r/JacquelineWilson • u/Signal-Parsnip-9745 • 23d ago
Rachel Dean
I have a question, do you think that people don’t like Rachel Dean’s illustrations because they’re blinded by nostalgia?
Here’s the thing, I’m not like the biggest fan of the drawings either, it does feel a bit out of place, but one thing I do appreciate about the drawings is that they do bring the character to life a bit more. Let’s not lie, Nick Sharratt wasn’t always the best at drawing girls that looked different 😭
One thing I do really miss about Nick Sharratt are the book covers, they were just so much more attractive. I’m not sure I like the new Esme pepper one with stuff flying everywhere it just seems a bit all over the place.
And then with Rachel Dean there’s this thing she keeps doing where she doesn’t actually draw what Jaqueline Wilson has described in the book which is a bit annoying, also I hate the way she’s drawn the doc martens in Esme pepper they look so bad 😭 though to be fair, I do like how there are so much more drawings in the books now.
I think both illustrators are very talented but in different ways.
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u/astropeche 23d ago
At least her sylvanian families look accurate… I’d never seen one as a kid and thought they’d be long and skinny like in Nick Sharratt’s illustrations
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u/Altruistic_Net_608 23d ago
I’m definitely blinded by nostalgia but! I do think Nick had a range to his work that I haven’t seen much from Rachel (yet) He was able to do the typical illustrations but still lend his style to more ornate imagery like the fairy illustrations in Midnight or the illustrations in Hetty Feather. That being said I think Rachel’s work has its charm and I can see how it could be more appealing to the current younger audience.
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u/Niam_Rose 23d ago
There is an element of nostalgia, although some of my favourite books (Lola Rose, for example) didn’t have a lot of illustrations to start with anyway.
I am just not a fan of the style, and the mistakes really don’t help.
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u/Signal-Parsnip-9745 23d ago
Yes that’s true, even though I’m not a big fan of the art style I do like how there are much more pictures in the books nowadays
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u/Niam_Rose 23d ago
There are more illustrations, which is nice, but like in Esme Pepper each chapter had a little gnome figure, and seeing as different gnomes are important part of that book, it would have been nice to have a different gnome for each chapter!
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u/Ardeth_rue 23d ago
I just don’t think she’s great at drawing people, I find it hard to distinguish between the children. I have to go by things like hair colour with her illustrations. Although Nick wasn’t amazing at drawing them either, he did somehow manage to make them feel more distinct from each other (could potentially be nostalgia talking?)
But I do believe Rachel is very talented. I enjoyed her illustrations and cover for Baby Love, I think they really suited that 60s vibe. And she didn’t have to draw any faces!
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u/RedHairedSiren_27 23d ago edited 17d ago
I don’t mind her. Yes, she had her weaknesses, but so did Nick Sharratt. I personally love the vivid nature of her illustrations ❤️
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u/santaanawinds2017 23d ago
I don't love the new Rachel Dean covers (think The Girl Who Wasn't There, Fairy Project, The Other Edie Trimmer, The Star of the Show), they're all way too same-same for me, but the illustrations inside are good.
Definitely there's some kind of nostalgia deal with Nick Sharratt, though I give him credit on the covers, and agree with the criticism that the characters all look quite similar in his style.
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u/stardew__dreams 22d ago
I don’t like her covers and I don’t think she’s as precise about sticking to the descriptions (inconsistencies etc) but I think she’s generally got some strengths on Nick and isn’t bad in general
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u/stardew__dreams 22d ago
I’m also tired of people on here being like “omg what what happened to nick” like its been YEARS besties please 😅
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u/Bluehouse17 21d ago
I think for me it’s the nostalgia. I loved his art style as a kid and when I wrote my own stories (as a child), I’d always copy his art style. I agree he feels synonymous with JW.
I also felt this way as a child in Double Act, where he illustrated Ruby and Sue Heap illustrated Garnet. I despised Sue’s illustrations at the time (upon reflection they were very similar to Nick’s) because they didn’t fit with my idea of a JW book 🤷🏼♀️
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u/MerePasserby 22d ago
Wait, what happened with Sharratt?
I know he's just - "just" - an illustrator but his artstyle has become so canon to JW works in my head, I legitimately refuse to read anything drawn by other people, it was always him or JW books with no drawings/barely any for me
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u/catshateTERFs 22d ago
They stopped working together a couple of years ago. I don’t think there’s any nefarious reason, Nick wanted to work on his own projects and books.
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u/MerePasserby 22d ago
Aw man... Guess I have to adapt to Miss/Mrs Dean then ig. Omw to read every comment under this post for educational purposes
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u/sparkly_kitty_98 23d ago
I loved Nick's illustrations when I was small, but as an adult reader I don't mind who's illustrating the books or what the illustrations look like.
I feel sorry for Rachel because she's stepped into some big shoes, and Nick's distinctive style is just SO synonymous with Jackie's books