There is something very pictorial about Terry Pratchett’s books, but in a way that isn’t prescriptive. His Discworld novels are strongly linked with the art work of Josh Kirby (left). These are the covers that I knew, from the earlier books, although Paul Kidby began work on the Discworld in the mid 90s as well, with a very different style of art.
Josh Kirby is quite chaotic, otherworldly, there’s a definite fantasy overtone to it all. I wonder if those covered flavoured my approach to the books – I suppose on some level they must have done.
Compare and contrast with the covers of much later books like Wee Free Men, and I shall wear Midnight, both by Paul Kidby. It’s much calmer, there’s more space to fill in your own imaginings, and they’re closer to our reality.
Covers not enough for you, and you’d like the whole thing illustrated? This can be achieved as well.
Although I think I prefer to be able to imagine the characters myself.
I had planned, when I said that I would do this post for the blog tour, that I would draw a Pratchett character myself.
But I’ve come over all shy – I feel far too amateurish to take the stage amongst such incredible artists. So many people have been inspired to draw by Pratchett’s words, and I almost feel a fraud in talking about them all.
(Hence the reason for the lateness of this post. I have tried and tried to overcome this feeling and draw something, and write in an educated manner, and sound like I know what I’m talking about, and I don’t.)
The truth is, until this year, art work was just the thing on the outside of the book, between me and the words. It’s only very recently that pictures have started to count for me, and I’ve yet to work out how to associate them with the words I hear.
I see pictures. I hear words. The two are separate processes – I don’t think they have to be, but I’m going to have to learn how to integrate them.
So when I see something like
I am overcome, and I don’t feel I can show off my poor flat Tiffany.
Edit. I can try.
But Pratchett does inspire many of us visually, and though the man has gone, his works have not. So I suspect there will be more and more visual interpretations of the Discworld and his other creations over the years. And that, I think, is good.
The Farewell Terry Pratchett Blog Tour 2015
9th April – Introduction at Serendipity Reviews
10th April – How Thief Of Time Changed My Life at Hapfairy
11th April – I Shall Wear Midnight at Serendipity Reviews
12th April – Guards! Guards! at Dark Readers
13th April – Reaper Man at Pewter Wolf
14th April – The Colour of Magic at So Many Books, So Little Time
15th April – Top Ten Discworld Characters at YA Yeah Yeah
16th April – The Wee Free Men at Della Says
17th April – Good Omens at Sister Spooky
18th April – Pyramids at Empire of Books
19th April – Cover Love (vlog) at Dark Readers
20th April – Equal Rites at Readaraptor
21st April – Nation at Tales of Yesterday
22nd April – Raising Steam at Thoughts from the Hearthfire
23rd April – Pratchett Adaptations at An Armchair by the Sea
24th April – Music With Rocks In at Child-Led Chaos
25th April – Kirstyes
26th April – Fluttering Butterflies
27th April – Sable Caught
28th April – Memories of Mort
29th April – Tamsyn Murray
30th April – Green Mum
1st May – Teen Librarian
2nd May – Bookish Treasures
3rd May – Pratchett inspired pictures (you are here)
4th May – The Fleeting Dream
5th May – Feeling Fictional
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