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.

The Littlest Witch casts her spells

Published today! The Witch with an Itch written by Helen Baugh is a funny and intriguing, rhyming tale about a bold little witch and her first encounters with magic. We see her skipping through the Little Witch school gates, freshly qualified with wand poised to make her mark on the world.  Everything seems right but as the first spell is cast the magic backfires and despite word perfect incantation the spell goes wrong!
Nature features largely throughout this story and for me it was a pleasure to illustrate the shade dappled woodland and its bustling traffic of insects and other small slimy creatures not normally given much attention. We tiptoe behind the little witch with her trail of wrong spells and increasingly explosive clouds of colourful magic where finally, in fits of frustration and comic anger she has a dramatic realisation! 
Helen's story gave me plenty of challenges, fitting all the action into the layouts, even though the spreads are HUGE  thanks to the Jonathan Cape super large format and keeping the creatures appealing at that size - How do you make a newt look cute?! It has been a treat to work on this tale of human nature and animal magic. Here's some more art/sketches on what has kept me very busy these past weeks.

Magic in the air

Hats , cats, frogs newts and witches. The new book to appear very soon!

Here are some sketches...

Pirates and portraits

Here's a visit to Grafton School for an art work shop with the reception classes.
Based on the Night Pirates book I asked my newly recruited crew to give themselves a make over. Well done shipmates!

My big book of Night Pirate sketches get things started...

House of Illustration opens in London

A summers eve with stars, champagne and an exciting new permanent venue for illustration. Quite a giddy experience as we squeezed into the elegant gallery to view the opening exhibition of founder and legend, Quentin Blake. Who more fabulous than Joanna Lumley could the House of Illustration hope to have as Patron!
There's a pantheon of artists involved in developments so there should be some inspiring events to come.

Larissa Joy Chairman of the House of Illustration

YeeHaw!

Lucky last post for She'll be Coming Round the Mountain brought me to an event where I got the chance to dress up as the character and spend time with some beautiful horses - oh bliss!