Bookbug Picture Book Prize 2018 Shortlist!

I am delighted to announce that The Fourth Bonniest Baby in Dundee has been shortlisted for the Bookbug Picture Book Prize! Hurrah!
Our book will be included in the Bookbug Bag and every P1 pupil in Scotland will receive a copy. Schools, nurseries and libraries can register the children to vote for their favourite book and choose the winner.

You can find more details on the Bookbug website here. You can also watch Michelle read the book and me make some mess in this video! 

Big thanks to the Scottish Book Trust for including us in the shortlist and congratulations to fellow shortlisters Little Owl’s Egg (Debi Gliori and Alison Brown) and Gorilla Loves Vanilla (Chae Strathie and Nicola O’Byrne).

I am a Very Clever Cat is out

I am a Very Clever Cat, my first author and illustrator picture book has been published earlier this month and here is a few pictures from it. I am super excited about the way it turned out, particularly about the neon pink wool throught the book - the photos don't really show how bright it is!

And if you want to read more about the process and inspiration here is an interview I did for Picture Hooks.

COMING SOON!!!

I am very happy to annouce that 'I am a Very Clever Cat', the first picture book where I am both author and illustrator will be soon published by Templar Books! The publication date is 8th September and you can pre-order it here.

I am super excited about the book and I will be blogging and shouting about it more closer to the publication date.

Tablecloth design

Here are a few photos of a quite unusual commision I worked on earlier this year. Lupo&Olimp is a company selling coats for dachshunds and they commissioned me to create a tablecloth design that would feature fifteen dachshunds making an apple strudel. Every dachshund-chef included in the illustration was based on a real dog and got reference photos, names, characteristics and a back story for each of them. The main challenge was to show every dog and every stage of making an apple studel (which is a quite complicated process. I know that because I made it myself as part of my first hand research) and fit it all into one big scene.
The final design was later screenprinted onto a linen tablecloth. You can buy it here. 
It was probably the weirdest and in the same time the most fun commission to date. And definitely Lupo&Olimp is one of my favourite clients ever!

photo credit: Lupo&Olimp.

New picture book out soon!

Great news! A picture book I illustrated for Wydawnictwo Dwie Siostry in Poland is out soon. You can see a preview here.  The story, written by Ewa Madeyska, is about a 4 year old girl who doesn't like to wear glasses as she is being teased by other children at the nursery.
It was a fun book to illustrate (I fell in love with the main character and her world first time I read it) and I was happy I could work with Dwie Siostry as it is one of the best Polish publishers and every book on their list is just great.
Just a few pictures for now. I will post more illustrations and maybe some sketches when it is published.

clairvoyants competition

Good news!!! My artwork have been shortlisted in the international competition for the picture book project Clairvoyants 2014. The competition was organised by a Polish publishing house Dwie Siostry and the winners and shortlisted artwork will be exhibited in Warsaw and Krakow soon.

As you can see Ada and her dragon friend are very happy to be included on the list of finalists. And I am as excited as they are. This was first time I wrote a picture book script in Polish, my first language, and I very much enjoyed being able to play with the words that way I cannot really when I write in English (even though the text has only two words per page - my new record!).

Ada rides a skateboard, builds constructions, searches for a hidden treasure and rules her own kingdom. She is an active and creative girl, sometimes a little bit naughty. The book is all about the empowerment, being able to create your own world, do whatever you want and be accepted for who you are (no matter what is your gender, age, race, nationality) . I guess I feel very strongly about the message it gives and this is why I am super excited about the shortlist.

For the results and to see the winning entries click here.

Congratulations to the winners, honorary mentions and other finalists!

Le Immagini della fantasia 32

We are not even half way through January so I thought I would post something summery and cheerful. Just to distract myself from what is happening outside of my studio window at the moment.

I have already blogged a sneaky peak here.  A tematic secion of this year's edition of Le Immagini della fantasia was dedicated to Scotland and a part of it was exhibition of illustrations for a poem by Vivian French - 12 Months of Scotland. 12 illustrators were invited to create an illustration for each mont. My month was August so it involved capturing the Edinburgh festival atmosphere with all the music, colour, movement and crowds of people on the streets.

Other illustrators involved in the project: Anine Bösenberg, Laura Clark, Laura Darling, Hannah Foley, Jonathan Gibbs, Alexander Jackson, Cate James, Amy Johnston, Philip Longson, Kate McLelland andEilidh Muldoon.

And more details about the project and Le immagini della fantasia.

tricycle

One of those illustrations I just had to make. Who wouldn't want to go for a cycle trip with their favourite duck!

iran part i

Some sketches from my trip to Iran (by far favourite country I've visited to date). I cannot quite explain why it was such a lovely place to visit and my sketches don't really capture that either, but I guess it must have something to do with the most welcoming people I've ever met.

A few quick sketches made while waiting in the airport. Lots of bored people staring at their smartphones...

 ...or into the distance.

 And there is always a group of children running around and being difficult to draw. I love sketching in airports!

children chasing various animals

Two illustrations I made a while ago and never posted here. I knew I had a thing with the idea of a favourite toy (a favourite duck in particular) but it turns out I also have a thing with drawing children chasing animals.

Maybe one day I will make a picture book that will be all about children chasing different types of animals!

sketching children

I went for a coffee this morning nad the plan was to sip my long black, read newspapers and then spend an hour looking blankly into distance and thinking about nothing (it has been a long week). Unfortunately a girl came in with her parents and have been walking round and looking adorable in her oversized brace trousers. So I spend the rest of the morning pretending that I am looking blankly into distance (so as not to alarm the parents) but in fact sketching the little girl.
Here she is. I am still not sure towards what exactly she is walking on this illustration.

little wolf and teddy

A little sneak peak of what I am working on just now. Little wolf and his teddy are having lots of fun playing with a wagon. And I have been having lots of fun playing with rubber stamps!

happy easter!

School Meals Project

I took part in an amazing project organised in cooperation with Edinburgh College of Art, Scottish Book Trust and Dalmeny Primary School. We have been working with children's book writer Vivian French, illustrator Cate James, stage 2 illustration students and the school pupils, and writing recipes that would describe ourselves. And then we created plates that illustrated the recipes.
Here is a plate that illustrates my recipe - lots of cute animals, a train and a map of my favourite place in Transilvania in Romania.

I worked with Kyle and here the plate that illustrates him. This a a pop up plate...

...and I would think twice before putting any food on it!

The jaws open and there is a lot of beautiful drawings made by Kyle inside.

We had an opening event with all the students and pupils presenting their plates. They were all amazing!

And we made commemorative badges!
 
It was great fun working with the school pupils (I usually work with younger children). There have been coming up with the best ideas and also asking the best questons. One morning I worked with two lovely P3 girls and the first question they asked me was: "What is your favourite animal?". Just amazing! Why adults don't ask that instead of asking boring questions like: Where do you work? Where do you come from? etc.

crocs and lions

Some random characters from my sketchbook.

wool

A portrait of Flora I made a while ago for my friend Jeanine.

Happy New Year!

I don't how about you but this is what I look like after all the yummy festive treats I've had. This poor not-that-little mouse is now on a diet and she is having an apple for lunch.

This is going to be an exciting year!

snow

I know we are a minority but both Benjamin and I hate the snow.

Also, click here if you want to read an interview with me and see a picture which was giving me nightmares when I was a child. Lovely Jess from Alice in Baker Street invited me over for a chat about sketching, illustrating and inspiration. Thank you Jess!

if: explore

A little sneak peak of an illustration I am working on at the moment. Work in progress really but it goes well with this week's Illustration Friday topic.