Shaun Tan
Encyclopedia
Shaun Tan is the illustrator and author of award-winning children's books such as The Red Tree, The Lost Thing
and The Arrival. He won an Award at the 83rd Academy Awards for Short Animated Film for The Lost Thing, which was adapted from the book of the same title.
Tan was born in Fremantle
, Western Australia
in 1974 and, after freelancing for some years from a studio at Mount Lawley
, relocated to Melbourne, Victoria in 2007. In 2006, his wordless graphic novel
The Arrival won the "Book of the Year" prize as part of the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
. The same book won the Children's Book Council of Australia "Picture Book of the Year" award in 2007. and the Western Australian Premier's Book Awards
Premier's Prize in 2006.
Tan was the University of Melbourne
's Department of Language Literacy and Arts Education Illustrator In Residence for two weeks through an annual Fellowship offered by the May Gibbs
Children’s Literature Trust.
In 2010, Shaun Tan was the Artist Guest of Honour at the 68th World Science Fiction Convention
held in Melbourne, Australia.
television series as well as books that bore similar themes. Tan cites Ray Bradbury
as a favorite at this time. These stories led to Tan writing his own short stories. Of his effort at writing as a youth, Tan tells, "I have a small pile of rejection letters as testament to this ambition!"
Eventually he gained success with his illustrations. At the age of sixteen, Tan's first illustration appeared in the Australian magazine Aurealis
in 1990.
Illustration was something Tan enjoyed. The decision to choose it as a career simply allowed him to make a living from drawing and painting. Drawing was something he had never stopped doing, claiming "...it was one thing I could do better than anyone else when I was in school."
Tan attended Balcatta Senior High School in the northern suburbs of Perth where he was enrolled in a special art program for gifted and talented students. "The main advantage," cites Tan, "was that students came to be taught by a wide range of practising artists, not just art teachers." He completed the program in 1991 and he "credits the...Program [for] providing him the fundamental skills of art making."
Tan continued his education at the University of Western Australia
where he studied Fine Arts, English Literature and History. While this was of interest to him, there was little studio practice involved. In 1995, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.
Originally, Tan worked in black and white because the final reproductions would be printed that way and this preference extended to The Stray Cat. Some black and white mediums he used included pens, inks, acrylics, charcoal, scraperboard, photocopies and linocuts.
Tan's current colour works still begin as monochromatic. He uses a graphite pencil to make sketches on ordinary copy paper. The sketches are then reproduced numerous times with different versions varying with parts added or removed. Sometimes scissors are used for this purpose. The cut and paste collage
idea in these early stages often extend to the finished production with many of his illustrations using such materials as "glass, metal, cuttings from other books and dead insects."
Tan describes himself as a slow worker who revises his work many times along the way. He is interested in loss and alienation, and believes that children in particular react well to issues of natural justice. He feels he is "like a translator" of ideas, and is happy and flattered to see his work adapted and interpreted in film and music (such as by the Australian Chamber Orchestra
).
and open to all Perth school children between 5 and 17 years. The award is aimed at encouraging creativity in two-dimensional works. It is held annually with award winners announced in May and finalists' works exhibited at the Subiaco Library (crn Rokeby and Bagot Road, Subiaco) throughout June.
The Lost Thing
-Plot:Set in the near future, in dystopian Melbourne, Australia, The Lost Thing is a story about a boy who enjoys collecting bottle tops for his bottle top collection. One day, while collecting bottle caps near a beach, he discovers a strange creature, that seems to be a combination of an...
and The Arrival. He won an Award at the 83rd Academy Awards for Short Animated Film for The Lost Thing, which was adapted from the book of the same title.
Tan was born in Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
in 1974 and, after freelancing for some years from a studio at Mount Lawley
Mount Lawley, Western Australia
Mount Lawley is an inner suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Most of the suburb lies within the Local Government Area of the City of Stirling and small portions are in the City of Vincent and City of Bayswater...
