PATTERN WORKSHOP

Learned a new skill! I now know how to make repeat patterns which will be useful in applying illustrations to textiles and products, also end pages of books.

Roald Dahl Illustrated

There was just something missing from my scenes. They seemed unfinished, awaiting the magic to make them POP. I'd tried incorporating drawn elements before with white line drawings but the images got so crowded and the two mediums clashed.
It wasn't until I was scrutinising those trials that I realised I hadn't tried adding drawn foliage in any other method than that linework. The linework was too busy but that doesn't mean that drawings won't fit! I just needed to make drawings that wouldn't be too chaotic next to the bright scenes.

The answer was bigger, blockier, chunkier flowers. I used my Stabilo Woody pencil crayons to draw them up on big pieces of paper. To be compatible with the abstract scenes I made, these drawings needed to be robust and bold, unlike the flimsy, sketchy linework of the previous attempt.

Adding these has given the images that little extra pizzazz to make them really Roald Dahl-esque outrageous. Reality v.s. fantasy and a photograph turned into an illustration.

Helped to make a secure bond between the three illustrations to tie them together as a 'series'. They do look like they go together because there is this thread of the same drawings running through them.

Colours for each scene suits the tone of the story and brings out the colour palette on each image. They look so much better now and loads more exciting! I'm so happy with them, they look unlike anything published for Dahl before but they are obviously informed by his work. I really like how the chunky pencils work with the photos, I want to try this technique again. Makes them so bright and crazy!

Group Conversation 3

Messages post-interview day as we make decisions about who takes each story and what music to use. Everything running smoothly with Jay F running ahead with LOTS OF character design and animation started already - made me feel a little behind but he has put his other modules on hold to do this, so I will get there. Slow and steady.

Interviews Recorded

Alex

The day went to a good start with Alex. She was obviously nervous at first but she spoke fluently and in detail about her story. Everything she said was very visual too so I know we will be fighting over who gets to use her track!

Abi

Abi's story was really emotional and honest. She spoke with a very soft voice so the animation that is used for her story will need to fit to her tone.

Jay

ANOTHER JAY! Not me, not Jay F but Jay B. Weird, I've never met so many Jays.

Jay B and Molly had a lot in common because they both have a brother with autism. This recording became more of a conversation so it will be difficult to chop out all of the speaking on our side and isolate Jay's story. I'm not sure if Jay's recording will be used because of this but it was still really useful to get his insight and see how autism affects relatives of the individuals too.

Luke

Luke came to us from the Library and was the oldest of all of our interviewees. He had a lot to say and was so prepared for his interview. Luke said he likes to plan things and to know exactly what he will say so he had written prompts out which helped him to remember everything he wanted to tell us about.
Again, Luke's story had a lot of visual references that could be used in animation, including a simile of his life being played like a video game.

Brogan

Brogan is Jay F's friend and he asked if she would like to come up and speak about her brother's autism. Similarly to Jay B's recording, this one was more of a discussion than a personal story and although it was interesting and useful, I don't think it could be used for a full animation.
Molly suggested that we could clip Brogan and Jay B's stories into one - about brothers - and use that. Great idea but will we have enough time to do THREE ANIMATIONS + an extra?

Everyone who spoke to us was brilliant and we will send personal thank you messages for their time and voices.

RECORDING INTERVIEWS FOR AUTISM

TODAY IS THE DAY WE CONDUCT INTERVIEWS

A balance between getting professional quality and trying to provide interviewees with a safe, comfortable environment.

Using room 118 rather than the sound booth because it gives us more space for the amount of people we'll be interviewing, also two rooms so we can have one as a soundproofed recording zone and the other as a more relaxed, informal space for eating biscuits and waiting for their turn.

To counter the scary nature of a 'waiting room', we've set up a table with snacks and also rented a Disney film from the library to be playing as people come in.

I definitely think that the atmosphere of the room and the comfort of the interviewees is as important as what they say: we're dealing with a really sensitive subject and some of these interviewees struggle with communication because of their autism, so we need to make sure that they don't feel threatened or pressured at all. 

