Frances McKay Illustration

Animating Lordship Lane

I was thrilled to be one of the artists chosen to take part in the Animating Lordship Lane art trail last month. I was commissioned by Fantasy High Street to create a window display for Just Williams toy shop that responds visually to the business. My piece, Take the 5^th Exit, is a toyshop interpretation of the road itself. I cross the roundabout where Just Williams is located daily and thought this would be the perfect place to introduce a new imaginary exit from the roundabout at the bottom of Lordship Lane.

 

 

On this road there was a unicorn on rollerblades, a pirate in a helicopter, a dinosaur riding a scooter and an elephant driving a pick-up truck. I also included possibly East Dulwich’s most famous character, the giant Walrus from the Horniman Museum. He was traveling to the Horniman in the pick-up truck.

 

It was a fantastic project to be involved in and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working on large scale artwork. Fantasy High Street also held a Family Fun Weekend on the 3^rd and 4^th of September where I ran a drawing workshop in which children created their own illustrated characters to travel up Lordship Lane. It was an awful lot of fun!

 

Nicola Pontin

Literary Festival at St Mary's Lower School in Colchester

On July 8^th St Mary’s School had their book festival, several local authors were there to talk to the children and in the afternoon four illustrators from FMI went to educate and entertain the girls; Bee Willey, Tom Morgan Jones, Elys Dolan and Nicola Pontin, all volunteered to come to Colchester.

Click on images to enlarge

Bee had copies of her new book Dreamer, soon to be published by Otter Barrie Books. It is a wonderful, lyrical story written by Brian Moses, with a boy dreaming of a world free of pollution and trouble.

In the Art Room, Bee read Dreamer to a group of girls and then helped them create a frieze using the themes from the book. Considering the short amount of time available, it was a terrific result. Colourful and exotic animals spread across the wall, they all had a great time.

Tom, Elys and Nicola were all in a large marquee, busy with different age groups. They read from their recent books and then got the children to join in with different activities.

Tom’s group all drew portraits of Shakespeare, based on the book, The Boy at The Globe, that he has recently illustrated for Barrington Stoke.

Elys read them her best selling Steven Seagull Action Hero, and then had an observation quiz for the girls based on the book.

Nicola, read her book about the Baker Troll and then had all the children designing their own Troll characters.

A local photographer took some great shots, which appeared in all the local papers.

It was a really fun afternoon and the local Colchester bookshop, had a pop up shop, selling copies of all the new books to the children and parents at the end of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonderful Beast's Storm of Stories

Last Bank Holiday Monday, I ran a shadow puppet workshop, for Wonderful Beast’s 'Storm of Stories', based in Aldeburgh. Here are some of the pics we took.

We worked around the story of the Wild Man of Orford, following a performance of Martin Bonger’s “Return of the Wildman’. It all took place in the fabulous Pumphouse in a beautiful marquee. Working with the technician, we set up a magical stage where people could perform their own version of the story, using their character 'shadow puppets’.

 

 

All ages came and everyone got stuck in. Magical moments were had by all.

 

 

Bee Willey

 

The Folio Society Book Illustration Competition 2016

I'm delighted to have won The Folio Society Book Illustration Competition and a commission to illustrate War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. The result was announced by Michael at The House of Illustration in London on Thursday 25 February, and a very good evening it was too.

With The Folio Society’s reputation for excellence and some beautiful entries from the other illustrators, I was chuffed even to have made the longlist. Here’s a link to the list as featured in The Guardian.

The Folio Society makes lovely, covetable books. Quality of binding and paper and reproduction are, rightly, important to authors and illustrators, as well as to readers of course. But I went into the competition because of the choice of book. War Horse is a great story and its themes obviously still resonate.

The central relationship of Albert and his horse, Joey is key, as are the expectations of the time and the industrialisation of  war that took men and horses for fodder. For me it’s not the horses that are difficult to get right (though I could always do it better), it’s the apparatus and devastation of war that is hard to fathom. Barbed wire, for example, has a particular way of contorting; a calculated menace.  Together, these elements create a tension for both the narrative and the pictures.

It’s a terrific commission; it’s one of those jobs where I think, ’this is what I’ve always wanted to do’... actually, there are one or two more Michael Morpurgo stories that I'd love to illustrate. 

