Shaun Tan

I wanted to write about this extremely talented author and illustrator for a while now. I finally got there! So, please welcome Shaun Tan! That's him by the way with his own Oscar for the 15 min animated film "The Lost Thing", which was created on the base of his book with the same name.

Australian author and illustrator Shaun Tan is well known all over the world for his science fiction picture books. He has a fantastic WEBSITE, where you can find lots of valuable information about him and his books, as well as his articles and answers to many interesting questions and also his advice to starting illustrators. He is a very clever man I have to say! And, of course, he is a fantastic artist! Here are some of his illustrations:

I love this guy because he breaks the rules! Shaun Tan argues the established fact that picture books are for children. And I fully support him in this argument! In his article "PICTURE BOOKS: Who Are they For?" Shaun fully explores and explains the idea that simplicity does not exclude sophistication or complexity.

“Art,” as Einstein reminds us, “is the expression of the most profound thoughts in the simplest way.”
 And it’s clear that older readers, including you and me, remain interested in the imaginative play of drawings and paintings, telling stories, and learning how to look at things in new ways. There is no reason why a 32-page illustrated story can’t have equal appeal for teenagers or adults as they do for children. After all, other visual media such as film, television, painting or sculpture do not suffer from narrow preconceptions of audience. Why should picture books? It is interesting that observe that when I paint pictures for gallery exhibitions, I am never asked who I am painting for."

I agree with every word!