Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Figures, Boxes and Case Studies
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword
- 1 In the Frame: What is Visual Literacy and Why Does it 1 Matter?
- 2 The Big Picture: Terminology for Talking About and Critiquing Illustration
- 3 The Reading Journey: the Developmental Stages of Reading
- 4 Close Inspection: Influences and Insights Into People and Processes that Shape Visual Narratives
- 5 Windows into Worlds: the Importance of Visual Representation and Inclusion
- 6 Prize-winning Pictures: an Exploration of Awards and Honours
- 7 Looking to Learn: an Insight into Visual Literacy for Information
- 8 A Room with a View: Making the Most of Visual Literacy in Libraries and in Creating Reading Environments
- Conclusion
- Afterword
- Glossary
- References
- Index
7 - Looking to Learn: an Insight into Visual Literacy for Information
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 August 2020
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Figures, Boxes and Case Studies
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword
- 1 In the Frame: What is Visual Literacy and Why Does it 1 Matter?
- 2 The Big Picture: Terminology for Talking About and Critiquing Illustration
- 3 The Reading Journey: the Developmental Stages of Reading
- 4 Close Inspection: Influences and Insights Into People and Processes that Shape Visual Narratives
- 5 Windows into Worlds: the Importance of Visual Representation and Inclusion
- 6 Prize-winning Pictures: an Exploration of Awards and Honours
- 7 Looking to Learn: an Insight into Visual Literacy for Information
- 8 A Room with a View: Making the Most of Visual Literacy in Libraries and in Creating Reading Environments
- Conclusion
- Afterword
- Glossary
- References
- Index
Summary
There is an increasing tendency for information to be conveyed through visual means. This is far from a new phenomenon, charts and graphs have long drawn relations between sets of statistical data; the cartographers of old created maps which conveyed the geography and topography of our landscape; and mathematicians and logisticians have used flow-charts to help to visually demonstrate sophisticated algorithms. Drawing upon this history, visuals have an increasingly important role to play in communicating information to young people and there is a growing market for high quality illustrated information books for children.
Stephen Biesty (2019), illustrator and author of the bestselling Incredible Cross-Sections books discusses the development of his unique style of illustrated information books:
I went to study illustration at Brighton College of Art in 1980 where I made large freehand perspective drawings of buildings. During my second year, I discovered the historical reconstruction drawings of the artists Alan Sorrell and David Macaulay. This was an important turning point for me and I began experimenting with my first cutaways and cross-section drawings to show how castle defences worked.
I started working as a freelance illustrator in 1985. Initially I thought I might work somewhere like the National Trust or English Heritage creating explanatory drawings of historic buildings, but I found this area too dry and limiting. There were many better opportunities for me in adult and children's publishing where I had some freedom of expression to try and bring subjects to life.
At this early stage, I often struggled as a commercial artist because I seemed to lean naturally towards wanting to put far too much detail into my work and as a result taking far too long. However, in 1989 I had a stroke of good fortune, the detailed illustrations I had been making for Mitchell Beazley and Octopus Books attracted the attention of Dorling Kindersley. I created a test piece for them of a cross-sectioned Ocean Liner which was a gatefold spread nearly 1m wide. Peter Kindersley told me ‘Take as long as you like.’
So I now had an opportunity to develop a highly detailed labour-intensive style of illustration that included lots of people and extra content. I found I could create an overwhelmingly detailed effect by simply going over my finished pencil drawing with a waterproof rOtring pen ink line.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Seeing SenseVisual Literacy as a Tool for Libraries, Learning and Reader Development, pp. 129 - 140Publisher: FacetPrint publication year: 2020