A creative practice-based study of the application of metafictive devices in postmodern picturebooks

This study, through reflective practice, provides an original contribution to the field of the application of metafictive devices in postmodern picturebooks. The study was explored after a self-conscious process of discovering that metafictive devices are the vehicles used by many authors and illustrators in postmodern picturebooks. I came to the understanding that the opportunities existed to adapt metafictive devices into my illustration practice. Hence, I demonstrated through my own story and artwork how metafictive devices assist storytelling and communication within picturebooks, in order to establish the effectiveness and creativity of a series of metafictive devices as tools for the study. In contrast with the explanations and discussion of postmodern picturebooks by various scholars and commentators, there is little in the way of exploration of postmodern picturebooks from the perspective of authors and illustrators. Therefore, this study seeks to provide an insight into the application of metafictive devices in a picturebook as an artefact. This investigation comprises a contextual and creative practice-based research which involves five main areashistorical and academic context, reflective practice as methodology, personal visual progression, storyboard developments, and plot structure. All components of this study (eg, the reflective commentary, progressive visual journey, and the dummy book) are presented as evidence reflecting the characteristics of metafictive devices in postmodern picturebooks, such as parody, playfulness, and ambiguity.