Meet the Artist: Jennifer Horn again!
By Mia Macrossan
Jennifer Horn
Jennifer Horn is one of this year’s artist exhibiting at the annual Book Links StoryArts Exhibition held every year at the Richard Randal Art Studio, a glorious purpose built art space, set in the grounds of the Mt Coot-Tha Botanical Gardens.
Date: From Friday 10 April – opening night 5pm until Sunday 19
Jennifer Horn is a Brisbane-based illustrator and children’s writer. She has illustrated for Wombat Books’ junior fiction Skippy Blackfeet by Rebecca Fraser as well as picture book Juniper’s Painting by Catherine Bauer. Her fairytale debut picture book The Precious Plum was shortlisted for the 2022 Little Pink Dog’s Authorstrator Prize. With a background in Architecture, Jen draws on her love of stories and adventure to create whimsical illustrations in a Quentin-Blake-inspired squiggle style. She co-hosts the Book Review program on local community station Reading Radio, where she enjoys reading books ‘with all the voices’. She has also been part of Art Department teams on several Brisbane-based films, including Binge’s A Savage Christmas, Stan’s Christmas on The Farm, and Netflix’s Romance on the Menu.
More details about Jennifer’s books here
When did you realise you wanted to be an artist? I always wanted to have drawing in my life, but for the longest time I honestly thought the kind of art I liked to do – drawing characters and narratives, rather than art-gallery-style art – wasn’t able to be a career of its own. I thought my thirst for drawing would be met in an architecture career, as I had typecast picture book illustration as something more cartoony than I could deliver. When I discovered The Arrival by Shaun Tan, I felt hit by magic and the realisation that modern book illustration could be something cinematic, deep and elegant. Working in film Production Design was also a great exploration of architecture-that-tells-stories.
What were your favourite illustrations/illustrator as a child? I had a few favourite animes throughout childhood, like Sailor Moon and Pokémon, and would always be drawing the characters from them. Crazy, but I can’t actually remember having a favourite illustrator as a child. Even some of my favourites now like the wonderful movement capturing of Quentin Blake, I didn’t appreciate as much as a child. I just wanted to draw characters from films!
What do you see as your role when working with a writer on a picture book? Aside from bringing a whole visual element of what the characters and environments look like and what that says about them, it’s giving the story the visual pacing and framing that feels emotionally right. That could be creating physical distance between characters to reflect a drift, or showing a scene from a unique angle, like a scared character being looked down on from a high angle.
When writing and illustrating your own work what comes first – words, images, characters? Actually concepts – for writing, they often form as a little vignette of words capturing an idea, which then feels like a floating piece of patchwork trying to find its over all blanket. For illustrations, I like to think of what I want to focus on and how it needs to beframed for emotional effect – a bit like a film.
What is your preferred medium to work in? As much hand-drawing as possible for the linework – I love how the tooth of the page kind of has its own response to a hand moving across it. For colouring, digital is convenient and forgiving, but I love the depth and nuance that watercolour gives.
Where do you go when you need inspiration? Before having kids, I’d say travelling! Merging my love of characterful architecture and narrative, I once plotted a whole trip to the UK and France around timber-framed Tudor houses to chase down a story (still haven’t caught it yet). Some of my favourite atmospheric cities are Dinan and Edinburgh, and The Shambles in York. These days, I have my lush collection of special picture books on hand, separate from the kids’ collection and up higher!
How would you describe your art style? Scribbly, lyrical, loose
Where and when and how do you work? Currently, just at home when my baby is asleep! (and toddler is at childcare) It doesn’t make for much time to work, but if you want to become great at time management, have kids!
Is there an iconic children’s work that you would like to illustrate? I love vintage styleclothing, so anything where characters are wearing breeches, pinafores or button boots. This is actually a note to myself to allow myself to illustrate my characters in more bohemian dress.
Is/are there artist/s working today that you admire? I love the work of Charlie Mackesy, the Art-Nouveau revival style of Charles Vess, and some fabulous Australian illustrators: Kathleen Jennings, Freya Blackwood and Rovina Cai that I want to be more like.
Can you tell us something about the pieces that you are going to exhibit at the Richard Randall Art Studio? They are original watercolours and digital prints from a few different picture books; there will be a mix of a garden-based fairytale, a girl and her pet cat, a deconstructed process of a girl painting the weather she wants to go out in, and a butterfly quest. I will also have lots of the draft and sketch work and perhaps a few novelty souvenirsof urban sketching.
Jennifer’s artwork will be on sale at the exhibition so be sure to come and visit.
