Essay AD5508

“The Illustrator” Critical Report

This essay will be my interpretation of a critical report on the author and illustrator Raymond Briggs. I intend to research and evaluate Brigg’s life and work and to explore his significance within society and the art world alike. I chose to use Mr Briggs as he has been a household name throughout my generation, defining inner meanings behind his work and inspiring others to accomplish as well as he did. Throughout my educational and personal life I have aspired to be as notable and thought provoking an illustrator as he. Although his style of work is unlike my own it has moulded my artistic development and his rise to distinction is admirable, worth investigating and hopefully achievable.

The piece Briggs is most famous for is the book “The Snowman”. He wrote and illustrated the children’s story over thirty years ago [1] and it became a phenomenon, available in 15 different languages [2] and accumulating over 8.5 million sales worldwide. [3] After this commendable success, the book was made into a short film, airing in numerous countries then later a theatre production, audio book and even a video game. However, this wasn’t his first book, he had previously written and illustrated a number of them before although he was and still is surprised by “The Snowman’s” reputation compared to some of his other earlier work. [4]

“The Snowman” Fig. 1

Born in 1934 in Wimbledon Park, [5] Briggs came from a hard-working, respectable family, which he mirrors in his illustrations a lot. His parents are pictured in their son’s books regularly, his mother wearing fluffy slippers and cooking, his father working hard as a milkman on bitterly cold, dark and lonely mornings. This later inspired the conditions his character Father Christmas has to work in, [6] and the characters Ethel and Ernest in some of his other books. [7]

Due to the war, Raymond was evacuated to live in the countryside, illustrating his letters home and doodling often. He later won a scholarship to Rutlish Grammar School and was given elocution lessons, but loathed the schools’ snootiness and obsession with sport. [8] When he was just fifteen he applied to Wimbledon College of Art, he told his interviewer (the “fierce” principal Gerald Cooper) when asked why he wanted to attend; “I want to learn to draw in order to become a cartoonist.” To which Mr Cooper replied: “Good God boy, is that all you want to do?!” Raymond stated afterwards that it was the “ideal training for someone like me” and admitted he looked up to and was referring to the artists of the cartoon “Punch” in his initial interview, wanting to replicate their style of work when he applied to the university. Briggs evidently talked him round and studied there until 1953, afterwards continuing to study, attending a typography course at the Central School of Art. [9]

Extracts from “Punch” Fig. 2 and 3

Although having no storyboard, animation, or concept training, Raymond still learnt about some of the methods illustrators use, such as how to use ‘splash-pages’ to show length of time, emotion, or a big shocking part within the narrative. In his book “When the Wind Blows” he uses them to shock

the reader and put an unexpected turn into the story. [10] These are usually used with very little or no dialogue or text on these double-paged spreads so it’s unpredicted when the page is turned.

“Where the Wind Blows” Fig. 4

After his National Service, Briggs started working at the age of 23, which he thought was a very late age to start, especially in his generation. He said in an interview for the University of the Arts London; “I was 23 and thought: for goodness sakes, if I don’t earn a living now, I’m going to look like the biggest wally there ever was! So I tried doing everything.”

After exploring (what he saw as) the “three main fields; advertising, newspapers and magazines, and books,” Raymond found out that advertising apparently “paid the most”, so he started out as an advertiser after university. He didn’t want to go into the children’s book field [11] but after exploring a number of avenues, he found his style suited this path, and he couldn’t illustrate the adult books he wanted to because this wasn’t done anymore. So, after briefly pursuing painting, he became a professional illustrator. Raymond soon began working on children’s books, which was an odd choice to some, as he has said that he “prefers the company of adults”. [12] Illustrating Ruth Manning-Sander’s fairy anthology “Peter and the Piskies: Cornish Folk and Fairy Tales” was the commissioned project that kick-started his career. [13]

“Peter and the Piskies” Fig. 5

Soon after, having been offered many books to illustrate, Raymond noticed the poor quality of them and decided to create his own stories. He always put a lot of time and effort into them and does even now. In 2012 when asked what he had lined up next, he said:

“Oh, I’ve always got files of stuff. You often get these ideas that come quickly and it takes a year or two to do, “The Snomwan” was in ‘the file’ for six years before I got round to doing it because of course you’re doing something else all the time.”

This was music to my ears and gold dust information to learn as a budding illustrator, and prompted me to jot down everything I thought of that was potential. Again, I was influenced by his techniques.

