John Shelley: 20 Questions

Image © John Shelley

I first met John Shelley in Bologna (2010) when he was manning the SCBWI stand. I popped by to have a chat about joining the society, and we found out that we share the same post code in London (and the same local coffee shop). He has worked as in illustrator in Japan for 20 years and has recently relocated to London.

I admire the delicate perfection of his illustrations, which perfectly evoke the golden age of children's book illustration. Read on and find out more about him in the interview...

1. What’s on your nightstand right now?

A lamp, an alarm clock, a copy of Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon by Leonard Marcus.

2. What was your first illustrating job?

First professional commission was to illustrate the book Fat bag by Jeremy Strong, published by A & C Black, a few months after graduating. I drew a coloured jacket and around 30-40 interior black and white drawings. The Puffin paperback edition (with different cover) is still in print, a little to my embarassment!

3. How long have you been an illustrator?

29 years.

4. Which success, either personal or professional, are you most proud of?

Professionally I’m quite proud that I carved a successful illustration career for myself in Japan after arriving with just a suitcase, a portfolio and a phrase book, and became established there for over 20 years.

On a personal level I’m just grateful that I’m surviving, and still smiling.

5. Do you have any comfort routines to cope with rejections?

I think it’s essential to develop a thick skin against rejection. I try to expect nothing but hope for the best, so am always very pleasantly surprised when things do go right. When things take a downturn go for a long walk, refresh your mind doing something utterly different, then hang out in a bookshop or gallery, get inspired, breathe deeply and carry on. Once more unto the breach!

6. Which illustrators or artists do you admire the most? Why?

I admire many, “favourites” are always changing, and if asked to name names find it almost impossible to make a short list, especially in this internet-age. Often nowadays I jump on images rather than artists - such and such a picture or book rather than the artist’s entire output. If you ask me who has been most influential on me (subtly different to favourite) I’d say the Golden Age illustrators (Rackham, Dulac, Heath-Robinson etc), Rowlandson, Herge, Quentin Blake, Edward Ardizzone, Japanese Ukiyo-e artists, Indian/Persian miniatures etc. These indicate where I’ve come from, though it doesn’t mean I’m not equally inspired by newer artists or fresh things around me. They indicate where I started from creatively, but not necessarily where I’m at now, or where I’m going.

7. What was your favourite book as a child? Does that book influence you now?

I didn’t have many books as a child, I remember being fond of Beatrix Potter and Rupert though. One definite favourite was one of my mother’s books from her 1930’s childhood which was usually shut away out of reach, a volume of collected fairytales including illustrations by the Robinsons, Rackham etc.

Image © John Shelley

8. What are the essential items to take with you when you go out? (sketchbook, journal, camera?)

I always carry a small pocket sketchbook, a notebook for story ideas and a pen. I feel naked without a sketchbook.

9. What is your favourite medium for illustration? When did you first start using it?

Pen & Ink (with or without watercolour). I used to draw incessantly with ball point pens from at least the age of 12. When I was around 14 a school art teacher saw some of these drawings and recommended I try pen & ink. The first thing I attempted with a dip-pen was to copy a Victorian engraving of The Last Voyage of Henry Hudson (after the painting by John Collier). A tough challenge! But I never looked back thereafter.

Here’s the original, no idea what happened to my adolescent version:

10. How good is your handwriting? Do you use your own handwriting in your illustrations?

Well I’m legible I believe! I occasionally use my handwriting in children’s illustrations when the situation allows. I’m often asked to create chunky hand-drawn lettering in commercial illustration in Japan.

11. What do you collect? Why?

I used to collect many things, but have considerably trimmed down since leaving Japan, I jettisoned a vast amount of things when I left, some of which I later regretted, like my entire record collection (sob).

The few things I’ve held onto are very dear to me. I’ve a good collection of 1st Edition Golden Age (1890’s-1920’s) books, mostly Arthur Rackham with a few others, though I haven’t added titles for a few years. I love them not only because of the artwork, it’s the books themselves, the feeling of pressed type on the page, the tipped-in plates, the care of production, the layout.

