The graphic works created by this talented and original artist are present in many books published by Kharkiv and Kyiv publishing houses over the past decade. He was one of the first Ukrainian illustrators who started to use the powerful arsenal of up-to-date computers in book illustration. The illustrations he created are no inferior to the best samples of book graphics of his famous colleagues from abroad. The readers experience a range of feelings and emotions, when they see books with Arsen Dzhanikian’s pictures, such as Flying Fish and Flying Hat by Maryna and Serhii Diachenko, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl, The Golden Key, or The Adventures of Buratino by Aleksey Tolstoy, The Snuff-Box Town by Vladimir Odoevsky, Charlotte’s Web by Elwyn Brooks White, The Blue Arrow and The Adventures of the Little Onion by Gianni Rodari, Fairytales by Mykhailo Slaboshpytsky, etc. Today the artist wants to illustrate interactive books that are gradually becoming more popular over the world.
“A COMPUTER IS A GRAPHIC TOOL, LIKE A PENCIL OR A BRUSH”
“I create all compositions and sketches with a pencil on paper,” the artist admits, “I copy the selected version on the tablet. I don’t see any critical difference between working with a material and on a computer. For me a computer is a graphic instrument, like a pencil or a brush, etc. I have to scan the illustration created with a material. All this is followed by loss of color. But I have no such problems with a picture I created on a computer. The work with a computer opens more possibilities for creative work and experiments.”
With the help of a computer you have created illustrations for many books published by such publishing houses as A-BA-BA-HA-LA-MA-HA, Makhaon-Ukraina, Rozumna Dytyna, Geneza. What is critically important in the process of creating an illustration that is meant for young reader?
“In illustration it is important to create the environment, to let the child see the place of the event, to feel its participant. Illustrations for children should always be kind. And negative heroes should not evoke fear or disgust. I try to make every new book different from the previous one: a different principle of building the composition, the color gamma, the technique of execution. I create new fonts for every new book. It happens so that for two months I do the sketching exploration, then I have a breakthrough, and in a matter of several days make sketches of the composition for the entire book, including the cover, the title pages, and the flyleaves.”
FLYING HAT
Have you ever analyzed the changes that have taken place in book illustration over the past few decades? What important changes have taken place?
“There have been many changes. Censorship disappeared, many new authors who hadn’t published their books before emerged. The quality of printing has considerably improved, and this is a great advantage. The pressruns have changed. I am not speaking about the many-million pressruns of the 1980s. In 1991 the pressrun of 300,000 was considered small. Now 5,000 copies are a maximum. Books for adults are no more illustrated. Unfortunately, now this is simply a cover and a paper block.”
“HOPEFULLY, PAPER BOOKS WON’T DISAPPEAR, LIKE THEATERS DIDN’T DISAPPEAR AFTER TELEVISION EMERGED”
Today Ukrainian publishing houses publish less than one book per capita. In public transport you can often see passengers who read electronic readers instead of traditional paper books. In your opinion, is book illustration undergoing considerable transformation in the time of digital technologies?
FAIRY GARDEN
“Today interactive books are becoming more and more popular in the West. These are digitalized books, which the users of iPad may download directly to the device from the global online shop amazon.com at an average price of eight dollars. Incidentally, about 2.5 million digitalized books with different content are placed in this network resource. There are books for children, including, except for the graphic text, the interactive illustrations and corresponding sound support. For example, they promote the book Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carol with black-and-white illustrations by John Tenniel, this artistic resolution was published for the first time back in 1865. However, the illustrations in the new edition are in color, probably for better perception by the young readers. The book itself reads the fairytale, the objects and heroes on illustrations may be made movable by a single touch to the screen of the device. Besides, they create a corresponding sound. I don’t know how children perceive this book, but I was really impressed. But I hope that paper books won’t disappear, like theaters didn’t disappear after television emerged. I continue to buy albums with graphical works, though you can find any illustration and information on the web.”
Are Ukrainian publishing houses mastering the technology of producing interactive books?
“Very soon they will emerge here. I am so confident about this, because I receive numerous proposals to create illustrations for digital books or requests of permission to use the already created ones.”