Being quite a (self-admittedly) grumpy man, often stating of his work,

“If I do it, it’s bound to be grumpy!” [14] Raymond’s personality seeped into his artwork, and showed his young audience an approach to stories they had rarely seen before. This is why he is so controversial but also popular. He isn’t afraid of being himself in his work, and is a realist at heart. He states that “everything has sad endings, the snowman melts, things die, and its life. It’s an important lesson and one we all have to face, and I want to teach children that from an early age.” [15] Maurice Sendak and Briggs are very alike in this sense, as he has also acknowledged:

“I think it’s unnatural to think that there is such a thing as a blue-sky, happy-clouded childhood for anybody. I refuse to lie to children.” [16]

I feel this is to shield them from the shock of loss throughout their lives, and to ease them in gently, and that this is a strong reflection again of the author’s life, his existence being punctured by the death of his wife and of his parents, who he was particularly close to. [17] Briggs didn’t get these subtle warnings from his own peers and had to deal with a lot of things on his own, so he addresses this a lot in his books and will continue doing so for the remainder of his career. The ‘inner meanings’ I described earlier apply here, as I feel Briggs is a misunderstood character and author from audiences that don’t know him or his work well, and although some of his books seem quite petulant and harsh for children’s stories, there is significance behind his words and illustrations that also reflect his take on today’s generation, the westernised world, and society’s parenting.

Although Briggs has himself cultivated a grouchy persona, friends talk about his kindness, generosity of spirit and integrity. However, in an appearance on Blue Peter in 2005, [18] answering questions from a group of children, Briggs referred to himself as a “miserable git”, to their delight. [19]

Another issue Raymond Briggs addressed was the nuclear strike on the UK during the mid 1950’s in his book “When the Wind Blows”. It is a tale of an elderly retired couple who have been advised to create a makeshift bunker for the raids during the war, their journey with sickness, and a sad ending of them naively and ultimately waiting for their deaths. This is a further cry from his other books and younger audience, but also illustrated in pencil crayons, his work is recognised immediately for this and his lack of trouble-free conclusions. The story also touches on the gullible confidence the public have on the leaflets issued by the government of the time, and the couple miss-read them and become confused with their instructions. [20] The characters however, are very much like the personalities of the ones Briggs uses a lot; ignorant, stiff-upper-lipped and assured, which helps the reader to empathise with the characters more as they are familiar and associated with the author. [21] I think he achieved this with the individuals in his other stories too, such as Father Christmas, emulating his own father, having a tough, lonely job in harsh conditions. This stems back to teaching his audiences that not everything in this world is cheery and care-free, and this is why I respect his honesty and realist attitude, as sometimes we need messages like this to prepare us and the emergent generation for sorrow and loss.  Some readers of “When the Wind Blows” must empathise with the characters more so than others, as they have served for their country, or were in the generation involved, and those memories are relatable with the story and with them every day. I enjoy reading into this careful and brutally honest insight into our ancestors’ lives and am proud of Briggs for acknowledging and remembering the people who suffered and learning more about his National Service and what the times were like back then for him and his family.

Raymond Briggs hasn’t just had an influence with authorship and illustration; he also adds anecdotes and writes for articles. His duty during his National Service is rarely spoken of but this may have affected his opposing view on the Falklands War where British troops were hugely outnumbered although ultimately successful. [22] He clearly has had an insight into warfare and soldier life, and has a strong view on the state of affairs. He may have before his own duty though, as National Service was compulsory and Briggs was noticeably focused on his career. When the book “Authors Take Sides on the Falklands” was being made in the 1980’s Briggs presented some illustration contributions for it and went on to produce a book exposing his own views. It was called; “The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman”. It was a simple children’s book that satirised the war and leaders involved. [23]

Extract from “The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman” Fig. 6

Almost every one of Brigg’s characters are mocked in some way, or shown unlike how we predict them to be. In “The Bear”, the main character is a giant polar bear, who finds his way into a little girl’s bedroom through her window and befriends her. However, she isn’t frightened as she should be of a large dangerous and unfamiliar bear. When annoyed with him, she tugs him by the ears to follow her and when he’s made a mess she stomps her feet at him in frustration. [24]