12. Do you have a ‘style’ or do you vary your methods for each project?

It’s important to limit your range of styles and not be too scattered in interpretation, though I tend to be quite broad. I adjust style somewhat to match the text of books or the project, but I try to keep an overall continuity within my work. I try to develop my interpretation of the text based on the mood created by the work. Mervyn Peake once said “books have different smells... It is for the illustrator to make his drawings have the same smell as the book he is illustrating” . I find that a good policy, as long as you don’t lose track of your overall creative vision. Adhere to your style, but remember that “(the illustrator) must have the chameleon's power to take on the colour of the leaf he dwells on”.

13. Do you scribble in the margins of books?

Absolutely not! books are sacred.

14. Do you have a morning routine in the studio to prime your inspiration?

No, I should though.

15. When do you work best, in the morning, afternoon or evening?

I used to be a total night-owl, nowadays I tend to get into my stride late afternoon, unfortunate as I have to down tools and look after daughter then. I can be very focused first thing in the morning if I’m not distracted, but life being what it is....

16. What is the one art supply you could not live without?

Black ink.

17. Do you have a favourite café or restaurant in London?

I’m looking around, I like the new café in Queen’s Park though. 

Image © John Shelley

18. When you look out the window in your studio, what do you see?

My home is studio at the moment and I work in two rooms. Front room overlooks grassy Queen’s Park. My workroom (where I actually paint) is not quite so inspiring - yard and fence dividing next door’s garden.

19. How do you like your coffee, or tea?

Coffee - strongish, always filter, never instant.

Tea - milk, no sugar.

20. Any words of advice for other illustrators in the field?

Keep drawing, keep sketching, exploring ideas. Keep pushing and explore ways to reinvent what you do. Follow avenues of inspiration. Stand back, look at the market and see how your work fits in, make your work is sellable, but don’t sell out.

Don’t be put off by moaning minnies about the economy poor market for illustration, if you’re good and have a vision, the market will be there.

Image © John Shelley

For more information about John Shelley you can visit these links:

Website:

http://www.shelleyillustration.com/

Blog:

http://johnshelley.blogspot.com/

Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/penpusher/

Victoria Jamieson: 20 Questions

Image © Victoria Jamieson

I first "met" Victoria Jamieson  almost a year ago when I googled "illustration blog" and hers was the first in the search list. Since then I have been an avid reader: she has a series of posts called Illustration Correspondence Course which are must reads for anyone wanting to get into children's books, or just looking to refresh their inspiration.

She draws animals with attitude. Her most recent book is called Bea Rocks the Flock, published with Bloomsbury. And, her upcoming book is called "Olympig" and is to be published with Dial in 2012. Victoria says, "It's about a pig with gold-medal dreams but a benchwarmer's talent." [See image below.]

So, without further procrastination... here is Victoria's interview!

1. What was your first illustrating job?

I guess my first "real" illustrating job was the interior illustrations for The Gollywhopper Games, by Jody Feldman. I was working in the design department of Greenwillow Books at the time (the book's publisher), and they needed someone quick, local & cheap, and I fit the bill.

Even before that, however, I'd always try to sneak my illustrations into my freelance graphic design projects. I think a big part of getting illustration jobs is being willing to put yourself out there- which can be awkward and embarrassing sometimes! I've built up a pretty tough skin and a high tolerance for embarrassment over the years.

2. How long have you been an illustrator?

I'd say I got really serious about illustration several years after graduating from art school- so maybe 7 or 8 years ago. Like many illustrators, however, I'm still an "illustrator and..."- meaning I still have to work part-time at other jobs to make ends meet.

3. Which success, either personal or professional, are you most proud of?

I'm quite proud of recently joining a roller derby league! For me, thesuccess was in overcoming something that terrified me and living to tell the tale. I actually really enjoy throwing myself into somewhat crazy situations and seeing how I survive. I remember standing outside the practice rink on the first day of roller derby, thinking, "I have no idea what is going to happen to me for the next two hours", and getting that scared-yet-excited twinge deep in the pit of my stomach. If you get yourself used to the feeling of withstanding crazy situations, then nothing- not speaking in front of 500 schoolkids, or asking your boss for a raise, or introducing yourself to an editor at a cocktail party- seems all that scary.

4. Do you have any comfort routines to cope with rejections?

See above! Nothing like smacking into some ladies on skates to get the aggression out! Even before derby, however, I liked to work things out physically, like taking a nice long run. I think I have two parts of me that deal with rejections in different ways. I got a mild-to-poor review once, and the front part of my brain, near my forehead (yes, I can feel it), responded "WHAT-EVER!! What do you know anyway, lady?! Let's see you write a book, flibbity jibitty &*#($ (that's the part not appropriate for a children's book blog).

