Busy, busy!

Well the casual work has gone a bit quiet at the moment, but is has given me so much time in the studio, which is wonderful.

I have had such a productive time. I have been working on some new characters and written them a short story, fun and colourful. One sketch book full of character development ideas, page layouts designed, all illustrations drawn up and about and a third the way through inking them.

This is the studio, work on the drawing board and model onlookers...

I love working in inks,I love the bright and vibrant colours, but recently rediscovered my old nib pen, so much freedom in sketching with inks and a dip pen, somehow it doesn't feel like it matters if the lines are free and a bit wobbly. I have had some interesting results and it has loosened my work up, which I am enjoying.

Hoping for more time on it next week and hope to get them finished and scanned and a book mock up done by mid June and then send it off to some publishers for feedback.

and now for something completely different...

Time to breathe at last, the shop is open and getting a lot of trade, repeat customers and very happy customers, so we are doing something good. Now things are 'ticking along' I have had a chance for a bit of work and also time to play.

A few months ago a chap emailed me saying that this year is his wife's 40th birthday, she has written a children's story and wants to self publish as a pressie for her, would I do the illustrations. Well I said yes, read the story and sketched some ideas. The client was happy and said go ahead with the final images. A nice job, client happy all the way through. well today I got this email from his wife....

Dear Emma, 

I just wanted to say a really big thank you for the beautiful and amazing art work you did for my birthday book. It was a truly wonderful surprise and I absolutely love it!  Thank you also for the paintings, I definitely want to get some of them framed! You are so talented and I instantly recognised Barney, you captured his personality perfectly! 

With very best wishes and love,

Rebecca 

I do love it when a plan works out well, these are just 3 of the images from ' Barney and the Sausage Tree'.

I have also be having a play about with my style, wanting to loosen it up a bit, so gone back to basics, having wonderful fun, making a mess and enjoying the results so far. Fine tuning to do and more experiments. But a day out sketching at Colchester Zoo, with three art students on Thursday will help in the development.

Here's a taster so far...

now just pray for sunshine and no wind or rain on Thursday!