for the last day of the year 2013 I want to show you some of my most favorite illustrations, RONALD SEARLE’S visual interpretation of CHARLES DICKENS’ – THE CHRISTMAS CAROL. searle illustrated this classic novel in 1960 and it was published by perpetua books, london. the way searle captures the mood of the story together with the english victorian period of time is I think unsurpassed by any other illustrator. his very special style, the way he mixes fat brushstrokes of black ink with a kind of nervous thin nib line, always fascinated me. but in these illustrations he adds a lot more, a very detailed world in the backgrounds beautifully colored in his very special watercolor style. this book is one of my treasures. have a HAPPY NEW YEAR.
© ronald searle / perpetua books
my name is hans bacher, – I work as production designer in the animation film industry. for the last 45 years I lived and worked in exciting places around the world. after 7 years of teaching in singapore I am back at my homebase in manila, working on a few more books.
One1more2time3's Weblog 
Wow, beautiful illustrations. They remind me a lot of a Polish illustrator from more or less the same period, Jan Marcin Szancer (trying to find a decent link now, haha)
Haha, here it is – Jan Marcin Szancer images 🙂
http://www.google.com/search?q=Jan+Marcin+Szancer+images&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=N8rCUufbCend4QTa84D4Aw&ved=0CCoQsAQ
so vivid ! In french we say “truculent!”