"And what is the use of a book", thought Alice, "without pictures or conversations?
- Lewis Carroll
We have been absolutely blown away by the success of our first Plum Awards, and we would like to thank each and every illustrator who took part!
Plum Pudding Illustration Agency decided to launch the Plum Awards because we want to do our part to continue the great changes made in the illustration industry to ensure there is more representation from all backgrounds. Our aim was to give as many illustrators as possible the chance to get their work seen. We wanted to reach out to illustrators from a wider variety of different backgrounds and underrepresented communities from across the globe, from people who are already working towards a career in illustration to those who have the passion for drawing but may not have previously had the opportunity to showcase their talent.
We are an agency that proudly represents illustrators from a vast variety of global communities, and we are so happy to see how far and wide news of our competition has reached! We have received brilliant entries from illustrators all over the world, and are incredibly thankful to all who participated.
This year’s chosen brief was based on Alice in Wonderland, a true classic and one of the most well-known books in the Literary Nonsense genre. Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland is an imaginative, vibrant, fantastical tale that has had many retellings in both film and book format. We had so many unique and imaginative entries, each telling a different part of Alice’s story in a wide variety of creative, wacky, and wonderful ways.
After the team got together to look at and discuss over 400 entries (wow!), we have chosen the finalists and winner!
3rd Place: Camille Whitcher
From the minute we saw Camille’s submission we were captivated by her traditional style and use of colour. Camille’s cover is a perfect embodiment of Alice’s key phrase “curiouser and curiouser!” – Camille catches Alice’s expression of wonderment well as she peers through the tiny door, that shows her a different world inside. Camille’s soft technique makes the scene comforting and inviting, and the colours she has used help emphasize this. The mix of green and pink draws the reader’s eye to every corner of the cover, the tiny details you can spot such as the mouse hiding in the dandelion, the lizard in the leaves, and the ‘shushing’ hedgehog underneath the title text adds a playful element and a technical precision that lifts the image as a whole.
The use of space in the spread immediately caught our eye- we absolutely loved the bubbles around the characters in the water, showing movement and giving the scene action. Filling most of the page with water creates a visually interesting piece that brilliantly echoes the quirky, absurd world of the story. The text is placed very well within the spread and works with the illustration, directing the reader’s eye to flow through the page with ease.
2nd Place: Brittany E Lakin
Brittany’s modern style mixed with her traditional execution plays so well to the concept of Malice, a young, tom boyish, girl, who Brittany describes as someone who is “not afraid to get muddy and run around - but she also loves her frilly dresses." Brittany says "She looks like a lady but she doesn't act like one! Malice teaches them that you can be girly AND be tough too.” It’s the classic Alice in Wonderland, but with a good old modern twist!
Brittany’s use of space on the cover immediately draws your eye to Malice, standing strong and proud with her fountain pen in hand, which she has used to (literally!) put her mark on the story of Alice in Wonderland. The surrounding area of rose bushes and trees frame her well, and we can see sneak peeks of the story dotted about the scene, such as the Mad Hatter’s hat, a playing card, and an empty bottle… not to mention some key characters hiding in the bushes! These small touches create an overall scene that immediately captivates and invites you into the story.
Her use of text to work with the illustration in the spread impressed us- Malice’s “interaction” with the title text on the cover continues as her feet disturb the position of the text on the spread, almost as if she’s kicked it out of the way. We liked seeing the difference in size between the Cheshire Cat and Malice, and the details of the leaves and tree are excellent. We love Malice!
1st Place Winner: Samara Hardy
When we got to Samara’s entry for the Plum Awards, each and every one of the team shared a collective “oh wow!” The colours immediately jumped out at us, and the expression in the faces of each character we see is fun and inviting. Her technique shows depth in the cover, with more details in the leaves and flowers towards the foreground of the image. Small details such as Alice’s hair, the patterns on the teapot, the hairs on the ears of the white rabbit and the small glare in his glasses show the attention to detail Samara has executed in her piece, and enhances the magic of the cover overall.
We absolutely loved use of space in Samara’s double page spread – the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is one of the most well-known scenes from Alice in Wonderland, and Samara has managed to give it a fresh, new look while still making it recognisable as a scene we all know and love. The reader’s eye is guided perfectly through the scene, starting from Alice’s annoyed face to the text that is perfectly place in the scene, not stealing away from the illustration but working with it to direct the reader’s eye to flow through the rest of the spread. We are taken through a brilliantly fun scene of a very wobbly table filled with interesting details that catch your eye, and every time you look you see something different. The two snails enjoying a nice mail under the table, the squirrel poking out from a hole in the tree, and the toucan taking a sip from a teacup that’s hanging from the bunting in the corner, are just a few examples of the brilliant details Samara has added to make a scene that young readers would find absolutely fascinating. Every part of the scene interacts with one another making it both interesting and fun: this mixed with the beautifully vibrant colours Samara has used creates an image that is simply magical!
We are also thrilled to announce we have signed 5 new artists from the submissions to the Plum Awards! As well as our fabulous finalists and winner, we have signed the brilliant Ally Marie and Vicky Lommatzsch! You can see their beautiful spreads below:
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| Ally Marie's Alice in Wonderland Spread |
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| Vicky Lommatzsch's Alice in Wonderland Spread |
A huge congratulations to our finalists and winner of the Plum Awards, and a massive THANK YOU to everyone who took part!
💜 With best wishes from the Plums of Plum Pudding 💜
