The best illustrators of the fairy tale "The Nutcracker". How to draw a nutcracker with a pencil step by step

In anticipation of the New Year and Christmas, I especially want magic, miracles and fabulous atmosphere. Let's resurrect old New Year's pictures from our own childhood together and get acquainted with modern illustrations to the Christmas tale by E. T. Hoffmann “The Nutcracker”. I have prepared a small selection best illustrators fairy tales "The Nutcracker" and bring it to your attention.

1. Maxim Mitrofanov (“Rosmen”)

Maxim Mitrofanov - contemporary artist, who in a short time managed to establish himself as a wonderful illustrator of children's fairy tales. In the Rosman publishing house, in addition to The Nutcracker, he illustrated the fairy tales Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass. And for the pictures created for The Nutcracker, in 2011 the artist was awarded an award from the American company Highlights for Children. The fairy tale "The Nutcracker" performed by Maxim Mitrofanov is not so easy to buy. All editions of this book sell out instantly. The artist is very precise in details and does not skimp on bright colors and no less vivid images. Real Christmas magic and fabulous mood - that's what the artist's illustrations convey for this fairy tale!

- The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Hoffman E.T.A. Hood: M. Mitrofanov. Publishing house: Rosmen Press, 2015

2. Nika Goltz (“Makhaon”)

Nika Georgievna Goltz was born in 1925 and died in 2012. A graduate of the Surikov Institute, she began to study book graphics in 1953. Many bright and talented illustrations were created by Nika Goltz for Andersen's fairy tales and other works. Very many of us are well familiar with her illustrations, made for the fairy tales “Persistent tin soldier”, “The Snow Queen", "Puss in Boots", " The little Prince". Nika Goltz has repeatedly worked on Hoffmann's The Nutcracker, creating illustrations for books and postcards. On sale you can see books with her illustrations for this fairy tale from the early and late period of creativity. Books with illustrations by Nika Goltz are published by Makhaon Publishing House.

- "The Nutcracker". Hoffman E.T.A. Artist: Nika Golts. Makhon Publishing House, 2011
- “The Nutcracker: The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Little Tsakhes, called Zinnober. Hoffman E.T.A. Artist: Nika Golts. Makhaon Publishing House, 2010

3. Roberto Innocenti

This year, the Eksmo publishing house released several books about the Nutcracker with drawings of this Italian artist. He is also known for his wonderful illustrations for the tale of Pinocchio. Most often, the artist works in watercolor. His drawings are deep, filled with perspective and quite solid. They are replete with many details and seem unusually realistic, sometimes resembling real photographs. The artist likes to transfer the scene of many fairy tales to old London (probably he loves this city ...). So he moved the scene of the "Nutcracker" to the same place. I think it's very atmospheric!

- “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”. Hoffman E.T.A.. Art: Innocenti Roberto. Publishing house EKSMO, 2015
- “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”. Hoffman E.T.A.. Art: Innocenti Roberto. Publishing house EKSMO, 2017

4. Artus Shiner (“Eksmo”)

Czech artist who also worked on Hoffmann's wonderful Christmas story. The years of his work fell on the first half of the 20th century. Scheiner's illustrations for The Nutcracker were first published in 1924. It is hard to believe that such talented illustrations were made by a self-taught artist who painted in his spare time from his main job for his own pleasure. His illustrations created for The Nutcracker are full of magic and charm. Time has no power over them!

- “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”. Hoffman E.T.A.. Artist: Shiner Artush. Publishing house EKSMO, 2016

5. Gennady Spirin

Fascinating illustrations for Hoffmann's fairy tale by Gennady Spirin are for everyone who loves and appreciates the unique style of the artist. Gennady Sirin is without a doubt one of the best Russian children's illustrators. "The Nutcracker" in his performance is a real masterpiece book graphics. It has been published in several languages different countries peace. It's a pity that in this moment we don’t have the Nutcracker for sale with illustrations of this brilliant artist. Previously, these books were published by the Kaliningrad publishing house "Amber Skaz" and the Moscow "Zebra".

6. Masha Michalskaya

Many parents liked the illustrations for The Nutcracker made by this particular artist. Therefore, books with her drawings instantly become a bestseller in online bookstores. The illustrations by Masha Michalska are unusual, expressive and very effective. They differ from the usual classical standard, but they are unlikely to leave anyone indifferent. The Nutcracker with illustrations by Michalskaya was published by several publishing houses - Arbor, Moscow Textbooks and others. AT last time The book was published in 2011 at the Moskvovedenie Research Center. Looking forward to new releases!

- “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”. Hoffman E.T.A.

