New Work

I have always liked birds, they have a graceful and beautiful way about them. I am  also loving blue and grey lately. so I thought I would do some illustrations based around that colour scheme and birds. The first is an illustration of origami birds. I was inspired to do something like this at work today as some of the girls were trying out origami.

The second illustration is a pattern using swallows. I love the shape swallows have when they dive. Hope you like them.

Harwich Redoubt

I have been meaning to post this for a while but I have finally got round to it. Last Bank Holiday Monday I went with my boyfriend to the Harwich Redoubt. I was very pleased with visit and would recommend to anyone that is local or is visiting that neck of the woods.

Here is the Redoubt's Website description:

The Redoubt is a circular fort commanding the eastern side of Harwich. It was built between 1807 and 1809 to support Landguard Fort on the opposite shore near Felixstowe and to form part of the chain of Martello Tower defences. It is 200 feet in diameter, is surrounded by a deep ditch and can only be entered by one removable drawbridge.

Tickets cost £3 which is a bargain for the amount of information and displays that are available. I was particularly interested from a graphic designer's point of view in the old packaging, illustrations, posters and signs that were on display. Here are some examples:

You can view the Redoubt's Website here : http://www.ecastles.co.uk/harwich.html

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The True Story

Last night I watched a very interesting documentary about L Frank Baum the famous author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz on BBC 4.

The documentary follows the writing of the iconic American story that was written in 1900 by L Frank Baum, a Chicago businessman, journalist, chicken breeder, actor, boutique owner, Hollywood movie director and lifelong fan of all things innovative and technological. His life spanned an era of remarkable invention and achievement in America and many of these developments helped to fuel this great storyteller's imagination.

His ambition was to create the first genuine American fairytale and the story continues to fascinate, inspire and engage millions of fans of all ages from all over the world. This documentary explored how The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has come to symbolise the American Dream and includes previously unseen footage from the Baum family archives, still photographs and clips from the early Oz films, as well as interviews with family members, literary experts and American historians as it tells the story of one man's life in parallel to the development of modern America.

I highly recommend this documentary and you can view it here on BBC iPlayer

Canal+ shows how to get ahead in the movies

French TV channel Canal+ has a released a witty series of ads, devised by BETC Euro RSCG in Paris, that emphasise its commitment to helping filmmakers...The ads use beautifully designed flowcharts (inspired by New York magazine, perhaps?) to highlight the many twists and turns that can occur when making a movie, and some of the solutions. Each one tackles a different genre, including action, horror and porn, and feature many amusing outcomes. Shown below are three of the full ads, alongside details of each.

Credits:

Agency: BETC Euro RSCG

Global creative director: Stéphane Xiberras

Creative director: Olivier Apers

Creatives: Gregory Ferembach, David Troquier

Illustrator: Les Graphiquants

Iconic Women - Coco Chanel

Here is my second installment for my Iconic Women Project. It is of the wonderful Coco Chanel a very inspirational lady.

Iconic Women

I have recently decided to embark on a new illustration project called iconic women. I completed the first drawing to day of Audrey Hepburn who is absolutely beautiful and a true icon. I plan to do others of Coco Chanel, Marilyn Monroe, Twiggy and Madonna.

I really wanted to experiment with typography within my illustrations because this is something I usually avoid! I decided to incorporate a famous quote by Audrey Hepburn and I am very pleased with the result! Stand by for more updates!

Five tiny illustrated comics from B.ü.L.b Comix

B.ü.L.b Comix in Switzerland newest creation is a set of five tiny concertina comics (each measuring just 35x45mm) - by Andy Rementer, Lloyd Dangle, Rutu Modan, Chihoi and Alexandre Joly – housed in a suitably tiny box...

B.ü.L.b Comix has actually been producing tiny format (as well as larger format) comix since 1996 - with each set being printed in just two spot colours with 22 pages or panels. Each of its  Box Set releases is stamped with a letter of the alphabet. This new one is W – box set A was published back in 1997. "Only 3 letters to go, a countdown to the end of our publishing adventure," says B.ü.L.b's Mathieu. "Yes, we've been running B.ü.L.b comix since 1996, without any grants and supporting the local printers. B.ü.L.b comix is non-profit making, we don't get paid, we give books to authors and all money is reused to release new books. DIY freedom!"

Here's a look at the comics in the new W box set:

New from Nobrow

These lovely new publications are from Nobrow. Each little book contains a story that is accompanied by beautiful illustrations.

First up is The Wolf's Whistle by Bjorn Rune Lie - a 32 page hardback which represents Nobrow's first foray into children's books. The book tells the story of a young Wolf called Albert who grows up with a dream of working for his favourite comic book publishers. Albert grows up and fulfils his dreams but is heartbroken when his three best friends from school suffer at the hands of local gangsters, the Honeyroast brothers.

The book ends with Albert on the cusp of reaping sweet revenge (in the name of justice, of course) as he reaches under his bed for the costume of the superhero he's been drawing all his life: Lone Wolf... This is surely the first of a series that charts the heroics of Albert / Lone Wolf as he does battle with the forces of evil and the dastardly Honeyroast brothers. Here are some spreads:

The Wolf's Whistle, £12 from nobrow.net

The Bento Bestiary is illustrated by Ben Newman and written by Scott Donaldson. This is an updated, hardback version which features no less than 14 illustrated  Yokai - a particular type of ancient Japanese beast and demon that were the forefathers of such famous Kaiju as Godzilla or Mothra. Each beast is accompanied by a description of what the beast is like, and also the consequences of eating it...

You probably wouldn't guess it from perusing Hildafolk – the latest in Nobrow's 17x23 series of illustrated short story publications – but its author, Luke Pearson, only graduated this year. This is a really accomplished comic story of a young girl that goes exploring the mountain on which she lives, discovering trolls and giants along the way...

I think I'm correct in the assumption that this is Nobrow's heftiest volume to date at 24.5cm x 19cm with 176 pages and a hardback cover and a rather nice cloth spine..

A Graphic Cosmogony is an anthology of comic stories about the "creation of everything". The 24 artists whose work features in it are thus: Stuart Kolakovic, Mikkel Sommers, Brecht Vandenbroucke, Luke Best, Rob Hunter, Jon McNaught, Ben Newman, Andrew Rae, Luke Pearson, Jack Teagle, Jon Boam, Jakob Hindrichs, Clayton Junior, Daniel Locke, Isabel Greenberg, Mike Bertino, Nick White, Rui Tenreiro, Sean Hudson, Luc Melanson, Katia Fouquet, Yeji Yun, Matthew Lyons, and Liesbeth De Stercke.

A Graphic Cosmogony, £24 from nobrow.net

And last but not least is Nobrow 4 - the latest issue of Nobrow's regular, 60 page, oversize A4, compendium of artwork by various artists on a particular theme. This ssue's theme is Night and Day and the cover (above) is by mcbess. Here are some spreads:

Nobrow 4 has been printed in an edition of 3000. £11 from nobrow.net