"Where's Tim's Ted?" Ian Whybrow, illustrated by Russell Ayto (HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd, London 1999)

Another great children's book by Whybrow and Ayto - quirky, funny and, as always, implausible! The characters are so well designed, beautifully drawn and lovable. The craftsmanship, originality and richness in Ayto's work is unlike anything else available in the bookshops these days.

These rhyming lines are such a pleasure to read to a child - as I had to, dozens of times for my daughter. There's always something new each time you open the book that you hadn't spotted before!

"The Frog Prince Continued" paintings by Steve Johnson - Part 2

A few more from Steve Johnson's dark and wonderful pictures - the book has fallen to pieces after scanning! I wish I had more information to give on this artist.

CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED 1 - "Crime and Punishment" (Unknown artist)

Classic, stylish and powerful - these drawings have been with me, inspiring me since childhood. Plenty more to show from this collection...

"The Frog Prince Continued" by Jon Scieszka, paintings by Steve Johnson (Penguin Books Ltd, London 1991)

Weird and wonderful interpretation of the Frog Prince story (or rather what might have happened after the Princess' marriage to the frog - which could, sadly, apply to most marriages once the spells wear off...). There's a bit of "Hansel and Gretel" and "Cinderella" thrown in for good measure. Scieszka went on to write "The Stinky Cheese Man" which also makes fun out of fairy tales and traditional stories but what impressed me most about this book were the outstanding pictures by Steve Johnson. So much work must have gone into these illustrations! Every little detail and every character have been so meticulously worked out. The colours and composition are amazing and there are so many puns and jokes hidden in the pictures you can see something new each time you look at them. I could find nothing else by Steve Johnson - I hope he's still creating great pictures like these.

"Fairy Gold", Ruth Ainsworth, Illustrations by Barbara Hope Steinberg (publ. by William Heinemann, London 1972)

Just a few of the 60 fantastic b/w illustrations in this book.

"The Hobbit", JRR Tolkien (first published in 1937 by George Allen & Unwin). Illustrations by Eric Fraser

This is not from the original edition I'm afraid - it's the 2001 reprint of the 1979 Folio Society edition. Eric Fraser(1902-1983) creates landscapes which are mesmerising and endless while his figures are solemn and monumental. The detail and the rhythm in the shapes and patterns are incredible - the could keep you hooked for hours. He has been a huge inspiration for so many artists and illustrators - myself included.

There are some great examples of Eric Fraser's work - posters and advertising illustrations - at http://www.fulltable.com/VTS/aoi/f/fraser/f.htm There's alsohttp://www.chrisbeetles.com/gallery/artist.php?art=1740 where prints of his work can be purchased.

"The Second Virago Book Of Fairy Tales", edited by Angela Carter, illustrations by Corinna Sargood (publ. by Virago Press Ltd, London 1992), part 2

Just a few more of the many prints found in this book.