UPDATED TIMETABLE

ADQ: County Fair                                                      -  15th December      COMPLETED AND SENT    Successful

Hobbycraft Share Your Heart                                    -   End of February    COMPLETED AND SENT

ADQ: I am Woman                                                    -  15th March            COMPLETED AND SENT

Moving Parts Animation                                            -  15th March             

Moving Parts Poster Photo                                        -  15th March            COMPLETED AND SENT

Roald Dahl                                                               -  23rd March            COMPLETED 

Completed Extra Briefs (smaller briefs - not as important/relevant to my practice) :  2 x Illustration Friday,  1 x NEST Magazine Submission, 1 x Hobbycraft Monthly Submission, 

NATIONAL AUTISTIC SOCIETY (COLLABORATIVE)         - 22nd March

GROUP CONVERSATION 2

This is evidence of us organising and planning interviews. We've had loads of responses from people who want to speak to us in interviews which is overwhelming and encouraging! Everything is coming together.

Lucy Maud Montgomery Research

National Autistic Society Mood Board

We set a task for this week to bring in some design boards sampling the sort of work we want to make/things we have found/ideas that might inspire our animations.

I think the process of setting a task and then going off and doing it, then meeting the following week and reviewing progress is working well. It means we can all check in on how we're doing and work to the same pace.

One member didn't bring their mood boards, but they had posted lots of things to the shared Pinterest board. There's lots of things going on so we understand why they didn't finish the task for this week but I'm hoping we can keep moving forwards with this pace and not let any setbacks slow us down.

SOFTWARE FOR PACKAGING WORKSHOP NOTES

Research: The World of Autism PSA

Molly found this video about autism and told us to watch it. I've never seen this one before and think it will be useful to watch all that we can get our hands on because they will show us what works and what doesn't, what has been done before and what no one has attempted yet.

I would have liked to use puppets but I  didn't think it was appropriate for adult audiences and knew my team are skilled in 2D illustration, but this video is beautifully crafted and makes me think of all the possibilities for 3D scenes and character construction.

I think it's beautiful and a really inventive way of visualising the experience of autism, a disorder that can affect your interaction with the world, by manipulating and exaggerating the set and scenes.

This animation was made for an audience much younger than ours, so it is more subtle and uses lots of metaphors - I think we can afford to be more honest and realistic, less fantasy with ours.

Molly told us to look at the comments. I wouldn't have thought to do this but I was really shocked when I scrolled down and saw all the negative comments. Lots of people on youtube expressing their anger at this video because it isn't accurate:

These opinions are SO important because they are the people that are being represented (or MISrepresented). We need to keep asking for feedback and talking to people with autism to make sure that we are giving honest insight and a fair representation.

HOWEVER, I'm not sure if all of this hate is justified... the video is talking about ONE individual story and every experience is different. Lots of autistic people CAN speak to others and make eye contact, but the boy in this video COULDN'T. I think we need to make it really clear that we are discussing INDIVIDUAL stories and that they shouldn't be generalised to everyone with autism. It;s just one story and that isn't the same for everyone on the spectrum.

Lucy Maud Montgomery's Suicide

I had been looking at the work of Lucy Maud Montgomery because I was drawn to her scenes and sense of place on Prince Edward Island (it seems all but one of her books were based on this island, where she lived, and are filled with scenes of the natural beauty around the island in Canada), but I was worried that there wasn't much substance to them. Pretty, sweet little classic stories... but then I started doing some reading about Lucy Maud...

I read that Montgomery had not lived the life she daydreamed about, she was in fact very troubled; she was adopted, her husband had religious melancholia, and she suffered a nervous breakdown. It is also believed that she died of a drug overdose at the age of 68.

Mental illness is a topic that is very close to me. I've been taking medication for generalised anxiety and panic disorder for three years. A close friend of mine, Anna, committed suicide two years ago, another friend has been in and out of psychiatric hospital after attempting suicide. I don't want to make this project really sad and too personal, but I do want to tackle these bigger issues. 

