The Art Styles Of Mo Willems And Duncan Tonatiuh

Although at first glance, the art styles of Mo Willems and Duncan Tonatiuh seem completely different from one another, they actually have a few similarities. Both Willems and Tonatiuh draw their characters into flat spaces. They rarely use perspective to add depth to their drawings. Another similarity is the use of black outlines. Both illustrators outline almost every part of their illustrations with a black stroke. Along with similarities, there are notable differences between the two art styles. A prominent difference is motion within the artwork. Willems uses lines to indicate and enhance a character’s movement. Thus, he makes his drawings more dynamic. However, Tonatiuh does not add any strokes or elements to his character’s movements, making them more static. Another difference is the use of typography. Willems integrates the text of the story into his illustrations. When a character shouts, Willem utilizes onomatopoeia to translate the scream into readable text and uses a big, bold font to emphasize the intensity of the scream. On the other hand, Tonatiuh follows the standard and maintains the text separate

Both are Hispanic artists that focus on illustrating Hispanic stories and experiences. They both draw their characters in a very stylized manner and outlined them in black strokes. Although they are quite similar, they do have their differences. Diaz blends colors to create gradients to fill in his drawings while Tonatiuh collages images. Compared to Tonatiuh, Diaz has more flexibility in his style. He is able to change from one style to another to match better with a book’s narrative. However, Tonatiuh consistently draws in one style with barely any variations. Overall, Diaz has a diverse portfolio for young readers to enjoy. Although he has various styles, he is consistent with his bright and saturated color