How Poppy and Quinn began...

When I first decided to write 'This Way Up' I knew there were to be two characters, a boy and a girl. It seemed natural for this to be, maybe because I used to play with my two cousins, Carley and Andy. Poppy was to be the oldest, like my cousin Carley, then Quinn the younger would be like my cousin Andy.

After this was decided, I visited a local Primary school and sketched the children there, to see what characteristics made them look 'young'.

Pig-tails for the girls hair, and a floppy fringe seemed favourite for Poppy, as when the little girls with pigtails ran, they flew behind them like floppy ears, almost with a character of their own.

Quinn, like the boys I was drawing would also have floppy hair, whisping around his face.

Both characters too, would have large heads.

All the children at the school seemed to have large heads. It also helped make the character look younger.

Next I made basic models of the characters from wire and modelling clay, so that they became more 'real'. I could also play about with angles and lighting with the 'real' characters in front of me.

After this I started sketching the characters with biro pen onto cardboard. Originally, the characters would stay in back and white in 'reality' in the story, and turn into colour, in their 'imagination'.

During adjustments with the publishers, we decided to make Poppy and Quinn colour throughout the book, to keep a bright fun feel to the story from start to finish, which I think works well.

We also decided to use pencil for sketching, rather than biro ink, to keep a 'softer' organic feel to the artwork. Construction lines were lost, and a friendlier, curvier face developed for Poppy and Quinn, with more expression in the eyes and colour in the cheeks.

And this is the Poppy and Quinn you see today! I hop[e you like them as much as I have enjoyed creating them.

You can check out their very latest adventures on www.poppyandquinn.com

Lancashire Children's Book of The Year Award. The Process...

If you have seen my work before, you'll see that I enjoy painting onto different surfaces other then normal paper. For example 'This Way Up' is all illustrated onto recycled cardboard boxes, as the story is based on the story of a cardboard box.

As the Lancashire Book Award is all about books, I thought it only right that I should try to illustrate onto a book of the Lancashire Children's Book of the Year Award Illustration.

So here's me having a go the past few weeks...

First of all I scanned in and printed old book so practice working in the rectangular format.

Then I developed some ideas and sketches for the imagery...

I decided to work with Lancashire's landscape; green and rolling with Pendle Hill in thebackground. I played witht the idea of turnng the rlling hills into giant ice creams or dragons. I decided to stick with the dragon idea as it appeals to both boys and girls and seemed 'healthier' than a mountain of sweet stuff.

After this I went onto colouring in the illustration, then played about with the composition. As I work in actual layers of cut out  collages, it is easy for me to move elements around the page and see what works best, but if you are just painting straight onto your canvas you should plan where everything is going first.

I was nearly finished but I felt the 'imagination' was too rectangular, so used a scalpel to carefully cut out clouds around the coloured illustration, to add softer edges and more of a layered effect.

And then I was finished!

I hope you like it. :) x

Lancashire Book of the Year Award 2011

Happy New Year Everyone.

I hope you are all well.

Today I was delighted to hear from Jake Hope from the Lancashire County Libraries. He is a lovely guy and did a smashing review in the 'Bookseller' for 'This Way Up' when it was released last November.

He asked me if I would be create the new illustration  to celebrate the 25th Birthday of The Lancashire Book of the Year Award, which I was trilled to accept. We are the same age afterall!

My final original illustration will framed and awarded as a prize to the winning author as well as being  pblished in Book of the Year booklet.

I am pretty chuffed he asked me to do it and have been scribbling down ideas ever since receiving the e-mail.

This isn't an idea in progress, but just a little doodle I quite liked.

I will be posting, step by step, the developing illustration on this blog... so stay tuned for more scribbles! :) x


In the mean time I am also doing a few more book signings and workshops through January:

Saturday 15th January - Warrington Waterstones
Sunday 16th January - Trafford Centre, Manchester Waterstones
Saturday 22nd January - Manchester Deansgate Waterstones


Pop along if you can make it! :D xxx

BOOK LAUNCH and Book signings

Well it's been a busy month organising book launches, workshops and signings, but it's all been great fun!

Thank you everyone who made the launch!

THIS WAY UP on the shelves!

I was absolutely thrilled this week, to find my book THIS WAY UP in the fromt window of Waterstone's, Barnstaple and positioned beautifully on the shelves.

Through the lovely Sarah Jane at the store, kindly advised me of which stores to visit and following her advice I have now booked in various Waterstone's workshops across the country.

The next workshop and book signing is Saturday 20th November, Waterstones, Taunton.

P.S Don't forget the BOOK LAUNCH, 18TH NOVEMBER, Mackies Bar, Global Centre, Watson Street, Oswaldtwistle!!! 7pm -10pm

Hedland Art Awards 2010

Whilst up here in the Pilbra of Western Australia, I've been trying to keep up my my illustration work, which believe me, isn't too easy in this heat!

I saw there was a local art competition so decided to enter a piece, just to give myself a deadline and work on something new. This was about two weeks ago.

 Last friday I was thrilled to take part in the opening night of the Hedland art Awards, Port Hedland WA.
I was also delighted to find that I actually won the $1000 prize for Best Artwork for under 25 category!
 Yippee!

Here's my winning piece. I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed making it.

Book News!

After frantically checking my e-mails, every half an hour last week, I finally got the good news I had been crossing my fingers and toes for. My first children's book, 'This Way Up' had got a good response from Bologna Book Fair. I was thrilled!

It got interest from USA, France, Brazil, Japan, Spain, Korea and some of the Scandanavian countries, and a few hours later I heard that France had signed and ordered 5000 copies.

Yippee!

So, now it can be pre-ordered on-line from WhSmith, Waterstones and on Amazon. It comes out on the shelves in November 2010, so I am very excited!

Whilst over here in Australia, I've started working on my new book, as I am presenting a few ideas to Hodder's in a few weeks. Hopefully they'll like the new adventures I have planned for Poppy and Quinn.

In the meantime, I am also working on promotion for this book. Trying to organise some school visits, so if any one has a primary school they know of who might like a children's book author/illlustrator to pop by for a day or afternoon, please let me know. I do little sessions on how to draw animals, sometimes do cartoon portraits of the children or make cardboard collages with them, as well as a little storytime session.

Or if any other authors have any advice on organising school visits, please feel free to give me any tips.

Anyway, back to the grindstone. Best get some scribbling done.

Until next time.... xxx