Ben's Trumpet Illustration Analysis

2. BASIC INFORMATION
•TITLE: BEN'S TRUMPET
•AUTHOR: RACHEL ISADORA
•PUBLISHER: MORROW

3. STYLE AND MEDIA
THE AUTHOR USES AN ART DECO STYLE THAT WAS POPULAR IN THE
1920'S, WHICH IS WHEN THIS STORY TAKES PLACE. ALL OF THE IMAGES
ARE IN BLACK AND WHITE AND SEEM TO BE MADE WITH INK OR
WATERCOLOR. THE IMAGES SEEM TO BE FLAT ON THE PAGE WHICH IS AN
ASPECT OF ART DECO. ANOTHER STYLE THAT FITS WELL INTO THESE
ILLUSTRATIONS IS IMPRESSIONISM. THE CHARACTERS IN THE STORY
HAVE A RATHER SIMPLE LIFESTYLE , BUT ARE DETAIL WITH UNIQUE
CHARACTERISTIC THAT MAKE THEM COME ALIVE. THE ILLUSTRATIONS
SHOW THIS WELL. WHILE THE BOOK HAS ONLY TWO COLORS, THE
IMAGES ARE DETAILED, WHIMSICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND INTERESTING.

4. LINE
o THE LINE THROUGHOUT THIS STORY IS VERY
PROMINENT. THERE ARE CURVY LINES ALONG
WITH VERY STRAIGHT LINES. MOST OF THE LINES
SEEM TO BE AT A DIAGONAL. THIS MIGHT
SUGGEST THAT THERE IS MOVEMENT WITH THE
STORY. THERE IS MOVEMENT WITH THE
CHARACTER (BEN) AND HOW HE GROWS. THERE
IS ALSO MOVEMENT WITH THE JAZZ MUSIC. JAZZ
MUSIC FLOWS AND CAN ALSO BE EDGY AND
FUN. THE SCENES WITH BEN IN THEM SHOW
MORE OF A CLEAR IMAGE, ONE WITH A
PURPOSE. THE SCENES THAT SHOW THE JAZZ
PLAYERS ARE MORE ABSTRACT AND ARTSY. THE
PIECE TO THE RIGHT IS ONE OF BEN IN THE
BEGINNING OF THE STORY. HE IS “PLAYING” HIS
TRUMPET WITH THE CRAZY WORLD GOING ON
AROUND HIM.

5. SHAPE
o THE SHAPES IN THIS STORY ARE SIMPLE. THEY SEEM FLAT ON THE PAGE AND HAVE NO DIMENSION TO
THEM. THIS IS NOT A NEGATIVE ASPECT BUT A POSITIVE ONE FOR THIS PARTICULAR STORY. IT FITS THE
STORY AND IT’S SIMPLE ASPECTS. THE SHAPES ARE COOL, FUN, AND JAZZY.
THE SHAPES OF THIS STORY ARE
REALLY WHAT CONVEYS THE JAZZ
ATMOSPHERE. THERE ARE NO RULES
WITH JAZZ SO THE ILLUSTRATIONS
SHOULD REPRESENT THAT, AND THEY
DO! IF I COULD PUT JAZZ ON A PAGE
TO REPRESENT IT, I WOULD DO WHAT
THE ILLUSTRATIONS IN BEN’S
TRUMPET HAS.

6. COLOR
THIS BOOK IS MADE UP OF ONLY
TWO COLORS: BLACK AND
WHITE. THIS MEANS THAT IS IT
ACHROMATIC. MOST OF THE
TIME, CHILDREN'S BOOKS ARE
FULL OF BRIGHT COLORS. THAT
IS NOT THE CASE FOR BEN’S
TRUMPET, BUT IT WORKS! THE
LACK OF COLOR HELPS THE
READER FOCUS ON THE
CHARACTER AND MUSIC OF THE
STORY. IT IS NOT A
DISTRACTION. I WOULD HAVE
JAZZ MUSIC SOFTLY PLAYING IN
THE BACKGROUND TO “ADD” TO
THE COLOR OF THE BOOK.

7. TEXTURE
THE TEXTURE OF THIS BOOK IS AN
UNIQUE ONE. THE LINES PUSHED AND
STUCK TOGETHOR MAKE THE TEXTURE.
THEY PROVIDE A TYPE OF RUSTIC OR
ORGANIC FEELING. THE LINES AND
TEXTURE ARE ALL TWO-DIMENSIONAL.
IN THE IMAGE TO THE RIGHT, THIS
SCENE SHOWS BEN WHEN HE IS UPSET
AND SAD. THE TEXTUR OF THE BLACK
BACKGROUND SEEMS TO ALMOST HAVE
BEEN BRUSHED BY SAND PAPER. THE
LINES GOING DOWN MAKE A FEELING A
DEPRESSION.

8. The lines and the people are
always even. The people
balance out the lines, and the
lines balance out the people.
The background really adds
to the meaning in this image.
You can see the images of the
jazz players and the longing
in Ben’s posture. The white
space in this image suggest a
new hope, or finding of
interest. The composition
suggest a laid back kind of
atmosphere. All of the
images are relaxed and at
ease.
Composition

9. Here is a link to an online reading on the book Ben’s Trumpet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hea0leH40j4
Thank You