EXTRACTS: Illustrators Issue 4 © 2013 The Book Palace (96 PAGES in Full edition)

47 I didgo toAmerica, well that’swhere I headed. I’d alsobecome aware of people like David Hockney who had that graphic sensibility–at last a voice about the here and now. Hockney was about the 20th Century. My work tended to be influenced by Victorian/Edwardian stuff mixed with Pop Art. But there was also so much else happening at the time which I was keen to explore, magazines like Twen which featured the work of illustrators such as Heinz Edelmann, who then went on to create the stylings for ‘Yellow Submarine’ animated feature. ‘Yellow Submarine’ was in production at the time and I could have also got involved with working on that, but I was just too busy to make the commitment. Many years later, a friend who had an Art Deco shop in Stuttgart with some of my work on the walls, told me that Heinz Edelmann often came into the shop, (he was professor at the local art college), and had recognized my work! I thought, “How amazing is that!” And this week they’ve been celebrating ‘Little Nemo’ on Google… PR: Oh, I watched that and thought, I wonder if Chris is enjoying this! CM: Jean Giraud (aka Moebius), created the stylings for the Japanese animated filmof ‘LittleNemo’ and alongwithNemo’s creatorWinsorMcCay, is another huge influence. I didn’t really know about ‘Little Nemo’ until ABOVE: ‘Les Portes’, a poster for Bruynzeel, Paris 1970s. At this stage in his career, the artist was creating much of his art, such as this image with flat washes of gouache on illustration board with ink lines added with technical pen, brushes, French curves and rulers. ABOVE LEFT: An early example of self-promotion, with the artist’s love of costume well to the fore. FACING PAGE: A poster by McEwan for Alpha International Mobilier, created when the artist was based in Paris, reflecting a truly eclectic mix of ideas and influences, but with the distinctive McEwan imprimatur giving it that extra lift.