This is a chance to talk about something important and I don't think Montgomery's problems have been discussed, simply brushed  under the carpet. It's so shocking to learn that Montgomery was mentally ill, it's not what you'd expect from the tone of her stories...

Her family kept her suicide a secret. To protect Montgomery's social status? To protect her legacy? To protect her readers? I reckon it's time to talk about it. It's time to address the fact that this woman decided to end her own life.

"I have lost my mind by spells and I do not dare think what I may do in those spells. May God forgive me and I hope everyone else will forgive me even if they cannot understand. My position is too awful to endure and nobody realizes it. What an end to a life in which I tried always to do my best." (a note left on her bedside)

"my life has been hell, hell, hell. My mind is gone -- everything in the world I lived for has gone -- the world has gone mad. I shall be driven to end my life. Oh God, forgive me. Nobody dreams what my awful position is." ~~ from The Gift of Wings

"I am companioned by thoughts of old laughter and joys, shadowy footsteps of dead or absent friends, voices of the vanished years."

PROJECT PROPOSAL

ANOTHER SPEEDY ADQ REPLY

Dear Jay,

Thank you for your submission to Art Doll Quarterly! Your Tove Jansson doll is wonderful. I'll present your doll to our Art Selection Committee for consideration in the "I Am Woman" doll challenge for the Autumn 2017 Issue. You will be notified at a later date if it is selected for publication. Thank you.

Talking About Autism

Date: Thursday 16/02/17

Present: Molly, Jay S, Jay F

Absent: None

We need to get moving on interviews. This is our priority since our animation depends on it. During our meeting, we discussed how we would approach people to speak to us, including making posters, putting them around the college, posting on the uni Facebook pages and reaching out to external institutions/organisations for people with Autism.

We made a VERY QUICK poster and printed them to stick all around uni, including the Library and on the barriers you pass going into college.

We spoke to the AV suite about recording and they were discouraging, but we were persistent and polite. I think we're having an induction tomorrow FINGERS CROSSED...

Next Meeting: Tuesday 20th 

I am Woman - Tove Jansson

I decided against having her swimming in water because it was too tricky! Does that make this a failure? No, it's just seeing what works and compromising when an initial idea doesn't go as planned.

Instead, I had her in the wild, in the nature that she talked about in all of her books.

It looks almost like a book cover for 'The Summer Book'.

Left: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT2WMJAs05R2Ky7bCnpKYGsjrj-wb-dDUj6fKNZN7p0Vr7m0V_f

Right: My Tove Doll

In response to the challenge 'I am Woman', I created a doll of my all-time hero Tove Jansson.

Jansson is cherished for creating the world-renowned Moomins: hippo-like creatures who live in the magical land of Moomin Valley. The Moomins began as satirical comic strips in the political publication 'Garm' but since then have evolved into the round, white troll characters we've seen in books, television and cinema. 

Tove was also an avid painter, a budding author and a pioneer of her time.

I am constantly in awe of Tove Jansson, not only because of her creativity and her classic works of fiction, but because of her values and approach to life. Tove pined for a quiet life away from the bustle of the city, so set up her home on a desolate island off the gulf of Finland. Tove built her own home there on the island where she could be in peace.

Although people at the time were disapproving of her choices, Tove lived and worked with her same-sex partner and lover Tuulikki.

Many of Tove's stories contain themes of friendship, nature, love, acceptance, war, politics, fear and even death. Whilst other authors for children may avoid such sensitive subjects, Tove discussed the fragility of human emotion and condition through the Moomins.

Jansson is a truly powerful woman who has made a lasting impression.

My Tove Jansson doll is completely posable and stands at 7 inches tall. I made this doll using a wire armature body, a polystyrene ball head (25mm) and papier mache flesh covering her frame. Her hair is wool roving, her dress is cotton and her flower garland is made of paper-cut flowers.

