Cracked Eye

I've been doing some illustrations recently for Cracked Eye, a digital short story magazine (an imprint of The Other Publishing Company). It's now launched officially - you can subscribe and download it as an app for your phone. This month's issue features this chap. The illustrations below are for a short story called One Way Traffic by R G McKay Ireland, and will be published in a couple of issues time. Go get it! 

A Child's Christmas in Wales

I'm taking part in an exhibition at Oriel Wrecsam, North Wales, based around the prose 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' by Dylan Thomas. 

'A painting book in which I could make the grass, the trees, the sea and the animals any colour I pleased, and still the dazzling sky-blue sheep are grazing in the red field under the rainbow-billed and pea-green birds.'

Work in progress...

...and in situe

I'm very proud to be exhibiting work alongside illustrators including Jonny Hannah, Abi Whitehouse and Jessie Chorley amongst others. The exhibition runs from 1st November until 17th January 2015. 

Humanimation-animation-station!

So now it's pretty much Autumn, and I rounded off the summer by running some live animation workshops at End of the Road festival in Dorset. We invited festival folk to make a few seconds of stop-frame animation using just their bodies and a few props. So much fun!

Here's a wee taster of what we were getting up to - a little dance-off starring Kate, Robin and yours truly (and Kirsty is pictured below!)

dance music from elly strigner on Vimeo.

Kirsty, the fourth member of team Humanimation

I absolutely loved doing these workshops, but it was hard work and I had a lot of help making them happen! So it feels only right to give a shout out of huge appreciation to the fantastically enthusiastic Humanimation team members: film maker extraordinaire Kate Jessop, all-hands-on-deck happy monster Robin Strigner, and the artistic-tastic Kirsty Clarke - they kept the workshops going and made them fun and exciting for everyone involved. Such an ace team. My Dad, too, who helped me by building the backdrop with his wizard carpentry skills! My stepdad, Neil, was working at EOTR anyway, and was a positive presence all round, and of course thanks to EOTR for having us. Also my dog, Meg, just because. And my Mum. And my Granny. Alright that's enough.

If you were involved with the workshops, I'm currently in the process of editing the films and hope to have them up on here by the end of the week, so please watch this space!

End Of The Road festival

I'm really excited to be involved with End of the Road festival at the end of this month, where I'll be running the 'Humanimation' workshops Friday through to Sunday! If you're going to the festival, come and have a go at making some animation for the festival  - using just your body and a few props!

Scale model of the animation backdrop!!

On with the show

Thank you to everyone involved with the show at Studio 73, which came down on Sunday. I'm so pleased with how it all went and there were some lovely comments about the work. Dead proud!

I exhibited some work alongside the students. These illustrations are for two short stories, and are for a forthcoming publication by The Other Publishing company. They'll be up online soon as part of their short story imprint Cracked Eye.

'Stitches' (story by Hayden Sayer)

A top draw Summer

Last week I was in Cambridge running the Illustration for Picture Books Summer school. It was like an arty Summer holiday with a bit of work thrown in (the best kind of holiday!).

Students experimented with drawing and mixed media illustration:

They looked at creating sequences using random imagery, words and shapes:

They also worked together on short storyboarding projects:

We did a lot of bookbinding, and experimented with different book structures and paper folding:

And students were able to develop their own original ideas: 

                                   

It was a really fun and productive week. It was especially good having a proper, consistent amount of time to help the students be creative, play with ideas and narratives, and learn a few new skills.  

Some of the students' work shown here is on display at Studio 73 for the summer exhibition - which is on now until the 10th of August! Come on down for a gander! 

Exhibition time!

It's coming soon...

Illustration for Picture Books first-ever-exhibition!

Right, next bit of news, which I'm very excited about. I have gathered together some of the lovely students from the past 4 terms of the Illustration for Picture Books course, for their first ever group exhibition at Studio 73 in Brixton Village!

Illustration by Sam Goode 2013

It'll be an eclectic display from a talented bunch - expect handmade books, whimsical, funny and experimental illustrations, and original prints and cards. Some of the work will be for sale.

Handmade book by Clare Yerbury 2012

The show will open on Tuesday 29th July, running until Sunday 10th August, at Studio 73, Unit 73 Brixton Village, London SW9 8PS. We should be holding a private view on Friday 1st August. I hope to see you there!

Summer (school) is here again!

Roll up, aspiring illustrators! First on the agenda for a jam-packed summer will be the Illustration for Picture Books Summer School, at Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge, which I'll run for a whole week from Monday 21st July - Friday 25th July.

Illustration by Sally Anne Walker (former student!)

If you fancy getting stuck into a full five days of illustration, storytelling and making handmade books, see the Hills Road website* for more info and bag a space.

There are still places available and it's open to all - you might have little or no artistic experience, or might be gathering work for a portfolio, or want to realise an idea you've had for a story. Or you might just want to do something a bit fun and different. An excuse to draw and write all over a few glorious summer days!

*Please note: to find the Summer school course, scroll down to the bottom of the web page for the courses highlighted in grey. The title given to the course on the Hills Road website is Book Illustration. The course highlighted in yellow, near the top, is for the 10-week course beginning in September. 

Ghostly Bess

As I've still got a minor obsession with Tudors, I decided to make a portrait of Queen Elizabeth 1.

I've been trying to experiment with a few new techniques recently (literal translation = I've been making a mess). For this picture I tried out ink relief, where you use gouache paint to resist india ink on canvas (I found a pretty clear, unfussy tutorial about it on Craftsy). It gives a patchy, painterly effect that I really like.

I'm quite pleased with it. She's got the look of a ghost about her, which seems to fit.

I made another portrait of her a few weeks back, a linocut, which I don't like as much but it's interesting to compare the two.