“The Bear” Fig. 7

This is in great likeness to the characters of “The Snowman” from 16 years before, [25] the little boy in this story isn’t shocked or frightened that the snow in his garden has come to life, but instead takes the opportunity of a new friend, and starts a heart-warming friendship with comedic value and slapstick humour. This was widely accepted in the books, but when they were being made into short films, the producers wanted to be careful and tiptoe around the more controversial scenes. Raymond objected immediately to this and cancelled the altered scene’s productions, [26] knowing his young audience would prefer to laugh at the humour of the Bear leaving ‘spillages’ larger than Tilly, (the girl), around the house and her having to clean up after him. This book strongly reminds me of Judith Kerr’s “The Tiger Who Came to Tea”, another example of an unlikely duo making friends at a human’s home and the human character welcoming in someone very unlike themselves.

Extract from “The Tiger Who Came To Tea” Fig. 8

Whilst in the making, the film producers respected Raymond’s wishes however, and in the final cut the scenes are whole as they are in the book. “The Bear” is connected to “Father Christmas” in this way, as Brigg’s received some unwanted reviews on this character using the toilet too, as parents didn’t want Father Christmas to be seen in a bad light, [27] but Brigg’s thought it was down to Earth and funny, so continued anyway, with his carefree attitude. This was also the case with the characters’ grumpy demeanour.  The stories wouldn’t have been the same for the children, or loved and appreciated as much without these scenes.

Another message Brigg’s illustrations and stories teach children is that although someone is very different, they could become your best friend, always to be courteous and to never judge a book by its cover. He is exposing and praising children’s naivety and love of anyone and anything. They don’t judge and live in the moment, unlike most adults and he appreciates this.

The beauty of authors like Kerr and Briggs are that they show their audience a side to their characters that is rarely exposed, or even in a whole new light to change the opinions of the audience. I think this is due to their very similar backgrounds with their cultural similarities. Both of their generations had many troubled childhoods that were exposed to war. Kerr grew up in a Nazi-ridden Berlin before escaping with her family to England, [28] and Briggs fought for his country himself. It’s admirable that these memories can be forgotten and they can show the beauty of life and friendships through their illustrations for children to enjoy.

I’m glad these type of writers and illustrators are in this particular book field as children can be very impressionable and these timeless stories will teach valuable lessons to our next generation in a comedic and fun way for them and their older readers alike. I’m sure others will share my opinion that this is very important these days in a world with so little constructive agendas. The way the illustrators show these important messages in their artwork is very clever, as in narratives like these, and others such as “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak. [29] There is minimal or no text, but very detailed and thought-provoking images, prompting children to unravel the story themselves and make their own assumptions of the conclusions.

Extract from “Where the Wild Things Are” Fig. 9

Wordless narratives have easily been adapted into animated films over the years, and these examples, plus ones such as “The Gruffalo” [30] have too become increasingly popular in recent years, obviously due to their reputation with their young audiences and the parents and guardians who read them. This could be down to the very classic and traditional style of illustrating, with pencil crayons, paints and little, if not no digital aid. These images are easier to relate to as they are more realistic than vibrant hard edged colours with black outlines. Parents are more inclined to buy books with these hand-drawn images they grew up with in their own generation, as they are familiar and they want the same happy memories they had, for their children. The negative view of digitally enhanced illustrations is becoming more common, as it was stated yet again in an article for The New York Times and why eBooks are unfavoured. This may however be a rare opinion, but I agree with what the author of this article is trying to discuss.

“A huge part of early reading is, of course, the illustrations. Some embed themselves so deep into the imagination they can never be forgotten – Arthur Rackham’s twisted branches and glowering Mittel-European woods are lodged deep, even among people who have never read those editions of the Brothers Grimm.

Disney’s concept of Winnie the Pooh appears as an offence against nature when compared with the casual charm of EH Shephard. Likewise, I suspect everyone’s internal concept of a crocodile is based on Quentin Blake’s iconic shape (he obviously loves drawing them, as they pop up everywhere).” [31]

In the 1970’s Briggs released a book called Jim and the Beanstalk, which showed the classic fairy tale with a twist; the Giant being a grumpy but sympathetic poetry reader. In the traditional adaptations of this story, the Giant character was always the villain, yet here the roles are reversed. I think Brigg’s almost likes to be recognised as controversial and able to stand out from the crowd, as he has done this countless times with the character’s roles within his books.

