Controversial? Books

These are children's books that deal with the issue of homosexuality and same sex parenting, transgender child and accepting diveristy. Some of these went in the essay but some didn't make the cut because of the word count

King and King is a book about a man who's mother forces him to choose a Queen, but after seeing hundreds of girls he isn't happy until he mets one of the princesses brothers. They live happily ever after!

A zoo story of two male penguins who share a nest. The zookeeper gives them an egg to look after. Charming story of a different family.

'Mommy, Mama and Me', and  'Daddy, Papa and Me' show how normal and loving a same sex couple are towards children. Explains different family situations 

A boy who enjoys dressing like a girl, story of tolerance and acceptance

Yuko Shimizu

Yuko Shimizu was born into a traditional Japanese family and studied advertising and marketing (the most creative of a practical field, as art was not an option) . After 10 years she quit her office job and found freedom in art by studying illustration. She now lives in New York.

I find her work very empowering and she is able to incorporate strong female characters into her work without them losing beauty or grace. Many of the women are geisha inspired super heroines, in images 2 and 3 they are wrestlers, a sport which would be considered were unfeminine.  She uses a 1950's Japanese style to create her work.

She has worked on many book and magazine covers, and advertising campaigns.

Japanese Geisha mets Mexican Wrestler

The man is saved by the women

An alternative geisha

Women skydiving

Western goddess inspiration

A Brief History of Feminism

The history of feminism has been a long and difficult struggle for women to gain the rights they deceive, and even today the fight for equal rights still continues across the globe. One of the pivotal points for the feminist movements was in 1792 when Mary Wollstonecraft, England, wrote ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Women’, which was the first time that women’s rights had been publicly bought into the light. She demanded an end to double standards and the women’s right to independent work, education, and to political represented by a women. It was an instant best seller and formed the basis of feminist beliefs. Across the channel the French Revolution gave women the chance of changing the old regime and bringing a new-enlightened ideal. News of the uproar in Europe traveled to America giving women hope that they could ‘overthrow the domestic tyranny of men,’ and it was through the movement against slavery that gave all women the chance to organize a political movement against their oppression. This included the story of Harriet Tubman (1823-1913), one of many black women, who risked her life on the Underground Railroad that led the slaves to freedom. The first Women’s Rights Convention was held in 1848, but it was nearly ten years before the state legislatures began passing reforms dealing with women’s rights issues that had been campaigned for, including the right for a married women to have her wages paid directly to her and not her husband. In 1850’s, similar campaigns were being fought over in the United Kingdom with Barbara Leigh Smith and Bessie Rayner, amongst other courageous women, also known as the “Ladies of Langham Place.” In the 1860’s and 70’s a second generation of Feminism rose; the social purity movement that deemed alcohol, violence and pornography as reasons for unkindly male behavior. At the turn of the century the campaigns began focusing on votes for a women, but they didn’t get the vote until 1918, after the government was weakened by the war. The British movement was headed in Britain primarily by the Pankhurst Family; Emmeline, Sylvia and Christabel. The 1920’s saw a dramatic change for women, with a newfound independence, higher education and job opportunities, but by the 30’s it was beginning to change. The great depression resulted in fewer jobs, and women were accused of stealing men’s jobs. Facism support grew as a hope to end the economic upset, which threatened all work for equality; the previous generations of women had worked for. When WW2 came, the men went off to fight and the women took over the jobs, some 7 million jobs in the US, and suddenly there was money invested in daycare,  but after the war ended, 4 out of 5 women in the US wanted to keep their jobs. This led to media brainwashing in the 1950’s, for women to stay at home and be housewives. The second wave of Feminism took off in the 1960’s and 70’s and again the fight for women’s rights was spurred on by the Black Civil Rights movement in the US, for black rights as it had in the 19^th century with the slavery. In 1955, Rosa Parks sat in the whites only bus seat, causing uproar against segregation. This bought white and black women together for the fight for desegregation and voter registration but they met strong resistance. The 60’s introduced numerous women who had a higher education but were being pushed into feminine roles and looking after men. The word feminist was falling out of fashion and renamed women’s liberation .The most iconic protest of the women liberation groups happened in 1968 against the Miss America beauty contests, which involved crowning a sheep “Miss America” and the freedom Trash Can which held items of symbolic women’s oppression. They were accused as “Bra- Burning women’s libbers”, by the media although nothing had actually been set on fire. At the same time in Britain women began striking and protesting for equal pay, starting with the Ford Motor Company, whose sewing machinists, who made the car seats, bought the factory to a standstill when they demanded recognition for the skills they possessed, and better pay. This started a chain reaction for other women to stand up and strike for equal pay. By the 70’s women liberation groups were beginning to make a break through, with new laws being passed throughout the decade, including the 1973 decision to allow women the right to choose to have an abortion, the Women’s Educational Equity Act(1974), the Pregnant Discrimination Act (1978) and the illegalization of marital rape act . More women had the choice and ability to join consciousness-raising classes, learn self defense and join in on campaigns. Lesbian Feminists bought in the issue of homosexuality, which had been widely outlawed and frowned upon as a psychiatric problem, and had been an underground culture for many centuries. The movement helped many women “come out” but they faced homosexual prejudice. From the 1980’s to present, there is a generation of women who are scientists, politicians, lawyers, astronauts. This era has been labeled ‘the third wave of feminism’ or ‘the post-feminist movement,’ as women continue the work of those before them for equality of the sexes around the world. 

