Art & Max

Max and Arthur are friends who share an interest in painting. Arthur is an accomplished painter; Max is a beginner. Max’s first attempt at using a paintbrush sends the two friends on a whirlwind trip through various artistic media, which turn out to have unexpected pitfalls. Although Max is inexperienced, he’s courageous and a quick learner. His energy and enthusiasm bring the adventure to its triumphant conclusion. Beginners everywhere will take heart.Amazon Best Books of the Month, October 2010: With eye-popping illustrations, three-time Caldecott medalist David Wiesner takes readers on a stunning journey through the art world. Art & Max is the story of two artists: Art, a collared lizard who is studiously painting a portrait when we first meet him, and Max, who has just picked up paints and brushes and is ready to go. What follows is a magical journey of explosive color–brilliantly highlighted by the desert background–where acrylic paints, watercolor, and line drawings, are deconstructed and re-invented, and Art undergoes a Jackson Pollack-like transformation. Combining minimal text with remarkable images, this is a book to be cherished and poured over, inspiring the artist in all of us.–Seira Wilson

Amazon Exclusive From Author David Wiesner: The Development of Art & Max
(Click on images to enlarge)

Introduction to the photos below:
These images show the development of the opening spread for my latest picture book, Art & Max. Given that a picture book is so brief, the opening pages must set the scene and introduce the characters in a concise and effective way. On the half title and title pages of Art & Max, I show Max racing across the landscape, from left to right. Now, on pages 4 and 5, he enters the scene as the story begins.

This drawing is from an early dummy, before I had fully designed the characters or fully worked out the story. Max was originally a chameleon, but I decided to make him a Collared Lizard instead. I have reversed the position of Arthur and Max to continue the left to right movement from the title page. I am exploring body stances to find an expressive interaction between the two characters. This isn’t it. Arthur is beginning to look better. Their physical relationship still doesn’t feel right. Here the characters are looking good, but I think Max still needs to burst onto the scene somehow. Now Max is off his feet, literally flying into the picture, and the landscape has also come together. The scene, painted, as it appears in the book. The story of Art & Max has begun.

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