An Interview With Paul Kidby.

[Tonyblack]

I saw this on another site and thought I'd share it with you.

An Interview with Paul Kidby Discworld Illustrator.

 

[raisindot]

Interesting.

The Thud! cover is outstanding. It truly captures the essence of the narrative.

The Unseen Academicals cover...well, maybe this is subjective, but it looks incredibly trite to me. Something a fourth-tier fanboy would do. I understand the concept behind it, the whole team photo thing that must have seemed awfully funny to the marketing team, but the finished result just seems so lifeless and....boring.

J-I-B

 

[Dotsie]

I have to disagree with you there, what says football better than a team photo? And presumably Terry thought it was funny as well, since he has final approval.

Thanks for putting up the link Tony, very interesting

 

[Jan Van Quirm]

Dotsie's right - the UU cover's impact is subtle and as it's evolved (with the aging treatment) artistically, it's a sophisticated statement about the story and it's translation to Discworld. To put a US slant to it, it's like an original amateur photograph of Babe Ruth taken making some crucial home run, from the perfect angle then slapped in someone's photo album and left in a garden shed for several years then discovered years later and put to auction for top dollar.

Paul's original artwork was too pristine and didn't work for that reason - the design team's aging of the 'paper' and making it look like an ancient sepiaed iconograph is the key element and that's what makes it brilliant.

The Thud cover is definitely the better of the two skill-wise but the symbology and 'rightness' of the UU one is the more cerebrally successful

 

[poohcarrot]

What I don't understand about the UA cover, is why Vetinari is dressed as a US referee, not an English ref, when the US had a totally different cover (which was pants!)?

 

[Tonyblack]

And why is Trevor wearing a wizard's hat?

 

[Dotsie]

And why are there cheerleaders - another American convention?

 

[Jan Van Quirm]

Because it's Ankh-Morpork not Manchester - it has to be cheesy!

 

[Dotsie]

Hey, Manchester is as cheesy as the next town, thank you!

I don't really mind the inconsistencies, it's not meant to be an accurate portrayal of the story anyway. I mean, a lot of the covers are like that.

 

[Penfold]

And why are there cheerleaders - another American convention?

Sorry to disappoint you Dotsie but West Ham United have had Cheerleaders for many years now. They're called the Hammerettes and are, surprisingly, quite entertaining. I say nothing about the team tho.

 

[Tonyblack]

Don't they use Immac in that part of London?

 

[Penfold]

They don't wear many clothes and, well, it does get cold in the East End.

 

[Dotsie]

Cheerleaders, not tarts