Williams Doll - Charlotte Zolotow

William’s Doll (1972), a children’s book by Charlotte Zolotow and illustrated by William Pene Du Bois, is a charming story that looks at the preconceived notion that society has about gender divides regarding children. The story is about a boy who wants to have a doll to play with, but because of the strong stigma of boys playing with girls doll and being referred to as a “sissy” by his peers, nobody will grant his wish and try and distract him with other typically boy’s toys. Eventually his Grandmother intervenes and explains that William should have a doll so that when he grows up and is a father himself he will understand how to care for a baby. 

This a song that pretty much sums the book up

first write up about feminism history

The history of feminism has been a long and difficult struggle for women to gain the rights they deceive, and even today the fight for equal rights still continues across the globe. One of the pivotal points for the feminist movements was in 1792 when Mary Wollstonecraft wrote ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Women’, which was the first time that women’s rights had been publicly bought into the light. She demanded an end to double standards and the women’s right to independent work, education, and to political represented by a women. It was an instant best seller and formed the basis of feminist beliefs. Across the channel the French Revolution gave women the chance of changing the old regime and bringing a new-enlightened ideal. News of the uproar in Europe traveled to America giving women hope that they could ‘overthrow the domestic tyranny of men,’ and it was through the movement against slavery that gave all women the chance to organize a political movement against their oppression. This included the story of Harriet Tubman (1823-1913), one of many black women, who risked her life on the Underground Railroad that led the slaves to freedom. The first Women’s Rights Convention was held in 1848, but it was nearly ten years before the state legislatures began passing reforms dealing with women’s rights issues that had been campaigned for, including the right for a married women to have her wages paid directly to her and not her husband. In 1850’s, similar campaigns were being fought over in the United Kingdom with Barbara Leigh Smith and Bessie Rayner, amongst other courageous women, also known as the “Ladies of Langham Place.” In the 1860’s and 70’s a second generation of Feminism rose; the social purity movement that deemed alcohol, violence and pornography as reasons for unkindly male behavior. At the turn of the century the campaigns began focusing on votes for a women, but they didn’t get the vote until 1918, although Australia women go tin the vote in 1909, but aboriginal women didn’t get it until 1967. The British movement was headed in Britain primarily by the Pankhurst Family; Emmeline, Sylvia and Christabel.

   

Guest Lecturers - Gina Cross

Trained in printing textiles

10 years experiences in commissioning illustrations for the Guardian

Curated illustration exhibitions

Lecturer

Freelance agent

Runs online gallery and art agency

http://www.alboart.co.uk/ - a little bit of art

Gas art agency

Mostly print based and limited edition items

http://www.ginacross.co.uk/

Advice:

Creative review blog and find projects/commissions 

Its Nice that Blog - http://www.itsnicethat.com/about

AOI

How have changes within gender stereotyping affected illustrators in the 20th and 21st centuries?

Draft part of essay.

At the age of three years old a child can distinguish between themselves and the other sex (Wasserman & Stern, 1978) and by the age of five a child has formed rigid stereotypes towards both sex (Schlossberg & Goodman, 1972). In fact young children believe that gender stereotypes are as innate as the behaviors of different species of animals for example the difference between a cat and a dog (Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Michigan, 2009) and are unable to establish gender past surface appearances. At age six children will spend three quarters of their time with the same sex, and will shun the opposite sex fearing it might taint their own gender identity. A crucial part to a child learning about their own identity is realizing that their gender will never change. Children have an extreme way of thinking about gender, and their way to categorize people by believing stereotypes such as; men wear trousers and have short hair where as women wear dresses and have long hair. Around the age of ten they begin to relax their way of thinking, and the division between male and female roles can be dissolved, and the approach of adolescents begins to bring the two genders together.

