Alex Fortune
Designer | Artist | Educator
Silent Book Contest, 2023
A 'Silent Book' refers to a book conceived exclusively for the telling of a story through illustrated images, on any subject and intended for a wide and diverse section of the reading public, regardless of genre or age. These books often appeal to an artist's sensitivities, and allow them to create something meaningful, without use of the written or spoken word.
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During my Final Year in NCAD, we were tasked with writing, editing and illustrating our own Silent Book for entry into this competition - a task that is daunting, but fulfilling for any illustrator.
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Below you can find the rationale for, and a selection of spreads from my Silent Book, 'Love Letters', produced over a span of 6 weeks in my studio in NCAD.
Love Letters
'Two college students from Dublin fall in love, but when one of them gets an opportunity to move away, they must find a way to keep the love alive'
With this project, I wanted to retell a real-life story that happened to my parents. As we had a 14 spread limit, I felt choosing a true story would allow me to select the key moments and illustrate them, without it getting confusing.
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Children's Illustration has always been a field I am interested in, so I wanted to use this project to explore that side of my work further.
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When Illustrating, I found that digital illustration can often feel a bit cold, so I wanted to subvert this by using plenty of texture and shadow to give my book a handmade feel. I also developed two colour palettes - one for each part of the world the story is set in. I used a couple of the same shades in both palettes so the jump wouldn’t be too jarring.
The full book, and preliminary drafts can be found below.
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"Creating is about sharing ideas, sharing aesthetics, sharing what you believe in with other people.
- Shepard Fairey