But another part of me, deep in the pit of my stomach (next to the derby butterflies) admitted, in a small voice, that some of her criticisms were TRUE. I listen to this small voice because it reminds me of things I can improve upon in the future. I think it's good to be slightly bipolar in this way: learn from your rejections, but never, EVER let a critic stop you from doing what you love.

Olympig - Image © Victoria Jamieson

5. Which illustrators or artists do you admire the most? Why?

Oh, goodness. Mo Willems' books are genius, pure and simple. I never get tired of that pigeon. I also have a copy of Peter Brown's The Curious Garden next to my drawing table. That book is so beautiful it makes me almost physically sick (that's a compliment). It has such a subdued, beautiful color palette. I also love No, David! by David Shannon- another deceptively simple tale, but that always gives me goosebumps by the end. And Beverly Cleary depicts childhood with such stunning honesty. And, and, and...!

6. What was your favourite book as a child? Does that book influence you now?

I love going back and re-reading my childhood favorites! I'm always surprised how such short, simple books with very few words could make themselves so large in my mind. I loved a book called Molly's Moe by Kay Chorao. I haven't gone back to re-read that one, but I remember thinking the black and white illustrations were so beautiful. Even though we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art practically every Sunday, picture books really were my introduction to fine arts, because I could hold them in my hands. And they depicted things I cared about, like kids, and not historical scenes or blocks of color.

7. What are the essential items to take with you when you go out? (sketchbook, journal, camera?)

I like the thought of having a dedicated sketchbook, but really, that's too structured for my style of sketching. I sketch A LOT, and on EVERYTHING. A sketchbook makes it seem so formal, like the sketches have to be good. I like to have an army of pencils when I go out and a stack of scrap paper to scribble on. I am also a stinker when it comes to my camera, and always forget to take pictures.

8. What is your favourite medium for illustration? When did you first start using it?

I like acrylics, and am trying to create more of a drawing/painting hybrid. It's a work in progress. I was introduced to acrylics in art school. I pooh-poohed them originally, because I was a Serious Oil Painter - but truthfully I was Not A Very Good Oil Painter because my Colors Always Got Muddy - and I learned to love the quick-drying nature of acrylics.

Image © Victoria Jamieson

9. How good is your handwriting? Do you use your own handwriting in your illustrations?

I like my handwriting alright! I've always liked the process of physically writing things down. The thing I liked best about math homework was physically making the marks on the paper- weird, right?

No, I don't usually use handwriting on illustrations. I've learned from working in publishing to separate text from the art. That way, text edits or foreign editions are much easier.

10. What do you collect? Why?

Children's books! Because I have a one-track mind! And I can justify them by telling myself they're tax write-offs and that I really need them for the classes I teach.

11. Do you have a ‘style’ or do you vary your methods for each project?

I'd say I have a style. For shorter projects (for my graphic design clients), I'll often create illustrations digitally- I'll scan my pencil drawings and add color in Photoshop. But for my books, the finals are all done traditionally.

12. Do you scribble in the margins of books?

I would not treat my books so! Although I may have been guilty in high school with my textbooks. No, I scribble in everything BUT books!

Bea Rocks the Flock - Image © Victoria Jamieson

13. Do you have a morning routine in the studio to prime your inspiration?

If I'm in the middle of a project that I really love, I honestly don't need much priming- it's harder for me to put myself to bed at night. Now, if you have some recommendations for getting in the mindset for projects I DON'T want to do, I would love to hear them!

14. When do you work best, in the morning, afternoon or evening?

I wrote and illustrated my first book while I had a full-time job, so I learned to utilize every possible moment available to me. I think I still work best at night- that way, you don't have the pesky sun reminding you of how much time is passing! And I do tend to get sleepy in the mid-afternoon.

15. What is the one art supply you could not live without?

Hmm, I guess my acrylic paints! I have a nice rainbow of Prismacolors that I'm pretty fond of, too.

