An illustration by Vyas 

Writers have to do the “heavy-lifting” work, admits Eipe, when we ask him about navigating through such themes while still keeping the book tender for its young readers. However, we believe the work of illustrators cannot be ignored. It strengthens the language of the narratives, helping drive the reader towards the action in the book. Eipe credits Vachharajani’s ability to bring up “serious themes with levity and humour.” He shares, “It provided a launchpad for me to go off on a visual adventure, exaggerating some of the silliness of the text, while inspiring the reader with a sense of awe for the natural world.”

Poll

Who will win the Punjab Elections?

BJP 32.76%

AAP 43.10%

INC 24.14%

Submit

View All In Poll

He recollects stumbling upon Aubrey Beardsley’s pen-and-ink illustrations in Oscar Wilde’s stories that inspired him. “The idea of combining utter silliness with ornate drawings felt like it could work for a book like this.” He then took his first draft of bleak times in Fairyland to Maithili Doshi, the art director and book designer, who helped him shape the images into their final outcome.

For Vyas, on the other hand, it was important to return to “finding colours, light, composition and perspective to discreetly foreground the complex feelings of the characters” for the Golden Tiger Mountain. She adds, “I work meticulously to depict facial expressions using minimal linework.” After conversations with the writers, she quickly realised that the story, at its heart, was about “exploring newer dimensions of one’s being.” 

This allowed her to set her colour palette to sombre yet fresh colours, such that she could ensure that “the rhythm of the narrative and key moments of the characters’ transformation echoed in the images.”

Today, such collaborations between illustrators and writers have pushed creators of children’s literature to take it to newer heights. Eipe reveals that these projects have led to a diversity of art styles coming forth, and “unique ways of imagining things.” “There is a broad acceptance in publishing that illustration can be a powerful storytelling tool. It can enrich as well as run parallel or tangential to the text,” he tells us, citing wordless books as great examples. Vyas agrees with this. Her atmospheric landscapes and portraits amplify the text in the Golden Tiger Mountain. “There is a certain joy in discovering something beyond the apparent and to expect the unexpected through the image-text dynamic,” she signs off.

Cost Rs 499 (available at leading bookstores and estores)