loo prentice - illustration and wafflings

Dusting off the pencil and birth of a new story

2012-02-02T11:21:00.005Z

Well once again i look at the lack of entries into my blog and feel a bit cacky-poop i haven't written in a while but since the move from Exeter to Brighton, it's all been a bit hectic and unsettled. So finally i feel a lot lighter and more inclined to start blogging again. So here's a little peak at the image i am working on for a new story.

Nothing much but my sketchbook is getting full of little doodles and thumbnails. I haven't felt this good about my work in a long time.

I'm also working on 1 of 2 commissions which is very exciting as i think it's going to look good. Yup, i'm blowing my own trumpet.....parp parp parrr parp

It's that time again! Blogbedy blog

2011-11-24T11:06:00.002Z

Gosh i haven't blogged in a long time, i haven't even visited my blog in a long time. I think it needs an overhaul, i think i'm just too lazy to try and make it look nice (well not lazy, just that i find it hard work trying to put something together that looks nice for me, whereas i like doing it for other people!)
So as of today i shall start my blog, and write....write....write and maybe show some work. I thought about trying' 'do a drawing a day', but that's too much pressure, so i'll 'do a drawing whenever'...

Here's to 'doing a drawing whenever'.

Much ado
Loo
x

Thank you and the Flying Egg

2011-01-16T11:29:00.007Z

Just thought i'd share this image i created recently for a charity called Home-Start. I was asked to pick a month for a charity calendar and create an image with Home-Start in mind. This idea for April came very quickly to me as i'd always wanted to create a flying machine of sorts, just never thought it'd be a flying egg! As much as it is obvious that it's a flying machine, i also wanted to incorporate a weather vane, external and an internal. We all get sad some days and i wanted to express that with a bit of help we can change our internal weather-vane to something happy and that is where the rainbow comes in. It's quite a meaningful image for me as i am too aware of how life can have it's lumps and bumps, how people can come and go, how we can be served a curve-ball smack in the face. With a little nurturing, with help and a bit of love we can change how we feel.

I have recently been feeling slightly dampened with my work and creativity, but from people reaching out to me, my internal weather-vane is starting to change shape and colour. I had a lovely email from John Pollex a wonderful potter, who i'd never met or heard of before. Just giving me a bit of encouragement and making me realise a few things made me feel very warm. I also received a lovely email from Louise Mortley who helps run Home-Start with words of encouragement too. People never cease to amaze me when they share their feelings and kind words. We all need it, some more than others but i am always grateful when someone reaches out past their own selves to share their thoughts and feelings. so a big thank you to those that have. I also want to thank Cass for pushing me to show my work and give me some good advice, it's always appreciated :) and my very good friend The Garrulous Griffin, who ALWAYS has wise words to share (see his blog, it's bright and shiny and new)

Who knows what is in store for me this year, i'm not sure if i'm still working with the publisher any more but i do still love drawing and painting so will keep on keeping on.

just some waffle

2011-01-04T15:53:00.006Z

I've been looking up at the moon recently and stars, wondering about my work and where it is going. Since having a few knock backs from the publisher, i noticed, almost in slow motion, i'd been floored by it all. I like drawing, i like painting, i know what i want but when someone else is in your way it's difficult to move such a mountain.

I constantly questioned whether i should be doing this art thing, but i never ever stop, i wonder what would happen to me if i did stop this artymalarkythingy? Would i combust into a ball of stars/moths/dust/lego? Would i fall into a stooper that smells like a storm trooper? Would i rot away like a mouse in a trap?

I'm in limbo, that's where i am. I can't give this up, i don't want to. I just need to find my way around the mountain that has been placed in front of me. I need to carry on looking at the stars but i also need to let those stars guide me instead of me being still.

Maybe i'll take some tea, cake and a polar bear; sit down, stare into the sky and decide upon my next move. I hear North is a good place to go (or under the bed with the fluff bunnies).

the forecast is rain, with intervals of sunshine

2010-06-13T13:55:00.009+01:00

Wow, it's been a while since i last posted. I did one around xmas time but it wasn't in keeping with my illustration stuff so it had to go *chop chop*.

