The Sketchbook Project

Front cover of my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project, theme Night Time Stories.

Inside front and inside back covers for the sketchbook.

This is the cover for an exciting event I am participating in called the sketchbook project run by the Art House Co-op in Brooklyn, New York. Artists are participating from all over the world. The sketchbooks are given ISBN numbers, tour several main cities in the US and become part of a permanent library collection allowing them to be checked out like a book. I got started on this project as a way to experiment, play, and try out a story idea based on two characters, Raven and Wolf and their competitive and mischievous relationship. Their story is based on a Native American story of a time of magic and when humans and animals were the same.

To find out more:

Inspired by Brian Wildsmith

By Paul Morton

Just seen the small collection of illustrations by Brian Wildsmith in a current exhibition of his work at the Civic in Barnsley.

Brian Wildsmith's vibrantly delicious colours and clever use of collage were some of the first picture book art work that really made me sit up and take notice. 
It's so satisfying to see these originals again after all these years and realise that they are just as rich and strong, the gouache sings out, and the craft is so apparent.
I've always fancied making a trip to Tokyo to visit the BW museum and wondered if John had done so whilst living there?
I also want to see Eric Carle's museum in Massachusetts, has anyone been there?

Brian Wildsmith was born in Barnsley and went to the same art school as I did.
Jan Pienkowski, for a short while, lived on the same road as me in Barnsley - now surely there are some omens at work here!!!

Morris the Mankiest Monster ~ Sarah McIntyre

Here's publisher David Fickling and illustrator Sarah McIntyre in conversation about the making of Morris the Mankiest Monster, probably the most disgusting picture book in the world. MTMM is written by Giles Andeae and Sarah McIntyre. A professional series event by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators in the British Isles

Pop-up fun for all!

The final product - the penultimate spread of the published book published by Caterpillar Books.

Working from the finished white dummy, templates are made up by the publisher with tab, fold and cut lines which are used as a guide for artwork (each one needs a corresponding coloured back to be painted also) with large bleed just in case.

Having agreed on final designs and colour, here is the full sized background of the penultimate spread; a hungry, faceless bear!

More sketches, finalising the finished page layouts and adding swatches to each spread for the colour.

Many changes to address problems (here cutting down from 6 layers to 1 by using a different method), and working up to full size which is approx 240mm w x 260mm h.

Ongoing character sketches throughout, as are the text revisions.

As Pop-up books are a little different, I thought it might be interesting to show a bit of the process which goes through many stages, here is a very condensed version of events!

First, an A6 sized dummy of 8 spreads, each showing different pop action with a rough idea of text and position.

New Book

This is the cover of a book I've recently finished illustrating. Written by Lynne Garner and published by Piccadilly Press, it features a young troll, Boris, and his dog. The story encompasses love, friendship, betrayal, revenge and farting -- so most of the major themes of literature covered, I think.
I scanned in a pencil drawing and then coloured it up in Photoshop. The book is due out next year, in Spring I hope.

Blog Header Winner

Trish Phillips is the first winner of our blog Header challenge with the charming cut paper header you see above. Well done Trish, lovely work!

The Blog Header Challenge is an ongoing competition to submit designs for the blog title bar. Read the submission guidelines to create your entry.

John