16. Do you have a favourite café or restaurant in London?

Oooh, la la, fancy! I guess if you LIVE in London it doesn't seem that fancy! :) I did go to London for 5 days when I was a student in Rome. I can't remember any specific cafes, but I do remember loving the way a waiter pronounced "Mooooooshy peas". I had to order them after that! For months afterwards my traveling companion & I would crack each other up by asking, "And how did you like your moooooooooshy peas?"

[Author's note: I should have asked for your favourite café anywhere, not just in London. :-) ]

Victoria's Studio - Image © Victoria Jamieson

17. When you look out the window in your studio, what do you see?

Trees! And my neighbor's manicured lawn. Once I saw a runaway bunny hopping down the street- that was an exciting day. The owner came chasing after it- it was madness!

18. How do you like your coffee, or tea?

Coffee!! I've tried to like tea, but much like pickles, I can't make myself love it. My husband & I moved to Portland, Oregon largely because of the excellent coffee here. I like it light and sweet, and I always gauge the beginning of summer by my first iced coffee. Yum!

19. What’s on your nightstand right now?

Unfortunately, I thought it would look really nice to gather some dead sticks from outside & display them artistically on my nightstand. I think I saw it in a Martha Stewart magazine. I didn't have any artistic vases, however, so they're in an old yogurt container that tips over really easily. It's time to get rid of them.

20. Any words of advice for other illustrators?

I think it helps to be a slightly delusional optimist. It's hard work, you have no social life, and face nearly constant rejection. And yet, maybe that next postcard you send out...

Victoria's collection of books and art supplies - Image © Victoria Jamieson

To see more of Victoria's work you can go to:

Her blog:

http://www.victoriajamieson-illustration.blogspot.com/

Her website:

http://victoriajamieson.com/

Bea Rocks the Flock:

http://www.indiebound.org/

book/9781599902609

Italian Drawings - British Museum

Yesterday morning I went to the British Museum to see their current exhibition of Italian Renaissance Drawings. Walking around the darkened rotunda of the 'reading room' looking at the delicate coal and sepia sketches by the Italian masters (Fra Angelico, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael) filled me with renewed inspiration and vigor for my field.

The one quote that stuck in my head and won't leave is by Leonardo da Vinci. He said:

"The sketching out of the narrative should be rapid and the arrangement of the limbs not too defined."

I think that I sometimes focus too much on getting it 'right' the first time. A little rapid scribbling might do me good.

In the above sketch you see St. Peter in his funny hat, and two gallery attendees examining him on the wall, one is listening to one of those media player thingies.

If you're in London and you love drawing, you should definitely make an effort to go the the British Museum.

Birthday Self-Portrait Tradition 2010

Magic at the Museum: Degas Dancers

The next two Magic at the Museum characters I am going to introduce you to are the ballet dancers. They come from a painting by Edgar Degas called "Two Dancers on the Stage". Degas painted it in Paris in 1874. The painting shows dancers rehearsing or performing on the stage. The viewers attention is focused on the poses of the dancers, as they are seen from an unexpected angle. If you look closely, there is also a third dancer in the upper left corner (you can just see her blue skirt) approaching the stage. Is is leaving the dance or joining?

I had fun with these characters. Since Magic at the Museum is all about skating and dancing, I had to re-learn a lot of the ballet I had learned as a child to get their graceful movements. I tried to always draw their compositions as if someone had choreographed their movements. They always had to look graceful and composed.

Magic at the Museum: The Madonna

The next character from Magic at the Museum that I want to introduce you to is the Madonna. She comes from a painting of the Virgin and Child by Parmigianino, painted between 1524 and 1527. He painted it when he was staying in Rome, and the classical building in the background might be a references to the ruins of ancient Rome.

This painting is unfinished,and is quite sketchy, especially in the bottom right corner, where you can see his sepia sketches. The brown sections of the Madonna's skirt are unfinished; Parmiginanino intended them to be blue. I left them brown on my character to stay true to the painting as it is, not as it was intended.

He wanted this painting to be perfect. This perfectionism led him to procrastinate to such a degree that he never finished the painting and was imprisoned for breach of contract.

The Madonna in this painting has incredibly long legs, arms and neck. If she were real, she would probably be over 6 feet tall (rather like the exaggerated proportions of Alexandre who was painted 3 centuries later). This is due to the Renaissance Mannerist  movement. Mannerist paintings are known for elongated forms, precariously balanced poses, a collapsed perspective, irrational settings, and theatrical lighting. It was a challenge to maintain those distortions when drawing the Madonna, for I always wanted to "correct" them!