I think I've not posted because I'd been working so hard on the book and getting stuff done for deadline. I finally sent some work to the publisher which i was really proud of and thought would make great pages. Due to some mis-communication, problems and hair pulling i was told they weren't suitable. I shan't list the negatives as it'd only refuel my thoughts I'd had about this and anyway it'd probably feel like pulling a plaster off real slow.

The negatives knocked me side-ways, upside down, all over the place and i found it difficult to pick myself back up. I'd worked so hard on these images and to find they only liked one small vignette and wanted me base the rest of my work around that was hard to stomach. I didn't pick my pencils/paintbrush up for a couple of weeks and sought advice from anywhere i could get it on how to pull through this. But at the back of my mind i thought...

*It's hard to face a bag of negatives in a positive light when you're only offered a positive in a negative reflection*

My thoughts started to spiral downwards and i became very negative. It felt like someone was stabbing me over and over again. My brain kept saying *what do i have to do to please these people*, but i was told over and over again by friends that *these people* are business people and in the end they have to make money, so my feelings aren't really a concern.

i really thought I'd got a grip of negative criticism over the years, but this made me realise i needed a new safety net for when i fell.

From all the negatives , i had to eventually find some solace in the little positive remark and the remarks from friends and strangers. But mainly, I had to realise that i am not just book illustration, that is not who i am, i am more than that. I can't rely on that external work to pad out my own psyche, i needed to reach inside and get back to me.

I can't say it's been easy, but i can say it's been a bloody weird journey! I am still not 100% but i feel better about myself and my work. Who knows where all this will go, maybe i am not destined to stay in this industry, i can't control that but i can have bloody good stab at it.

pumpy pumpy pumpkin

2009-10-08T17:08:00.005+01:00

I've sat here for a little while trying different beginnings for this blog, when i got to 'pumpy, pumpy pumpkin,' i knew it was time to come down off the ceiling and cut out the caffeine. Finished working on adding a bit of colour on the illustration for my story i posted a little while ago. It's been an interesting journey; one of layers and layers of learning, photoshopping, chewing my nails and eating far too many cookies. But i am happy with the finished results, although i'm sure i'll try another version soon and like that one better, but for now i'll be leaving it there and get another started.

Things are still slow with the publisher, it seems that Frankfurt(er) is getting in the way of them pushing the book on any further! Damn you Frankfurt(er), i shake my cookie crumbed fist in your direction and stick my tongue out to roll off a raspberry just for you!

Right i must go and do something productive....i wonder if there's another packet of cookies that really need eating?

P.s i also wanted to add i've been doing this with flu symptoms, now do you feel sorry for me?!

Pencil peace

2009-09-16T20:20:00.005+01:00

Well, i've finally put pencil to paper and got my head around this story . It took me about 5 days to complete and i'm pretty darned happy at that! Now to pass it onto my agent and see what she can do with it. Right onto the next piece!!

Ta daaaaaa.....bit of work, a few words and a bath tub

2009-08-12T12:42:00.015+01:00

It's that time again. I haven't blogged in ages, not sure what to do! I'll start with the commission i received to create a character of a friend's mother. Terribly tricky it was, as i had to get it just so, but i really enjoyed the challenge. I hope she likes it....fingers crossed.

Things are moving along with the book, 'Flower in the Snow' by Tracey Corderoy. Her website has some really loose sketches i'd done previously (do all illustrators hate looking at their loose sketches, or is it just me!?) and the colour image on the left. Things are still not finalised, but so far so good. I have faith it's going to be a fab journey. It's nice to see things moving on for friends too, lots of people from uni getting along just fine! (I can't believe i left uni 18 months ago! I have been working on this book that long! sheesh! but i wouldn't change it for the world).

Ta daaaa, that's it, that's all i have to report. I have very few words in my head at the moment, wish i could translate some of these images though. I'd probably be able to fill a bathtub with words.....hmmmm...... bathtub full of words, now where's me pencil!