Creative Partners Form

I think it is important to establish our roles and responsibilities before jumping into this brief.
As well as it acting almost like a contract that each of us should abide by, it will be useful to have these as a starting point for how we will work together and what each of our aims are.
I know Molly but I have never worked with her before and I have only just met Jay F, so it will be good to see what their strengths are and how they want to approach this brief collectively.

I'm still feeling a little nervous about how this is going to work but both Molly and Jay F are lovely people and it is exciting to have all of this ahead of us! I'm looking forward to making some great things with two brilliant artists.

GROUP CONVERSATION NOTES 1

The group conversation is proving useful for sending photos/links/videos and sharing ideas quickly. Because we all have busy schedules we are only managing to meet once a week. We don't have long before deadline so it's good to have these mini-meetings/rebriefings online between physical meetings.

ADQ - Powerful Women

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c2/ca/c9/c2cac939c11ab79f73a88aa87c17dee7.jpg

Absolutely no question about who I would make for my powerful woman for ADQ. It had to be Tove, my hero. I want to show her as more than just the mother of Moomins, I would like to show her as a pioneer and a free spirit, a lesbian and a hermit.

I have a lot to say about Tove and I'm not sure if I can say it all in one image!

My initial plan was to have her swimming in water with a mini Tove island and house in the background but I'm not sure what would happen to the papier mache if I put her in water... I don't think it would survive. Maybe it would be worth it? How would I make her float? Put her inside an arm band? I'd need pretty water, not the murky stuff we have in Ripon.

Maybe I could make fake water? Cellophane or resin?

Book Illustration Research

RESPONSIVE GROUP

Date: 12/02/17
Present: Jay F, Jay S
Absent: Molly H

FIRST MEETING WITH THE GROUP! I was so nervous and Molly couldn't make it so it was just me and Jay. We got on really well and started to throw some ideas around. I'm relieved that we have shared interests and a similar passion for Charlie Kaufmann and Smallfilms.

We didn't want to make any major decisions without Molly so we just began brainstorming and will send this over to Molly after.

Great meeting today discussing initial responses to the brief. We explored the idea of an animated documentary format but this isn't the definitive plan, just one of many possibilities. The brief asks for 1-8 films, so Jay and I talked about this having scope for us to each undertake one (or a few) very short animations each that would work together as a series but enable us to each direct our own narrative including illustrative style. We would need to research and establish the branding/style guidelines so that they do all sit together as a collaborative project. At the moment we're looking at a light hearted/conversational tone highlighting the everyday lives and issues faced by adults on the spectrum aimed at people who don't really understand the disorder. Short clips would suit the attention span of modern audiences and could be easily applied to social media contexts. Conducting short interviews and recording narration from individuals, we could lip-sync characters speaking, though this is a long process, or animate scenarios and/or thoughts with the narration as an audio on top. Meeting again next Thursday at 10am outside the library to begin fleshing out ideas. We're making a joint Pinterest board so we can share references (some Jay and I looked at are scribbled on these sheets). For next week we should all attempt to bring: mood boards (visual/thematic references - Pinterest collections etc), ideas boards (sketchbook with mindmaps and some thoughts on concepts/content) and if there's time to start roughing some character sketches that would be brilliant. We need to post to the LCA collaborations page looking for individuals who would like to discuss their experiences of autism with us, or if you know anyone else (preferably adult) that we could use.

Next Meeting: 18/02/17

#ShareYourHeart HobbyCraft Competition

Share Your Heart: Hobby Craft announced a competition for the Valentine's season, challenging craft-makers to share their creations. This submission could be ANYTHING so long as it featured a heart somewhere in it.

Since I was already making spring dolls for the shop window display (see PPP blog), I made a pink Valentine's pixie that could be used for this submission and then displayed in the shop window (two birds, one stone). I used fabric BOUGHT FROM HOBBY CRAFT and made her a little heart-shaped chocolate box using air-drying clay. The challenge asked submissions to be posted to social media using the hashtags 'ShareYourHeart' and 'HobbyCraft'. Hashtags look so tacky and childish but it does encourage Instagram users to track and find new artists, so hopefully this will also drive people to my page.