The Madonna and Alexandre make a pair. They both have exaggerated proportions that make them unnaturally tall.

How to put together an amazing illustration portfolio

As an illustrator, you portfolio is the most important thing in your arsenal of tools. It showcases your talents to the world and gives potential clients an insight into your working style. Your portfolio must show your pride in your work. It must present your work as luxurious and beautiful, something for art directors to covet. Show your artwork the respect it deserves and other people will be impressed as well.

1. Buy a beautiful portfolio case or binder. My personal favourites are Pratt and Panodia. They are smart, professional, and durable. Your portfolio will land in a pile of other portfolios on an art director's desk, you want it to have presence and weight. To stand out from the others because it is beautifully and professionally presented.

2. Personalize the cover in some way. Many of my friends glued on cards with their name and address. I didn't feel comfortable denaturing the front of my beautiful portfolio. Instead I took a piece of ribbon and tied my business card to the front loop. This way it makes the portfolio look like a gift for the art director.

3. Sleeves: Make sure your plastic sleeves are as transparent and fingerprint free as possible. You want to your artwork to shine.

4. Paper: Don't tape or glue photocopies of your artwork onto the grey or black backing pages of the portfolio. Print your images onto sumptuous heavy rag paper, such as Somerset Velvet, which is lightly textured paper for inkjet printers. The art paper makes the digital print look almost as good as the original, the colours sit on top of the sizing of the paper, rather than soaking in like regular paper. This makes them extra brilliant.

5. Title Page: The title page is the first thing an art director will see. Make sure you have a strong image on that page, as well as your contact details. This will make them curious to find out what is in the rest of the book.

6. Page and Book Design: Make sure your spreads are well designed. Think about the portfolio as a book, not just a collection of images. Start with your strongest images at the front, then include with a few projects you are proud of, then then end with a few strong images again. You have to think of the structure like a sonnet or an essay with an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

7. Number of Images: Most mail-in submissions ask for 8-10 images. However, you can indulge when you get the chance to show your physical portfolio. I suggest having 20-40 images. This is your chance to shine; show your diversity.

8. Can I have more than one image on one page? Yes. But make sure they are paired well so the compliment rather than compete with each other. Make sure you keep a good rhythm: some pages with only one image, some pages with more. This keeps your book interesting.

9. Include some postcards: I always submit my portfolio with a few postcards that the art directors can keep. This helps me to gauge their reaction. If they keep the postcards I know that they were interested.

Magic at the Museum: Alexandre

Continuing with my series of characters from Magic at the Museum, I want to introduce you to Alexandre. "Man with a pipe" was painted by Paul Cézanne, and now hangs in the Courtauld Art Gallery. Alexandre was a peasant gardener. I think Cézanne used lots of browns, ochres, yellows and greens to paint him because he worked with in nature and with the earth.

Cézanne focused on the relationships of colour and tone, rather than literal representation of the subject. I tried to emulate that by laying the water colour pigment quite thickly on the paper.

If you look closely, you will see that his head is very small compared to his body (or, perhaps he is just very tall). I used this feature to advantage in the action scenes; Alexandre always looks very strong and powerful. In response to the sometimes odd perspective in his paintings, Cézanne told his critics, "I have a lazy eye." :-) Alexandre's elongated body perfectly compliments the strange anatomy of the Italian Madonna, whom you will hear about next.

The skating pose you see above is a funny quote of a Scottish painting called The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch. It was painted by Sir Henry Raeburn in 1790. I think it is really fun to add small art historical inside jokes into children's picture books. Although the children and parents might not understand when they read the book, it will add an element of depth that otherwise wouldn't be there.

Creating and Designing a Family Cookbook and Genealogy

• It is over 200 pages long
• Our family recipe for gingersnaps goes back at least 4 generations!
• It took us just one month to design (but over a year to collect all the recipes)
• We included Low German (plautdietsch) songs and rhymes that we used to sing as children
• I did a watercolour illustration of a favourite recipe for each title page
• Each watercolour features yellow gingham, because our grandmother had a beautiful yellow gingham apron.
  

I have uploaded an abridged version (not all 224 pages) to Issuu, where you can page through the book for inspiration. Enjoy! To see the cookbook in a larger screen, just click on it.

