Brian Wildsmith

I have chosen Brian Wildsmith because I find his drawings eye-catching. All of his work is really rich in texture and saturated colours. He paints with so much detail because he believes that children appreciate details as well as colour. Wildsmith wants children to observe the beauty and harmony in nature. There is like one big mess in his drawings but at the same time they look beautifully crazy. Moreover, it is known that children like to get involved into the story and so Brian Wildsmith hides animal behind all that crazy mess, for example behind tree leaves. So in this way children can point things out and get involved into the story even more.

Brian Wildsmith also says that when he paints animals, he imagines them as a child would. By doing that he want children to make personal connections to the animals in his books. Also interesting fact about him that he says that his children are his judges. If he shows an illustration and children do not say anything he knows that he has to redo his illustration one more time.

Brian Wildsmith believes that beautiful picture books are vitally important in subconsciously forming a child's visual appreciation, which will bear fruit in later life.  

His most well-known books are: ABC (1962) that was a winner of the Greenaway Medal, The Owl and the Woodpecker (1971), Little Wood Duck (1972).