 

Alan Marks

A Scribble of Illustrators

A Scribble of Illustrators,2nd - 6th May 2015

Centrespace Gallery, 6 Leonard Lane, Bristol BS1 1EA

 

The children’s book illustrator - a species seldom seen out and about during daylight, and almost never in a group of it’s own kind, or ‘scribble’. What could possibly tempt these shy, retiring (some might even say anti-social) creatures to gather in one of Bristol’s finest gallery spaces for a week-long fiesta of original artwork, prints, books for sale and family events? 

 

In an unprecedented display of team-spirit (an ‘agreement’ of illustrators, perhaps? seems unlikely), eleven of the west-country’s finest children’s authors and illustrators will be sharing this brilliant space to show off their diverse range of techniques and skills, as well as hosting a variety of family events, readings and workshops over the bank holiday weekend.

 

In addition to exhibiting work from past, present and future publishing triumphs, each of the illustrators will be creating a new artwork for the show, illustrating one of their favourite collective nouns. A tishoo of sneezes? A charm of finches? Who knows, there might even be a beautification of spatulas. Come along in May and find out.

 

Details of workshops and events to be announced on the exhibition Facebook page. 

 

Exhibitors include:

 

Joe Berger

Joe is the author/illustrator of Bridget Fidget, and Bridget Fidget Hold on Tight, published by Puffin, and recently illustrated three new Chitty Chitty Bang Bang books for Pan Macmillan, written by Frank Cottrell Boyce. Joe is currently drawing the Hubble Bubble picture book and young fiction series by Tracey Corderoy, and Superhero Dad by Timothy Knapman, both series published by Nosy Crow. Joe was World Book Day Illustrator 2010, and one of the BookTrust Best New Illustrators in 2011, which is odd because he’s not very new.

 

Paula Bowles

Paula writes and illustrates children’s books for a number of publishers including Bloomsbury, Random House and Templar. Her books include Little Lou and the Wolly Mammoth, Scary Mary, What Goes Up,  and Messy Jesse.

Paula illustrated The National Trust Family Organiser 2015, and is currently working on the 2016 edition. In 2013 Paula was an chosen artist to paint Gromit as part of the ‘Gromit Unleashed’ trail.

 

Jo Empson

Jo Empson graduated from Cambridge School of Art with an MA in Children’s Book Illustration. During the course she created her first picture book Rabbityness which was published the following year in 2012 by Child’s play International, and has been nominated for 8 awards, including Kate Greenaway Medal and shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and UKLA award.

Her second picture book published by Child’s Play, Never Ever, was awarded a Kirkus Star, won Moonbeam US Children’s Book Award - Gold for Preschool Picture Books and also nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal. 

 

Yasmin Ismael

Yasmin recently moved to Bristol; she is writing her fourth book for Bloomsbury, her first for Walker Books, and is also working on picture books for Nosy Crow and Pan Macmillan. She has just completed two books for publishers in the US and has more exciting projects lined up for 2015.

Her book Time for Bed was selected by the New York Times for the Best Illustrated Books list 2014. She has a love of watercolours, inks and paints and her illustrations are bright, fluid and full of energy and movement.

 

Sean Julian

Sean was born in Derbyshire and studied at the Mansfield College of Art before moving to Bristol to study Illustration. Sean being himself big and hairy has always been happiest drawing Bears, Gorillas and other big hairy creatures. Since 2001 he has been illustrating children’s books for an array of publishers and book packagers. Recent books include: My Dad written by Steve Smallman and published by the Little Tiger Press, and Brave little Owl written by Penny Little, published by Random House. The latter was recently read out by Maggie Aderin-Pocock on the Cbeebies programme ‘Storytime’.

 

Steve Lenton

Steven is the illustrator of the best selling Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam which was both Waterstones picture book of the month and The Times children's book of the week. Since this successful debut Steven has written his first picture book Princess Daisy and the Dragon and the Nincompoop Knights with publisher Nosy Crow and is also illustrating the latest fiction title by Frank Cottrell Boyce The Astounding Broccoli Boy.

 

Henning Lohlein

Originally from Germany, Henning has lived in Bristol for 25 years, during which he has illustrated over 30 children's books, published in more than 15 languages. His latest pop-up book Fish Food, published by Templar, won the Sheffield Children's Book Prize 2014 in the baby book category. He was selected as one of the artists to paint Shaun the sheep for Bristol’s "Shaun in the City" trail this year.

