This is illustrator''' Allen Say - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 12
About This Presentation
Title:

This is illustrator''' Allen Say

Description:

His father, dismayed by the lack of opportunities in postwar Japan, decided to move to America. ... To his dismay, his father had arranged for him to be ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:526
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 13
Provided by: SD38
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: This is illustrator''' Allen Say


1
This is illustrator...Allen Say
An Illustrator Assignment By Todd Phillips
2
Biographical Information
  • Allen Say was born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1937.
    His father, a Korean orphan raised by a British
    family in Shanghai, and his mother, a Japanese
    American born in Oakland, California, divorced
    when Say was eight. The family separated, Say
    living unhappily with his father and his sister
    living with their mother. When Allen was twelve,
    he was enrolled in Aoyama Gakuin in Tokyo and
    sent to live with his maternal grandmother. Since
    his relationship with his grandmother was no
    better than that with his father, the two
    negotiated an agreement that Say would live by
    himself in an apartment closer to the school.
    During this time, Say apprenticed himself to Noro
    Shinpei, a cartoonist whom he greatly admired.
    This period marked the beginning of his serious
    training in the arts and was to prove pivotal in
    Say's life, as documented in his words in The
    Ink-Keeper's Apprentice.
  • When Say turned sixteen, his budding career in
    art was abruptly cut short. His father, dismayed
    by the lack of opportunities in postwar Japan,
    decided to move to America. He had by that time
    acquired a new family, but asked Say if he would
    like to emigrate as part of that family. Say left
    Tokyo, and with no knowledge of English but with
    a sense of adventure traveled to California. To
    his dismay, his father had arranged for him to be
    enrolled in the Harding Military Academy in
    Glendora, California, a dusty forty miles from
    where his father settled with the rest of his
    family, in Long Beach. As the only nonwhite
    student in the military school (and one who was
    half Japanese and half Korean in postwar
    California), Say was received as one would
    expect. He was segregated from the student body
    and given his own private quarters in a modified
    storage room. After a year at Harding, Say was
    expelled for smoking cigarettes in his room, and,
    with nowhere else to turn, he walked to the city
    of Azusa and enrolled himself at Citrus Union
    High School. There he was encouraged to pursue
    his art. He attended a special weekend arts
    program at Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles
    (now Cal Arts in Valencia) and classes at Art
    Center College of Design in Los Angeles (now in
    Pasadena). After graduation, Say went back to
    Japan, vowing never to return to America, but
    after a year in a much changed Japan, he returned
    and worked as an apprentice to a sign painter.
    Finding little satisfaction in painting other
    people's ideas, he quit, got married, and moved
    to northern California, where he enrolled in the
    University of California at Berkeley as an
    architectural student. In July 1962, Say's
    student deferment was revoked owing to a
    technicality and he was drafted into the army.
    His next two years were spent in Germany, and
    after his work caught the eye of a commanding
    officer, he published his first work in
    photography in the newspaper Stars and Stripes.
  • When he returned to California, he pursued the
    idea of commercial photography as a career. Say's
    work brought him in contact with art directors
    and designers, who were often impressed with his
    ability to sketch out ideas before committing
    them to film. It was the encouragement of these
    people that led Say to freelance as an
    illustrator. His first book, Dr. Smith's Safari
    (Harper Row), was published in 1972. For the
    next ten years, Say continued to alternate
    writing and illustrating with his photography. In
    1979, Say published his only novel to date, The
    Ink-Keeper's Apprentice, which is essentially an
    autobiography of the period when he realized he
    wanted to be an artist. In 1984, Say illustrated
    How My Parents Learned to Eat, written by Ina R.
    Friedman, but, discouraged by the color
    reproduction, he vowed to quit illustrating
    altogether.
  • Walter Lorraine, an editor at Houghton Mifflin
    Company, can be credited with bringing Say back
    to the career that would eventually become his
    life's work. In 1988, Lorraine approached Say
    with a story written by Dianne Snyder, The Boy of
    the Three-Year Nap, which was a retelling of an
    old Japanese folktale. Lorraine tempted Say with
    the finest color reproduction possible, and,
    though reluctant, Say accepted the job and began
    to work on the book that was to change his life.
    Published in 1988, The Boy of the Three-Year Nap
    won a Caldecott Honor Award and the Boston
    GlobeHorn Book Award. That same year, Allen Say
    quit photography completely and dedicated himself
    to writing and illustrating books for children.
    In addition to exploring his own life and
    memories, Say has written on a wide range of
    subjects, such as overcoming cultural and
    physical stereotypes (El Chino) a search for a
    lost paradise (Lost Lake) a story about agism
    and aging (Stranger in the Mirror) an
    exploration of the source of the creative impulse
    (Emma's Rug) and an adopted child's questions
    about belonging (Allison). Tree of Cranes,
    Grandfather's Journey (winner of the 1994
    Caldecott Medal), Tea with Milk, and The Sign
    Painter are the most autobiographical of his
    works.
  • In 2000, the Japanese American National Museum in
    Los Angeles held the first retrospective of Say's
    work in children's literature. Fifty-five of his
    original drawings and paintings were featured
    along with original sketchbooks and
    autobiographical artifacts.