, relocated to Melbourne, Victoria in 2007. In 2006, his wordless graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
The Arrival won the "Book of the Year" prize as part of the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards were established in 1979 by the New South Wales Premier Neville Wran. Commenting on its purpose, Wran said: "We want the arts to take, and be seen to take, their proper place in our social priorities...
. The same book won the Children's Book Council of Australia "Picture Book of the Year" award in 2007. and the Western Australian Premier's Book Awards
Western Australian Premier's Book Awards
The Western Australian Premier's Book Awards is an award for books, scripts, digital narrative and a People's Choice. Awards are provided by the Government of Western Australia, and the awards process is managed by the State Library of Western Australia...
Premier's Prize in 2006.
Tan was the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
's Department of Language Literacy and Arts Education Illustrator In Residence for two weeks through an annual Fellowship offered by the May Gibbs
May Gibbs
Cecilia May Gibbs MBE was an Australian children's author, illustrator, and cartoonist. She is best-known for her gumnut babies , and the book Snugglepot and Cuddlepie....
Children’s Literature Trust.
In 2010, Shaun Tan was the Artist Guest of Honour at the 68th World Science Fiction Convention
68th World Science Fiction Convention
The 68th World Science Fiction Convention , Aussiecon Four, was held 2-6 September 2010, in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, the location selected by the members of Denvention 3....
held in Melbourne, Australia.
Early life
As a boy, Tan spent time illustrating poems and stories and drawing dinosaurs, robots and spaceships. At school he was known as a talented artist. At the age of eleven, he became a fan of The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
television series as well as books that bore similar themes. Tan cites Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
as a favorite at this time. These stories led to Tan writing his own short stories. Of his effort at writing as a youth, Tan tells, "I have a small pile of rejection letters as testament to this ambition!"
Eventually he gained success with his illustrations. At the age of sixteen, Tan's first illustration appeared in the Australian magazine Aurealis
Aurealis
Aurealis is a Australian speculative fiction magazine published by Chimaera Publications. The magazine was launched in September 1990 to provide a market for speculative fiction writers, with a particular emphasis on raising the profile of Australian authors.In 1995 the magazine instituted the...
in 1990.
Transition to illustration
Tan almost studied to become a genetic scientist, and enjoyed chemistry, physics, history and English when in high school as well as art and claimed that he did not really know what he wanted to do, even at university. University studies were taking him along an academic route until he "decided to stop studying and try working as an artist."Illustration was something Tan enjoyed. The decision to choose it as a career simply allowed him to make a living from drawing and painting. Drawing was something he had never stopped doing, claiming "...it was one thing I could do better than anyone else when I was in school."
Training
Tan claims that he had little formal training in the field of book illustration.Tan attended Balcatta Senior High School in the northern suburbs of Perth where he was enrolled in a special art program for gifted and talented students. "The main advantage," cites Tan, "was that students came to be taught by a wide range of practising artists, not just art teachers." He completed the program in 1991 and he "credits the...Program [for] providing him the fundamental skills of art making."
Tan continued his education at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
where he studied Fine Arts, English Literature and History. While this was of interest to him, there was little studio practice involved. In 1995, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.
Work process
Of his actual works he has said: ‘‘I don’t think I’ve ever painted an image as a reproduction of what I’m seeing, even when I’m working in front of it. I’m always trying to create some kind of parallel equivalent."Originally, Tan worked in black and white because the final reproductions would be printed that way and this preference extended to The Stray Cat. Some black and white mediums he used included pens, inks, acrylics, charcoal, scraperboard, photocopies and linocuts.
Tan's current colour works still begin as monochromatic. He uses a graphite pencil to make sketches on ordinary copy paper. The sketches are then reproduced numerous times with different versions varying with parts added or removed. Sometimes scissors are used for this purpose. The cut and paste collage
Collage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
idea in these early stages often extend to the finished production with many of his illustrations using such materials as "glass, metal, cuttings from other books and dead insects."
