A practice‐based exploration of the relationship between artists’ books and children’s picturebooks

This thesis presents a practice‐based exploration of the relationship between narrative and the use of the book form in artists’ books and children’s picturebooks, placing emphasis on the experiential qualities of the physical book. Most of the academic literature on the relationship between artists’ books and children’s picturebooks focuses on the finished book. Taking a practice‐based perspective, I approached this project as a book artist and explored my attempts to make a children’s picturebook. My analysis of the creation of a series of books contextualised with a discussion of literature on artists’ books and children’s picturebooks led to an investigation of the structures of children's picturebooks and the ways in which it overlaps with artists’ books. As a book artist, I had not anticipated my use of the book form to present significant creative challenges. However, the picturebook form imposed a more direct story than I would usually work with when creating artist’s books; new ways of using the book form emerged. My depictions of narrative became more figurative and my use of the book form took on greater subtlety. A key outcome of this research was a discussion from the book artist’s perspective of the process of creating a children's picturebook. An analysis of my practical work demonstrated the possibility of taking an interdisciplinary approach as a way for practitioners to discuss work in progress and finished work, offering insights into the process of both creating and interpreting practical work while investigating the relationship between artists’ books and children’s picturebooks.