Research from:

Child of our time

A Child's World

and 

http://beyondassumptions.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/gender-stereotypes-in-childrens-literature/

May Morris

May Morris (1862-1938)

Daughter of William Morris, poet, designer, business man  

She studied at the the South Kensington School of Design  (1880-83)

In 1885 she took over responsibility for the Embroidery department at Morris & co (the family business)  until 1896 when the company was sold following her fathers death. 

She designed repeating patterns for the companies textiles and wallpaper.

The arts and crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th century was a great help towards women who had artistic talent and ambition but had difficulty breaking into the male dominated world. It appealed  to women on many different levels; as a hobby or profession.  Although this movement was a  predominantly a male driven, embroidery was one of the movements women could thrive in. Embroidery can cover clothing to household furnishings, a very decorative form and are often unique.

"You see William Morris could design embroideries but he could not embroider [...] Mrs Morris could embroider but couldn't design, Miss Morris could and did both design as well as William Morris and embroider as well as any one possibly could and her colour arrangements were approachable and original [...] This is where Miss Morris excelled and that is what so few grasp and appreciate." - a letter from Mary Lobb (companion of May Morris) to the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Her father used a acanthus leaf design to join parts of his pattern together where as May preferred Hedgehog Bryony to fit in with a traditional English countryside model, and often used British birds in her design 

She founded the Women's Guild of Arts in 1907, due to the exclusion of women in the Art Workers' Guild, however many of the documents were lost in WW2 

Women and the decorative Art 1880-1935, the Gender of the Ornament Edited by Brodget Elliot and Janice Helland P35-46 

Gender sterotyping

extract from the Guardian

Feminist books for five-year-olds

Can you radicalise young children in a few easy reads? Viv Groskop gives it her best shot

It all started with my son, Will, stamping his feet and saying he didn't want any girls invited to his sixth birthday party. Girls, he declared, are boring. At the same time I noticed my daughter, Vera, who is three, carrying a handbag and lip gloss. Will was demanding his first football kit, Vera was swooning over princess paraphernalia, and I suddenly realised that it was time for a gender stereotyping intervention.

Children know what they are supposed to like from an early age. For girls, it's princesses, ballet, fairies, parties. For boys, it's adventure, space travel, fire engines, pirates. Until now, my two have been young enough to do their own thing – Will has enjoyed baking cakes, Vera has pretended to be Luke Skywalker. But the older they get, the harder it is to resist the pink-and-blue divide.

Can books redress the balance? We often read Captain Pugwash and Asterix – but there are no girls in those stories. I was happy with Babar until Celeste became pregnant with triplets and never came out of the nursery again. In Peepo the mother is always ironing. Of course, there are some successes for both boys and girls. Ludwig Bemelmans' Madeline is a wonderful tale of convent girl derring-do, with lots of boy characters, too. Julia Donaldson's books (The Gruffalo, The Smartest Giant in Town) are great fun, but not exactly politically inspiring. I wanted to find something feminist, subversive. The Female Eunuch for five-year-olds.

Bring on Jacinta Bunnell's colouring book Girls Are Not Chicks, published in the UK this week. The New York-based author first had the idea for feminist books for children when reading bedtime stories as a nanny. "I found myself editing the words so as not to pass on a sexist message," she says. "In most children's books the girls have pretty frocks and bows in their hair, so I would turn it around – call the boys by girls' names and vice versa."

In the US "anti-princess reading lists" have appeared, pioneered by the websites Mommytracked.com and Bitchmagazine.org. There are now books for three- to eight-year-olds with a specifically feminist agenda: Call me Madame President, Girls Think of Everything, Girls Will Be Boys Will Be Girls.

Feminist author Natasha Walter is intrigued but cautious. "My mother wouldn't buy me Enid Blyton because she said her books were too racist and sexist," she says. "But I don't think you need to read in a feminist way to become a feminist." With her own daughter she reads Catherine Storr's Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf and Roald Dahl's Matilda. Both Walter and fellow feminist writer Susie Orbach pick Pippi Longstocking as one of the best reads for children.

So Pippi seems a good place to start. But can a three-year-old girl who wants to marry her daddy, and a six-year-old boy who hates pink, really be radicalised in just five easy reads? Time to find out . . .

