MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you have a relaxing festive break.

Thanks to all for reading this year, look forward to catching up with you again in Jan! xx

FESTIVE MONOPRINTING

EXHIBITION INVITE

A little piece of design I did for the 'Child's Play' exhibition invite. I thought it would be nice to create an old-fashioned ticket, like something you would find at a children's fairground. The design was then laser-cut and engraved on to white card. The ticket can also be twisted and broken in half; students and parents brought the 'Admit' ticket stub with them to gain entry to the exhibition opening. 

CHILD'S PLAY EXHIBITION

Above are some photos of the exhibition I helped curate as part of my artist residency at Holland Park School. The title of the exhibition was 'Child's Play' - exploring childhood stories, themes and memories. My main aims for this show were for it to be fun, playful and something the students could relate to. You may have seen in previous posts some of the workshops I ran to create work towards it. Other things we worked on and included are listed below. On the opening night we also installed a maypole in the middle of the gallery which students danced around, inviting members of the audience to join in!

From the top: wall of storybook puppets / maypole / screen-printed alphabet bags / stuffed creepy crawlies / wooden toys / bugs in jars / inky illustrated characters / life-size wooden students (plus dog) / fluffy dream clouds & raindrops / wall of silhouette fairytales & stories.

I hope you enjoy looking at all the artwork. Sadly my residency ends this week, but it's been a great few months working with Holland Park's students and seeing the range of work they produced come together for the exhibition. 

300 CLUB

Here is a small project I completed at the beginning of my artist residency. I was asked to design a t-shirt logo for one of Holland Park's after-school fitness clubs. The '300 Club' focuses on circuit training, olympic weightlifting and boxing.

The logo needed to be bold, whilst also including references to the club's activities and the film '300' (hence the spartan warriors and helmets!) Above you can see some of the various logos I produced, plus the final chosen t-shirt design.

CHILDHOOD TOYS WORKSHOP

Here is another workshop I ran during my artist residency…

I thought it would be fun for students to make 3-D wooden toys - something I experiment with myself from time to time. For this project, I asked students to bring in one of their very first childhood drawings. I used these to create templates of each toy, and cut them out in mdf. Once the toys were assembled and primed, students were free to paint them!

Above you can see some of the toys that were produced, plus the drawings they were based on. This was a fun little project that I really enjoyed developing with students. I like the fact that each toy is based on a student's own childhood, and is personal to them. I think the outcomes are great, and look strikingly similar to the original drawings!

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE WORKSHOPS

It's been a few months since I started my artist residency at Holland Park School, and I thought I'd share with you some of the workshops I've been running during this time. Each week I take a class of art students ranging from 11 - 14 years of age, and work with them on different projects. We are currently preparing for an exhibition next Thursday, where all of their work will be on display. 

In my first workshop, I wanted students to think about how to create an illustrated character and the different personalities they could give them. To begin, I made lots of templates of characters using watercolour paper. Students took either the positive or negative shape of the template, and painted inside (or on top) of them using ink and sponges. Once the ink was dry, they drew on top with fine black pen. I asked them to look at the shape's form and colour, and add little details like faces, features, fur and clothes.

Above you can see some of the templates I created, and a selection of student's final characters. I love the range of outcomes! It was fun and very interesting to see what everyone produced from my initial blank shapes…

ENGLISH FOR AU PAIRS

Earlier this year I was asked to design and illustrate 'English for Au Pairs' by Lucy Curtis. The book serves as an entertaining guide for au pairs, and follows the story of Marta, an au pair living in England for the first time. It also doubles up as an English language book to help with au pairs who are studying for exams.

Designing this book was a big project, but one I was able to have great fun with. Lucy C's words made it easy to bring to life the world of Marta and all her new (often humorous) experiences. Above you can see the book's front and back cover design. More images of the inside coming soon, plus a closer look at some of my original illustrations!

'English for Au Pairs' is out now, published by Marion Boyars.

1995 - 2013

Re-imagined childhood drawing. Part of a new project I'm currently developing...

STUDIO SNAPS

 Some photos of my new studio at HPS. I'll be working here over the next few months during my stay as Artist in Residence.

WRITE NOW FESTIVAL

A new editorial piece for the 'The Skinny' magazine, featured in Issue 6 of their Northwest edition. The illustration was to accompany an article on 'Write Now Festival' - an event showcasing the work of local playwrights in Liverpool this September. Click here to read the full article online.

MAKE IT SNAPPY!

My crocodile contribution to Templar Publishing's 'Paper Watch Project'. 

 Templar have asked illustrators to design a paper watch, which will be auctioned off at the end of September in order to raise money for Breast Cancer Care. To read more about this great cause please click here.

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

Hi folks! Some exciting news to share… Next week I’ll be starting a job as artist in residence at Holland Park School in West London, and will be there part-time over the Autumn term.

During my residency I’ll be working with students in a variety of ways, including helping in art lessons and running a series of illustration workshops. I’ll also be helping to curate an exhibition of students’ work, held at the end of November. In my spare time I’ve been given a studio space to work in at school. I can’t wait to get stuck in and try out some of the art facilities available (I’ve already got my eye on the rather handsome printing press!)

I’m really looking forward to this new chapter, and plan to share my experiences and work with you on this blog over the coming months… Watch this space!

SUMMER GAME

Hi everyone! Earlier in the year I designed this children's game. The main themes of the brief were summertime and leisure, so here's what I came up with. The game's instructions are below. Have a go!

'Oh no! All the animals have escaped from the zoo! Can you help Peter the park keeper round them up and bring them safely back home? There are 10 cheeky critters hidden in the park to find: 3 rabbits, 1 goat, 1 peacock, 1 pig, 1 duck, 1 hedgehog, 1 sheep and 1 donkey. Good luck and happy hunting!'

(Click on the image for a better view)