his illustrations in the size that they will be viewed so that detail will not be lost § Most of his work seem to have a soft appearance. No harsh lines but things flow and have a nice affect on the work § The work at times just begs for you to delve deeper into it. Even when the colors are bright they are not so harsh as to push you away

Awards: § From 1992 to 2011 he has won of been nominated for 43 awards § It began in 1992 when he won the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrator of Future Contest § 2011 awarded the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award ($765, 000 the largest prize in children's literature) § 2011 Academy Award for Best Short Film, Animated with The Last Thing § He has won the Ditmar Award 11 times

Works as an Illustrator: § Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link (2008) § Memorial, written by Gary Crew (1999) § The Puppet, by Ian Bone (1999) § The Hicksville Horror, by Nette Hilton (1999) § The Rabbits, written by John Marsden (1998) § The Viewer, written by Gary Crew (1997) § The Half Dead, by Garry Disher (1997) § The Doll, by Janine Burke (1997) § The Stray Cat, by Steven Paulsen (1996) § Pipe, by James Moloney (1996)

Works as an Author: § Tales from Outer Suburbia (2008) § The Arrival (2006) § The Red Tree (2001) § The Lost Thing (1999) § The Playground (1997)

The Arrival § This is an amazing book that is a true picture book as it contains no words. It is about a man who journey to a new country and the tings they experience. It really focuses on the strangers in a strange land theme. § The Illustrations for this book are monochromatic. Even so Tan is able to convey color and texture effectively. All work in this book was done with pencil on paper.

The Red Tree § A very colorful and imaginative book that follows a young redheaded girl. The images in the book have many ways to be interpreted and leave much up to the reader. As you follow the story there is something you may notice in the illustrations the first time through, a read leaf. This small detail leads to a great surprise of a glowing red tree for the girl.

Tales from Outer Suburbia § This book is a set of short stories that are from two pages to several. The illustrations range fro monochrome to full color. These stories are filled with whimsy such as an exchange student who is tiny and insists on sleeping in the cupboard. Then there is the water buffalo who helps point people to what they need. All of the stories really have differing interpretations based on what the person brings with them.

The Rabbits § This story talks about ‘colonization’. The illustrations in the book cover the range from bright and vibrant to being ‘dark’ and foreboding. This really parallels the story. The illustrations in this book break away from the whimsy and have a bit more or a serious tone. Even still you are drawn into the sparse pictures and use of words.

The Lost Thing § This is a great story about a boy who finds the creature while out collecting. He tries to find where it belongs but all the people he encounters seem not to care. This is the story that was adapted into an Academy Award winning animation. Again his illustrations are filled with whimsy. You also get a sense of normal even though there is nothing normal about the creature. It does a great job of showing how some people don’t see things around them.

Works Cited § Chuan-Yao, Ling. "A Conversation with Illustrator Shaun Tan. " World Literature Today 82. 5 (2008): 44 -47. § Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 15 July 2011. § HUNT, JONATHAN. "Lost & Found: Three by Shaun Tan. " Horn Book Magazine 87. 3 (2011): 77 -78. § Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 15 July 2011. § "Illustrator Shaun Tan Draws Conclusions. " Spiegel Online International. N. p. , 17 June 2011. Web. 15 July 2011. <http: //www. spiegel. de/international/zeitgeist/0, 1518, 769089, 00. html>. § "Locus Online Perspectives » Shaun Tan: Alien Objects. " Locus Online: The Website of The Magazine of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Field. N. p. , 7 Apr. 2011. Web. 15 July 2011. <http: //www. locusmag. com/Perspectives/2011/04/shaun-tan-alien-objects/>. § Margolis, Rick. "Stranger in a Strange Land. " School Library Journal 53. 9 (2007): 34. Academic Search § Premier. EBSCO. Web. 15 July 2011. § ROTELLA, CARLO. "Shaun Tanâ € ™s Wild Imagination - NYTimes. com. " The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N. p. , 22 Apr. 2011. Web. 15 July 2011. <http: //www. nytimes. com/2011/04/24/magazine/mag-24 Tan-t. html? pagewanted=1&_r=1>. § Shaun, Tan. "Special Citation for Excellence in Graphic Storytelling. " Horn Book Magazine 85. 1 (2009): § 29 -33. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 15 July 2011. § "Shaun Tan. " Shaun Tan. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 July 2011. <http: //www. shauntan. net/>. § "Shaun Tan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. " Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 July 2011. <http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Shaun_Tan>.