Tan describes himself as a slow worker who revises his work many times along the way. He is interested in loss and alienation, and believes that children in particular react well to issues of natural justice. He feels he is "like a translator" of ideas, and is happy and flattered to see his work adapted and interpreted in film and music (such as by the Australian Chamber Orchestra
Australian Chamber Orchestra
The Australian Chamber Orchestra was founded by cellist John Painter in 1975. Richard Tognetti was appointed Lead Violin in 1989 and subsequently appointed Artistic Director....
).
Influences
Tan draws from a large source of inspiration and cites many influences on his work. His comment on the subject is: "I’m pretty omnivorous when it comes to influences, and I like to admit this openly." Some influences are very direct. The Lost Thing is a strong example where Tan makes visual references to famous artworks. Many of his influences are a lot more subtle visually, some of the influences are ideological. Below are some influences he has named in various interviews:- Films: BrazilBrazil (film)Brazil is a 1985 British science fiction fantasy/black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. It was written by Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Tom Stoppard and stars Jonathan Pryce. The film also features Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins, and Ian Holm...
, Yellow Submarine - Filmmakers: Tim BurtonTim BurtonTimothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
, Terry GilliamTerry GilliamTerrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
, Stanley KubrickStanley KubrickStanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
, Ridley ScottRidley ScottSir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I... - Artists and illustrators: Francis BaconFrancis Bacon (painter)Francis Bacon , was an Irish-born British figurative painter known for his bold, austere, graphic and emotionally raw imagery. Bacon's painterly but abstract figures typically appear isolated in glass or steel geometrical cages set against flat, nondescript backgrounds...
, Raymond BriggsRaymond BriggsRaymond Redvers Briggs is an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist, and author who has achieved critical and popular success among adults and children...
, Ron Brooks, Frederick Clement, Joseph CornellJoseph CornellJoseph Cornell was an American artist and sculptor, one of the pioneers and most celebrated exponents of assemblage...
, Giorgio de ChiricoGiorgio de ChiricoGiorgio de Chirico was a pre-Surrealist and then Surrealist Italian painter born in Volos, Greece, to a Genovese mother and a Sicilian father. He founded the scuola metafisica art movement...
, Milton GlaserMilton GlaserMilton Glaser is a graphic designer, best known for the I Love New York logo, his "Bob Dylan" poster, the "DC bullet" logo used by DC Comics from 1977 to 2005, and the "Brooklyn Brewery" logo. He also founded New York Magazine with Clay Felker in 1968.-Biography:Glaser was born into a Hungarian...
, Edward GoreyEdward GoreyEdward St. John Gorey was an American writer and artist noted for his macabre illustrated books.-Early life:...
, John OlsenJohn Olsen (artist)John Henry Olsen, AO, OBE is an Australian artist. Olsen's primary subject of work is landscape.-Biography:John Olsen was born in Newcastle on 21 January 1928 and moved to Bondi Beach with his family in 1935, which began his lifelong fascination with Sydney Harbour...
, Michael LeunigMichael LeunigMichael Leunig , typically referred to as Leunig, is an Australian poet, cartoonist and cultural commentator. His best known works include The Adventures of Vasco Pyjama and the Curly Flats series...
, Rene MagritteRené MagritteRené François Ghislain Magritte[p] was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images...
, Sidney NolanSidney NolanSir Sidney Robert Nolan OM, AC was one of Australia's best-known painters and printmakers.-Early life:Nolan was born in Carlton, a suburb of Melbourne, on 22 April 1917. He was the eldest of four children. His family later moved to St Kilda. Nolan attended the Brighton Road State School and...
, Gerald ScarfeGerald ScarfeGerald Anthony Scarfe, CBE, RDI, is an English cartoonist and illustrator. He worked as editorial cartoonist for The Sunday Times and illustrator for The New Yorker...
, Katsushika Hokusai, J. Otto SieboldJ. Otto SieboldJ. Otto Seibold is an illustrator of children's books, as well as some picture books intended for all ages . He also has had several shows using spray paint and paint pens. He has showed at Grass Hut, The Yerba Buena, and Le Estrange in Paris.-Books illustrated by J.Otto:*Mr. Lunch Takes a Plane...
, Peter SisPeter SisPeter Sís is an award-winning children's book writer and illustrator. Sís attended the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague and the Royal College of Art in London...
