Thanks to the long research of the young poet J.T. Holden The Lost Rimes of Wonderland came to life and reanimate of new spirit Carroll's characters. Andrew Johnson's illustrations, all in black and white and made just with a pencil on paper, follow carefully the verses describing the salient moments of the story. The brilliant stile, sometimes almost cartoon-like and caricature-like, gives us an Alice with retro features and contemporary temperament. All the other Wonderland's characters are pervaded by this spirit and rhythmically accompany us in the reading of The Lost Rime
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Title: Alice in Verse. The lost Rhymes of Wonderland
Authors: J.T. Holden,
Writer: J.T. Holden
Cover: hardcover
Publisher: Candleshoe Books™. Chicago-New York, USA.
e-mail: info@candleshoebooks.com,
e-mail: info@candleshoebooks.com,
website: www.candleshoebooks.com
Print: Printed in USA
ISBN: 0-9825-0899-9
ISBN: 0-9825-0899-9
EAN: 978-0-9825-0899-2
$ 14.99
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Present from Antonio on January 18th, 2012 in Carlisle PA.
Bought in January 2012 on Amazon.com.
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Andrew Johnson's Biography
Andrew Johnson is an American freelance illustrator who studied at The Illinois Institute of Art at Shaumbourg. In addition to have illustrated some J.T Holden's books he works as concept artist for videogames.
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Some published titles
Holden, J T, Andrew Johnson. Alice in Verse: The Lost Rhymes of Wonderland. Chicago, IL: Candleshoe Books, 2009.
Holden, J T, Andrew Johnson. O the dark things you’ll see! . Chicago, IL: Candleshoe Books, 2009.
Holden, J T, Andrew Johnson. Twilight tales. Chicago, IL : Kuro Books, 2011.
Interview with Andrew Johnson
Holden, J T, Andrew Johnson. Twilight tales. Chicago, IL : Kuro Books, 2011.
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Interview with Andrew Johnson
What is your relation with Lewis Carroll's book?
Alice seems like she's everywhere in pop culture- in video games, movies, music, and even comic books. Her appeal is almost universal, an attribute that makes Lewis Carroll's fantastic stories special, but also somewhat clouded. It seems like everyone has a version of her that they'd like to share with the world, but finding people that are truly familiar with the source material is rare. For a long time, I fell squarely into the latter category- I was acquainted with Alice in Wonderland, but not really familiar with it.
However, the characters fascinated me, and as time passed I sketched my own ideas for how they might look. Then, about ten years ago, it dawned on me that I was sketching blindly; I had no reference for the characters because I had no insight into the literature whatsoever. It made me determined to re-read the books and learn as much as I could about them, so I went out and bought Martin Gardener's Annotated Alice (an annotated version of the original books). That book greatly enhanced my love and appreciation not just for Carroll's writing, but for Sir John Tenniel's brilliant illustrations as well.
With that said, I was initially skeptical when Joel Holden approached me to work with him on his book. I was afraid that the manuscript would not evoke the same feeling as the source material. Then I read the first poem and I fell in love with Alice all over again. Alice in Verse stands on its own, but it also respects and compliments the rich and unique style of the original. I felt like I needed to work with an author who clearly had a deep understanding of what made Alice in Wonderland so great and was able to put that formula into poetry that had both depth and beauty. I might be a century and a half too late to work with Lewis Carroll, but I feel like I got to work with his spiritual successor in this case, so I'm very fortunate.
How did you decide to draw Alice like that? And why in black and white?
Well, the black and white print was a limitation that was set for me. Grayscale is less expensive to print, easier to adjust, and worked best with the time restrictions we had.
I drew Alice herself mostly off the top of my head- she's not meant to look like anyone in particular, but I think she looks exactly the way I've always pictured her. However, for some of the other characters I actually made a list of actors that I thought could play the part if it were a movie and made a "cast" for my illustrations. For example, I referenced British actors like Judy Dench for the Queen of hearts, Jim Broadbent for the King of Hearts, and even Peter O'Toole for the caterpillar.
What about your technique? Did you draw freehand or did you use digital tools?
Both... sort of. I use a Wacom tablet, which is a stylus on a special board that translates free drawing motion into digital information so that I can paint in programs like Adobe Photoshop. Most of the work I create is digital, but I have a strong background and education in traditional art that forms a foundation that I'd be lost without. I prefer digital work because it allows for faster turnaround times on the principal artwork and any changes that might be needed afterwards.
Are your drawings inspired by J.T. Holden's rimes or from Carroll's book?
I would say it's a bit of both. There are certainly some poems in Joel's book (like The Mariner's Tale) that aren't in the original, so those definitely inspired my work. However, my approach was mostly similar to Joel's. He didn't try to compete with the source material, he tried to respect and compliment it. I tried to do the same, only with Tenniel's illustrations. I rendered my drawings differently, but I didn't try to deviate wholly from Tenniel's style.
I think there are some things people expect from the illustrations when they pick up an Alice book- like a cool looking Mad Hatter, for example. But when most people think of the Mad Hatter, they think almost immediately of some form of John Tenniel's illustration. I didn't want to compete with expectations like that, but I did want to supplement them with my own ideas. If you read the book, you'll see the Mad Hatter in his traditional giant top hat, but you'll also see how crazy his hats can get. With some of the other characters where I thought I might have more leeway, I made more extreme changes. For example, I reworked Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum to look more like little Scottish imps that probably needed to take their medication for the day.
Did you work along the author or by yourself? If you did it, how was it?
Oh, I worked with Joel a lot. It was actually a fantastic experience. One of the biggest headaches you can have as an artist is a client who has no real vision or can't give you fair or constructive criticism. Joel does not have these weaknesses. You always know what side of the fence he is on.
For the most part, I think Joel and I had a singular vision for what we wanted to create. Joel gave me a lot of creative freedom on the project, and I rewarded him by trying to go above and beyond in every way that I could. We had- and still have- both a great friendship and working relationship thanks to Alice. Oddly, we never met in person or even spoken on the phone. And we only live about an hour away from each other it's kind of cool, and also kind of strange.
What is your favorite character? And why?
My favorite character is probably the Cheshire Cat. I was tired of the fat tabby version of the Cheshire Cat, so I modeled him of my friend Lisa's cat Maverick, who is a Devonshire Rex (a type of hairless cat). Maverick is a pretty cool cat, and I smile every time I see that illustration. In the book, he's a sly looking character, and his description of the insane (and possibly murderous?) world inside the Dutchess and Cook's house is a delight to read.
April 2012
April 2012
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J.T. Holden's Biography
J.T. Holden is a contemporary American-British poet and writer.
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Some published titles
Holden, J T, Andrew Johnson. Alice in Verse: The Lost Rhymes of Wonderland. Chicago, IL: Candleshoe Books, 2009.
Holden, J T, Andrew Johnson. O the dark things you’ll see! . Chicago, IL: Candleshoe Books, 2009.
Holden, J T, Andrew Johnson. Twilight tales. Chicago, IL : Kuro Books, 2011.
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Holden, J T, Andrew Johnson. Twilight tales. Chicago, IL : Kuro Books, 2011.
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