Gordon James: Award Winning Illustrator Essay

Introduction

Gordon C. James is a recognized award-winning fine artist who has specialized in figurative drawing. In particular, James is a well-known illustrator of the Scraps of Time children's book series. The illustrator was born in Washington DC. Specifically, James has been pursuing an art career since he attended school at Suiltland Center. On the same note, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from School of Visual Arts. After graduation, James worked as a full-time illustrator at Hallmark Cards Inc. He left the firm in 2001 and became an award-winning fine artist. The illustrator resides in Charlotte NC currently. He is married with two children, Astrid and Gabriel. James is a teacher at various art centers, colleges, and Universities.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Gordon James works to attain the highest degree of craftsmanship as well as beauty. The qualities mentioned above helps him to paint works that are featured in global artist magazine. On the same note, Paul R. Jones Collections feature James' works at the University of Alabama. It is important to note that James connects with his viewers whenever he illustrates a book. In particular, his work includes a lyricism that is not found in modern art (Brewer, 2017). In 2017, James illustrated Crown-An Ode to the Fresh Cut. The illustration generated various rave critical reviews in different sites such as Kirkus.com. The preceding illustration enables James to become the 2018 winner of the Newbery and Caldecott Medals and Honor Book seals. What is more, James has illustrated many children's books including Campy: The Story of Roy Campanella. In simple terms, James is proud to come up with excellent artworks that illustrate stories as well as bring considerable beauty to the globe.

Book #1

The book Crown-An Ode to the Fresh Cut was written by Derrick Barnes and published by Bolden. Gordon James is the illustrator of the preceding book and became the award winning in 2018. James received the Caldecott Honor as well as Coretta Scott King Award in 2018 for the illustration (Caldecott Medal, 2018). The book was published on 10 October 2017. James uses thick paints to decorate every page of the book. Similarly, the illustrator makes his art dynamic. On the same note, he uses black color to illustrate black individuals. Specifically, the book, the illustration targets black people, and the colors used are appealing to this race.

Gordon James uses digital means to perform his illustrations. For example, the illustrator used digital medium where his illustration of the book Crown-An Ode to the Fresh Cut received considerable reviews in Kirkus reviews. On the same time, the illustrator uses conventional medium with pen and paper (Caldecott Medal, 2018). Specifically, this helps him to do an illustration that make people get a feel of what would work best when reading his work.

Gordon James demonstrates a close unit between the text and his illustrations. For example, James uses pictures to illustrate the book under review so excellent to an extent it renders mediocre text invisible. The illustrator has excellent words that are worthy of pairing with his amazing skills. Simply put, the illustration brings out the exact information the author of the book wanted to convey (Bird, 2017). For example, the picture of black boy's hairstyle illustrates what the author wanted to put across. Notably, it is evident that James' work is a clear conversation with the readers and the author of the book at hand.

Overall, the book was honored with the award because of different aspects. To begin with, Gordon James drew thumbnail pictures that demonstrated the exact message the author wanted to put across. On the same note, the book presented a unique topic having African American protagonist take part in an important setting of African American culture. For instance, the author and illustrator use the barbershop as one of the critical institutions that honor African American culture.

Book #2

The book Campy: The Story of Roy Campanella is written by David A. Adler and published in 2006 and illustrator by Gordon James. Nevertheless, James did not win an award of this work. On the same note, the illustrator used bright colors and texture to attract children to the book. Simply put, the dominant artistic element is a bright color that attracts children to read the book. On the other hand, James used a digital medium where his illustration of the book receives some reviews online.

It is evident that there is considerable unity between the illustrator and the author of the book in question. Both individuals explain in details the idea of baseball and what it takes one to become a successful baseball player. On the same note, the scholars have brought out the idea of racism. For instance, both scholars depict Roy Campanella as the first African American individual to play baseball in major leagues. In spite of the fact that the book did not win an award, it is considered important for children to understand what it takes an individual to become successful.

References

Bird, E. (2017). Review of the Day: Crown by Derrick Barnes, ill. Gordon C. James. Fuse Production. Retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2017/09/29/review-of-the-day-crown-by-derrick-barnes-ill-gordon-c-james/

Brewer, J. (2017). World illustration awards 2017 announce category winners for professional and new talent prizes. It's Nice That. Retrieved from https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/world-illustration-awards-2017-category-winners-announced-140617

Caldecott Medal. (2018). 2018 honor books. Alsc. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal