New Book!

Doctor Molly's Medicine Case!

Here is Doctor Molly! She has the best medicine case ever and it has to be said that there's something quite magical at work - again - in my latest work published by the good people at Walker books and written by the fantastic Miriam Moss. 

This story opens a world of imagination where Doctor Molly can find the perfect cure for her patients with the help of the reader. The magic of the medicine case is that it is stuffed to the depths with potential cures. Cures that can make you laugh, or cured with a song to forget that you're feeling out of sorts. All is possible, but then Doctor Molly can find the best cure of all for her toys.

Once Miriam and I agreed on the main characters, the real work began! Little Doctor Molly went through some development from the original roughs where she had various hair styles and wore glasses, then settling on the distinctive hair band which interchanged with her doctor's costume. Even though I have some experience painting for novelty books, this one proved to be quite complex, getting the page turns and flaps to balance nicely! Here are some early roughs.

A sneezing polar bear arrives as Doctor Molly's first patient. I kept the backdrop very minimal ( for me! ) soft hues painted in water colour for the cure scenes.

What is inside that Case?!

A cure for any rainy day!

The contents of Dr. Molly's case changes with each animal patient. I included a whole collection of play things that I loved as a child...Balloons, Binoculars, glitter glue and small shiny things kept in tiny boxes. Of course I still have an over stuffed drawer in my studio with many of these items.

A further reading link from Miriam and me here on the Walker Picture Book Party blog 

Magic works for any age

The Witch with an Itch worked its spell on the classes at Northwold Primary School. Once they started drawing they just couldn't stop!

Get ready, DRAW!

With the many school visits come the planning and preparation - How to present the next book. I really enjoy taking my books to the different year groups in each school and discovering what the kids make of the characters and story telling. A big part of my visit is setting the scene for some creativity to burst forth. By the end of the class there's a bustling energy and flurry of artworks produced!

Thomas Primary School London

World Book Day

World Book day no longer fits into just one day. Now it's more like World Book Month! Which is a great thing, as children, schools and libraries around the globe get stuck into their best reads and favourite story characters.
I took my latest title Witch with an Itch to some lively classrooms and these are some of the results. Big, bold, colourful drawings and magical spells.
Hubble Bubble! From Kingsmead Primary School.