“Jim and the Beanstalk” Fig. 10

Not long after this, in 1973, he wrote the critically acclaimed “Father Christmas”, which as I mentioned before, showed the opposite of what the western society deems he should be. Brigg’s interpretation of the character showed him as a grumpy old man, who has to deal with a momentous job every year in the cold by himself, for everyone all over the globe, having to squeeze down chimneys, wait in long queues and wade through the bitterly cold snow. [32] I personally think Brigg’s showed the struggling Father Christmas in this way to help shed light on what’s more important at Christmas time and how hard Father Christmas must work to bring children their gifts. After this book was released I believe children would have been a lot more grateful for their presents.

“Father Christmas” Fig. 11

Throughout this critical report I have discussed the importance of Raymond Brigg’s work and his impact on our culture and society. His influences and experiences have compelled him to raise and address important issues within his narratives and illustrations to show his young audience imperative lessons through clever characters and subtle changes to traditional stories. I still feel the same way about his artwork and intentions as I did before, and admire him more after researching into his life and why he does what he does. He also has quite an unusual choice of stories because he has no children of his own and loathes Christmas so his thought process and style is one, which will be questioned, well-regarded and emulated for generations to come.

References

1. Channel 4, “News, Features & Video”
2. The Snowman, “About”
3. Brave New World, “Penguin, Puffin and The Snowman Get Closer”
4. YouTube, “Jon Snow Meets The Snowman”
5. Wikipedia, “Biography”
6. Puffin Books, “Biography”
7. Vintage Books, “Ethel and Ernest”
8. The Independent, “Raymond Briggs: Seasonal torment for The Snowman creator”
9. YouTube, “Interview with author and illustrator Raymond Briggs”
10. “Where the Wind Blows”
11. YouTube, “Interview with author and illustrator Raymond Briggs”
12. YouTube, “Jon Snow Meets The Snowman”
13. Illustrator’s Lounge, “Raymond Briggs”
14. YouTube, “Jon Snow Meets The Snowman”
15. BBC Radio 4, “Desert Island Discs”
16. Mental Floss, “Ten Things You Might Not Know About Maurice Sendak”
17. The Guardian, “Bloomin’ Christmas”
18. BBC Press Office, “Blue Peter launches children’s writing competition”
19. The Independent, “Raymond Briggs: Seasonal torment for The Snowman creator”
20. “Where the Wind Blows”
21. Grovel, “Reviews”
22. BBC News, “Key Facts: The Falklands War”
23. Imperial War Museum, “Reaction, Raymond Briggs”
24. “The Bear”
25. YouTube, “Jon Snow Meets The Snowman”
26. YouTube, “Raymond Briggs – The Making of “The Bear” – Part One
27. Abe Books, “Raymond Briggs at 75”
28. Harper Collins, “Author Profile, Judith Kerr”
29. “Where The Wild Things Are”
30. “The Gruffalo”
31. Time, “Why Parents Still Want to Read Real Books, Not E-Books, to their Kids”
32. “Father Christmas”

Image References

1. Raymond Briggs, 1978, The Snowman, Hamish Hamilton
2. Punch Cartoons, “What Do You Mean No? Peacock” http://www.punchcartoons.com/PS/Store/Product/What_do_you_mean__no_Peacock_to_Peahen-50543 [Date Accessed: 20/11/2013]
3. Punch Cartoons, “The Importance Of Tea”, http://www.punchcartoons.com/PS/Store/Product/British_Character_Importance_of_Tea-49685 [Date Accessed: 20/11/2013]
4. Raymond Briggs, 1982, Where the Wind Blows, Penguin Books
5. Ruth Manning-Sanders, 1958, Peter and the Piskies: Cornish Folk and Fairy Tales, OUP
6. “The Old Iron Woman”, http://archive.iwm.org.uk/server/show/nav.20916 [Date Accessed: 16/11/2013]
7. Raymond Briggs, 1994, The Bear, Penguin
8. Judith Kerr, 1968, The Tiger who came to tea, Collins Picture Lions
9. Maurice Sendak, 1963, Where The Wild Things Are, Harper & Row
10. Raymond Briggs, 1970, Jim and the Beanstalk, Puffin Picture Books
11. Raymond Briggs, 1973, Father Christmas, Hamish Hamilton