Valentine's day is stupid and all about commercialism but it is a sweet gesture to 'treat' those you love, thus we bury our souls in chocolate. So I made a sickly-sweet doll holding some goodies. I hope people don't perceive this as my work being shallow and surface-level. There's no real concept for this other than 'Valentine's Day'. With more time I could have made a scene of characters buying presents/making presents themselves (MORE MESSAGE, MORE OF A PURPOSE - TELLING PEOPLE TO GO AND MAKE THINGS), but I do really like these images. They could have been better but since it is not a substantial brief I didn't want to spend too long on it.

I also submitted one of these photos to the Hobby Craft 'Make of the Month' competition, a separate brief... I asked whether these two competitions were related and was told that they are individual but artists can submit the same work to both to double the chances of winning. 

Choosing a Story

I've narrowed my initial list of public domain stories to just two which I am torn between: Emily of New Moon and The Magic City.

Emily of New Moon     by Lucy Maud Montgomery 

Similar to her earlier and more famous Anne of Green Gables series. Young orphan girl, Emily Starr, raised by her relatives after her father dies of tuberculosis. Montgomery considered Emily to be a character much closer to her own personality than Anne, and some of the events which occur in the Emily series happened to Montgomery herself. 

Emily is a heroine with a love for the beauty in nature and art, loyalty to her friends, a thirst for knowledge, and a passionate dedication to her writing.

Themes/Content: Powerful female heroine / the beauty of nature / a passion for writing

Rationale:

To celebrate the lesser-known works of Montgomery

Focus on Montgomery's life and relationship to her character Emily

Emily reminds me of 'Midnight' by Jacqueline Wilson

Potential to draw natural scenery/forests/woods

Character development and research into the time era/fashion/design

Cosmic/space/lunar imagery

Feminine, classic, beautiful book

The Magic City     by Edith Nesbit

After Philip's older sister and sole family member Helen marries, he goes off to live with his new step sister Lucy. He has trouble adjusting at first, thrown into a world different from his previous life and abandoned by his sister while she is on her honeymoon. To entertain himself he builds a giant model city from things around the house: game pieces, books, blocks, bowls, etc. Then through some magic he finds himself inside the city, and it is alive with the people he has populated it with. 

Themes/Content: Magic, fantasy, recycling, creating, imagination, play

Rationale:

Another lesser known title from Nesbit/Underrated book

The importance of imaginative play

The message - don't grow up/lose that sense of play

Make your own fun - relevant to a modern audience saturated by games/screens

Scope to use atypical/unexpected media (literally build the city and photograph it to illustrate)

More gender neutral than Emily of New Moon

RESPONSIVE

ORGANISING MYSELF: TAKE 2

ORDER OF TIMESCALE:

ADQ: County Fair                        -  15th December       COMPLETED AND SENT

Hobbycraft Month                       -   End of February

ADQ: I am Woman                       -  15th March

Moving Parts Animation               -  15th March

Moving Parts Poster Photo           -  15th March             COMPLETED AND SENT

Roald Dahl                                  -  23rd March             COMPLETED 

I've found a few more competitions that are more appropriate to my skills, media and context.

The Moving Parts animation competition suits what I want to do - I want to make puppets and have more 

experience of animation, plus the prize is tickets to the puppetry festival (which I am passionate about and

would like to attend) so this would be more beneficial to me than winning a design award that I'd have to 

pay £350 for.

The Penguin brief has been cut from my intended briefs because it has only made me feel stressed and strained.

I'm not skilled in designing covers and have little knowledge of graphic design so I worry that I would be 

competing against professionals in the field. It felt a little pointless when I didn't feel confident in my designs

or ideas to consider submitting them. I don't want to waste more time trying to come up with something

clever when I can be focussing on other briefs that are more appropriate to my interests and career prospects.

