Frances McKay Illustration

The End of the World

'Stone Factory'

It happens to us all, some times illustrations are rejected for utterly bizarre reasons (angels don’t have wings or at least right wing protestant ones don’t), and others well maybe it just wasn’t what the design team and editors had in mind. And there’s always the author, utterly unpredictable. Decisions to accept work or reject it can be completely subjective.

You have probably done a great job and the designers love it, then marketing and sales team turn around and say it’s not working for them!

Ahhh being rejected is never good, but it happens to us all.

This illustration by James de la Rue, which I think is completely wonderful, for an American publisher, was rejected with no real explanation. Except they must be completely barmy!

So when it does happen to you, grind your teeth, swear and curse, then realise it’s their loss and get one with the next one, as I used to say to one illustrator, although it’s the end of the world as you know it, it is just a children’s book.

Frances McKay

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The World Beneath ‘First Class’

Just imagine: it’s still early in Queen Victoria’s reign; you’re a young northern girl of respectable stock; you’re stuck on a strange ship bound for Australia with typical Victorian upper-middle class parents; and you miss your Gran. What should a posh girl do other than steal down to steerage and check out the lad with the rat in his waistcoat? Only then do you get passed the baby to hold and you wonder if crossing the white line into the world beneath ‘First Class’ was the brightest move you ever made. Illustration ‘Emily holds Annie’ for Emily’s Surprising Voyage, commissioned by Jacky Paynter of Walker Books and due to be published later this year.

James de la Rue

James's website

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Remember that carrot?

It’s been a little while now since my last blog, when I mentioned in it I was starting to work on the illustrations for a carrot story. It was when that funny-looking tropical bird came up to distract me, if you remember?

Well, without too many other distractions the book is finally finished and is being printed as we speak.

It tells the story of Carla, a young carrot who is on a mission to find out who she will be when she grows up.

In a visit to Seed City Museum Carla learns about the lives of some remarkable seedizens, such as Napolionion, Tutankamung Bean, Parsley Bussel, Socarrotes.

Keep an eye on the Secret Seed Society to find out when the book is out!

Valentina

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Valentina's work is on show this weekend at the Bristol Art Fringe Montpelier Art Trail 2010. See Bohemian Bristol

Bohemian Bristol

'Little Red Riding Hood' illustration by Valentina Cavallini.

Montpelier Art Trail 2010 is taking the living rooms, cafes, pubs, streets and other spaces of the Montpelier area and turning them into galleries, exhibition spaces and theatres for one weekend on the 24th and 25th April. The weekend will feature a diverse range of arts, crafts, performances and workshops, set within one walkable area.

Bristol Art Fringe aims to build on the success of last year’s event to establish this Trail as a must-see Bristol event. It is completely grass-roots, having grown out of a desire to provide local artists with a platform to exhibit unconstrained by elitism.

The 2009 event attracted over a thousand visitors into Montpelier, giving several local businesses their best weekend’s trading on record, and opening up Bristol’s own bohemian quarter to the general public.

BAF Chair, Ani Stafford-Townsend, said, “it was fantastic to have this event in an area renowned for it’s creativity. We’re looking forward to even more local artists and creatives joining in with us this year”

Local resident Sarah said, ”I think it was a fantastic way not only to get to know the more secret and intriguing artwork going on in my area, but also to bump into old friends and meet locals in a relaxed and social context. There was a real village fair atmosphere. I was particularly pleased that there seemed to be all ages, sorts and conditions of participants”

Our very own bohemian quater illustrator Valentina Cavallini is one of the exhibiting artists.

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Putting Pen to Paper

This drawing is a recent rough for a Walker Books project. I have been neglecting my drawing recently, as I currently have quite a lot of other stuff on, but I can't describe how exciting it was to start putting pen to paper again. Though I like to produce quite detailed drawings, I feel I've now got rather quick at making them. I’m hoping to find the time to work on a book of my own, in a similar style (indeed, the only one I use).

Temujin Doran

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The first book I wrote and illustrated

In the early 90s I was trailing around publishers with my portfolio when I visited the offices of All Books For Children near The British Museum. I showed them drawings done for various magazine jobs, including one of a boy receiving a monster kit from his Aunt Jane and was told that if I could come up with a story around that drawing they would be interested.

Sometime later I returned with a rough story and a few drawings which were to become Maxwell Monster. It was also published in the US as Maxwell's Birthday - I had wanted my monster to be called Kevin, but was persuaded otherwise. I was working as a bookseller at Waterstone's in Richmond at the time and we had a brilliant party to celebrate the publication.

The story tells of the Monster family who live in a town populated by green monsters and how Maxwell was given a fabulous Monster Fun Kit for his birthday 'complete with fearsome mask, hideous claws, dastardly feet and lots of eyeballs on dangly wire'. Transformed into a hideous creature Maxwell went to show everyone but was surprised to find that all his friends, his granny and even Fang the dog had run away. Looking for his sister Rose he caught sight of himself in the mirror and fainted with shock. Mum and Dad and Rose heard the bump and ran to him.

'Here's a glass of water, son,' said Dad lifting his head.

'That's better, Maxwell," said Mum, as she took off the monster mask.

'I think I preferred you with it on," said Rose.

Jane Eccles

Jane Eccles Folksy Shop

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Behold! Scaredy-dog in pink earmuffs

Cowardly dog, creepy castles, pink earmuffs and booties, girls in in a cape and beret. Exactly the kind a 45-year-old man should be painting. Welcome to the world of Wilma Tenderfoot. Wilma (it says here) dreams of one day becoming assistant to the world-famous (and very serious) detective, Theodore P Goodman. But the last thing Mr Goodman wants is a small and slightly accident-prone sidekick -- especially one with an over friendly beagle called Pickle who keeps eating all the clues.

This is the third of three covers I've just finished for a brand-new Macmillan series by Emma Kennedy. Emma (according to her own blurb) is a writer/actress for radio and television. The first book was originally issued with a cover by a rather brilliant French artist called Marc Sylvain. But for some reason Macmillan have changed their mind and are going with yours truly. Marc is still doing the insides, which are lovely. Don't know when they're out, but will let you know.

The artworks were started with a pencil rough, followed by lots and lots and lots of angry scraping and cursing in Photoshop and Painter. Especially the first one.

John Kelly

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Moon Stuck

This is a spread from a book idea I'm working on, Lion and Dog go on a fabulous adventure, ultimately landing on the moon, quite how they get back down, is yet unresolved, so is still a work in progress!

Maddy McClellan

Maddy's website

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