Wesley Hancock

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Children’s Literature and illustrations

  

Carlo Lorenzini, better known as Carlo Collodi

This is an illustrative book cover for Pinocchio which was created in 1883. It is a children’s novel that follows a wooden childlike figure seeking to become a real boy. Pinocchio was created by his father Gepetto who was a wood carver.  The illustrator’s graphic style is a black and white woodcut carving that has the main character posing. The nose on the character adds emphasis to the storyline in which Pinocchio’s nose grows when lying. The clothing that Pinocchio is wearing, carriers a western European influence from the 1800s in which they wore frilled neck collars.  The Pinocchio resembles more of a teenage boy instead of a young boy. This work appeals to me in that it has the resemblance from the 1800s. Also it contains background illustrations which are out of the ordinary, such as the snake and fish appearing on land, as well as the girl stuck in the clouds.

This is a poster created in the 1900s.

The graphic style contains coloured in characters, centered with the attention towards Pinocchio. Still having a heavy western influence, shown in the clothing allocated to the characters. The one character wearing a black hat and blue feather, demonstrates the old queens guards style, as they were required to wear red with fancy hats and no movement at all. The dresses also match the timeframe in that the woman wore thick dresses with thin waistlines. The illustration appeals to me in that the illustrator positioned the characters in the middle, on stage to grasp the focus of the viewer. Also the colours go with each other, creating an easy look on the eyes.

An Illustrative book cover done in the 2000s.

This book cover shows a more modernized Pinocchio with an American influenced clothing choice. The American influence came about when Walt Disney studios created the illustrations. This cover appeals to me in that Pinocchio relates more towards a child who wants to become a boy, whereas the 1800s illustrations resembles more of an older Pinocchio, probably in his teens. The blue lighting goes well with the red text. It also appeals to me in that it looks as if Pinocchio is smiling at the viewer, which gives the viewer a warmer welcoming when gazing upon it. I find an American influence on the pants of Pinocchio in that stars are represented on the pants