Caldecott = Done!

So, as I previously posted, we were having a group critique on our final pieces for the Caldecott Competition brief. Well, it went quite well, actually. The tutors liked my piece! Which is such a relief right now. Just had to tweak a few things, colour wise, but here is my final piece:

This is the Cat,

That killed the Rat,

That ate the Malt,

That lay in the house that Jack built.

I know this style is quite different to how I have worked in previous pieces, but this is how I would like to work in the future, i.e. a collage effect, with patterns and textures.

Well, now we've got this one out of the way, we have been given THREE new briefs! One of these is about our dissertation for next year; to come up with a proposal for the final piece. Got to get my thinking cap on!

Caldecott rough

So, I have previously mentioned that we have been given a brief to illustrate a text that has been illustrated by Randolph Caldecott. I chose 'The House that Jack Built,' and chose the verse: "This is the Cat, That killed the Rat, That ate the Malt, That lay in the house that Jack built." After designing a initial idea, and having a group crit on it, I was advised to concentrate more on the narrative. During another feedback, I was told that some of my images/designs can seem quite naive and too simple. If I am to carry on working in a simple style, then I need something that will make me more quirky and original. From this feedback, I went away and designed another rough for the rhyme, and it was (finally) okayed. So, here it is...

This is the Cat, 

That killed the Rat,

That ate the Malt,

That lay in the house that Jack built.

I know it still looks quite simple, but I plan to change this, when I add media/colour. I am planning to use a collage effect, making the most out of pattern etc.

Final piece coming soon...

Hayfever time

Final-ish pieces for the Hayfever brief; had to design packaging for a children's hayfever medicine. Should get some feedback on it a week tomorrow, when we're back after assessments.

Above: Packaging for children's hayfever medicine

Above: Label for bottle of medicine

A Day with Caldecott...

As I have mentioned in a previous post, there is a Randolph Caldecott Gallery at my local Heritage Centre. Well, today I finally visited it. They didn't have as much as I remembered, but still, it was good to look at Caldecott's work in a gallery setting. Got a postcard and print of two pieces of his work, and a leaflet about him.

Reliving my childhood...

Now, I didn't know that I wanted to be a children's illustrator until I was choosing universities and courses. But, now, I am surprised at how things keep popping up that should have made me realise a long time ago. For instance, now that we in the midst of assessments, we have been given two briefs to complete while we don't have any contact time with the tutors. One of these briefs are based on the Caldecott Medal competition. When I was a child, we always used to go to the Heritage Centre in the town, and there they had various displays, and even a mini-gallery on the work of Randolph Caldecott (he spent quite a bit of time working in Whitchurch, and used some of the buildings in his work). It never clicked until I was researching Caldecott's work on the internet, and I came across the picture below, which is my most memorable piece, and I realised that this was a massive part of my childhood, and seeing his work has taken me right back to when I was younger, when I spend hours playing around with the various games/attractions on display, and reading about Randolph Caldecott and Sir Edward German. The good thing about it is, the Heritage Centre is still up and running today, and I think, the Caldecott gallery is still there, so I will be able to get some very good first-hand reference for this brief. I know what I'll be doing either this weekend or next week.

1 Conservatory + 1 Desk + 1 Fancy Chair = NEW WORK SPACE!

Recently brought this great workstation from IKEA, and, after a week, it is finely ready for use.

 Let many a illustration take place here!

This will get a giggle...

While looking for artists on the internet, I came across this piece by a children's illustrator called Julia Woolf. I had to laugh at it.