The French Paper

Holidaying in France at the end of May I picked up a new newspaper in a French Tabac  in Malestroit, Brittany. It was the first edition of a English paper aimed at English people living, working or travelling to France. I found it a great read and informative on a mix of English and French news. ( http://www.thefrenchpaper.com ). So when I got home I made some enquiries about the french paper and found that i was doing an illustration for the back page of the 2nd edition. The article about lunch and eating in France and England was illustrated by this image.

Hopefully I will be doing some more for them soon. 

This week i've mainly been illustrating -Afghans

Afghans - as in blankets and not dogs. Although as I mention dogs I have a different Tail(sic) to tell. I was approached by an author this week to produce a series of children's illustrated books about the life of a dog (of which Dylan Thomas jumps to mind) and when ever I think about Dylan Thomas I can see his boots lying under his desk, in his cottage in Laugharne, pushed under slightly apart and the toes pointing out and into those boots step my Grandad, Jim Ince a big, bold, rounded man. Red in the face from drinking more than his fair share of Indian Pale Ale and working on too many building sites before the advent of power tools. Which makes me think of how much craft and workmanship we have lost with the use of all  power tools.  Before the craftsman worked the materials with art and feeling, crafting, sculpting  and manipulating the materials just as hand knitters do still - which brings me back to knitted Afghans which I have been painting this week. These are for a book by my again favourite publisher CICO Books.

Gardening zone map

Its amazing what you can find when you are not looking . Searching some plants for a project I am working on and come across a Gardening Zone Map I had produced for Cottage Living magazine a few years ago. So if you live in the US and want to know which Gardening Zone you are in take a look at the map.

http://www.myhomeideas.com/myhome/info/0,30854,1817366,00.html 

Michael Hill photographer

Do I hand a camera as well as pencil?

http://www.creativematch.co.uk/?action=viewflair&fi=3920 

Haagen Daz illustrations for Martha Stewart Living

This week I have been working on a garden plan illustration commission by Eon Kim  Art Director at Martha Stewart Living. The garden has been designed to attract bees with a mixture of flowers. The ideas is to encourage bees into gardens which I believe are in short supply( not in my garden when I sit down for a relaxing glass of wine). The bee garden is promoted by Haagen Daz ice cream. You can see the plan and follow it to have a garden full of bees!If that is what you really want!

Three illustrated book jackets

Book jackets are one of the first things people think about when you mention that you are an illustrator which usually follow the question "Children"s Books?" but my stock answer is generally that i do adult illustration followed up by 'of course not 'adult' illustration but illustration for grown up people'. So i am going to post three book jackets in different stages of completion that i have been working on recently.
Firstly, a book for Penguin Books that I posted about earlier and I am showing the final draft of the cover with some sample type. Secondly, two books for my favourite publisher CICO Books on the theme of Green Wiccan, the first book 'The Green Wiccan Year Book' published in September 2008 , here I show the final cover design and the last cover is for a new book called 'The Green Wiccan Herbal' by Stilja. The design is without the type. This cover follows the design of the first book in the series.
Hopefully my one follower will enjoy these as well as all book worms out there.

Illustrated Penguin Book Jacket

Illustration students are nearly always set the projects to design and illustrate a Penguin book jacket, this is always difficult as you not only have to do the illuststions but decide which book you would like to illustrate. A difficult decision for anyone!
Orange covered Penguin books have always taken pride of place on my book shelves supported by the green crime thrillers (and maybe some white Picadors). So after many years of waiting and illustrating for different parts of the Penguin group I will finally have a Penguin (image) on the illustrated book jacket I am working on at the moment for Penguin in New York( thanks to Penguin Art Director, Roseanne Serra). The book called ‘If the Buddha had kids’ and is by the author Charlotte Kasl and is part of a series of books but this is the first to be published by Penguin.