 

Gwen Millward

Gwen is particularly fond of drawing bugs. Her books for children are full of them; most famously 'The Bog Baby' written by Jeanne Willis which won the Book Trust Early Years Award. She has illustrated for Puffin, Simon and Schuster, Andersen Press, Egmont, Candlewick, Random House and is currently working with Bloomsbury. All of these books contain Bugs.

 

Donough O’Malley

Donough is an Illustrator and author from Monaghan in Ireland. Since completion of his degree in illustration at UWE and an MA in Brighton, his first picture book Monkey See Monkey Do (Frances Lincoln UK) was shortlisted for the Cambridge picture book award in 2007. Recent picture books for Irish publishers Futa Fata have been selected for the White Ravens catalogue and inclusion to the permanent collection of the International Youth Library in Munich. Donough is also the illustrator of the successful book series, The World of Norm, which won the Scottish Book Trust Award 2013 and has been printed in over 14 countries.

 

Lauren Tobia

Lauren has illustrated Anna Hibiscus and Song and Splash, Anna Hibiscus!, both written by Atinuke (Walker Books). Anna Hibiscus was included in Time Out New York's Top 50 Best Books for Kids; "a book that deserves to become a classic". It was also a 2011 Boston Globe Honour Book for Excellence in Children's Literature.

Lauren is a founder member of the Bristol based illustration group Brillustration, taking part in collaborative drawings in galleries to bookshop windows. 

 

Sarah Warburton

Sarah Warburton hails from North Wales but has lived and worked in Bristol as an illustrator for 20 years. She uses a combination of pencil sketches, digital colour and collage. Sarah has produced a bestselling trio of Princess books with a difference with Caryl Hart  and Nosy Crow - winning the Oldham Brilliant Book award in 2013. Dinosaurs in the Supermarket, with Timothy Knapman, was shortlisted for The Coventry Book Award 2013 and Oscars First Book Prize in 2014. Sarah’s first book with author Mark Sperring Mable and Me - Best of Friends was longlisted for a UKLA book prize in 2014.    

THE LION, THE WHITE HORSE, AND THE MERMAID

Funded by the Arts Council, and IpswichRecreate, “IPSWICH STORIES OLD AND NEW’ is an exciting creative workshop event in Ipswich’s Corn Exchange, taking place during the half term on 18^th February 2015.

Illustrator Bee Willey and artist Karen Densham are running creative workshops for the public about the ‘iconic mythical creatures’ present in the city centre with the combination of storyteller Helen Baggett and a specialist Ipswich tourist guide. 

Through imagination, drawing and drama, the creative input of the public will result in a collaborative mural celebrating the diversity of responses and connecting the historic stories into the present; this event will then lead to an interactive online storytelling game which will access a wider audience over the weeks following the workshop day.

2 workshops will be taking place on the day, open to all ages from 4 upwards. 

Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Free Tickets will be available on the Facebook page on 1^st February. https://www.facebook.com/IpswichStoriesMermaidWhiteHorseGoldenLion?ref=hl

Badges and Fridge Magnets

I am busily making things for a pre-Christmas sale as part of a small group of local artists and craftspeople in our market town in Hampshire. I have produced several pictures and my latest venture is hand made fridge magnets and badges.

I wanted something easy to cut out into shapes and I chose balsa wood, upon which I stuck original drawings and cut around - miraculously no injuries either. A very thin coating of PVA to protect (I tried matt and gloss clear varnish but I was not happy with the finish) then the edges sanded and the addition of tiny magnets and brooch pins stuck on the back with silicone glue. 

 

Jane Eccles

FMI Illustrators at the RWA

This weekend sees an illustration special take place at the Royal West Academy in Bristol. While workshops are taking place on Saturday, Sunday has a drop in experience where members of the public are free to come and see three illustrators in their work environment. People are invited to come along, see how they work, what they do, ask questions and if it takes their fancy, take part in some drawing. Alongside Bristol illustrator Lauren Tobia, two of FMI's illustrators will be taking part, Sean Julian and Donough O' Malley. See the above flyer for all the details and we hope that you can come along!