The Red Fairy Book (very image heavy post)
Edited, 28th February, 2009: Better scans in place, plus scans of the title page and endpapers have been added.
I've been a little excited about posting my illustrations from Andrew Lang's The Red Fairy Book, published by The Folio Society this year.
The Red Fairy Book is a collection of fairy tales which Lang collected and which formed part of his series of 'rainbow' fairy books, originally published in the 1890s. I'm uncharacteristically pleased with most of them from this set (still one or two I'm not so happy with though!). My former tutor (and now friend) thinks they're among my best work.
Images scanned from proofs.
Thus the Princess was set free
Illustration for Dapplegrim, an intriguing Norwegian tale about a horse of enormous proportions.
'What was that noise?'
Illustration for The Twelve Dancing Princesses
At full speed did she fly in her iron mortar
Illustration of Baba Yaga for The Death of Koschei the Deathless. Baba Yaga is a witch who features prominently in Slavic folklore. She flies through the air in an iron mortar, urged on by a pestle, sweeping away her traces with a broom.
'It's a remarkably fine hare!'
Illustration for The Master Thief.
This is probably my favourite out of this set:
She set out very early the next morning
Princess Rosette. The illustration is of the queen 'mounted upon a pretty little white mule, which was shod with solid gold, and two of her ladies rode behind her on beautiful horses'. She is seeking advice from the hermit after learning that her longed-for daughter, the Rosette of the title, will in time inadvertently bring death and destruction upon her two sons.
'The youngest daughter of this King will be married to a Pig'
Illustration for The Enchanted Pig. A variant on the Beauty and the Beast tale, as you can probably guess. I took a little license and drew a wild boar rather than a domesticated pig.
The hen that lays golden eggs
Illustration for Jack and the Beanstalk.
The Little mouse had dragged in more and more
Illustration for The Little Good Mouse.
She suddenly saw a handsome page standing before her
Illustration for Graciosa and Percinet
The Bull travelled through many lands with the King's daughter on his back
Illustration for Kari Woodengown.
'I am going to the king for what he owes me'
Illustration for Drakestail
'Good morning...' she said in a silvery voice
Illustration for The Enchanted Canary.
This is probably my weakest illustration from this set. I was rapidly running out of time then!
'I know that the dragon Fafnir guards it'
Illustration for The Story of Sigurd.
The title page, with the illustration for Dapplegrim as the frontispiece:
The endpapers:
Finally, the binding and the spine:
I've been a little excited about posting my illustrations from Andrew Lang's The Red Fairy Book, published by The Folio Society this year.
The Red Fairy Book is a collection of fairy tales which Lang collected and which formed part of his series of 'rainbow' fairy books, originally published in the 1890s. I'm uncharacteristically pleased with most of them from this set (still one or two I'm not so happy with though!). My former tutor (and now friend) thinks they're among my best work.
Images scanned from proofs.
Thus the Princess was set free
Illustration for Dapplegrim, an intriguing Norwegian tale about a horse of enormous proportions.
'What was that noise?'
Illustration for The Twelve Dancing Princesses
At full speed did she fly in her iron mortar
Illustration of Baba Yaga for The Death of Koschei the Deathless. Baba Yaga is a witch who features prominently in Slavic folklore. She flies through the air in an iron mortar, urged on by a pestle, sweeping away her traces with a broom.
'It's a remarkably fine hare!'
Illustration for The Master Thief.
This is probably my favourite out of this set:
She set out very early the next morning
Princess Rosette. The illustration is of the queen 'mounted upon a pretty little white mule, which was shod with solid gold, and two of her ladies rode behind her on beautiful horses'. She is seeking advice from the hermit after learning that her longed-for daughter, the Rosette of the title, will in time inadvertently bring death and destruction upon her two sons.
'The youngest daughter of this King will be married to a Pig'
Illustration for The Enchanted Pig. A variant on the Beauty and the Beast tale, as you can probably guess. I took a little license and drew a wild boar rather than a domesticated pig.
The hen that lays golden eggs
Illustration for Jack and the Beanstalk.
The Little mouse had dragged in more and more
Illustration for The Little Good Mouse.
She suddenly saw a handsome page standing before her
Illustration for Graciosa and Percinet
The Bull travelled through many lands with the King's daughter on his back
Illustration for Kari Woodengown.
'I am going to the king for what he owes me'
Illustration for Drakestail
'Good morning...' she said in a silvery voice
Illustration for The Enchanted Canary.
This is probably my weakest illustration from this set. I was rapidly running out of time then!
'I know that the dragon Fafnir guards it'
Illustration for The Story of Sigurd.
The title page, with the illustration for Dapplegrim as the frontispiece:
The endpapers:
Finally, the binding and the spine: