29.06.09
Posted in General, exhibition, market at 6:11 pm by elise
SHORT COURSE: My Short Course in writing for children at RMIT (city campus) is coming up so for anyone who’s been thinking about joining us you’d better get in soon! Places are limited to 15 and are filling up nicely. The course runs for 6 weeks and starts on Wednesday July 15. Classes are once a week 6-9pm every Wednesday. With a particular focus on picture books we’ll be looking at getting work to a publishable level - whether or not you go for that final step is up to you. The process of refining stories, thinking about format and audience will be a benefit to any writer, regardless.
EXHIBITION: To my great disappointment it looks like the exhibition will be next year now. It is probably for the best - more time to create the last few special works, book in to the best possible gallery space and do everything properly. I’ll also be working on a fun series for the Christmas markets - so stay tuned.
My EPIC is progressing well. I had a very successful day of writing today 
For a textless work, there sure is a lot of planning and writing preparation going on.
MARKETS: I’ll be in Sydney this weekend for ASA meetings so Pete will be manning the stall at Sunday Arts at the Convent. The full range of work will be there as usual - just without me. I’ll miss being there very much - I love these markets! If you need signed books, don’t worry, I’ll be creating a book plate that I can sign and write a message on, which can be posted out to anyone that missed it. Just let me know if you need one.
Now, it’s back to work assembling prints!
xx
elise
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15.06.09
Posted in General, shiny & new, thoughts at 3:12 pm by elise
Hey guys,
I’m allowed to show you the final Moorehawke covers now! Written by the wondrous Celine Kiernan and published here by Allen & Unwin - I can’t wait to see them in-store! Here are each of the individual covers and the collated image below.
I’ve heard that they’re developing some great posters for the shops.
As you may know, they were done as one single illustration and they should all match up when laid side by side. I’m so pleased that they are being published in black and white without wanting tinting. It’s a much stronger set of covers this way. Thanks A&U! Click the below images for big versions…
And as an extra complication I made it so the centre image could tile. Just for fun…
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13.06.09
Posted in General at 8:25 am by elise
At the Brunswick Town Hall (Sydney Rd).
We’re inside and it’s a lovely market
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10.06.09
Posted in General, shiny & new at 2:53 pm by elise
Ok so last week we were in Cairns. Yes a holiday! It was beautiful and warm and the seas were brimful of fluorescent fish. Like puppy here… oh what a gorgeous boy. Makes me want to get back into my fish book idea.
And now we’re back in Melbourne and it’s cold. Oh, so cold. So here’s today’s picture. Brrrrr
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26.05.09
Posted in General, shiny & new, thoughts at 3:14 pm by elise
Something I’ve always enjoyed about illustration is the fact that you have to design everything. And I mean really everything. In even the most simple books you have to clothe and house your characters. While I could have everyone wearing t-shirts and jeans… what fun is that? Much more interesting to give each character their own fashion flair.
I’ve compiled a little gallery of some of my fashion illustration moments. From incidental characters to main ones, they all have their look.
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25.05.09
Posted in General at 7:55 pm by elise
I’ve had a few days off in a row which is bliss! And very unusual.
I have ideas swimming around in my head now. Small minnow-like ideas that glance in and out. Funny how quick they are. Some are bright and sparse - an interesting sentence, leading to another thought and then a whole new concept. Hmm. How would you do that?
Some are a little dark too. I like that. Shadows and ideas. I’m ready to work on something dark and difficult soon. Not ready in that there is any time… Oh no. Lots of stories already lining up to be worked on. Big solid stories.
But ready for something difficult conceptually that I can really get my teeth into.
One day.
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22.05.09
Posted in General, the Little Bird told me..., thoughts at 5:51 pm by elise
#3 Don’t make publishers guess
If you’re cutting-edge and can’t quite see how to make your stuff work in the current publishing environment - don’t assume someone else will. Yes, lots of publishers have an eagle eye and a thirst for the Next Big Thing, but they are also very busy. So a bit of work before you go in could help a lot.
Make sure you know what’s being published in your area of interest and imagine having to use your style to tackle all sorts of things. Would you be able to tweak it to fit?