Pippi Longstocking By Astrid Lindgren, illustrated by Lauren Child (£14.99, OUP)

Pippi Longstocking, By Astrid Lindgren.

Pippi's mother dies on the first page and her father is lost at sea. Oh dear. But left to her own devices Pippi goes on adventures, tells tall stories and is superhumanly strong. Utterly magical – but a bit too sophisticated for my two. The story is long and there are very few pictures, although the children loved the Lauren Child illustrations.

Will: "It was rubbish. It's stupid. I like Mr Nilsson [Pippi's pet monkey] and the father who was washed overboard and the mother who is up in heaven. Actually, no, it's not rubbish. It's really funny."

Vera: "I think I loved it. It was beautiful. Pippi is beautiful."

Girls Are Not Chicks By Jacinta Bunnell and Julie Novak (£7.99, PM Press)

Girls Are Not Chicks, by Jacinta Bunnell and Julie Novak.

Some of the pictures and captions in this colouring book are funny. A woman riding a tractor: "Who says girls don't like to play in the dirt?" Two ballerinas dancing: "No one wants to fight the patriarchy alone. Make friends." But I'm not sure whether the messages are really for the amusement of children, or adults. One caption reads: "When she stopped chasing the dangling carrot of conventional femininity, she was finally able to savour being a woman." Try explaining that to a three-year-old.

Will: "This book is for girls."

Vera: (scribbles intently)

Princess Smartypants By Babette Cole (Puffin, £5.99)

Princess Smartypants, by Babette Cole.

A riotously subversive read. "Princess Smartypants did not want to get married. She enjoyed being a Ms." Princess Smartypants keeps giant slugs as pets and challenges her geeky prince suitors to roller-disco marathons. When one of them finally wins her over, she kisses him, intentionally turning him into a toad. "When the other princes heard what had happened to Prince Swashbuckle, none of them wanted to marry Smartypants. So she lived happily ever after." Excellent. Although, interestingly, the children seriously struggled with the idea that anyone might not want to get married.

Will: "I liked it when the prince turned into a toad. It will be my most favourite story ever."

Vera: "I want Smartypants! I want Smartypants!"

The Pirate Girl By Cornelia Funke (Chicken House, £5.99)

The Pirate Girl, by Cornelia Funke.

Molly is in her boat, sailing off on holiday to her granny's, when she is kidnapped by Captain Firebeard and his vicious band of pirates. But they chose the wrong girl. Molly's mother is Barbarous Bertha and when she comes to rescue her daughter she brings her own ferocious crew. Brilliant – although I worried slightly about the male pirates. At the end they are forced to polish Barbarous Bertha's boots 14 times a week. Punishing the oppressor is not true feminism, it's just role reversal. Still, this was the most successful read and I would recommend it to anyone.

Will: "This was even better than Princess Smartypants. It's the best story in the whole world. Write this: I really like boats."

Vera: "My favourite [character] is Molly. And her mum."

Adventure Annie Goes to Work By Toni Buzzeo (Dial Books, £10.31 from Amazon)

Adventure Annie Goes to Work, by Toni Buzzeo.

Adventure Annie dresses up every Saturday in her superhero costume and has adventures with her mother. But this Saturday her mother is called into work because an important document has gone missing. It's up to Adventure Annie to save the day and locate the folder under a pot plant. Yep, that really is the entire plot. The children were confused by the strange dearth of incident.

Will: "I hate it. I hate curly hair and Adventure Annie has curly hair. And I don't like her cape and her shoes because it's pink."

Vera: "I'll have the pink cape and the pink shoes. [Pause] I like Molly the pirate."

Verdict: You can't teach gender studies to small children in a day, but you can make a start. They have already demanded Pippi Longstocking and Pirate Girl again – and again. Lessons that they have learned? The existence of the term "Ms", which prompted a heated discussion. The idea that marriage is not everyone's idea of a fairytale ending. And that women wielding cutlasses are just as menacing as men – possibly more so. Overall, I think, Professor Greer would be proud.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/dec/04/feminist-books-five-year-olds

Gertrude Hermes

Gertrude Hermes 1901-1981

British Printmaker, Engraver and Sculpture

Born in Kent, of German Parents

T.S Eliot, Animula, Faber and Faber 1929 

T.S Eliot, Animula, Faber and Faber 1929

Jonah and the Whale 1933

http://www.northhousegallery.co.uk/exhibitiondetail.asp?exID=40

Feminism - Pre 20th Century

Great Women in History

• Queen Elizabeth 1 (1533-1603) -The Virgin Queen who refused to marry. She ruled England for a long successful era. During her rule the British Empire prospered, she reinstated Protestantism, discovery of the New World, defeated the Spanish Armada, economic growth which sprouted from the confidence her people had in her, and flourishment of literacy, performing and fine arts. Her reign was one of the inspirations for the English Renaissance  

• Lady Murasaki Shikibu (978-1026) Japanese author of the first full length novel; The Tale of Genji. She was educated alongside her brother, by her father. She worked in the Imperial Court after her husband died. 

