Off to Scotland soon!

Next weekend we're off to the Edinburgh Book Festival to do a children's workshop so I've had a lot of fun planning what we're going to do (lots of glue, fur and feathers involved!) and practicing reading stories ( I'm better at painting than reading out loud so I think the talented Lacey from Little Tiger Press is going to help out there!) I've managed to find a stand-in for her as you can se in the photo but I've had to keep his identity a secret! Not sure how impressed the young audience is though!

Illustration Friday - 'Star Gazing'

The subject for Illustration Friday this week is Star Gazing which is very appropriate as this week I lay in bed with the curtains open hoping to see a shooting star from the Perseids Meteor Shower. I think I managed to keep my eyes open for about 25 seconds before I drifted off!

This is a mixture of two greetings cards I painted a while ago - I took the bears from one and the sky from another and hopefully you can't see the join!

Illustration Friday - 'Caged'

This little chap is one of the illustrations from A Winter's Night which will be published in October. This is a sneak preview, because he was just right for this week's IF subject - 'caged'. Actually, the door is open, so he's not going to be caged for long.... :o)

Illustration Friday - 'Double'

Friday again and this week's Illustration Friday subject is 'double'. It's nice to be able to submit these dolphins which are part of an illustration I did a few years ago for a book called 'My Little Night-light' published by Caterpillar Press. I had so much fun painting the light on the waves - I'd love to do more seascapes if I ever get a chance!

Illustration Friday - 'Breakfast'

Perhaps it's not your regular Ulster Fry, but it's still someone's breakfast! An illustration I did for Tracey Corderoy's Star Friends which I thought was just right for this week's topic.

Illustration Friday - 'Diary'

I've finally managed to produce something new for IF - I've been so busy the last couple of months that I had to rummage through my existing stuff to fit the word! But this week I have a day off - so what do I do? An illustration - bit of a busman's holiday!

Just some news!

I've had a really busy month and there's lots going on so here's an update on what's happening in my illustration world!

We had the launch of Star Friends published by Little Tiger Press on Thursday, and you can buy it here!

Yesterday I finished the artwork for a new book in the Flip-up Fairy Tales series published by Child's Play. It's called The Magician's Nephew, based on The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and it's going to be released in October.

This weekend I'm starting work on my next book for Little Tiger Press - it's always very exciting to start a new book as there are so many possibilities, and I love the story, which is by Kathryn White. More on this later.

And, as if that's not enough, next week I'll be working on the illustrations for A Winter's Night, for Stripes Publishing which will be my third book in a series of winter animal stories for children aged 6-9, the others being Winter Tales and Winter Magic. This will be published in October as well.

I've got a busy few months ahead, with a high spot at the end of August when I'll be doing a workshop at the Edinburgh Book Festival - very exciting and a bit daunting for me!