I also didn't really feel connected to any of the books so didn't have a strong desire to illustrate them.

The Carmelite prize is still a possible interest (since it is children's book illustration - my intended audience 

and professional illustration context I would like to go on to work in) but would be a lot of work to take on 

in a short space of time.

Book Illustration

Trends, fashions, current but also considering classics and what made these illustrations so endearing to me as a young reader

Moomins Case Study

The amount of Moomin merchandise I own is almost embarrassing and this isn't even all of it.
The success of Tove Jansson's Moomin books has extended to hundreds of applications across the world, including:

Stamps - First Day Issue
Homeware - plates, mugs, lamps, cushions, bedding, wallpaper,
Cuddly Toys/plushies, plastic figures, dollhouses,
Stationery/Postcards/ Calendars
Enamel pins - VERY POPULAR AT THE MOMENT! I wonder how you can get these made?
Fashion - dresses and t-shirts, pyjamas (Even PRIMARK got hold of the licensing for Moomin Characters!)
Experiences - Moominworld in Finland, The Moomin themepark in Japan, The Moomin Cafe in Hong Kong - (Mary Chu told me about this), exhibitions, plays

Applied Illustration: Children's Book Characters - Products

Children's Book Characters applied to products/merchandise. Just looking around my room and realising how much stuff I have that's printed/themed with children's picture book characters. A lot of stuff.
All of these characters and illustrations were originally intended for children in picture books, so why do I have so many of them now? There has to be some kind of psychological reason why we obsess over these characters from our childhood and need that same picture as a print, a cushion, a teddy... Is it just nostalgia?

Anyway, there's lots of potential for applications! These characters can be applied to pretty much anything and some loser will buy them. Prints, postcards and stationery are the most obvious and probably the easiest application since they are paper-based products (cheap production and distribution).


Clanger Small Toy from Jay Stelling on Vimeo.

Here's Small the Clanger from Smallfilms The Clangers who I found at the carboot sale this morning. Not only is he a plush toy of the character, but he also has a soundbox inside him and he makes the iconic Clanger whistling noise when you squeeze him. There's more to think about with character than just their physical form! Think about tactility, sound, smell etc!

Moving Parts Poster Competition

Brief: Take a photograph of yourself with the poster in a creative place (e.g. arts cafe/studio/place of study) and tag us on social media!

Since I'm already working on a submission for the stop-motion competition for Moving Parts festival, I thought I may as well quickly take a photo for this little competition since it would also help to promote the festival. You scratch my back, I'll scratch your's. Re-using the puppet I made for the Roald Dahl James and the Giant Peach image, I brought him into the studio and took some photos of him with a tiny scale version of the poster and him sat with me and my real-size poster. Not a hugely creative solution, I could have taken longer to compose this photograph and take a professional snap but as a quick answer to the brief here is me and my lil' guy shouting about an exciting upcoming festival of puppetry.

SMOKY BACON

Initial sketches for Smoky. I really wanted him to be outrageously kitsch and cartoony, like something from a 70's stop-motion kid's show. The Soup Dragon from The Clangers meets Puff the Magic Dragon kind of thing.

The brief said that the content could be anything but since I am so interested in these classic shows, I wanted to make something that looks like it could step right out of one of those stories. Using this as a chance to explore creatures since I'm so used to making humans. Dragons were hugely popular at the time, as well as fantasy stories. So a Dragon it is.

Overtly whimsical and silly, mocking the dark humour in the narration.

Dragons are frequently illustrated with green or red scales but the name 'Smoky Bacon' has been the name of a dragon since writing stories with my friend Nikki in primary school. Smoky Bacon is, like the crisps, purple.

Might need to lighten him up, his paint job got a little dark and muddy. I'd also like to embed tactile scales into the 'skin', maybe sparkly/glittery ones amongst different shades of purple?

Need to make sure he will stay still enough for stop-motion, his proportions might mean he topples over.