7. Georgy Filippovsky

The same book “Coming from childhood” - with illustrations wonderful artist George Filippovsky. When I was little, it was published by the Children's Literature publishing house. Filippovsky's characters in Hoffmann's fairy tale turned out to be a little creepy and bewitching at the same time. The very first edition with his illustrations was published in 1956, and now they can be admired in modern version from the Eksmo publishing house (in the Golden Heritage series).

- “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”. Hoffman E.T.A. Hood: Artist: Filippovsky G.
Publisher: EKSMO, 2016

8. Valery Alfeevsky

Alas, Hoffmann's The Nutcracker has become last book, illustrated by Valery Alfeevsky. For a series of drawings made for the fairy tale "The Nutcracker", the artist was awarded the State Prize. If your library has books with illustrations by this brilliant master of book graphics, then you can easily recognize the unique style that is unique to him alone. “The Nutcracker” by Valery Alfeevsky turned out to be the most “balletic”, because it was in the brilliant music of P. I. Tchaikovsky that the artist drew his inspiration, working on illustrations for this fairy tale.

- “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”. Hoffman E.T.A. Artist: Alfeevsky V. Publishing house: Speech, 2015

Congratulations on the upcoming holidays! Happy New Year reading everyone!

"... Marie only now noticed something that she had not seen before: when Fritz's hussars, who had previously stood in line at the very Christmas tree, came out, a wonderful little man appeared in plain sight.
... Carefully peering into the nice little man who fell in love with her at first sight, Marie noticed how kindly his face shone"

“Oh, what she saw! Seven mouse heads in seven brightly sparkling crowns crawled out from under the floor with a nasty hiss and squeak. a mouse with seven crowns.” Now the army immediately began to move and went straight to the closet.

“The Nutcracker, pressed on all sides by the enemy, was in great danger. The hussars and dragoons briskly galloped past him right into the closet. Then, in utter despair, he loudly exclaimed:
- Horse, horse! Half the kingdom for a horse!

“So, Marie,” continued the godfather, “tell me, do you know the tale of Princess Pirlipat?
- Oh, no! Marie answered. "Tell me, dear godfather, tell me!"

"... It was time to cut the fat into slices and fry it in golden frying pans... But then all the godfathers and aunts of Myshilda and even her seven sons, desperate tomboys, came flooding in. They attacked the fat, and the queen, with fright, did not know what to do ."

"...Everything around was engulfed in sleep...Mouse...rose up on its hind legs and placed its ominous head on the princess's face."

"... Young Drosselmeyer deftly cleared the nucleolus from the adhering peel and, closing his eyes, brought it ... to the princess ... But then Myshilda crawled out of the underground with a disgusting squeak and screech."

"- Hee-hee-hee! Give me all the dragee, all the marzipan, silly, otherwise I will bite your Nutcracker!" the mouse king squeaked, and at the same time he gritted and gnashed his teeth disgustingly.

"...The insidious Mouse King is defeated...! With these words, the cute Nutcracker very deftly shook off the seven golden crowns of the Mouse King..."

"...Ah, how wonderful it was to swim in a shell, bathed in fragrance, washed by pink waves!... The Arabs beat some unknown beat with their feet and sang."

"After a few steps, they found themselves in a large, amazingly beautiful market square ... In the middle, like an obelisk, towered sweet pie, sprinkled with sugar ... But the most charming of all were the charming little men who crowded here in multitudes. They had fun, laughed, joked and sang."

"... She raised her eyes: the godfather again put on his glass wig, put on a yellow caftan and smiled contentedly, and he held by the hand, however, a small, but very well-built young man."

Good day to all residents of the site and all its guests) Today the topic is Hoffmann's fairy tale "The Nutcracker", beloved by many, taking us to the world of magic and miracles)
I was inspired to this publication by the topic of our forum member, which I read and looked at with pleasure. Not so long ago, I just collected something in my archive regarding the fairy tale "The Nutcracker", namely the illustrations for it. And I would like to bring to your attention the drawings of some talented illustrators) There are undoubtedly more such artists, but you can’t cover everything and everyone in one topic)

Italian illustrator Roberto Innocenti was born in a small town near Florence in 1940. When Roberto was only 13 years old, he was forced to drop out of school to go to work in a steel shop. The boy had to help his family. But the passion for drawing was very great. At the age of 18, he leaves for Rome to an animation studio where he works long years. If the sources do not fail, then so far)
Roberto Innocenti beautifully illustrated Hoffmann's famous Christmas story, The Nutcracker. He moved the story to his beloved London, to interiors filled with joy and warmth. Specialists of major publishing houses noted that "... the fairy tale illustrated by Innocenti perfectly fit into the life of old London and is beautiful example book art." He is rightfully a favorite of both readers and critics. As noted "... Innocenti provides us with a wonderful opportunity to feel the whole drama of the story through visually eloquent illustrations ..." These illustrations brought Roberto Innocenti the award "For Excellence visual arts in the field of children's literature.

