(Mostly) Children Illustrations by Marianna Oklejak

Working on a little illustration exhibition a while ago, we got stunned by the amazing-ness of a Warsaw-based illustrator, Marianna Oklejak. She presented a slightly surreal, bold and rhythmic story called Bum! Bum!! Bum!!!, which we subsequently got and pored over with delight.

Here two illustration from that book.

What enchants us about her work is the apparent child-like lightness and energy but mediated through a grown-up’s skill and sense of humor. It reminds us of days when drawing was so much joy, a very serious occupation and an end of its own – all at once. At the same time, we’re painfully aware that we never drew this well as children.

We particularly like the details: how you can discover something new and exciting every time you return to the picture. We loved this quality in illustrations as children and we still do.

An illustration to a classic poem by Julian Tuwim “Lokomotywa” (“Train Engine”), where things in each carriage are enumerated.

One of my personal favorites, the historical scene.

You can lose yourself in the details of the city.

If you missed it at the beginning, don’t forget to see Ms. Oklejak’s site for more goodness.

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