Can you spot a genre where the artwork isn’t quite connecting with the audience and your work might be a fresh new take? Experiment. Look at a couple of well-known old stories (fairytales are good) and see what your take would be. Do a few illustrations in your style. You’ll quickly see what modifications you’ll need to make and how you can still be authentic to what makes you unique and wonderfutl.
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21.05.09
Posted in General, the Little Bird told me... at 4:58 pm by elise
The oh-so-ace Emerging Writer’s Festival kicks off this Friday.
My first mission is to spread knowledge about writing and illustrating picture books on Saturday. If there’s anything you want to know about how to get into the game or well, anything really, you can borrow me. It’s called the Living Library and I’ll be a very helpful book.
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20.05.09
Posted in General, the Little Bird told me..., thoughts at 1:42 pm by elise
Here’s another one…
#2 Folios
1. Don’t put anything in there that you don’t want to do! Sounds simple but it’s funny how often we assume we should cover everything. If you hate drawing technical pictures - don’t put them in your folio. If you hate a particular style that everyone else is doing, don’t put it in your folio. There is nothing worse than having to do a whole lot of work in a style or technique you really don’t like. What if that’s all the work you ever get?
2. Be very consistent. If you’re not very confident in something yet, hold off from including it until you are. Naturally everyone will assume that anything in there is work you want to do and are ready to do.
3. Big versus small. That’s really up to you. An extensive folio may just mean you’re diverse and you need to show all the things you can do. A small folio may mean that you are very confident with what you do and you have just the one style. Nothing wrong with either of them. You don’t need to include everything you’ve ever done or lots of things replicating each other. Just a sample or two of each style or technique you’d like to work in.
4. Storytelling. Remember that if you want to work in books you’ll be dealing with multiple views of the same character. It’s a great idea to make one up and do some sequences. Try to show some different emotions and actions. Characters interacting are great. And don’t forget that illustrations don’t need to be balanced and central. A big part of storytelling is using space and layout to move the story forward. Try making up a caption to go with it, as if you are illustrating a page out of a book.
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13.05.09
Posted in market, shiny & new at 6:33 pm by elise
I’m having them printed tomorrow so, fingers crossed, they should be ready for the market on Sunday (at the Convent).
I don’t know his story yet. But he certainly seems to have one…
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10.05.09
Posted in General at 9:43 am by elise
Or rather… Taking-care-of-something-smaller-than-yourself Day.
Whoever that may be.
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09.05.09
Posted in General, the Little Bird told me..., thoughts at 4:33 pm by elise
Last week in amongst markets, talks and meetings - was mentoring. There were three sessions, one hour each and it was terrific. I feel pretty privileged to get to see the work of people at all different stages of their careers - some just beginning, others well and truly on the way but perhaps just lacking confidence. It reminded me of when I was starting out. So I though I’d share some thoughts over the next few days…
#1 Stick to your strengths.
Some people develop one strong style because it is all they want to do, or even all they can do. Nothing wrong with that - it’s actually a slightly enviable position. But those who have a broader range of skills, perhaps without one particular leaning, are met with a bit of a dilemma. What style? What medium? What subject matter? They, like me, often learn to be all things to all people - turning their hand to whatever is needed. For the artist it is very satisfying. You broaden your skills and you can make sure that you address the needs of the story rather than bending it to suit your style.
But unless you’re working with a publisher all the time, not many will think of the all-rounder-illustrator when a book comes up. They tend to read the text and someone’s style pops into their head. And that’s who they contact first. If you’re writing your own work it isn’t much of a problem. You can present yourself as a whole package. But it wasn’t until I developed a distinctive style (going back to my strongest loves) that publishers contacted me more regularly.
So, what do you like doing the most - what do you doodle, what do you always fall back into when sketching, what do you do that you love - however unpopular? What is your most successful use of line? What design elements do you personally love to death? That’s You. That’s your style. Now - play with it, perfect it. How can you use that in illustration? By all means practise lots of techniques and mediums if you like. There is always more to be learnt, greater skill to be attained, nuance you would never have dreamt of nuancing. You will find new elements that are invaluable and mean that you can play with confidence. And there are certain things that every illustrator will need some confidence in - drawing people especially.
But don’t think you have to be someone else to get work.
