Illustration for Mikhail Stelmakh's book 'In the Hedgehog's Windmill' 1956

This illustration was made for Mikhail Stelmakh's book 'In the Hedgehog's Windmill' by Hryhorii Havrylenko. It's all about the energy of the line, isn't it? The artist is making marks, like a cartoonist, who is sketching out ideas in real time. Look at how the lines scratch and feather, especially in the figures of the animals; the rabbit wearing a patterned skirt, or the woodpecker figure with its outstretched arm and stern expression. The texture feels almost furry, which gives the whole scene a sort of tender, intimate quality. See the smaller rabbits at the bottom. It reminds me a little of Beatrix Potter in its depiction of animal characters enacting human dramas. It's interesting to see illustration as a process, a way of thinking through images that embraces openness and doesn’t get bogged down in the need to depict things too literally. Like the poem it accompanies, it shows the joy of making as a process.