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Book Review: They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki

When I found out that Caldecott Honor Winner, Jillian Tamaki, had written and illustrated her first picture book, I had to get it. They Say Blue, Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2018, is about a young girl musing on the colours she sees in front of her and the temporary and illusive quality of those colours and the stories she has been told about them.

Opening the book to the end sheets you are greeted with broad golden  brushstrokes moving in a wave across the spread. Turn the pages to the first spread, and swirling varying hues of blue draw you in.

The say blue is the color of the sky.

Which is true today!

They say the sea is blue, too.

It certainly looks like it from here.

A young girl sits on a beach of golden sand and looking out to sky and sea of blue. From this point the story moves to those things we observe directly to those things we know, without seeing.

But when I hold the water in my hands, it’s as clear as glass.

It is so interesting to see different moments in time shown with the image of the little girl positioned across the gutter, using it to define both a different moment and concept, their colours radiating around her. Though we can’t see it, we know the colour because we’ve been told it.

It wouldn’t be a book by Jillian Tamaki without dynamic character movement. When the paint isn’t moving in varying lengths and width brushstrokes, then it’s the characters moving across the spread.

Or a boat moving across a sea of golden grass.

Or sprouting into spring, reaching up, up, referencing the movement and colour of the seasons.

To falling to sleep like winter and darkness of night.

To waken, with the luscious use of ink line, colour and words.

Before the reader opens up to the wave of broad blue brushstrokes across the last end page, you can’t miss the dripping colours of this sky, rolling and broiling forward.

The book is larger than the usual 16 spread picture book coming in at 19 spreads, 2 pages given to the title page and the copyright and acknowledgement page at the back holding the spreads within, and end papers holding all of it together.

Pick up the book and look for the wonderful surprise under the jacket flap!

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In our Studios

Anne-Marie

Going through client manuscript for bookcover project thumbs. Older fantasy fiction of course!

Graphite sketchbook portrait in process and tonal sketches and moodboard for colour themes and composition.

Personal work in progress, oil on board. Dividing my time these days between writing and illustrating and with evolving gallery pieces.

Trish

Loving Anne-Marie’s studio above, here’s my messy one.

At the moment I am working on paper projects and I can never find anything on my desk.

I like to have different things on the go, so I am also working on some basic animation and gifs, my essay for my diploma, and below is my ‘print room’, a large table and beside it you probably can’t see is a printing press....ok that is a grand term for a mangle, but it really does the job perfectly, although it was not used for the letterpress which is far too bulky.

Patrick

I don’t really have a studio, per se. I’ve set up a permanent camp on a table in the living room.

So I usually work directly in my sketchbook, beside which are the roughs I’m working to (currently a Boudicca story for OUP). Computer-wise, that’s a graphic design job on the go at the same time, which is pretty standard. 

... and then allllll my stuff is scattered everywhere - if I’m lucky they stay in this little shelving and drawer unit, protected by none other than UltraMan. 

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Frog’s worse day ever....

With a lot of technical struggles (sorry everyone on Instagram, twitter, facebook for 101 versions of poor frog - at least he found fame!) here is frog once again.

Excuse the poor quality but not time to wrestle with this right now, frog seems to have lost a frame or two

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Frightened Frog

Frog looks petrified, so I thought I would give him the opportunity of escape and animated him, but he still hasn’t quite got the hang of it and is stuck in a perpetual loop!

Let’s see if I can get him out of this mess!

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From tissue paper to.....

Playing with colours and shapes, and then the offcuts from this turned into....

This rather frightened frog. What he was frightened of was a puzzle for a while.

More tomorrow

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The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it. -J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Life has been hectic in many ways lately, and I am guilty of being too busy to stop and give myself space. Instead, clinging to the reins tightly and trying too hard to do what I think people expect of me rather than what comes naturally from the heart.  Of course what people really expect of me is not what I imagine at all,

I was thinking too hard.

As creative types it is easy to lose the way by looking outward rather than inward. Gazing around can be overwhelming - the astounding artists and illustrators out there; look how perfect they all are, how will I ever be like them and ‘find’ my own voice?

I was looking too hard.

As we go on in life we develop ways of survival. We treasure our ideas, opinions, and who we think we are. Sometimes we have to let go of our preconceptions and objectives and be lost for a while.  Terrifying though that is, how can you ‘find’ yourself if you are not lost?

