Frances McKay Illustration

Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2013

The short list for the Roald Dahl Funny Books Prize 2013 was announced last week, and we here at Frances Mckay Illustration are happy to shout out that the wonderful Weasels by Elys Dolan has been shortlisted for the award.

Awards and nominations

Exciting news here at FMI, with Chris Mould shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award, and Donough O' Malley scooping some prizes too!

Chris Mould event

It's the New Year and we are back with a bang here at FMI, particularly the talented Mister Mould!

chris mould's Pirates and Pistols

Chris Mould has a great new book out, 'Pirates 'n' Pistols'. The next installment in his successful series of books, this anthology of swashbuckling seafaring stories is beautifully illustrated. 

If you like his previous titles, 'Dust 'n' Bones' and 'Fangs 'n' Fire', this is one for you. Have a look at The Bookbag's review here. Published by Hodder Children's books, it's available in all good book shops from this month.

Scribblemania at St Edmunds

 
Author and illustrator Chris Mould visited St Edmunds Catholic Primary School in Godalming and did Something Wickedly Weird – He stepped into their world, took them back to a time when he was seven years old and turned them all into aspiring writers and artists!

Spindlewood Tales UK Tour

 
Well, I’ve been on my travels again publicising SPINDLEWOOD TALES.

Pip and the Twilight Seekers is the second instalment in the series and so, assisted by Victoria Roberts from Publicity we took to the road in the Spindlewood Carriage and headed for our first stop.

Pip and the Wood Witch Curse

 
This writing and illustrating malarkey seems to be sending me hopping around the globe these days. I was lucky enough to be asked to go to Istanbul at the end of January and it was an opportunity I could not have missed. A week in a bi-lingual school doing presentations and workshops to Turkish children learning English as a second language.

Hangman’s Hollow

As we fly headlong into the new year I am developing the artwork for a new (yet to be titled) series. I took the decision to try and put some strip artwork in there. I wanted to integrate text and words a little bit more and play with layout. It’s taking some doing but I think it will be worth it in the end.

The story is set in a place called Hangman’s Hollow. Far from anywhere else in a frozen landscape where thick woods grow up around a walled city. The city is at war with the forest. Things emerge onto the streets at night. The forest people want to claim the city as their own and children are outlawed in these parts. But one small boy manages to smuggle himself in there one winter’s night without knowing what awaits him and the series is all about his dark adventures as he desperately makes his way to safety.

I’ll be keeping you posted on how the series is progressing but in the meantime here is a taster of some of that artwork.

Chris Mould

www.somethingwickedlyweird.com