Frances McKay Illustration

Images 35

It's that time of the year again when the great and good in British Illustration pop up in the A.O.I's 'IMAGES' annual. Judgement on number 36 is out soon, while IMAGES 35 recently had it's private view in London, where the various awards in different categories were dished out. Work to appear in the annual is jury selected, so not every Tom Dick and Harry can get in, and subsequently the standard is always high.

Well we are happy here at team FMI to say that we have had not just one, nor two, but three people manage to get into the hefty tome. And if that wasn't enough, some of them even got a number of illustrations into it.

Going to Mecca

Going to Mecca, my first full-size picture book written by Na’ima B Roberts with publisher Frances Lincoln, is nearly ready to go to print!

Through poetry and pictures the book takes us on a pilgrimage to Mecca, as seen through the eyes of two children.

As a friend suggested, illustrating this book has represented for me a metaphorical pilgrimage on a creative and professional level.

The Guardian - Buy of the day!

Just as I am gluing the word “end” on the final page of “A Frisbee to Fly”, the latest of Secret Seed Society books, I was very excited to hear that they have been featured on the Guardian as the “buy of the day”! 

Paper Cages

 
They say all illustrators fall into two categories: those who like drawing people and those who like drawing animals.

Fairy Tale Village

During summer I spent a week in Sarmede, a tiny village in the Venetian hills in Italy. Quite unexpectedly given its small size and isolated location, Sarmede hosts an international school of illustration and a yearly exhibition featuring works by some of the most exciting contemporary children’s book illustrators.

The school was founded in 1989 by Czech artist Stepan Zavrel, whose beautiful frescos are still dotted around the village (together with the anecdotes about his rocambolesque life).

In Sarmede I attended a course taught by Linda Wolfsgruber (a great teacher as well an inspiring illustrator) and I had fun experimenting with monoprint.

By using a sheet of Perspex, oil based colours, and a press, monoprint allows you to create interesting textured backgrounds. If you don’t have access to a press though, a rolling pin will do the trick.

Back to my studio I cut and pasted the backgrounds I had produced in the course. And here is what came up…

Valentina Cavallini

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From Recycling to Cycling

Hi all, Here are two images I’ve worked on last week. Together with another 1043 by various artists, they were entered to the Cycling in London Competition launched by the London Transport Museum in collaboration with the AOI. Being a keen cyclist myself I liked the brief and I had fun thinking about the different things people carry on their bikes (I later thought I should have included a self portrait with A1 portfolio!!)
The slogan I used brought back to my memory another picture I did some 5 years ago when I was at university, and which was about promoting recycling (I am a keen recyclist too, which is part of why I use collage as my main medium). Making 3D models and photographing them is a different way of working from what I normally do (not the quickest when you’re working on tight deadlines!). But it’s possibly the most fun I’ve had making a picture…
Valentina All three of these illustrations are avaliable as limited edition giclee prints. For more information on these prints, and to see more prints by Valentina see 'Valentina's Limited Editions' in the right hand column.  Valentina's Website Follow us on Facebook

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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