Mine

Morning all.
Well it has been a busy few weeks. The Once Upon a Time exhibition at Ipswich art school is still running through until the start of May. To coincide with that I have been running a few art classes with the Ipswich and Colchester Museums at their Saturday morning art clubs. I have worked with various ages talking them through sketch work, simple character ideas to working on individual illustrations to depict The Owl and the Pussy cat. We were able to wander around the exhibition, talking about the amazing work and the museum lent us a beautiful taxidermy Tawny Owl to sketch from.

The results were wonderful, their imaginations went wild with ideas, beautiful creatures drawn and amazingly beautiful and unusual Bong trees were developed. A very enjoyable experience for me, rewarding to see the children's imaginations used with no limits. I also have a couple more schools interactive art visits coming up at the exhibition, where we plan to produce a frieze with 60 pupils Owls and Pussy cats all on one big image.

I have also finished the TA job at school, I have decided I need to take the bull by the horns, so to speak and throw myself into full time art, art teaching and writing. Really looking forward to having more time to create, so many ideas, characters and story lines to work on.

I have been working also on a few commissions and ideas for book covers. I have just finished an illustration for a book cover for a small publisher. The story by Caroline Pitcher is dark and mysterious, about moving on in life, new beginnings.

I have a few more books to be working on in the nest few weeks, plus commissions, so plenty to keep me busy, but as always still looking for commissions and hopefully a publishing deal!

A few weeks ago also saw the launch of my new website, constructed to my vague layout by a dear friend who is so amazing at this kind of thing. I'm over the moon with it, easy to navigate and smart and tidy. Pop by for a look and let me know what you think.

http://www.egrahamillustrations.co.uk

Saturday art club

What a wonderful feeling of Spring in the air.
Today I spent the day at Ipswich Art School working with a couple of groups of children on illustrating a piece of poetry.

The wonderful creative and some quite lively bunch, worked hard on creating images to illustrate The Owl and the Pussycat. I read the beautiful poem out to them, many of whom hadn't heard it before (to my amazement). I got them to really listen to the words, then picture those words, paint their mental images and to then set their images down onto paper. I gave them images to work from and the Ipswich Museum kindly loaned us a beautiful taxidermy Tawny Owl to draw from.

 I even tried to catch them out with the question "what does a Bong Tree look like?" That's the beauty of Edward Lear's Nonsense poems, they are so open  to interpretation.

Well the results were wonderful, such vivid imaginations. They created some beautiful images, varied and quirky and knowing no boundaries.

That's the joy of being a creative, we can explore beyond the ordinary, push back the boundaries of everyday life, explore new worlds, new and varied possibilities.

After all when did you, in reality, rummage at the back of the old wardrobe and find another whole new world lurking behind the old fur coats and scarfs?

The Owl and the Pussycat

Well I think there are quite a few here in the UK that could do with a beautiful Pea Green boat at the mo, terrible battering the country is taking weatherwise.

I have battened down the hatches and been working away on a big piece to go alongside some up coming art classes I am tutoring here in Ipswich.
There are adult taster illustration classes/ workshops
http://www.cimuseums.org.uk/whats-on/2014/02/27/illustrating-taster-classes
And Saturday children's art clubs
http://www.cimuseums.org.uk/whats-on/2014/01/25/saturday-art-club
where I will be working on a theme in character development and working towards building a final image.

This is the image I have done, an old favourite, The Owl and the Pussycat...

I am also working on a new character for a children's story idea, will post pics very soon.

Stay dry everyone. x

Once Upon a Time

Phew what a busy and emotional few days.


Saturday saw the opening of the Once Upon a Time exhibition at the Ipswich Art School.

I have five pictures showing alongside some wonderful local illustrators, many of which you will know of.