Sweets, meets and completes

2009-06-04T14:24:00.024+01:00

OOoo i do love a good meeting. I travelled to the London last week and met up with the book designer and the Picture Book Publisher. We had sweets, cookies and tea and my brain was high on E-numbers and spreads. I was thoroughly excited at the prospect of redrawing some of the images and very happy to add 2 more spreads to the book as it really needed that space to allow the story to unfold. We could get the book out for next year but we decided on 2011 so we can take our time on what hopefully will be a fantastic book. I love the story premise, I truly hope the author carries on loving what i am drawing.

These images aren't finished, but it's the way i am going with the final illustrations i think. Above is a rough of the house the girl lives in and left is a 'shuzzed' up version that i wanted to try. Not sure at the moment though, the people at Egmont seemed to like it and i do too but something is missing, so i shall persevere and see what else my paints can produce. I must say though i really am enjoying this process, even though slightly frustrating, it's giving me goosebumps.

Just a bit of colour and feet eating

2009-05-20T18:20:00.004+01:00

Thought i'd add a bit of colour to this image as an experiment. Quite like it, although not too sure on snowflakes...let's call it a work in progress.

Had a pretty good day today, managed to eat 22 olives. Yum. Oh not just olives, i've eaten other stuff but i felt rather proud of my chomping feat (ok ok, not feet eating, but you know what i mean!)

a very helpful website for freelancers and some news

2009-05-07T15:20:00.009+01:00

Well i'm not sure if this will help anyone but it's full of advice and guidelines. If, like me, you hate dealing with the money side of things, you might want to go to this website... Freelance Fees Guide it covers so many aspects of freelance work, that i am sure someone could use it for advice. If not maybe throw it to the wolves....

Anyway enough of the darker side of things. Stuff (don't you just love that word....stuff...stuff....stuff it....stuff up, his stuff, her stuff, their stuff) with Egmont is moving forward and i have another date set to meet up with them to show all my work for The Flower in the Snow story. 'Yippee', i cried when i heard the news, but that was choked back when i realised i had SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH WORK TO DO in such a small amount of time. So i now have to get off my butt and pull my proverbial socks up (any higher and they'll be hitching a ride on my lugholes). I could write a list of things i need to do by then, but, and this may sound stupid, i don't actually know what i need to do. I know what i want to do and that's get a big crayon, a roll of wall paper and make messy with it. Alas, i doubt this will get me very far when they ask to see pictures of polar bears and rabbits and other strange things.

So now i am here thinking 'jeeee....sus, what shall i do next?'. Where's all the advice i stored away during the 3 years i was at uni? This is when i realise it's a lonely life as an illustrator, who do i turn to to help me get done what i need to get done. I hate to put myself onto other people, sometimes it's hard to ask for advice as i hate bothering friends. I guess i shall have to put it out into the universe and maybe whilst i'm at it i'll ask for some scones, a nice cake stand for my friend, a new pencil and a castle. (does anybody else want anything whilst i am asking the universe to deliver?)

Well i guess i'll say watch this space and thanks for reading, i hope the website i linked to is helpful.

By Eck....jimminy cricket.....stone the crows. A new direction.

2009-03-10T10:15:00.007Z

After a couple of months of to-ing and fro-ing at the publishers. They have finally sent the contract to my agent. It's been a long time coming and i feel exhausted waiting for the Yay or the Nay, but i finally have the Yay.......yippeee. Lots of work to do in the coming months but i am so excited that i don't care that i will be working my fingers into stubs. I'm just happy i have some focus and know which way i am going now (well for the next few hours anyway...lol). What a fantastic birthday present for tomorrow, it's on par with the Loaf of Crusts i received a few years ago.

The extent of my celebration went to eating a lovely take-away last night and quite a few Oreo Cookies this morning....rock and roll all the way eh!

Sunday saw me on an adventure up to Bristol to meet the South West illustrators group and join them in a little jolly and a chat about our work. What a lovely bunch (damn there weren't any coconuts to end that sentence) of people. I am happy to name drop Babette Cole as one of the members and look forward to chewing her ear off in the near future. Lots of lovely work was shown and hopefully at the next meeting there will be more to browse. Exciting times.