, Lane SmithLane Smith (illustrator)Lane Smith is an American children's book author and illustrator.-Background:Smith was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but moved to Corona, California at a young age...
, Ralph SteadmanRalph SteadmanRalph Steadman is a British cartoonist and caricaturist who is perhaps best known for his work with American author Hunter S. Thompson.-Personal life:Steadman was born in Wallasey, Cheshire, and brought up in Towyn, North Wales...
, Arthur StreetonArthur StreetonSir Arthur Ernest Streeton was an Australian landscape painter.-Early life:Streeton was born in Mount Duneed, near Geelong, and his family moved to Richmond in 1874. In 1882, Streeton commenced art studies with G. F. Folingsby at the National Gallery School.Streeton was influenced by French...
, Brett WhiteleyBrett WhiteleyBrett Whiteley, AO was an Australian artist. He is represented in the collections of all the large Australian galleries, and was twice winner of the Archibald Prize...
, Fred WilliamsFred WilliamsFrederick Ronald Williams OBE was an Australian painter and printmaker. He was one of Australia’s most important artists, and one of the twentieth century’s major painters of the landscape...
, Chris Van Allsburg - Other: paintings in galleries, "an arrangement of clouds, a lighting effect, a picture in a newspaper, or indeed supermarket plumbing", incidents, textures and accidental compositions created by objects, things from other cultures and times, Polish poster art, streets, clouds, jokes, times of the day, people, animals, the way paint runs down a canvas, or colors go together.
Patronage
The Shaun Tan Award for Young Artists is sponsored by the City of SubiacoCity of Subiaco
The City of Subiaco is a Local Government Area of Western Australia. It covers an area of approximately 7 km² in inner western metropolitan Perth, the capital of Western Australia and lies about 3 km west of the Perth CBD.-History:...
and open to all Perth school children between 5 and 17 years. The award is aimed at encouraging creativity in two-dimensional works. It is held annually with award winners announced in May and finalists' works exhibited at the Subiaco Library (crn Rokeby and Bagot Road, Subiaco) throughout June.
2011
- Astrid Lindgren Memorial AwardAstrid Lindgren Memorial AwardThe Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is an international children's literature award, established by the Swedish government in 2002 in honour of the Swedish children's books writer Astrid Lindgren...
- Peter Pan Award 2011 for the SwedishSwedish languageSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
translation of The Arrival - Academy Award, (Oscar) | The Lost Thing, Best Short Film (Animated)
- 2010 Dromkeen MedalDromkeen MedalThe Dromkeen Medal is a literary prize awarded annually by the Courtney Oldmeadow Children's Literature Foundation for those who have advanced children's literature in Australia.-List of prize winners:*1982 Lu Rees*1983 Maurice Saxby...
| Awarded by the Governors of the Courtney Oldmeadow Children's Literature Foundation for significant contribution to the appreciation and development of children's literature in Australia. - 2011 Ditmar AwardDitmar AwardThe Ditmar Award has been awarded annually since 1969 at the Australian National Science Fiction Convention to recognise achievement in Australian science fiction and science fiction fandom...
| The Lost Thing, Best Artwork, Awarded at the 50th Australian National Science Fiction Convention in Perth in April 2011. - Hugo AwardHugo AwardThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
, won for Best Professional ArtistHugo Award for Best Professional ArtistThe Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
2010
- Hugo AwardHugo AwardThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
, won for Best Professional ArtistHugo Award for Best Professional ArtistThe Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
2008
- Hugo AwardHugo AwardThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
, Nominated for Best Related Book for The Arrival - Hugo AwardHugo AwardThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
, Nominated for Best Professional Artist (also in 2009 and 2010) - Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Best Comic BookAngoulême International Comics Festival Prize for Best Comic BookThe Prize for Best Album , also known as the Golden Wildcat , is awarded to comics authors at the Angoulême International Comics Festival....
for Là où vont nos pères, the French edition of The Arrival - Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Young Adult category winner for 'Tales from Outer Suburbia'
2007
- World Fantasy Award for Best ArtistWorld Fantasy Award for Best ArtistThis World Fantasy Award is given to the artist voted best in the fantasy field by a panel of judges. It is presented each year at the World Fantasy Convention.-2004:WFC 2004 was held in Tempe, Arizona...