Bibliography

1. Channel 4 Press, 29/11/2012, Channel 4, http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/raymond-briggs-interview-and-biography [Date Accessed: 30/10/2013]
2. Snowman Enterprises LTD (SEL), 2013, Penguin, http://www.thesnowman.com/about/ [Date Accessed: 30/10/2013]
3. Martyn Daniels, 02/01/2013, Blogger, http://bookseller-association.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/penguin-puffin-and-snowman-get-closer.html [Date Accessed: 30/10/2013]
4. Channel 4 News, 19/12/2012, YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdC57YQ32Ls [Date Accessed: 30/10/2013]
5. Raymond Briggs, 06/10/2013 ,Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Briggs [Date Accessed: 01/11/2013]
6. Raymond Briggs, Unknown, Puffin Books, http://www.puffin.co.uk/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,1000005183,00.html#QUE [Date Accessed: 01/11/2013]
7. Ethel and Ernest, Vintage Books, 2013, Jonathan Cape, http://www.vintage-books.co.uk/books/graphic-novels/books/british-classics/Ethel-and-Ernest/ [Date Accessed: 01/11/2013]
8. Raymond Briggs: Seasonal torment for The Snowman creator, 21/12/2012, The Independent, John Walsh, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/raymond-briggs-seasonal-torment-for-the-snowman-creator-8429506.html {Date Accessed: 02/11/2013]
9. University of the Art London, 08/07/2011, YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54dtjkgeaeQ [Date Accessed: 07/11/2013]
10. Raymond Briggs, 1982, Where the Wind Blows, Penguin Books
11. University of the Art London, 08/07/2011, YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54dtjkgeaeQ [Date Accessed: 07/11/2013]
12. Channel 4 News, 19/12/2012, YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdC57YQ32Ls [Date Accessed: 08/11/2013]
13. Illustrator’s Lounge, Raymond Briggs, 25/12/2012, Mr. Geo Neo, http://illustratorslounge.com/tag/peter-and-the-piskies [Date Accessed: 12/11/2013]
14. Channel 4 News, 19/12/2012, YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdC57YQ32Ls [Date Accessed: 12/11/2013]
15. Sue Lawley, 20/03/2005, BBC Radio 4, http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/p00935yk [Date Accessed: 12/11/2013]
16. Mental Floss, 2012, Stacy Conradt, http://mentalfloss.com/article/30618/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-maurice-sendak [Date Accessed: 12/11/2013]
17. The Guardian, 18/12/2004, Nicholas Wroe, http://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/dec/18/featuresreviews.guardianreview8 [Date Accessed: 13/11/2013]
18. BBC, 12/09/2005, Press Office, http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/09_september/12/bp.shtml [Date Accessed: 16/11/2013]
19. Raymond Briggs: Seasonal torment for The Snowman creator, 21/12/2012, The Independent, John Walsh, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/raymond-briggs-seasonal-torment-for-the-snowman-creator-8429506.html [Date Accessed: 16/11/2013]
20. Raymond Briggs, 1982, Where the Wind Blows, Penguin Books
21. Grovel, Unknown, http://www.grovel.org.uk/reviews/whenth01/whenth01.htm [Date Accessed: 16/11/2013]
22. BBC News, 1998, Shared Guides, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/guides/457000/457033/html/ [Date Accessed: 16/11/2013]
23. Imperial War Museum, 2006, Unknown, http://archive.iwm.org.uk/server/show/nav.20916 [Date Accessed: 16/11/2013]
24. Raymond Briggs, 1994, The Bear, Penguin
25. Channel 4 News, 19/12/2012, YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdC57YQ32Ls [Date Accessed 16\11\2013]
26. YouTube, 09/12/2008, SozLike, ”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbD9kyUapwI [Date Accessed 16\11\2013]
27. Raymond Briggs at 75, 2003, Abe Books, http://www.abebooks.co.uk/books/raymond-briggs.shtml [Date Accessed 16\11\2013]
28. Harper Collins, 2001, Unknown, http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/Authors/3128/ [Date Accessed 16\11\2013]
29. Maurice Sendak, 1963, Where The Wild Things Are, Harper & Row
30. Julia Donaldson, 1999, The Gruffalo, Macmillan
31. Time, 22/11/2011, The New York Times (Bonnie Rochman), http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/22/why-parents-still-want-to-read-real-books-not-e-books-to-their-kids/ [Date Accessed 16\11\2013]
32. Raymond Briggs, 1973, Father Christmas, Hamish Hamilton