Visual Analysis of a Picture Book With Illustrations from The Way I Feel by Janan Cain And The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski, illustrated by P.J. Lynch

The Way I Feel by Janan Cain

In this illustration we see a frustrated young girl struggle with learning to tie her shoe. The size of the shoe has been exaggerated to create dominance. Angled lines in both her eyebrows and eyes emphasize her emotion. To offset the cool tones of the oil pastels used to create this image, Cain uses red both directly behind the subject and in the object of her frustration to draw the eye.

Curved, soft lines are dominant in most of this illustration, resulting in a whimsical, youthful effect. However, Cain does use pointed lines in both the subject’s clothing and behind her to suggest extreme emotion.

Cain uses a large, bold, angular font to reveal the subject’s emotion, then continues that “edginess” by making the following lines angle down the page somewhat erratically. This effect ties in well with the use of points mentioned in the previous slide. She also bold- faces the word “frustrated” for even greater emphasis.

The eye is drawn to the child’s face through use of a brighter chroma on the right side. This helps balance the focal point of the shoe with the emotion, evident in the expression, connected to tying it. The face and shoe are also similar in size, creating a balance between the two.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski

This is the story of Jonathan Toomey, a reclusive and unhappy widower who spends his days alone in his cabin carving beautiful sculptures from wood. When solicited by the widow Mrs. McDowell to carve a Nativity Scene to replace the one she’d lost, Jonathan begrudgingly accepts the job, but only on his terms. His grumpy resolve is quickly eroded by Thomas, the precocious and charming son of the widow. The boy wants to learn to carve,and convinces Toomey to let him watch his work. Thomas ultimately guides the carver to create a masterpiece. In this illustration, P.J. Lynch uses warm hues to create a feeling of coziness and security. Bringing the picture to the edge of the page gives it depth, making the reader feel a part of the scene. The child’s expression reflects confidence and happiness. Quite the contrast to the scowling Toomey and brow- furrowed widow. There’s also tension in Jonathan’s tightly clenched fists and Mrs. McDowell’s rigid back. These seem to go unnoticed by Thomas, who gazes admiringly at his hero.

Though his brow is furrowed and his mouth severely frowning, there is a sense of warmth and kindness in Toomey’s eyes. Crow’s feet around their corners suggest that, in another time, he laughed often and may again. Lynch lightens the chroma to draw attention to the eyes in this picture.

Behind Thomas and directly across from the widow sits a rocking chair. It belonged to Toomey’s wife, and he allows no one to sit in it. Light from the window behind it spills onto it, suggesting the the deceased Mrs. Toomey is present in spirit and may have had a hand in creating the situation. The chair resting directly behind the child’s head seems to connect the two images, suggesting a co-conspiracy between Mrs. Toomey and Thomas. Though Jonathan’s image is larger, the eye is drawn to Thomas in the middle of the page. There is a deliberate absence of detail around him to make him even more a focal point. It is clear that the boy is crucial to the story.

Lynch uses predominantly earth-tones in this image, which compliments Toomey’s profession as a wood carver. However, red knitting, a blue shawl, and the green pad on the chair offer a feminine touch which adds to the warmth of this picture. It also suggests that good things may be coming Jonathan’s way.