Michael A Hill Illustration Wishes

Christmas 2007 has now past and we are still waiting for 2008 to start but what will 2008 bring for me as an Illustrator? Maybe looking backwards into 2007 will give me a clue to what will happen in 2008. The main pieces of work that i did in 2007 included a book for Cico Books and The Chic Guide to Shopping for Value Retail plc. The first Illustration assignments that i start 2008 are the same so hopefully next year will continue as the last finished. It is difficult to imagine where the new work will be coming from but i know that new work will be coming from. I have a new client working for Martha Stewart Living magazine doing garden plans but never sure how long these commissions will last for.Hopefully 2008 will be filled with many new commissions and many new clients. So wishing you all a Wonderful New Year. mx

Michael's Genuine

I was recently doing a map of Miami and Coral Gables for one of my clients and was asked to include a restaurant called Michael's in Miami. I had a look at the web-site and found that i would happily eat there on my next visit to Miami.The design of the website was great and the menu was full of so many interesting ideas. so if you can recommend a restaurant on name, web-site and menu this is the place. http://www.michaelsgenuine.com/

While searching things in Miami i came across another site that was basically a forum for people interested in type and now i can find it again, but i did find these images tat i liked so i am going to share these with you.

SEASONS GREETINGS TO YOU ALL

Wishing everyone, whoever, whatever or where ever you are in the world a fantastic and wonderful Christmas time. Peace , Love and Happiness to you all. The illustrations above are by a young new talented Illustrator - Maddie Bee !

Illustration for signs

Today I have been discussing with a very nice lady from CreativeJungle about doing some illustrated signange for a Wetlands Park near Bedford UK ( http://www.marstonvale.org ) This sounds like a nice project that will allow me to get away from my desk to walk round the park. Hopefully all the details can be sorted out and we can go ahead with this straight away.

Other possible work is for a London Recruitment agency who want maps for there website which are to look like the ones attached below. Beyond that i spoke with a client who has the sexiest voice ever it is a shame that her accent has lost much of its Frenchness and gained nothing from her Americian. but hopefully i can work with her on a project for REDBOOK.

Creative Match Illustrations

I have now taken to entering competitions at Creativematch.co.uk a UK based design and advertising site which runs free competitions each month for illustrators to show case their works. So this month i have grabbed an image from the files and submitted it to the competition with a little bit of artistic license if you want to see it go to http://www.creativematch.co.uk/?action=viewflair&fi=2437.
Or i will publish the image below titled 'If the Buddha Dated'

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step-by-step illustration

Finally as I lift my head off my desk I see the end of my book project i have been working on for the last six months. Sewing step-by-steps are my new Forte especially after doing nearly 300 of them. The question though now is do I get the sewing machine out and start making the things that i have imagined i could make or do I avoid every fabric shop for the next few weeks. It is amazing how you get so involved with a project but as soon as it is finished you get involved with the next. As i am being called for my supper i think i will get involved with that.

Anita Roddick

I just wanted to say how sad it is to hear that Anita Roddick has passed away. A person who i had a great deal of time for, i only meet her once in passing but produced many illustrations for the Body Shop in the past. So I am going to wave you a fond farewell and hope that you can continue your good work where ever you are. I have posted this card as an homage to you.

AWARD WINNING ILLUSTRATOR

So thanks to a map illustration that I completed for Baltimore magazine i have now been awarded a Honorable mention by the Society of Professional Journalists in the USA( Maryland Professional Chapter). I am not sure how to respond to receiving this award as i can't ever remember getting anything like it before but it is great that someone out there appreciates the work that i am doing, which in the end makes it more worth while doing it!! I will have to look out the image so you can see but in the meantime here is the certificate with stick on gold star!!

Holiday pics

Just so that you can see who is behind the keyboard here is a pic of me and my daughter Maddie on holiday in France.

more time off

had a call the other day from an online media company based in the very trendy Hoxton square (Is it still trendy?) they wanted to see about linking up our services on certain projects with me producing the front end visual stuff (Maps in other words- sure i did spend all that time at art college to produce -Stuff) while they produce the back-end gubbins. Anyway it sounded interesting but I suppose we will have to wait til the right project arrives.
Also waiting to hear about book on ' go slow England' but that doesn't sound so promising at the moment.

As a distraction i have been back on ebay-a bit like drink i know it is fun but i also know it is no good for me or my bank balance but did buy a nice book for a fiver (inc P&P) about london lets hope it arrives soon???

Quiet questioning??

Illustration wise things have been quiet this last week. Why no phone calls or e-mails i have to ask you, please why not? I did get an enquiry earlier this week for a publishing company to do a series of maps of Uk regions for a travel/ accommodation guide still waiting to hear more about this, but then i think!! i have enough work to keep me going for a month why do i need new distractions??. I should just be happy that i have work going on at the moment and i look outside and the sun is shining what more could one ask for??.