CHILDREN'S PUBLISHING

Our group arranged to meet in the studio at 9.30 today so that we could get a good start on the presentation. I always end up taking control because I worry that things won't get done if I don't, so I sat at a computer and started compiling all the images we'd shared on a group chat together.
A couple of people turned up but not everyone (disappointing), but I've learned that this is the way to do it. It's done now and we have a good presentation compiled together. My strength is being here early and being productive in terms of getting my head down and just doing the work so I'm making the most of that and taking the reigns with the presentation.

The comic fair is tomorrow which explained why people were rushing about/had print slots today. We didn't really need everyone in anyway since we had all shared our research on the group chat, we just needed to make decisions as to what goes in - what stays out. Although I was sat at the computer doing the clicking, Joe, Kieran, Kat, Mary, Penny, Amy and Dana were all super great with suggesting places to look/posting things on their blogs for me to grab into the powerpoint/popping by and checking how it was going.
Dana made the case studies which I'm really thankful for, gave a focussed and in-depth review of some classic children's books.

Still not sure who's saying what - how we are going to present it but WE HAVE A POWERPOINT - HUZZAH!

DRAGON RESEARCH

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/dec/09/brief-history-dragons-smaug-hobbit-tolkien#_

Finding some funky dragons to feed the ideas about Smoky Bacon! What makes them scary and what makes them fantastical?

What colours are often used? I want to use a dark purple/Walker's Smoky Bacon Crisp packet colour because that's how I have often imagined him, but will this be too dinosaur and not enough Dragon?

I love the craft feel of the Soup Dragon's almost patchwork scales. ALL of these dragons are green. Will mine be different in a refreshing way?

Study Task 1: Case Study - Wildwood

I've been wanting to read the Wildwood books since seeing the beautiful sting video for it in 504.

It's a middle-grade adventure/fantasy story and looks exactly like my cup of tea. Since I've decided to explore children's publishing in this module, I think it's about time I ordered the first book!

I've studied and made picture books before but they have always been early readers/pre-reading books because I haven't had the time to write longer stories. I would really love to write a book for this age range and embrace the challenge of illustrating bigger chunks/chapters of text. Looking at Wildwood will help me to see how Carson Ellis has achieved this: analysing the format of the illustrations, the relationship between art and text (and author+illustrator) and also get a real feel for the adventure/fantasy genre.

While I wait for that to arrive, here's some photos of my drooling over it in Waterstones. These are paperback versions, so I imagine that the hardback copies feel even more precious and special than these do. 

The covers are elegant and really beautifully illustrated. It's immediately obvious that this is an adventure story as the result of capturing the children on the front running - running to or running from something? - intriguing and exciting, suggests a fast pace, a journey, an adventure.

It's interesting to see that a serif typeface has been chosen because that's not typical of children's publishing. Serif fonts are often deemed too sophisticated/complicated for young readers but these books are for middle-grade readers (7-12 years) so might be trying to establish a step-up from 'childish' books and a stepping stone to the teen/young adult genre.

The covers remind me of the Narnia Chronicles by C.S.Lewis. I remember feeling really grown-up and clever when I moved onto the 'free-reader' zone in the school library and I got to choose which books I wanted to read. I was a bookworm and a daydreamer, so it had to be fantasy, but I was also aware that I was too big to be reading fairy stories. I thought looked clever reading these books, especially reading a series of books and being able to say "I've read the whole series". Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings looked too boyish to me.

These full-page illustrations have caught my eye because they don't interfere with the text. They're on a completely separate page, like colour plates (although this one is black and white), presented more as 'figures' in the book, not illustrating that page but a reference for the reader to go back and find. It feels momentous to reach these pages and it's almost a reward for reading all that chunky text when you finally get to another picture.