Top row - A sketch done in my undergrad days at melbourne uni. I loved doing pencil and detailed pen sketches around the campus. Beside it is a recent pen drawing in Carlton (using crosshatched pen) with an added storytelling flair - lots of cats on the rooftops.
Middle row - A figure study done in life class and illustrated characters for ‘The Elephants’ Big Day Out’. Similar use of colour, stroke and tone and both done in oils. The illustrations tend to be a little more crisp in their execution - probably owing to the smaller brushes and need for finer details.
Bottom row - Florence painted on the spot (one-off landscape painting) and an illustration from Where’s God?’. Both in oils. In the illustration I have warped buildings for a more looming effect - but use the same techniques as in my regular painting.
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01.05.09
Posted in General at 5:59 pm by elise
What is it about Dickens that never works for me? Although I frequently find my brushes with Dickens just plain miserable, I know he is beloved by many - even with the misery. If I had to name just one thing - if would be that the unlikely (frequently preposterous) names, while amusing, keep me at arm’s length. It is as if Dickens wants to keep poking me to remind me that this is a Story, not reality. While I would hate to suggest that authors shouldn’t play… it is distracting and distancing and ultimately unsatisfying.
And in that spirit, here is a great list that I discovered (thank you Alien Onions for introducing me to the Lists).
Fortune-Cookie Messages Appropriate for Dickens Characters.
I am a big fan of the fortune cookie.
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29.04.09
Posted in General, the Little Bird told me..., thoughts at 2:43 pm by elise
Here’s something brilliant about being an illustrator. I’m doing development for my Massive Book at the moment. It’s called The Collector as a working title but I think that’s about to change. The thing is - the story crosses between worlds, civilisations, even realities. So that means envisaging everything to do with these places. If I’m going to draw it, I have to work it out.
Costumes, architecture, racial groups, terrain, innovations for that place, technology, historical period… not just for one place but all those the main character visits. And that’s aside from considering what needs to happen in the story - the action sequences and poses, the dramatic angles and lighting, where the story needs to rest, where it needs to fly along. And how about all of the layering that may be relevant - is there a class system and how is it shown, what are the environmental issues and how are they being tackled or not, is there tension, evidence of inequality, what is the season, the weather, the pollution level, what am I saying in this book aside from depicting a series of events? What are my prejudices and assumptions as I draw all of this stuff and are they correct and helpful for the story? I am presenting images and places that are new - but are they also comprehensible and universal? Something that was great about Shaun Tan’s book The Arrival is the way that a wholly imagined book (invented places, cuisine, animals, language…) strikes so many chords for immigrants who talk about how very accurate it is. One of the wonderful things about fantasy is the ability to access universal ideas and experiences and, by acting them out in a new space, strip away all of the distractions and baggage of familiarity. Then we can explore concepts like isolation, loneliness, fear, joy, depression, loss and hope…
It’s all pretty massive and for this book, it’s all relevant. And I’m not really intending on having many words (dialogue only) so it has to be shown pictorially. Quite a fantastic challenge!
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28.04.09
Posted in General, market at 12:00 pm by elise
This next fortnight is a busy one. Along with meetings with my wonderful editors at Omnibus in Adelaide next Tuesday, and the Convent Market this Sunday, there are also the Stonnington Literature Live events:
Thursday 30th, Monday 4th and Thursday 7th May sees me visiting the Malvern, Toorak and Prahran Libraries for school talks and mentoring. There are all sorts of things happening - events, talks and a wonderful Children’s Literature Posters and Prints exhibition. Also the launch of a new book by John Nicholson “100 Years of Petrol Power” happening today April 28, 3pm at the Malvern Library. Check the above link for details.
In the middle is a chance to relax, draw and talk to people at the Prahran Market… I’ll bring along some prints and books too in case you’re after anything. Hope to see you. Look for me in the middle of lots of lovely fruit and veges, no doubt! I wonder if detox by proximity is possible? Vitamin osmosis perhaps?
Authors and illustrators, at work and reading their stories, at Prahran Market:
Jacqui Grantford, Kevin Burgemeestre, John Nicholson and Elise Hurst.
Saturday 2 May, 11am-2pm
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