Jack and the giant Cormoran. 1921

Margaret Evans Price made this illustration, Jack and the giant Cormoran, with ink and watercolor. There’s a real softness to the line work that suggests it was a playful, almost intuitive process. The material quality of the artwork is lovely; the transparent washes of color create a sense of depth, especially in the giant’s flesh, while the dry brushwork suggests texture in the giant's fur tunic and the surrounding foliage. The piece has an airy, fairytale quality, but the giant also looks kinda goofy. Notice the way the ink lines are so delicate, particularly around the giant’s toes. It gives him this almost childlike quality which is so at odds with the threat of violence that he implies, holding that enormous club. Price's illustrations remind me of the early work of Arthur Rackham. Like Rackham, she embraces ambiguity, allowing the fantastical to blend with the everyday, inviting us to question our perceptions of reality and the stories we tell ourselves.