Erm....anything else to report....hmmmm well all i can say is things are slowly moving forward and i hope it will grow nice little shoots that grow into lots of other lovely things. Amen.

Scone the crows

2009-01-17T17:14:00.004Z

Ok 2 scones (sc-owns) were maybe 2 too many (say that with your mouthful). Naughty me!! Now i have stomach ache and i'm tired. That'll learn me for not listening to my nutritional therapist.

Today was an enlightening day. You know when 'you know' something is just right, it just kinda fits into place, as if it's always been there. I had a good day (thank you, if you're reading this, yes you know who you are!) and i intend to follow my path a lot more, rather than straying onto little mini paths which lead me back to the beginning. I'll also take the tennis ball with me, just to keep me focused (don't ask!).

Well next week is almost upon me and there's the big cheese meeting at the publishers. I am excited, fearful, nervous, optimistic all rolled into one big fat 'waiting by the phone for phone call' blob. It'll come soon, i must wait it out (pass me my knitting).

Just wondering if i could post a new image on here? Ah yes, i'll post this one (above!) Just a quick sketch, but i liked doing it. (Strangely i've even started dreaming about polar bears).

Well that's about it for today. I'll bimble on my way now.

Word Up

2009-01-07T11:03:00.003Z

How do you feel when someone writes something about you? I mean, i suppose if it was negative, we'd pretty much either dismiss it or let it get to us. But luckily i wasn't on the end of anything negative thank god, Tom Barwick (whose work is amazing) wrote something nice about a talk i did at the University of Plymouth for 3rd year illustration students. I actually blushed after reading it and i came over a bit mushy. Anyway i thought i'd share it on here, scroll down near the end and there i am, in words and pictures. How nice :o) word up

Happy New Bear

2009-01-04T18:50:00.005Z

Well here we are. Here. There. There here. Over there. Over here. Over yonder....in the New Year. No matter how much we didn't want it, it's here. It'll bring good and bad, just as 2008 did but i hope i'll tackle all that comes my way like a sumo wrestler tackles his opponent (hopefully i'll be less sweaty).

I am happy to say i had the most marvellous christmas day and a relaxing new year, even though i'd shoved Santa back up the chimney, i still felt quite christmassy due to being around some lovely people. I do hope you had a half decent holiday too.

A new rough for the book (up there). I'm quite happy with this one but i know some bits will be changed or added. Plus it'll be all colourful and pretty :o)

Anyway....my new year's resolution list

1. revisit nutritional person!

2. focus on my work more

3. stuff

4. things

5. stuff

so there it goes, not the greatest list but also not the hardest to achieve. Let's see eh (i think i may fail number 4)

Bah humbag and stuffing Santa back up the chimney.

2008-12-22T11:29:00.008Z

Well here we are again. Writing those conscious and unconscious thoughts (the unconscious usually go something like this "wkjjh egf sergg aehr g g ejrhge quack", so i'll refrain from sharing too many of those).

I am not feeling christmassy. No really, it betrayed me, it came and it left very quickly. Whoosh. I enjoyed the feeling for as long as it was here but it decided to say it was leaving. oh well. Another time!

I am enjoying the twinkly lights and seeing other people enjoy this time of year. Even in times of economic crisis it's good to see people gesticulating 2 fingers in the direction of the bank gods and spending like crazy.

I heard from Egmont about my work and so far so good. The roughs went to another meeting and they were praised quite highly. Some stuff to change but isn't that the way! Hand in date is early January and then i have to wait for the greenlight meeting. In the mean time my agent wants colour work to take around so i think i'll be busy for next coming months. (Probably a good thing as i seemed to have lost my other glove and my hand is cold waiting for the glove to be given back to me).

It's still a lonely life as an illustrator but hopefully the new year will bring some new challenges and people to meet. I look forward to it. Get rid of the old and bring in the new please!