Note: In order to be able to see it you will have to visit my blog, for some reason Issuu doesn't work in feed readers or facebook.

Magic at the Museum: Elizabeth Bruegel

I am working on a new picture book, and developing the characters and their personalities is making me nostalgic for my characters in "Magic at the Museum". People think that picture books are simple: after all, they're only 32 pages and for children, right? But that is not the case. So much thought goes into developing each character and each scene. I thought I would share the backstories of a few of my favourite characters.

Elisabeth Bruegel

Elisabeth was born in 1609, the second child of Jan Bruegel the elder and his wife Catharina. Jan Bruegel was a well known painter from Antwerp, the Netherlands. The painting in the Courtauld Insitute of Art which inspired me to include her in "Magic" was their family portrait painted by Peter Paul Rubens. Elisabeth was between 4 and 6 years old when this portrait was painted. She gazes lovingly at her mother.

17th century fashion for children

Elisabeth wear fashionable clothing (contrasted with her parents restrained, but rich, style) and she has an expensive coral necklace. With the advent of trading in Asia (and the foundation of the Dutch East India Company), coral became a highly sought after item. Coral was believed to protect children against evil.

Ribbons of Childhood - Leadstrings

The ribbons the hang from Elisabeth's shoulders were sewn there not just for decorative purposes. They helped her mother (or her nannies) to grab hold of her if she was running away, rather like a modern day leash for children. They were very fun to illustrate, as I imagined that they would fly in every direction when Elisabeth skated or ran.

So there you go, the things no one ever told you about Elisabeth Breugel.

View from my studio window

This is the view from my studio window. I live on a road of Victorian houses that have been converted into flats. My studio is on the top floor, facing the road, and I have a beautiful view of rooftops, chimneys and TV aerials.

What do you look at while you are in your studio? Is your view inspiring or boring? If you want to share, post your pictures online and share a link to them in the comments section. I love to take virtual tours of the world, one artist's studio at a time.

Van Gogh at the Royal Academy

I am seeking

I am strong

I am in it with all my heart

--Vincent van Gogh

One can really feel that passionate soul at the current van Gogh exhibition at the Royal Academy in London. It is called "The Real Van Gogh: The artist and his letters" and traces his development as an artist through displays of his letters to his brother Theo, sketches, and finished paintings.

It struck me that the letters, with their sketches in the margins, were rather like modern day blog posts. Van Gogh was trying to share his studio work with his brother, but couldn't take photographs (or send emails) so he posted his musings and sketches in the mail.

Every artist feels very alone in the studio (I know I sometimes do). Sharing things online and receiving comments and encouraging words helps to fill the void.

If you have a chance, take a trip to the Royal Academy. You will leave absolutely inspired. If you don't live anywhere near London, go to your local library and pick up a book about Van Gogh. The best is to get a compilation of his letters (this is often available via inter library loan). Or, better yet, go to this WEBSITE which has all 902 letters online! For each letter that includes a sketch you can click on a little link called "sketch" and it will show you a zoomable image of the letter. They are so fascinating, and well worth browsing for a little inspiration.

One Small Thing: How to cure lack of motivation

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

--Lao-tzu

Sometimes when inspiration and motivation are lacking, all it takes is doing one small thing to get you back on the right track.

Projects often seem huge and overwhelming when viewed as a whole. So, you say you want to draw every day? Your brain whizzes forward an imagines 365 completed and fantastic pencil or ink drawings. There is no way you could achieve all that in one day, let alone one week.

Rather, start small. I was in Oxford the other day and knew that I would be too tired to complete a large drawing when I returned home. Instead, I whipped out my ballpoint pen and did a tiny sketch in my day planner. This sketch of the Radcliffe Camera in Oxford is no more than 1.5 cm square. But that is big enough to count as a drawing.

So, for whatever project or job you have looming over your head, just identify one small thing you can do right now to get started. Send that email, file those papers, dust your desk.

That small step you just took will lead you on an epic journey towards your highest potential.