Long Time No Blog!

It has been a long time since I last updated my blog but luckily I have been away on holiday for the last three weeks and so been missing the oppurtunity to blog. So three weeks in France two in Brittany and one in the Charente.The weather wasn't brilliant and it was very tiring but it was so nice to get away on our own for a few days.

I enjoyed my first visit to the Cote Sauvage and maybe find ourselves going again next year. But for now it is back to work again. I have a book I am working for Cico Books 520 illustrations and have a few editorial jobs that may or may not happen but I am busy now until september starts.

Finally at home

At last I have settled at my wooden desk again, pens and paints at the ready, and work to be getting on with or at least I think I have. My studio is taking shape, maybe not the shape that I would like but at least some sort of shape. I will post some pics of the new house when i get settled and maybe when the sunshines again.
Having moved has probably made me more unsettled because again we are putting down roots while for the last 7 years we have been moving and intending to move so I have always felt transiant(is it spelt like that?). But now we have settled i feel concerned and have been feeling nostalgic for the days gone past. Maybe unpacking boxes from 7 years ago also makes me feel a little strange as life has changed so much since then and the emphasis on things is so different, what with a family and getting older. I would so much love to capture some of those feeling and passion for life and art I had as a student, the willingness to learn and try new things, the inspiration you took from the most simplest of things.
So if you are feeling the same way too let me know maybe we can have a beer and wander down memory lane.(if only I could put that on a map)

lost in cyber space or not!

Sorry to all you readers of my blog but things have not been running smoothly with my internet access and so havent been able to catch up on my blog. I have been promised broadband again by the end of this week so maybe i will be able to fill you all ib then, so sorry until I get back on line properly. Michaelxx

Wembley Bound!

Well the football season is nearly at an end, for some it finished 3 weeks ago for other it never really got started but for West Bromwich Albion we have one match which will define our season. Win and we are in the Premiership, and everything has been worth while:-)))) Lose and we might well have ended the season in 16th place because we will still be in the championship and have another season to work hard to get out of it again. Admittedly we will win more games score more goals and be higher up the league in the Championship but its not the Premiership now is it????????
On another note we only have about three more nights living in this house before we move it feels wierd moving again but it has nearly always seemed more like a hotel than a home as we have always thought that we would be moving on soon and that is what we are doing and very very soon!
So lets hope for a fantastic couple of weeks witha WBA win and a easy move down the road.
mx

The BLOG goes live!

Today has been busy, well busy for me, a trip into Central london, two meetings and a new project to start. WHAT! I hear you say I thought you were moving soon? Well I am and looking forward to sitting in my new studio working away on my new book to illustrate- SEWING IN NO TIME by Emma Hardy. I am looking forward to it as it will give me something to get my teeth into and also it will take the worry out of getting any new work in while i move and holiday ( and do the garden and start that DIY and do some sewing!) But today is is also the day that my blog will go live on my website thanks to all at www.pageworks.co.uk who have worked very hard and at great expense to themselves to get the website up and running especially as the Baggies are leading 3-2 in the play-off semi-finals. Thanks boys and Fixx

Balearics! to you mate!

So I have been asked to do a set of maps of Menorca, Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera to you that is a whole load of Balearics! But as the weather changes again to rain it will be nice to think of the warm sun on those lovely Islands. Not sure how i am doing them yet but something in the style of the Spain map for Value Retail.

My car is still at the car hospital about to fail its MOT and cost me more money but the house purchase is all on track so cardboard boxes at the ready and a load of old paper.

No new work coming through yet so i sit and think Balearics.

Where in the world today!

Well that is a question i ask regularily, Where in the world am I today? Well in fact having spent yesterday in Llangollen (artistically that is) doing a map for someones wedding invitation, This morning I find myself in the Balearic Islands courtesy of Traveller magazine and Spainish tourist board. Not sure yet how I am doing these maps but I will get a better Idea at the end of the day. After that I am back to the uk to find out about local produce from around the UK for Asda Magazine. After that I am not sure.
Good and bad news on my Car it is finally being repaired with Audi paying about 50% of the costs but still going to leave me 2 grand out of pocket. We have exchanged on our house last week so will be moving in about 4 weeks, yikey that soon.

For the petrol or should i say diesel heads amongst you here is a picture of my engine :-(

Nearly there

The school holidays are nearly over so finally I can back to work, although we do have holidays booked and then will be moving house so not sure when I will fit in the work I need to do. But things are busy! I got a new assignment from Traveller to do some maps of the Balaeric islands and had to re-quote on a job for Carrick House on Loch Lomond to do a series of plans, along with the work for Value Retail which might turn into a series of animation for there website. It will be nice though just to be able to sit down and work most of the day again, although i do have to sort out my broken car and cope with the trauma of supporting WBA!!!!!