- New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Community Relations Commission Award for The Arrival
- The Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards: Picture Book of the Year for 'The Arrival'.
2006
- Premier's Prize and Children's Books category winner in the Western Australian Premier's Book Awards for 'The Arrival'
2002
- Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year, Honour Book for The Red Tree
- New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature Winner for Red Tree
2001
- Ditmar AwardDitmar Award resultsThe Ditmar Award is Australia's oldest and best-known science fiction, fantasy and horror award, presented annually at the Australian "NatCon" since 1969. The historical nominations and results of the Award follow....
, Best Artwork for The Lost Thing (Lothian Books, 2000) - Ditmar AwardDitmar Award resultsThe Ditmar Award is Australia's oldest and best-known science fiction, fantasy and horror award, presented annually at the Australian "NatCon" since 1969. The historical nominations and results of the Award follow....
, [edit] Best Professional Achievement for The Lost Thing (Lothian Books, 2000) - Western Australian Premier's Book AwardsWestern Australian Premier's Book AwardsThe Western Australian Premier's Book Awards is an award for books, scripts, digital narrative and a People's Choice. Awards are provided by the Government of Western Australia, and the awards process is managed by the State Library of Western Australia...
, Children's Books, Shortlisted for Red Tree - Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year, Honour Book for The Lost Thing
- World Fantasy Award for Best ArtistWorld Fantasy Award for Best ArtistThis World Fantasy Award is given to the artist voted best in the fantasy field by a panel of judges. It is presented each year at the World Fantasy Convention.-2004:WFC 2004 was held in Tempe, Arizona...
2000
- Spectrum Gold Award for Book Illustration
- APA Design Award for Memorial
- Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year, Honour Book for Memorial
- Ditmar AwardDitmar Award resultsThe Ditmar Award is Australia's oldest and best-known science fiction, fantasy and horror award, presented annually at the Australian "NatCon" since 1969. The historical nominations and results of the Award follow....
, [edit] Best Artwork (Professional) for the Cover of Orb 0, Shortlisted - Ditmar AwardDitmar Award resultsThe Ditmar Award is Australia's oldest and best-known science fiction, fantasy and horror award, presented annually at the Australian "NatCon" since 1969. The historical nominations and results of the Award follow....
, Best Artwork for Cover to The Coode St Review Of Science Fiction - Western Australian Premier's Book AwardsWestern Australian Premier's Book AwardsThe Western Australian Premier's Book Awards is an award for books, scripts, digital narrative and a People's Choice. Awards are provided by the Government of Western Australia, and the awards process is managed by the State Library of Western Australia...
, Writing for Young Adults award, Shortlisted for Lost Thing
1999
- Children's Book Council of Australia, Notable Book for The Playground
- Aurealis Conveners' Award for Excellence for The Rabbits
- Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year, Winner for The Rabbits
- Spectrum Gold Award for Book Illustration for The Rabbits
- Ditmar Ditmar Award, Best Professional Artwork, shortlisted for The Rabbits, written by John MarsdenJohn Marsden (writer)John Marsden is an Australian writer, teacher and school principal. Marsden has had his books translated into nine languages including Swedish, Norwegian, French, German, Dutch, Danish, Italian and Spanish....
1998
- Crichton Award, Winner for The Viewer
- Children's Book Council of AustraliaChildren's Book Council of AustraliaThe Children's Book Council of Australia is a not for profit organisation which aims to engage the community with literature for young Australians. The CBCA presents annual awards for books of literary merit, for outstanding contribution to Australian children's literature.-Awards:The first...
Picture Book of the Year, Notable Book for The Viewer - Ditmar AwardDitmar Award resultsThe Ditmar Award is Australia's oldest and best-known science fiction, fantasy and horror award, presented annually at the Australian "NatCon" since 1969. The historical nominations and results of the Award follow....