Edward Ardizzone, Nick Butterworth ( of Percy the Park keeper, Albert le Blanc and Q Pootle 5), Lois Cordelia, Michael Foreman, Margery Gill, Kathleen Hale, Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone (101 Dalmations and many others), John Lawrence, Diana Mayo, Gillian McClure, James Mayhew, Helen Oxenbury (We're All Going on a Bear Hunt), Margaret Tempest (Little Grey Rabbit), Bee Willey.


The exhibition was opened by the Mayor of Ipswich and the wonderful Nick Butterworth spoke to the gathering about his work, books, inspiration and working with children.


I was honoured to find my work hanging next to Nicks work in one of the galleries, something I could only have dreamt of.














I have also been asked to run two evening workshops for the art school and four childrens Saturday workshops.These are coming up during the end of February and into March, really looking forward to doing these and I have some planning and drawing to do in preparation.

delivery day

Hi Everyone and Happy New Year! Well I don't know about you but I'm fed up with the weather and looking forward to sunny warm days already. I have been busy over Christmas working on greeting card designs that I hope will be available in the near future. I've been allowed to share this one on new years eve over on my Facebook page, this is Hogmanay....

I have also been busy framing the pictures ready for the Once Upon A Time Exhibition, here in Ipswich at the end of the month. It's on through til the start of May and there are amazing illustrators exhibiting, so pop by to take a look....
http://www.cimuseums.org.uk/whats-on/2014/01/25/once-upon-a-time

anyway I best get myself sorted and get the pictures delivered to the Art School for the exhibition.

East of the Sun and West of the Moon

I have been asked to exhibit some of my illustrations in an exhibition at the Ipswich Art School in January on the theme of 'Once Upon a Time'. It is showing the work of local illustrators including Mick Inkpen, Nick Butterworth and the sketchbooks of Margaret Tempest of Little Grey Rabbit illustrations. So I feel amazingly honoured to be asked to hang my work along side such amazing illustrators, all of whom have been a huge influence on my wanting to illustrate.

So I have created an image especially for the exhibition, to go along side existing pieces from my folio. I have been showing the progress from sketch to final image over on my Facebook page, But here it is in the working...

first sketch

image drawn ready to transfer onto final paper

the border

sky

bear and girl

gold lettering

Northern Lights

golden sun

silver moon

blizzard

gloss varnish compass rose

final image - I have put my watermark over the area where the gloss varnish compass rose is, as sadly it doesn't show on a scan.

Doing an image this big has been a challenge, but I have loved it, from nervous beginning to content out come.

Eeeek of excitement!

Well again it has been too long since I last wrote. But I have been really busy creating new characters, ideas and making hand made Christmice cards, Yes Christmice! pop over to my Facebook page for a look...
https://www.facebook.com/emmagrahampics

I have been working part time in the local primary school as a teaching assistant for year one/two. Hard work, but their minds are like little sponges for information and their creativity and imagination is inspiring. I have also been help run the after school art club and their ideas are great fun, so good to see them leave with new ideas and inspiration.

Also a few exciting things coming my way. I have been asked to do two lectures about children's illustration, so I'm working out 'lesson plans' and ideas at the mo. They are for evening classes at The Ipswich Art School...
http://www.cimuseums.org.uk/whats-on/2014/02/27/illustrating-taster-classes

I have also been asked to exhibit some pieces of work for an exhibition also at the Art School, for an exhibition on children's illustration, focusing on fairytales, right up my street! At the meeting this afternoon the curator looked through my folio and chose pieces she would like to show, but I have also decided to produce a piece especially for the exhibition, one that I have had in mind for quite some time, I will show you all soon the work in progress. But for now this is just one of the pieces that will be on show....

But what has made my day is who else will be exhibiting work, Nick Butterworth (Percy the Park Keeper and many more), Mick Inkpen (Kipper, Jasper and so many more) Margaret Tempest (Little Grey Rabbit and Fuzzypeg) plus many more. Showing sketch books, published items and originals. There will also be other local (Essex and Suffolk) illustrators exhibiting. I will let you know more details when I have them, but for now I need to get my head down and draw!