Friday 28 February 2014

The White Rabbit's House


The White Rabbit's House, an illustration by JVL in 
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Editions, 2009.

Thursday 27 February 2014

The Dodo presents Alice with her own thimble

The Dodo presents Alice with her own thimble, an illustration by JVL in 
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Editions, 2009.

The text:

However, when they had been running half an hour or so, and were
quite dry again, the Dodo suddenly called out 'The race is over!' and
they all crowded round it, panting, and asking, 'But who has won?'

This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of
thought, and it sat for a long time with one finger pressed upon its
forehead (the position in which you usually see Shakespeare, in the
pictures of him), while the rest waited in silence. At last the Dodo
said, 'EVERYBODY has won, and all must have prizes.'

'But who is to give the prizes?' quite a chorus of voices asked.

'Why, SHE, of course,' said the Dodo, pointing to Alice with one
finger; and the whole party at once crowded round her, calling out
 in a confused way, 'Prizes! Prizes!'

Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair she put her hand in her
pocket, and pulled out a box of comfits, (luckily the salt water had
not got into it), and handed them round as prizes. There was exactly
one a-piece all round.

'But she must have a prize herself, you know,' said the Mouse.

'Of course,' the Dodo replied very gravely. 'What else have you got
in your pocket?' he went on, turning to Alice.

'Only a thimble,' said Alice sadly.

'Hand it over here,' said the Dodo.

Then they all crowded round her once more, while the Dodo
solemnly presented the thimble, saying 'We beg your acceptance of
this elegant thimble'; and, when it had finished this short speech,
they all cheered.

Alice thought the whole thing very absurd, but they all looked so
grave that she did not dare to laugh; and, as she could not think of
anything to say, she simply bowed, and took the thimble, looking as
solemn as she could.
5

Wednesday 26 February 2014

The mouse giving a dry speech

The mouse giving a dry speech, an illustration by John Vernon Lord in Lewis Carroll's 
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Editions, 2009.

The text:

At last the Mouse, who seemed to be a person of authority among
them, called out, 'Sit down, all of you, and listen to me! I'LL soon
make you dry enough!' They all sat down at once, in a large ring,
with the Mouse in the middle. Alice kept her eyes anxiously fixed
on it, for she felt sure she would catch a bad cold if she did not get
dry very soon.

 'Ahem!' said the Mouse with an important air, 'are you all ready?
This is the driest thing I know. Silence all round, if you please!
 "William the Conqueror, whose cause was favoured by the pope,
was soon submitted to by the English, who wanted leaders, and had
been of late much accustomed to usurpation and conquest. Edwin
and Morcar, the earls of Mercia and Northumbria -- "'

Tuesday 25 February 2014

The mouse swimming in Alice's 'Pool of Tears'

The mouse swimming in Alice's 'Pool of Tears', an illustration by JVL in 
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Editions, 2009.

Monday 24 February 2014

A double page spread of Finnegans Wake

A double page spread of James Joyce's Finnegans Wake showing an illustration by John Vernon Lord of 'The Ondt and the Gracehoper', published by The Folio Society, 2014.

Sunday 23 February 2014

Finnegans Wake binding cover design

Binding cover design by JVL for James Joyce's Finnegans Wake, The Folio Society, 2014.

Here is a link to the Folio Society’s Blog about my notebooks and illustrations for 
Finnegans Wake.





Friday 21 February 2014

Initial letters

Initial letters, designed by John Vernon Lord for Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Editiions, 2009

Thursday 20 February 2014

Daisies on a bank

Daisies on a bank, a frontispiece illustration by John Vernon Lord in 
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Editions, 2009.

This illustration acts as a frontispiece in my version of Lewis Carroll's story. I took a photograph in our garden to represent a kind of 'reality' before Alice succumbs to sleep and to dream upon a bank full of daisies. 

The text:

CHAPTER I
Down the Rabbit-Hole

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the
bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped
into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or
conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice
'without pictures or conversation?'

 So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for
the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the
pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of
getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit
with pink eyes ran close by her.

Wednesday 19 February 2014

The caterpillar from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

The caterpillar from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, 
an illustration by John Vernon Lord in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Editions, 2009

Tuesday 18 February 2014

Monday 17 February 2014

The Table of Twynberllan

The Table of Twynberllan, a notebook drawing by JVL, 24/25 December 2009.

Sunday 16 February 2014

'Love it, use it, or chuck it'/Tracebridge Condiments


'Love it, use it, or chuck it'/Tracebridge Condiments, notebook drawings by JVL, 13 August 2012

Saturday 15 February 2014

'Yawn's Inquest' (notes for Finnegans Wake)

'Yawn's Inquest' notes and a rough drawing from JVL's Finnegans Wake notebook, March 2013.

These are rough notes in preparation for illustrating this section of Finnegans Wake, which has just published with JVL's illustrations by The Folio Society in 2014.

Friday 14 February 2014

Finnegans Wake notebook (Cad with a pipe)



A spread from JVL's notebook devoted to James Joyce's Finnegans Wake, 2012. 
This spread includes some of the notes for the episode of the Cad with a pipe.

Yesterday the Folio Society had its launch of its Spring books at the British Library.
Among the books is a new edition of James Joyce's Finnegans Wake edited by Danis Rose and John O'Hanlon with my illustrations in it. If anyone is interested in having a look at the Folio Society’s blog about my illustrations and notebooks - here is the link

Wednesday 12 February 2014

Birds and a mouse swimming

Birds and a mouse swimming, an illustration by John Vernon Lord in Lewis Carroll's 
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Artists' Choice Editions, 2009.

The Text:

It was high time to go, for the pool was getting quite crowded with
the birds and animals that had fallen into it: there were a Duck and
a Dodo, a Lory and an Eaglet, and several other curious creatures.