, Best Professional Artwork for artwork in Eidolon PublicationsEidolon PublicationsEidolon Publications was a small press publisher based in North Perth, Western Australia. The company previously published the speculative fiction magazine Eidolon which ran to 1990 to 2000 and published books under the name of Eidolon Books.-History:...
and the cover of The Stray Cat, written by Steven PaulsenSteven PaulsenSteven Paulsen is a prize winning Australian writer of science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction whose work has been published in books, magazines, journals and newspapers around the world...
, Shortlisted - Western Australian Premier's Book AwardsWestern Australian Premier's Book AwardsThe Western Australian Premier's Book Awards is an award for books, scripts, digital narrative and a People's Choice. Awards are provided by the Government of Western Australia, and the awards process is managed by the State Library of Western Australia...
, Children's Book, Shortlisted for The Playground
1997
- Ditmar AwardDitmar Award resultsThe Ditmar Award is Australia's oldest and best-known science fiction, fantasy and horror award, presented annually at the Australian "NatCon" since 1969. The historical nominations and results of the Award follow....
, Best Artwork/Artist, Shortlisted for The Viewer, written by Gary CrewGary Crew-Life:Gary Crew was born in Brisbane, Queensland on 23 September 1947. An illness during childhood kept him home from school but enabled him to develop an interest in reading adventure stories....
1996
- Ditmar AwardDitmar Award resultsThe Ditmar Award is Australia's oldest and best-known science fiction, fantasy and horror award, presented annually at the Australian "NatCon" since 1969. The historical nominations and results of the Award follow....
, Best Artwork for Eidolon PublicationsEidolon PublicationsEidolon Publications was a small press publisher based in North Perth, Western Australia. The company previously published the speculative fiction magazine Eidolon which ran to 1990 to 2000 and published books under the name of Eidolon Books.-History:...
Issue 19 (Cover)
1995
- Crichton Award for The Viewer
- Ditmar AwardsDitmar Award resultsThe Ditmar Award is Australia's oldest and best-known science fiction, fantasy and horror award, presented annually at the Australian "NatCon" since 1969. The historical nominations and results of the Award follow....
, Best Professional Artwork for Aurealis Magazine and Eidolon PublicationsEidolon PublicationsEidolon Publications was a small press publisher based in North Perth, Western Australia. The company previously published the speculative fiction magazine Eidolon which ran to 1990 to 2000 and published books under the name of Eidolon Books.-History:...
As illustrator
- Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link (2008)
- Memorial, written by Gary CrewGary Crew-Life:Gary Crew was born in Brisbane, Queensland on 23 September 1947. An illness during childhood kept him home from school but enabled him to develop an interest in reading adventure stories....
(1999) - The Puppet, by Ian Bone (1999)
- The Hicksville Horror, by Nette Hilton (1999)
- The Rabbits, written by John MarsdenJohn Marsden (writer)John Marsden is an Australian writer, teacher and school principal. Marsden has had his books translated into nine languages including Swedish, Norwegian, French, German, Dutch, Danish, Italian and Spanish....
(1998) - The Viewer, written by Gary CrewGary Crew-Life:Gary Crew was born in Brisbane, Queensland on 23 September 1947. An illness during childhood kept him home from school but enabled him to develop an interest in reading adventure stories....
(1997) - The Half Dead, by Garry DisherGarry DisherGarry Disher is an Australian author of crime fiction and children's literature.- Awards :*Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Writing, Best Novel, 2007: winner for Chain of Evidence...
(1997) - The Doll, by Janine Burke (1997)
- The Stray Cat, by Steven PaulsenSteven PaulsenSteven Paulsen is a prize winning Australian writer of science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction whose work has been published in books, magazines, journals and newspapers around the world...
(1996) - Pipe, by James Moloney (1996)
As author and illustrator
- Tales from Outer Suburbia (2008)
- The Arrival (2006)
- The Red Tree (2001)
- The Lost ThingThe Lost Thing-Plot:Set in the near future, in dystopian Melbourne, Australia, The Lost Thing is a story about a boy who enjoys collecting bottle tops for his bottle top collection. One day, while collecting bottle caps near a beach, he discovers a strange creature, that seems to be a combination of an...