Study Task 1: Case Study - Little Ripon Bookshop

An independent bookshop. Values: local, small, independence, quirky

https://worksbyclaire.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/ripon-outside.jpg?w=676

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Study Task 1 - Online Resources

Publishers (resource for finding existing products/exploring market/contacting the publishers)
Bloomsbury - www.bloomsbury.com/uk/childrens/
Nosy Crow - www.nosycrow.com/
Hachette Children's Group - https://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk/
Walker Books - www.walker.co.uk/
Penguin RandomHouse - www.randomhousechildrens.co.uk/

Other Online Resources
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators - https://www.scbwi.org/
(advice, articles)
Creative Bloq - http://www.creativebloq.com/
Illustration Age - https://illustrationage.com/
Business of Illustration - http://businessofillustration.com/

Dragon Story for Moving Parts Animation

There are bad things in the forest. 

There are countless dangers in the wild.  

There are monsters and beasts, 

creatures that will capture and devour you whole. 

Nostrils for sniffing out fresh meat. 

Sharp, razor claws for scratching, ripping and skinning their prey.  

Teeth for  sinking into a writhing body. 

Stomp, chomp, stomp, chomp.

Tasty human meat.

That's why they call him Smoky Bacon, he's the best butcher in the land! 

Diced finely, human can be oh-so-tough in big chunks!
Don't worry, he won't eat you alive, 

he's not an animal. 

He'll fry you first.

Season well, marinate for seven hours. 

Human goes well with a cheeky white wine sauce, 

and a green leaf salad to garnish the dish. 

"Roll up, roll up! Special offers today only folks, two for a tenner! 

Grab it while it's hot now!"

But lately Smokey's got a taste for fine dining. 

Only the best ingredients, prime flavours and gourmet selections. 

Kings and Queens. Topped with gold leaf.

PITCHA PITCHA PRESENTATION

Today's presentations in the lecture didn't go quite as planned.

Somehow everyone sent them as different sizes, different file types and with different names, so they ended up in the wrong order with some slides missing and no names on the slides to know whose was whose. 

It was chaotic and disappointing since I'd spent a while preparing my slides and preparing myself for finding partners in this lecture. It was really noisy with everyone groaning and grumbling by the time we left the lecture theatre.

After the lecture we had to go into the different studios and find designated tables for each brief. There was a lot of wandering about and awkwardly introducing ourselves but I eventually found the National Autistic Society table.

Jay F from animation was there and I introduced myself. It would have been a lot easier to do this task if we had prepared PRINTED copies of our slides so that we could show each other what we do/what we're interested in! Jay F and I were just showing each other photos on our phones, but he said he'd like to work with me and that he'd already spoken to Molly H on our course who seemed interested in this brief too.

Jay F's work intrigued me because it's all really scenic and immersive landscapes. I really like his animation and I'm glad I bumped into him because I think we'd work well together but I am  concerned about there being THREE DIFFERENT ARTISTS collaborating on one project. I don't want anyone to take over or anyone to feel left out.

Molly and Jay F had already discussed the brief so I was worried that I was gatecrashing because I joined the group after they'd already agreed to collaborate but both of them were really friendly and I messaged both of them before we decided that we would be a trio.

Study Task 1 - Trends

Summary:

Lessons in kindness in response to the year's political/social news (Trump/Brexit/Refugees/War) - CONTEXT informs CONTENT.

Anniversaries and films introduce new readers to modern classics.

Children will choose humorous titles for themselves. Parents/educators will choose non-fiction for them. Classics with a twist (modernised) will be popular.

Special editions and artistic presentations - emphasis on books as objects and possessions.

(Gift edition cloth-bound Classics in Waterstones, January 2017)

Study Task 1 - Facts about the Industry/Market

Summary:

Books are doing well, the children's market especially.

People are taking the children's and YA market seriously.

Children learn about new books from peers.

If targeting avid readers, a purchase trigger is cheap price/sale.

If targeting disengaged readers, purchase triggers are point of sale/in-store factors.

ROALD DAHL SERIES

Working a lot better now that the witch matches the other two in backgrounds. They just don't look as magical as they could... but I'm happy with the compositions and photographs themselves so I don't really want to retake them! How can I ADD to them? Digitally draw over? Edit? Sparkles?