So long, Feb…
I know February is the shortest month of the year, but it really does seem to have flown. It was another busy month for me; finishing projects, starting projects, sampling for projects… but it wasn’t all work. We managed to get away for a short holiday to Knaresborough for my birthday which was amazing. We both needed the break, and even though it was a lot of walking and fighting against the steely winds of Yorkshire, I did come back feeling more relaxed, and as if I’d had a bit of a reset. The cats were less thrilled with their holiday experience, but you can’t win them all.
Isn’t she beautiful?
I took my iPad with me, thinking I’d find loads of time to do some doodling, which of course I didn’t. I did manage to squeeze in this very fancy fox before we headed out for the day, however.
If anyone knows where I can get a coat like this, let me know.
Back to business…
Once we got home, it was straight back to work and catching up on a couple of things I’d had to push back a bit. So, what have I been working on during Feb? WELL, let me tell you -
I finished the final art for Wigglesbottom Primary book 9. These books are quite a bit different for me, style-wise. I had no idea when I signed on to the first book back in 2014 that I would still be working on them almost 10 years later. I’m certainly not complaining though, they’ve been a joy to work on, and I’ve learned a lot about my style and how to approach it differently, whilst making sure it still looks like my work.
Here’s a peek at one of the internal spreads. I quite like the pink Pantone that was chosen for this one. Fun fact, I was asked by the publisher if I’d like to name one of the school children, and I chose the name Anne-Marie which is my mum’s name. Cheese, I know, but I’m a middle child so I have to work a bit harder. I jest, I have to work a LOT harder.
I’ve also been squirreling away on roughs for a 3-book series, featuring this wee fella. Again, bit of an unusual one as I’m doing the roughs for all 3 books ahead of final art, which I don’t think I’ve ever done before. I’m finding it quite useful, though. Consistency is something I try to be really mindful of, and there are a lot of different locations, which are seen from different angles and perspectives, so it’s good to get all that stuff signed off ahead of final art.
I can’t share too much about this one, but it’s very high-energy, fun, and silly which are all things that appeal to me when illustrating a book.
Speaking of high-energy, I’ve recently sampled for a new series that is something a little bit out of my comfort zone, but in a good way. I wish I could share more, but I’m waiting to hear back about it, so until then I’ll have to keep it to myself. The publisher asked for quite extensive samples, which included coloured artwork as well as a character page, with lots of dynamic poses. This is something I need to do more of, as I’m always conscious of my characters looking too wooden. I try to be in the habit of working up what I call rough roughs, before working on the ACTUAL roughs, so that I'm giving myself the opportunity to really push the characters as much as possible. Sometimes it can take a number of goes before getting it just right, which obviously takes more time, but it’s worth doing.
In other news, I’m waiting on a new brief for Famous Five which is exciting! I’m hoping to update the characters a little for this one, as my style has evolved quite a bit. Hopefully the publisher goes for it, fingers crossed!
A couple of other projects I’m working on are the cover for Libby and the Manhattan Mystery, the third in a series by Jo Clarke. Here are the covers for the first two:
And the cover of a new middle-grade book by an author I’ve worked with before, but it’s very early stages. I’m looking forward to sharing it when I can, though! Hint: there are tentacles! I love drawing tentacles. And saying the word tentacles. Tentacles.
What else, what else?
I’ve decided to re-decorate my office. This wasn’t supposed to happen until next year, and I reaaaally believed I could wait that long. It’s as if I don’t know myself at all. In my defense, the wallpaper was an assault on my senses and I couldn’t stand to look at it another day longer. It started with a little tear… just to see how easy it would come off, and before I knew it, I’d stripped the whole wall.
I mean, look at it. It has glitter on it, and just not to my taste at all. I also wanted to buy a new desk and some more storage as the room is quite small, so I need to optimise the space as much as possible. I’ve always been really particular about my workspace, and if I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed, I often procrastinate by moving things about in the hopes it’ll solve all my problems. Usually, it just serves to waste a lot of time and energy. One of the benefits of having a smaller space is that there are limited options, so I wanted to spend some time getting it right, so I can feel settled and inspired. It’ll take a bit of time, but I’m excited to see it come together. My task today is to move everything out, ready for it to be painted tomorrow. Maybe I’ll do that after another coffee or two, though. Yes, that sounds good.
Thanks so much for reading, and I’ll catch up with you very soon!
B