(1999) - The Playground (1997)
Installations
Mural in the Children's Section of the Subiaco Public Library (Perth, Western Australia). Size: 20 square metresAdaptations of Tan's works
- The Red Tree, a play based on Tan's book of the same name, was commissioned by the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
- The Red Tree, a music performance created by new composer Michael YezerskiMichael YezerskiMichael Yezerski is an award-winning Australian composer known for his scores for features film such as The Waiting City, The Black Balloon , Newcastle, and Thursday's Fictions, as well as collaborations with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Gondwana Voices Children's Choir Michael Yezerski...
with Richard TognettiRichard TognettiRichard Leo Tognetti, AO is an Australian violinist, composer and conductor. He is currently Artistic Director and Leader of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Maribor Festival in Maribor, Slovenia....
; performed by the Australian Chamber OrchestraAustralian Chamber OrchestraThe Australian Chamber Orchestra was founded by cellist John Painter in 1975. Richard Tognetti was appointed Lead Violin in 1989 and subsequently appointed Artistic Director....
with the youth choir Gondwana Voices, and accompanied by images from the book. - The Arrival. Images from this book were projected during a performance by the Australian Chamber Orchestra of conductor Richard Tognetti’s arrangement of Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 15
- The Lost Thing has been adapted as an animated short film.
- The Lost Thing inspired an album by Sydney band Lo-TelLo-TelLo-Tel was a pop rock band based in Sydney, Australia. They received commercial success and are best known for their single "Teenager of the Year" in 2000...
, complete with artwork from the book. - The Lost Thing has also been adapted as a play by the Jigsaw Theatre Company, a youth theatre company in CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
. This was the main event for the National Gallery of Australia's Children Festival (CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
) and at the Chookahs! Kids Festival (Melbourne) in 2006. - The Lost Thing was the theme for the 2006 Chookahs! Kids Festival at The Arts Centre in Melbourne, with many different activities based on concepts from the book.
- The Arrival was adapted for the stage by Red Leap Theatre.
- "The Arrival" was again projected on a screen to an orchestral score, performed by Orkestra of the Underground with 18 pieces created by musician and composer Ben Walsh. This was performed in the Opera House in Sydney, The Melbourne Recital Centre and Her Majesty's Theatre in Adelaide.
Interviews
- "NSW HSC Online" http://hsc.csu.edu.au/visual_arts/requirements/case_studies/illustrator_graphic_designer/122232ShaTanCDoc5.html 1999
- "Locus Online" http://www.locusmag.com/2001/Issue12/Tan.html December 2001
- "OzComics" http://www.ozcomics.com/In-Conversation/inconversation_shauntan.html April 2007
- "Articulate" http://www.abc.net.au/news/arts/articulate/200705/s1937072.htm May 2007
- "Newsarama" http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=134270 October 2007
- "The Australian" http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23729381-16947,00.html May 2008
- "ABC Radio National: The Book Show" http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bookshow/stories/2008/2258905.htm May 2008
- "Articulate" http://blogs.abc.net.au/articulate/2008/07/shaun-tan-tales.html July 2008
- "The Big Issue" http://hackpacker.blogspot.com/2009/02/drawn-outsider.html February 2009
- "SlowTV" (Video) http://www.themonthly.com.au/shaun-tan-conversation-1999 August 2009
External links
- InFrame.tv interview with Shaun Tan on the animated adaptation of his book The Lost Thing
- The Lost Thing: Online interactive version
- Interview with Shaun Tan on Australian Edge
- Webquest on 'Representations of Belonging' - using the picture books of Shaun Tan by Julie Bain
- Webquest on 'Viewing the Viewer' - postmodern picture books for teaching and learning in secondary English education by Julie Bain
- Drawn Outsider - a profile of Shaun Tan
- Shaun Tan's Gallery with biography and artbooks on Inside Your ART