• 20 questions
• Adventuring
• Breathing
• Creating
• Daily Drawings
• Full moon
• Garden
• Growing
• Illustrating
• Living
• Month in Review
• My Books
• Planning
• Reading
• Travel
• Writing
• bullet journal
• mother daughter mornings
• my week in drawings

Watercolor Wedding Portrait in York Minster

Last week Mom and I went to York to see the pre-Christmas decorations, drink mulled wine and tour York Minster, which is the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe. It also has the greatest concentration of preserved medieval stained glass in any cathedral in Britain. While Mom and I were gawking at the beauty surrounding us, we noticed a bride walk into the transept on the arm of her father. An organ voluntary played, and they processed down the aisle. A wedding was about to start in York Minster.

Seeing the bride, overwhelmed with happiness and emotion, in such a grand setting inspired me to paint a picture of the moment. There is no way I could ever capture the intricate detail of the minster architecture in a small watercolor (it is 5 inches by 7 inches), so I left that out and focused on creating the feeling of space by leaving the page blank. Here you see the bride and her father processing behind a minster official.

Here are a few photos from our weekend in York....

The Shambles is one of Britain's best preserved medieval streets

York Castle

Adventures in... Rome and Tuscany

Art and Nature

I just received my copy of Art and Nature: Studies in Medieval Art and Architecture, published by the Courtauld Institute of Art through their "Immediations" imprint. It was edited by my good friend Laura Cleaver, and I was commissioned to do three illustrations of medieval architecture and architectural elements.

This cathedral plan is from Nicosia Cathedral on Cyprus.

These reconstructions of wall-paintings and architectural elements are from Ourscamp Abbey and Noyon Cathedral in France.

I had great fun working on the projects with Michalis Olympios and Géraldine Victoir.

Dealing with Migraine Pain

I suffer from occasional debilitating migraines and this week was no exception. I was flattened, rather like the Lady Cottington's pressed fairies. I spent days and days in a darkened room until I was given a wonderful new migraine painkiller called Maxalt. It dissolves on the tongue and the piercing pain is eradicated almost immediatly. I popped back into shape, rather like cartoon characters after they've been steamrolled.

Now I'm back to the drawing board and excited to start new projects. I have lots of exciting ideas!

My Visiting Artist Lecture at the University of Manitoba School of Art

Poster courtesy of Kirk Warren

I was invited by the University of Manitoba School of Art to do an evening lecture on illustrating children's picture books. Life came full circle - I studied art history at the school of art, and now I was lecturing there as an 'authority figure' to the students. It felt like a homecoming.

The painting studios at the School of Art are housed in an old barn that was once used to house livestock for the agriculture department. When the agriculture department had outgrown the building, the School of Art re-purposed it for studios. The vaulted space in the roof is amazingly light, airy and inspiring - the perfect place to learn to paint. The student lounge had cool mural painted on the wall. One wall said [SM]ART FARM, which of course makes sense because of the barn.

The room was packed with people. I had expected maybe one or two intrepid artists to show up, and I would have a little "fireside chat" with them around my computer and portfolio. It was not that intimate, in fact, they even had to fetch extra chairs !

Thank-you to everyone who came and asked questions. It was a pleasure!

Magic at the Museum is a bestseller for two weeks in a row

This morning I picked up a coffee in Caribou Coffee, which generously offers free wifi, and read a delightful email notifying me that "Magic at the Museum" has now reached the number 2 spot in Winnipeg for the second week in a row. I hadn't expected to make it back on the list, and it was even more surprising that I maintained my standing from the previous week. Thank-you Winnipeg!

In 2007 I was in despair over whether or not my book would ever be published. A very empathetic friend cut the Winnipeg bestseller list out of the Sunday Free Press and added the working title of my book, "Anne's birthday surprise", to the number one spot. I don't know if I'll be able to reach the top and jockey "Where the Wild Things Are" out of the starting position, but it doesn't really matter. The fact that I've made it to number two after several bitter disappointments proves the power of positive thinking.

And, I just had to take a picture of the wonderful bestseller display in McNally Robinson Grant Park, with "Magic at the Museum" front and centre.

Magic at the Museum is a Winnipeg Bestseller!

After the success of the book launch last night "Magic at the Museum" made it to the #2 spot on the Winnipeg Bestseller list for the week of 6 Sept 2009. It even muscled its way past Sendak's classic "Where the Wild Things Are."

Make sure you buy your copy of the Winnipeg Free Press on Sunday where the list will be published for all to see!

I want to send out a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who bought my book.