I want to introduce you to another illustrator - Artus Scheiner (1863 - 1938). Undoubtedly, Scheiner is one of the leading Czech illustrators of the early 20th century. Fairy tales with his drawings are still loved by children and adults.
Shiner started out as a clerk in financial management Prague, and drawing was a break from the tedious work in the office. He was self-taught, and for a very long time he published his first drawings in magazines under a pseudonym. There was another reason for anonymity. In 1891, Czech-German relations were very "stretched", and Scheiner illustrated the Berlin magazine "Lustige Blätter". In 1902, Artus Scheiner illustrated his first book of fairy tales by Václav Ržiga. Magical illustrations were made in the Art Nouveau style, and gained immense popularity. In 1933, its first personal exhibition, which only proved that he is a recognized leader in the field of children's illustration.

Nika Georgievna Goltz (1925-2012), the artist is known primarily for her wonderful book illustrations.

In 1950, Nika Goltz graduated from the Moscow Surikov Institute. At the beginning of her career, she was fond of fresco painting, created fresco panels in the building of the children's musical theater named after Natalia Sats. Since 1953 she has worked in book graphics.
She took part in many exhibitions around the world - in Canada, India, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Denmark and other countries.
In 2006, Nika Golts was awarded the Diploma of G.Kh. Andersen for the children's book for illustrations for the collection " The big Book best fairy tales Andersen".
Goltz created unique illustrations for the fairy tales of Hoffmann, Hauff, Andersen, Charles Perrault and other works, loved by many readers.
Many works by Nika Georgievna Goltz are in Russian museums, including Tretyakov Gallery, and private collections in Russia and abroad - in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Italy, USA.

Gennady Konstantinovich Spirin was born in Orekhovo-Zuevo on December 25, 1948, studied at the Moscow Art School at the Academy of Arts, then at the Stroganov University. Over the years he has developed his own unique style. Since 1979 Started illustrating children's books this moment Spirin is one of the best illustrators.

In the late 80s, Gennady Spirin left Russia, first to Germany, then in 1991, at the invitation of two publishing houses Philomel and Dial Press, he moved to work in the United States.

His watercolor illustrations for children's books have won numerous awards for their vision. fairy worlds, they are kept in public, private and corporate collections, including the Art Museum in Milan (Italy), in the library of Princeton University (USA).

One wants to look at each of his illustrations for a long time, admiring the subtlety and beauty of the overall design, the richness of textures, ornaments and some wonderful persuasiveness, truthfulness of the fabulous space inside. As if it is both a fairy tale and life at the same time ...

You can endlessly add illustrations to the fairy tale "The Nutcracker" by many, many artists. Hundreds of copies of books have been published, and they do not lie on the shelves bookstores) The fairy tale is magical, wonderful, which they do not stop reading to children, which everyone loves - from young to old)

NUTCRACKER
Author Julia Komarova
***
Marie, Marie christmas miracle -
The Nutcracker comes to life in silence...
Everyone dispersed, the gossip subsided,
The tree flickers, as if in a thin dream,
And arrows of golden serpentine
Under the rain of silver tinsel
Pierce the anger of the mouse web
And destroy the darkness of Myshildin's game.

The last salvo of the solemn cracker
Cover the battlefield with confetti.
And fireworks from a real gun
Garland of lights - fly, fly!

Marie, Marie, the Christmas miracle:
The Nutcracker comes alive with love.
Childhood passes, but I will not forget
The battle is like a dance... one-two-three!
***

I congratulate everyone on the upcoming New Year!) Let goodness triumph in our lives!) Stay a little bit children, believe in miracles, love and be loved!))

Thank you very much to everyone who looked at the light)

Every time, with the approach of winter, Christmas and new year holidays The Nutcracker involuntarily comes to mind - the character of Hoffmann's fairy tale, not at all a children's fairy tale, by the way. On this page we will tell you how to draw the Nutcracker step by step with a pencil. Drawing lesson - easy, designed for beginners.

Draw an image of the Nutcracker

You probably can’t argue with the fact that the Nutcracker is difficult to put on a par with other famous fairy tale characters: it is absurd to compare him, for example, with a cutie winnie the pooh. The Nutcracker was not created for popular love, he is a moralizing character. In addition, Hoffmann did not try to take care of the psyche of the children, his images in the fairy tale are sinister and a little frightening. True, kids notice completely different things, it is important for them whether the Nutcracker wins mouse king at the end or not. It is important for parents that the Nutcracker teaches the child to never despair and never forget their dreams.

The fairy tale about the Nutcracker enchants kids, and children want to learn how to draw the Nutcracker himself. We suggest you learn how to draw the Nutcracker in stages. The photo of the finished picture is shown at the top of the page, you can also download the Nutcracker coloring page if you wish.