- from publishers website Adapted from a
biographical profile by Maria Kwong for
Distinguished Asian American Artists and
Musicians, by Brian T. Niiya and Elisa Kamimoto,
to be published by Greenwood Publishing Group,
Westport, CT, 2002.
3
A Bibliography of Selected Works
Illustrated by Allen Say   Brow, T. Say, A.
(illustrator) (1981). The secret cross of
Lorraine. Boston Houghton Mifflin.   Bunting, E.
Say, A. (illustrator)(1978). Magic and the
night river. New York Harper Row.   Everson,
W. Say, A. (photographer) (1968). A canticle to
waterbirds by Brother Antoninus. Berkeley, CA
Eizo.   Friedman, I. R. Say, A. (illustrator)
(1990). How my parents learned to eat. Boston
Houghton Mifflin.   Lawson, A. Say, A.
(illustrator)(1980). The lucky yak. Boston
Houghton Mifflin.   Snyder, D. Say, A.
(illustrator) (1988). The boy of the three year
nap. Boston Houghton Mifflin.
  • This section will be separated into two
    categories those works which Allen Say has
    illustrated for others and those works of which
    he is the author and illustrator.

4
A Bibliography of Selected Works (continued)
  • As Author and Illustrator
  •  
  • Say, A. (1972). Dr. Smiths safari. New York
    Harper Row.
  •  
  • Say, A. (1976). The feast of lanterns. New York
    Harper Row.
  •  
  • Say, A. (1982). The bicycle man. Boston Houghton
    Mifflin.
  •  
  • Say, A. (1988). A river dream. Boston Houghton
    Mifflin.
  •  
  • Say, A. (1989). The lost lake. Boston Houghton
    Mifflin.
  •  
  • Say, A. (1990). El Chino. Boston Houghton
    Mifflin.
  •  
  • Say, A. (1991). Tree of cranes. Boston Houghton
    Mifflin.
  •  
  • Say, A. (1993). Grandfathers Journey. Boston
    Houghton Mifflin.
  •  
  • Say, A. (1994). The inn-keepers apprentice.
    Boston Houghton Mifflin.

5
A Bibliography of Selected Works (continued)
  • Say, A. (1995). Stranger in the mirror. Boston
    Houghton Mifflin.
  •  
  • Say, A. (1996). Emmas rug. Boston Houghton
    Mifflin.
  • Say, A. (1997). Allison. Boston Houghton
    Mifflin.
  •  
  • Say, A. (1997). Under the cherry blossom tree.
    Boston Houghton Mifflin.
  •  
  • Say, A. (1999). Tea with milk. Boston Houghton
    Mifflin.
  •  
  • Say, A. (2000). The sign painter. Boston
    Houghton Mifflin.
  •  
  • Say, A. (2002). Home of the brave. Boston
    Houghton Mifflin.
  • Say, A. (2004). Music for Alice. Boston Houghton
    Mifflin.
  • Say, A. (2009). Erika-San. Boston Houghton
    Mifflin Books for Children.

