Frances McKay Illustration

Children's Book Rally

 
Throughout September the wonderful Illustration Rally will be running a 'Children's Book Rally'. This is one to enter!

Make no mistake there is a nice prize for the winner but the real beauty of it, as with all Illustration Rally's rallys, is that all entries will be posted on their blog. We'll also be featuring the winner, runners up and note worthy entries too!

 

This is about showcasing the good, the budding and the talented, showing new ideas and hopefully pushing the boundaries of children's book illustration for all to enjoy, including our industry following. Are you ready?

Jack and Jill

 
Having completed my first book while pregnant, eight weeks after Alfie was born it was time to tackle book number two, 'Jack and Jill'. I'm not sure how I managed to do this. My candle was thoroughly burnt at both ends, but somehow a little waxy blob of sanity survived to pull everything together; nappies were changed and spreads were painted. I connect the imagery in this book with my late (and lovely) mother in law, Pat, who must have spent hundreds of hours walking her dog on Clapham Common; she had recently died and was often in my thoughts as I worked. It's dedicated to her memory; hope she'd have liked it.

 

Kate Willis-Crowley

 

Jack and Jill is published by Hodder Children's Books. 

Meerkat Smiles, (I hope!)

 
Recently I have been very happily sketching meerkats, for a possible new project!!

Frances rang me up one day to ask, “How do you feel about drawing meerkats?” I answered, “Well, I’d definitely like to give it a go!” Especially as we are members of a small local zoo in East Sussex, that is particularly known for its meerkat family, and a its meerkat viewing dome, where my girls love to pop their heads through, to become part of the meerkat surroundings!

I’m an Ape-Man

(Click on the images to enlarge the illustrations)

I first met Jane Goodall at Heathrow airport with the publisher Michael Neugebauer. Michael had already published The Chimpanzee Family Book with Jane; had been to The Gombe National Park in Tanzania to photograph the chimps, and was already a supporter of Jane’s charity, the JGI. The possibility of my working with her came up and I was asked if I could draw chimpanzees. I’d never drawn one and perhaps I could have replied, “Yes, but I will need to see them in their natural habitat”. Being freelance, I simply said, “Yes, of course”. Jane and Michael flew off to separate and exotic parts of the world and I drove back home to my drawing board. It isn’t just the freelance thing though; I assume that I can draw anything because drawing is a process of discovery; and a good way to learn about an animal, for example, is to draw it. As well as doing various pieces for the JGI, I have since worked with Jane on With Love a book of true stories about the lives of chimps and Rickie and Henri, again, a true story about the relationship between an orphaned chimp and a dog.

The Electricity of Ideas - D J Connell on Creativity

I’m a novelist and write books for a living. But my first love was illustration.

I can’t remember learning how to draw. It was something that fell from the sky and landed in my lap.I was never formally taught techniques but as soon as I was old enough to hold a pen, I was drawing.