American Illustration 34 Winners

"War & Peace" by Leo Tolstoy

Inspection. "War & Peace" by Leo Tolstoy. June 2014. The illustrations for the Folio Society edition of War and Peace are a new visual contribution to the world famous novel. Complex narrative along with Tolstoy’s philosophy needed to be resolved in an elegant, recognizable, yet novel way in this illustration series. I searched for a fresh approach–to me, the key to creating effective visuals was to mix traditional illustration techniques with modern inventive compositions, and to depict both realistic scenes and the dreams and memories of the characters. I largely focused on human themes–personal stories unraveling against the tragically morphing historical canvas.

"War & Peace" by Leo Tolstoy

Bathing Scene. "War & Peace" by Leo Tolstoy. June 2014. The illustrations for the Folio Society edition of War and Peace are a new visual contribution to the world famous novel. Complex narrative along with Tolstoy’s philosophy needed to be resolved in an elegant, recognizable, yet novel way in this illustration series. I searched for a fresh approach–to me, the key to creating effective visuals was to mix traditional illustration techniques with modern inventive compositions, and to depict both realistic scenes and the dreams and memories of the characters. I largely focused on human themes–personal stories unraveling against the tragically morphing historical canvas.