6
Honours Awards
  • American Library Association Notable Book
    designation, and Best Book for Young Adults
    designation, both 1979, both for The Ink-Keeper's
    Apprentice
  • New York Times Best Illustrated book award,
    1980, for The Lucky Yak
  • Horn Book Fanfare list, 1984, and Christopher
    Award, 1985, both for How My Parents Learned to
    Eat
  • New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Children's
    Books listee, 1988, for A River Dream
  • Boston Globe/Horn Book Award, and American
    Library Association Notable Children's Book, both
    1988, and Caldecott Honor Book, 1989, all for The
    Boy of the Three-Year Nap
  • Reading Magic Award, 1990, for El Chino
  • Bay Area Book Reviewers Association award, and
    PEN Center USA West award, both 1992, both for
    Tree of Cranes
  • Caldecott Medal, 1994, for Grandfather's Journey.

7
Critical Evaluation of One Work
  • As the winner of the prestigious Caldecott Medal
    Allen Says Grandfathers Journey is clearly a
    book with outstanding illustrations as the medal
    is awarded annually by the Association for
    Library Service to Children, a division of the
    American Library Association, to the artist of
    the most distinguished American picture book for
    children. The focus of this evaluation will be
    to examine why this book is so highly acclaimed.
  • Section 1
  • How do the illustrations create or complement the
    story?
  • The illustrations in this book dominate the pages
    which have very limited, succinct writing. They
    set the backdrop for the narrative like the
    snapshots would in a family picture album. Page
    4 clearly is a portrait and signifies that this
    could in fact be a photo album. Each is clear and
    give the reader a feeling of being a part of the
    journey that the Grandfather is on. I would say
    that the writing complements the pictures rather
    than the other way around. With the exception of
    the second last page each page has only one or
    two sentences which in effect are filling in the
    blanks or supplying the reader with information
    that they could not know from the pictures alone.

8
Critical Evaluation of One Work (continued)
  • Section 2
  • How do the illustrations tell the story is the
    style of art appropriate to the story how do
    they reflect warmth and vitality through rich and
    harmonious colour or appropriate use of
    monochrome?
  • The illustrations tell the story just as
    snapshots in a photo album would. Each sheds
    light on a part of the Grandfathers journey,
    essentially they are moments caught in time that
    shaped the life of Says grandfather. The style
    of this work is still life watercolour and the
    pictures are realistic and makes one feel as if
    they are on the journey or at least are sharing
    in the memory of the journey.
  • The use of colour is important in these
    paintings. During the happy times in the life of
    the grand father the colours remain understated
    as watercolours tend to do, but the palate is
    extended to use warmer colours such as red and
    yellows. This is especially evident on page 18
    where the grandfather surrounds himself with
    songbirds to remind him of his home in Japan. In
    stark contrast to this is the illustration on
    page 27 which conveys the loss of home through
    the destruction of the bombing of Japan during
    World War 2. In this picture the members of the
    family are dressed in very drab colours and are
    sandwiched between a very dull charcoal sky and a
    slightly darker palate of greys and browns in the
    form of a pile of rubble. The realism found in
    all of these paintings allow the reader to see
    the emotions of the characters. In this way Say
    allows the illustrations to convey the feelings
    that are not written about in the text.

9
Critical Evaluation of One Work (continued)
  • Section 3
  • How do the illustrations help create the mood of
    the story, as well as the pacing and tension from
    page to page?
  • The illustrations allow the reader to see the
    grandfather at various times and places during
    his journey. Through the expressions of the faces
    and the landscapes and vistas the reader is
    entrenched in the time and space that create the
    mood and can truly relate to the journey that the
    grandfather is on. On page 10 the grandfather is
    bewildered and yet excited by the huge cities and
    their factories. This picture is split in two by
    the presence or absence of colour which visually
    represents the dichotomy of the grandfathers
    feelings.
  • The pacing in this story is interesting because
    it looks back on the life of Says grandfather so
    essentially it spans one lifetime. The
    illustrations chronicle this life as the first
    picture is a portrait of the grandfather as a
    young man and he is an old man at the end of the
    book. In between we see the grandfathers life
    and times shared through the experiences which he
    has lived.
  • The final illustration of the book is a formal
    portrait of Says grandfather in an oval frame.
    It is the same portrait that appears as the
    journey was beginning which is significant
    because Says accompanying text is I think I
    know my grandfather now. I miss him very much.
    This completes the journey for both Say and the
    reader.

