Eric Carle has a distinctive technique that is instantly recognizable. His books are illustrated using collage, typically feature bold colors that contrast with white space, and incorporate elements of play.
Collage
Collage is used by many illustrators of children’s books such as Leo Lionni, Nancy Elizabeth Wallace, Lois Ehlert, and Jeannie Baker. However, Eric Carle has a style unlike any other illustrator. To begin with he paints tissue paper with vibrant acrylic paint. Some pieces are painted with shades of one color and enhanced by adding texture through using common objects to create lines, swirls, or other shapes. Other pieces of tissue paper blend multiple colors or have one main color and are dotted or stamped with additional colors. Carle works quickly on each piece and the painting appears to be organic without much prior planning. The tissue paper is then set aside to dry and stored in file drawers based on color.
Carle then draws his images on tracing paper. The images are broken up into multiple shapes that when put together form a cohesive image. Tracing paper is placed over a colored tissue paper and the individual shapes are cut out using a blade. The shape is glued onto an illustration board. As each piece is cut and glued the tracing paper is used as a guide to make sure all the shapes correctly line up. Pieces may be layered or overlapped to create complex images such as faces. Once all shapes have been glued down Carle uses crayons to place finishing touches on the collage. At times collage images are also supplemented by acrylic paint.
The technique used by Carle is simple enough that even children can work through the process. The Eric Carle museum provides a step by step list of instructions (Carle, n.d.) and there are numerous resources, including books and websites that offer suggestions for crafts using his technique. Despite the simplicity of his technique it creates striking images that possess movement, emotion, and effectively tell a story on their own.
To view a visit with Eric Carle on Mister Rogers Neighborhood, view this video: https://www.pbs.org/video/mister-rogers-neighborhood-giving-receiving-eric-carle-visit/. Skip to 16:00 to go to the beginning of the visit. Skip to 18:00 to see Carle’s technique.
Bold Colors vs White Space
A hallmark of Eric Carle’s illustrations are bright, bold colors placed against brilliant white spaces. Due to using a blade to cut out the pieces of collage, the contrast is quite striking and distinct. Although the lines are sharp, the images do not come across as harsh or static. This is due to Carle’s creative use of paint and embellishment with other materials, such as crayons. The contrast between color and whiteness draws the eye in and helps focus the reader on the picture. The white space also balances out the boldness of Carle’s color choices.
© Eric Carle all rights reserved 413-586-2046 
Carle’s images are a blend of colors. Some pieces are variations of one color, but they are never one solid color. These pieces have variety by using lighter or darker shades or swirling the colors together. Other pieces contain a main color as a background and are layered with contrasting colors. The layering is accomplished by painting over the main color, adding dots or zig zags, and even stamping color with pieces of carpet. Although many colors are blended, they do not create muddled images. Rather the colors complement each other and produce illustrations with added depth.
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art 
Although most of of Eric Carle’s books feature a white background there are a few, such as Little Cloud, Papa Please Get the Moon for Me, and 10 Little Rubber Ducks, that feature colored backgrounds. Little Cloud has all blue backgrounds with white images. Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me is mainly a blue background with multicolored images layered on top. 10 Little Rubber Ducks is a mix of the traditional white background along with a primarily blue background with multicolored illustrations. The colored background is visually busier and in most cases does not lend itself to such stark contrast between background and images. However, the blue background is fitting due to the themes of these books featuring the sky or water.
Play Elements
A third element of Eric Carle’s technique is to turn ordinary picture books into items that can be played with in some manner. The earliest book that incorporates this technique is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The book features small holes, that are representative of the caterpillar eating through various foods. These holes are also a perfect size for small fingers to poke through and pretend they are a caterpillar. The Very Busy Spider also encourages children to touch the book since the web the spider spins has an interesting raised texture.
Touch is not the only way children are invited to play with the books. The Very Lonely Firefly features twinkling fireflies on the last page. This is an extremely engaging aspect of the book which is activated by opening and closing the last page. The Very Quiet Cricket implements a similar element, but with sound. As children open and close the book they activate a chirping sound. Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me has the elements of a lift-the-flap book for children that are older than the typical crowd for those types of books. The pages fold out, up, and expand the traditionally sized pages to be much larger in order to contain the image of the moon.
Through the use of bold colors against white backgrounds and adding elements of play to his book Eric Carle has created a brand of collage that is all his own.
References:
Carle, E. (n.d.). Collage Making Instruction Sheet. Retrieved April 28, 2019, from The Official Eric Carle Website website: http://www.eric-carle.com/EricCarleCollageMakingInstructionSheet.pdf
Photo/Video Credits:
Carle, E. (2005). 10 Little Rubber Ducks. [Drawing]. Retrieved from https://www.carlemuseum.org/artists/eric-carle
Carle, E. (2007). Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?. [Drawing]. Retrieved from https://www.carlemuseum.org/artists/eric-carle
Carle, E. (1991). Dragons Drags & Other Creatures That Never Were.[Drawing]. Retrieved from https://www.carlemuseum.org/artists/eric-carle
Carle, E. (1988). The Lamb and the Butterfly [Drawing]. Retrieved from https://www.carlemuseum.org/artists/eric-carle
Carle, E. (1996). Little Cloud [Drawing]. Retrieved from http://kinderbooks.net/wp-content/uploads/1998/05/Little-Cloud-1.jpeg
Carle, E. (1991). Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me [Drawing]. Retrieved from https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Papa-Please-Get-the-Moon-for-Me/Eric-Carle/The-World-of-Eric-Carle/9781481431811
Carle, E. (1973). I See a Song. [Drawing]. Retrieved from https://www.carlemuseum.org/artists/eric-carle
Carle, E. (1985). The Very Busy Spider [Drawing]. Retrieved from https://www.rainbowresource.com/viewpict?pid=026085
Carle, E. (1969). The Very Hungry Caterpillar [Drawing]. Retrieved from https://www.charlottenash.net/100daysofbooks/2015/09/18/book-79-the-very-hungry-caterpillar-100daysofbooks-verdict-classic
Carle, E. (2014). What’s Your Favorite Animal?
[Drawing]. Retrieved from https://www.carlemuseum.org/artists/eric-carle
Colored tissue laid out to dry and in files. [Photograph]. (1996). The Art of Eric Carle, p. 71.
Eric Carle in his studio. [Photograph]. (1996). The Art of Eric Carle, p. 70.
Giving & Receiving: Eric Carle Visit [Video file]. (2010). Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/video/mister-rogers-neighborhood-giving-receiving-eric-carle-visit/
Mrs. Harding & “The Very Lonely Firefly” [Video file]. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eoBUEsf_Y4
Author/Illustrator Study and Top Children's Materials 