I thought i'd share another rough with you (above probably as i haven't worked out how to insert image between para's). I quite like the way they look on screen, gives me hope for publication :o)

So the Santa stuffing, shall i do it if he decides to visit me? Hell yes and i'll send him packing with some (bah) humbugs too ksdjgf w gkaw gdag js v we gt d quack ;o)

Oh Chrimble Tree, oh Chrimble Tree

2008-12-04T13:33:00.009Z

It's a that time again. Decorations clambering to make it near the top of the tree, lights twinkling, mince pies calling your name several times in one hour and the not knowing what to buy Aunt Betty other than a bumper bag of Murray Mints and a bath bomb.

Oh i do love christmas. It's the time when i see lots of smiles from family and friends, which makes me glow rather a lot.

Today i received my first christmas card and it's beautiful. It was created by the artist Faye Durston. Her style is reminiscent of the great Arthur Rackham and a couple of others whose names aren't coming to my mind at the moment. I love the colour use and pencil work. I sit there wondering if i am doing the right thing when i see Faye's work!! (Brain settle down).

Here's something i'm working on at the moment for Egmont (above - can anybody tell me how to insert the image between paragraphs please?), another rough but still i'm enjoying the pencil work. Quite a journey for me as there was a time when i hated using pencil, i mean REALLY HATED it. I used to use architects blue pencil to draw (still do) but refused flatly to use leaded pencil. I think being on the M.A with so many students who could draw so well (Faye and Cass in particular), really made me step back and realise i needed to improve on something that i didn't think i could actually improve on. But the last few months i have been perservering and trying very hard to accomplish at least a few roughs from my practicing. I like what i have done and feel chuffed when i look at it (although getting wonderful cards through the post doesn't help my confidence...lol).

Well who knows where my practicing will take me eh? Just have to 'keep on, keeping on'. tis a bit lonely though being an illustrator who practically lives in her studio. I need to get out more. Now where's that mince pie making group, i need inside information. Amen.

Lists and things

2008-11-15T15:49:00.008Z

Ooo what a day i'm having. There's so many things written on my list of things to do. Here's a little shifty into my world of list writing...

Get some stuff
draw some bits on the dooberry
POLAR BEAR bum
moosic

and there we have it, a list of deep thought and importance. Hmmm, yes, i'll be sorted if i get that list ticked off, eh!. Anyway enough of that waffle (or is it dribble/drivvle?).

I haven't blogged in ages and feel pretty poop for not getting my inner most waffle on here for people (or beings) to read some time in the future. So why haven't i been waffling....i mean blogging? Well mainly due to sorting out my illness which has boiled down to be chronically fatigued. Remedy? Oh yes! I had a food intolerance test done and it looks like i'm intolerable...i mean intolerant to dorito's. Uh huh, those and wheat, fructose, dairy, yeast and celery. Hmmm but fear not i can eat saw dust and S.F.A. Don't worry about me i'll be fine. 3 bean salad here i come.

I've also been working on book roughs for Egmont publishers... i'm loving it. If not a little wobbly at times with my 'style' (god bless Martin for making me shudder when i use the word style) i am endeavoring to have fun with my work. I've been around some really negative people which makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs "it's a PUPPET" (i know i know, i don't make much sense, at least i know i don't make sense, that's half the battle isn't it?)

So here's an image i really like that i produced a couple of weeks ago (above), it was sent to the author and she loved it. YAY....(mental image....Loo clicks heels in the air).

Erm, yes and i've done a few more. I'll add at a later date, i have to finish ticking things off my list. Joy.

2008-07-20T15:12:00.002+01:00

A new character i'm working on for my new story. I'm really enjoying working on this at the moment, maybe that's because i'm eating cake at the same time. (the crumbs are rather annoying)

how does your garden grow?

2008-07-14T14:51:00.008+01:00

Just started to work on a new set of images to do with gardening, this is just the first layer of one of the images. Slowly but surely a new book idea is coming into mind as i experiment. I'm really excited!! It's all therapeutic anyway and i'm sure it's stopping me from eating more cake....