• Boadicea - warrior queen of Britain who defied the Roman Conquerors 

http://laiyla.deviantart.com/art/Boadicea-64791986

• Empress Catherine the Great (1729-96) Ruled Russia for 35 years. Enlightened despot and reformer. Established the Smolny Institute for Noble Girls to educate women, it was the first higher education institute for women in Europe.

• Sappho (seventh century BC) great poet of the Ancient Greek World

• Joan of Arc (1412-31) French warrior and Kingmaker during the Hundred Years' War. Executed aged 19

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/place_settings/elizabeth_r.php

http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/heroine9.html

Guest Lecturers - Ashley Potter

Influenced by his dad's job in TV/animation, cutting edge of the day.

Fred Quimby's Tom and Jerry, Airbrushing of Mike English,

Philip Castle (reducing scales), Seymour Chwast, Tomi Ungerer,

Ronald Searle, Saul Steinberg, Claes Oldenberg, Wayne Thiebauld (patterns),

Edward Burra, Mary Blair, Reginald March, Edward Hopper, George grosz, Jack McFayden

Educated at St Martins

Started off drawing muscular men using airbrush and bamboo pen, practised drawing hand whilst working at eye hospital

Worked on book jackets, Tatler Magazine

Did lots of experimenting, worked in animation, painting directly onto people

Uses multiple names for different styles

Canterbury Tales

Care Poster

Guest Lecturers- Viviane Schwarz

Uses Traditional Brush and Paint or Digital depending on space

Character Design using collaged shapes

Puts characters and fit them into shapes to make them more dynamic  

 There are cats in this book and there are cats in this books

Uses a dummy book in design process, and constantly edits the text and working with the art director before book is ready to print

Worked with Alexis Deacon

Advice:

Be able to draw children (if your interested in children's books) as thats your target audience

Take a sketchbook to meetings

Find publisher you like

Find Joy in your work

Get out the house at least once a day

Guest Lecturers - Nick Harrop

First worked on Who Framed Roger Rabbit, by animating shadows, removing miscellaneous objects. All by hand (before computers were properly used in animation)

worked as an "inbetweener" for animations ( filling in the middle part of animation)

Travelled and worked in Australia with Disney Australia and other companies

Had lot of work from Switzerland

Went to Vancouver for a while and when he came back to UK everything had gone digital

Had to learn new skills on the job 

Worked on Wembley Park (26 episodes, 2 minutes per episode)

Moved to Cornwall, worked for spider-eye company, did several pilots for Jungle Junction which Disney have commissioned 40 episodes for. 

Next working on the Little Princess animation

Guest Lecturers - Georgina Hounsome

Signed up by Eye Candy after university for editorial illustrations

enjoyed having unusual compositions

drawn elements photoshopped together because it is easier to change parts for the client, as there isn't time to redo the whole piece for editorial pieces

After five years of one style she decided to do an MA to help develop styles further 

Does commercial work as day job and authorial/experimental as evening hobby

Did some collaborative projects too

Keen on Sketchbooks, collecting old books reference

Advice:
Be adaptable but try to remain true to your work/style
Use a sketchbook
Mind map
Get a blog
Get inspired
Capture atmosphere, don't reiteriate it

Guest Lecturers - A.Richard.Allen

Primarily Editorial Illustrator

Worked for Guardian, New York Times, Washington Post, Greenpeace, BBC, Nokia (to name but a few)

Did Fine art degree took an admin job but decided to go back into eduction for an MA, but took a while to fine self after finishing BA

AOI gold medal for Editorial

  

Twelve Drummers - Open Brief for the Guardian for the series Tweleve days of Christmas

 Plan Sponsor - Tiny Pension Returns 

 Did not want to be stereotyped so did some self promotional work without strong lines, although his clients wanted his strong line style he was gradually able to throw in some different styles.

Folio Society - Brat Farrar (block print and foil on cloth)

Picture Books Illustration