10
Critical Evaluation of One Work (continued)
  • Section 4
  • How does the layout, design of the book and the
    placement of the words and pictures on the page
    impact the entire reading experience?
  • As Ive mentioned before the layout of this book
    is very much like a photo album or a scrap book
    of a particular trip. In this case the trip is a
    journey that spans a lifetime. The book is very
    consistent with a large picture on each page with
    one or two sentences below the picture describing
    what we can not see. It is important for me to
    stress that the text does not repeat what the
    reader already sees in the picture. This is a
    basic rule that I was taught as an editor and
    sponsor of our school yearbook never write in a
    caption what the reader can already see for
    themselves. In the picture. Allen Say makes our
    reading experience positive by ensuring that we
    only have enough information in his text to help
    us draw out the information from the
    illustrations.
  • The large size of the pictures make this book
    easy to share with younger readers. The details
    will have children asking many questions about
    what is happening in the story. Anyone who has
    ever kept a photographic journal of a trip or
    times throughout their lives can relate to the
    various pictures in the book. Some are of
    landscapes, others of people that were met along
    the way and others of times that are remembered
    back home with family.

11
Critical Evaluation of One Work (continued)
  • Section 5
  • Points to ponder as to why this book won the
    Caldecott Medal
  • Listed from the ALA website are the criteria for
    awarding the Caldecott Medal
  • CRITERIA
  • 1. In identifying a distinguished picture in a
    book for children, 
  • a. Committee members need to consider 
  • Excellence of execution in the artistic technique
    employed
  • Excellence of pictorial interpretation of story,
    theme, or concept of appropriateness of style of
    illustration to the story, theme or concept of
    delineation of plot, theme, characters, setting
    mood or information through the pictures. 
  • b. Committee members must consider excellence of
    presentation in recognition of a child audience. 
  • 2. The only limitation to graphic form is that
    the form must be one which may be used in a
    picture book. The book must be a self-contained
    entity, not dependent on other media (i.e., sound
    or film equipment) for its enjoyment.
  • 3. Each book is to be considered as a picture
    book. The committee is to make its decision
    primarily on the illustration, but other
    components of a book are to be considered
    especially when they make a book less
    effective as a children's picture book. Such
    other components might include the written text,
    the overall design of the book, etc.  
  • Note The committee should keep in mind that the
    award is for distinguished illustrations in a
    picture book and for excellence of pictoral
    presentation for children. The award is not for
    didactic intent or for popularity.
  • Adopted by the ALSC Board, January 1978. Revised,
    Midwinter 1987.
  • Allen Say clearly has mastered the watercolour
    technique. His skill is evident in each of the
    pictures that are included in the book and like
    all good art they evoke emotions from the
    reader/viewer.
  • Even without the text the viewer of this book
    would be able to have a pretty good idea as to
    what the book was about. We may not get all of
    the details, but we would know for instance that
    the main character is torn between two places and
    that he has traveled between them. The use of
    various scenes from portraiture to landscapes
    aids us in this understanding.
  • Allen Say was a successful photographer during
    his time in the military and shortly after his
    discharge. I wonder if the resemblance to a
    scrapbook or photo album reflects this or if it
    coincidental?

12
References
  • Books
  • Say, A. (1993). Grandfathers Journey. Boston
    Houghton Mifflin Company.
  • Web resources
  • Allen Say biographical information retrieved
    October 3, 2009 from
  • http//www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/authors/allens
    ay/author.shtml
  • Caldecott Medal criteria retrieved October 5,
    2009 from
  • http//www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrant
    s/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottterms/caldecot
    tterms.cfm
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com