Have Yachts

The Have-Yachts, I love that saying, Its not about having a boat its about the complete ability to live a life style that not many people can afford.Why am i talking about this? Well I just got a commission through Kate for Capitol File Magazine published by Niche Media in NYC to do an illustration for the have-yachts section of there magazine.
Lets see how that goes shame its not an invitation to join the Ralph Lauren set in the Hamptons!

Driven to Distraction

A visual for a piece of self publicity by my USA agent.To show an illustrated map in a different way while illustrating the saying 'Driven to Distraction' I wonder how this might develop as i do the final image!!

Easter Sunday

Easter is a time to get hot and bottered on the roads of the UK. This year we decided to visit Scotney Castle in Kent or Sussex.
The house once belonged to Christopher Hussey who I read many times when doing my A level architecture and when working on my thesis on Garden Design. It turned out to be a lovely place full of wonderfully romantic vistas, quiet walks and many visitors!! It would be nice to go back when the azaleas are in bloom as the colour will add a new dimension to the place.

Good Friday

Today is good Friday, at least it was right on one accord! Actually the weather has been great and spent some time in the garden with the family the weather got to nearly 20 degrees- Corrrrr wata Sorcher! Mowed the grass, did some weeding, cleaned down the garden furniture and played football with Andrea, Maddie Frank and Irene apprantly the boys won 123456 to 123 I think Maddie need to learn to keep the score better. I also managed to finish off the Nigaraguan map for Outside as the Americians dont have Good Friday as a Holiday. I also entered the Map into this months creative Flair illustration competition.
http://www.creativematch.co.uk/?action=viewflair&fi=1971

Julie's

Last night it was one of Andrea's friends, Saskia's 40th Birthday so I put my best shirt and jacket on and made my way to Holland Park-W10 to meet up with a few people I knew for the birthday meal. That was fun and caught up with one of my clients Tracy from InStyle who i hadnt seen for a year or so, but hopefully she will call soon with some work. A review of the restaurant can be found at this link:- http://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/london/view/80762/Julie's
Square Meal another of my clients!

More Bermuda

Today maddie (my daughter) has gone to A Drama Course which gives me part of the day to do some work!! Which seems to be pileing up at the moment but I'm not that bothered about it:-) Toady I need to complete the visual for the Bermuda map then off to Bicester to meet up with Clients from Value Retail.Hopefully that might bring in some more work? But I have three maps on the go over Easter followed by a publicity piece for my agent. But here is a map of Bermuda i found while doing so research.

Bermuda

So it was late Friday night and I get a series of e-mails from my agent- Kate Larkworthy and the Art Director at Travel and Leisure to do a new map assignment for the USA edition of Travel and Leisure, a half page map of Bermuda. So time to find out a little bit about the place so I will let you know more about that soon.
Meanwhile I am working on a Map of Nicaragua for Outside magazine which is interesting to look a little closer at Central America and it reminds me of my Old friend Robert Tinsley who lives in Costa Rica who i really should contact soon. So Its Bermuda, Nicaragua and Furnace this week all before Easter on Sunday.

surfers

So doing some research today on surfing (water bound not computer bound) and found some great surfing books at www.surfbooks.com so here are a few of the great covers that i liked off the site.

Nicaragua

So the assignment for Outside Magazine came through and they want me to do a map of Nicaragua! Not sure that i have done an Illustrated Map of Nicaragua before, I have mapped the area and have done one of El Salvador for a Nescafe free trade range advertisement. So I have a week to get this done. So Off I go in the footsteps of Michael Douglas in 'Romancing the stone' or was that Columbia???

Outside Magazine

Today I had an enquiry from Outside Magazine in Santa Fe Texas. The place seems familiar so I search for a map I may have completed already. But NO not one in sight, Oh well! Off i go to mapquest to look at the place and then onto Google earth to see what it really looks like!! so did you know That All buildings in Santa Fe have to be constructed in Adobe style, by decree.see the pic to see what Adobe is!! While I also found this sign from Santa Fe.

Standen

Today we visited Standen in the beautiful Sussex countryside.The house designed by Arts and Crafts Architect Philip Webb with interior decoration by William Morris and Co. This was a wonderful house not so much for the architecture which I felt lack the strong characeristics of the movement but for the interior ornamentation especially the pottery which i found so beautiful and fasinating.The William De Morgan and the Ruskin work standing out for me. Along with this a collection of watercolours by some of the Pre-raphealites and other victorian artists. Altough early spring the garden was starting to show is beauty with some grat vistas and the obligatory haha.

First Blog

this is just a first test blog to get the ting to work!