So I let go.

Only then, in these times of quiet reflection can the real you surface.  Play, experiment, have fun – it is the most liberating thing and you will feel the most alive you have in a long time.  

Then, eventually through play you will find a way to express yourself so naturally that suddenly you are not lost anymore.  

I’m on a journey.

The flying bird is the result of ‘play’ and the beginning of my journey.

The coloured tissue paper is……. coloured tissue paper but also the beginning of a journey.

More tomorrow on what developed from this......

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Overcoming obstacles and fears

Happy New Year, dear Big Little Tales readers! 

This is going to be a very exciting year for Suzy, the little girl from my debut picture book I Love You, Bunny with Lincoln Children’s Books, which is out in only 10 days! Suzy might be a bit shy, but proves to be very brave and determined to overcome her fear of darkness when her best friend Bunny goes missing at dawn! 

I had to overcome a few challenges as well while making this picture book. The biggest obstacle was my tendency to draw creepy creatures and make things darker than necessary. I was creating a picture book, but did not want to limit my audience to small children, therefore, my first dummy book looked quite scary now that I look at it three years later. 

The story developed as I was finishing the MA in Children's Book Illutration at Cambridge School of Art and experimenting with the picture book format. The project started with strange-looking night creatures that slowly turned into real but creepy animals such as bats. In the end, a mysterious shadow monster proved to be a clever solution as it leaves more space for reader's imagination. 

Another challenge was more technical, trying to balance the darkness and lightness so the book can be read during bedtime for children who are afraid of the dark. I tried working with soft pastels and a limited colour palette, but the artwork did not have the same depth and warmth as my illustrations drawn in charcoal and coloured digitally. I learned a lot when editing this book with my publisher and appreciate their great patience and support.

To build up the anticipation before the publication of I Love You, Bunny, I would like to share some pages from my sketchbook and the actual picture book with the scene where Suzy has to make a big decision and gather all of her courage to face her fear of darkness...

Suzy heard a strange, scratchy sound behind her, but what did she see when she turned around? 

I will not reveal what comes next in this bedtime story just yet. I Love You, Bunny will be available in the British, American and Australian stores from 1 Feb 2018. It will also be published in Japanese by Toyokan Books on 8 March 2018.

Thanks for visiting Big Little Tales and reading this post. Have a lovely week!

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Yuletide Greetings from all of us at BigLittleTales!

It’s the end of another year and as always the promise of a new year in front of us and the wrapping up of the year before is so exciting. All the stresses of the year before just seems to fall away in the season of good will to all peoples everywhere! The dream is that all times is the time for respect, compassion and love for all beings. 

Snuggles, presents and cats with cozy smiley faces under Christmas tree greetings from Alina Surnaite.

Just taking a reprieve from midwinter photo sessions in the snowy woods with fox and wren by Anne-Marie Perks.

Great flamingo greetings from Shana Nieberg-Suschitzky.

Our other blog buddies will follow up with their Holiday Season images very soon!

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Exciting Early Xmas Gift

A very exciting delivery arrived from my publisher this weekend. Many thanks to Lincoln Children’s Books for the beautiful advance copy of my debut picture book ‘I Love You, Bunny’!

I love the textured hardback cover with golden lettering and frame around the debossed illustration. Lincoln Children’s Books did a fantastic job designing and producing a beautiful book. It has been a great pleasure to work with the wonderful people involved in creating this picture book. I am grateful to my talented and friendly editor Katie Cotton for her help with the story and words. I also appreciate the hard work of the amazing designers Mike Jolley and Karissa Santos who made sure the illustrations and text look well together on the page. It is a real joy to see my debut picture book come together after three years since completing the MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art. It would not have been possible without the support and contribution of all these lovely people. Thank you so much!

‘I Love You, Bunny’ is a bedtime story about thew fear of darkness, which will be published on 1 February 2018 and is available to pre-oder online in the UK:

https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781847808752/I-Love-You-Bunny.html

as well as in the US and Australia:

https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781786031181/I-Love-You-Bunny.html

Suzy, Misty and Bunny wish you a nice and warm holiday!

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Little Prince and the King - Part 2

I am happy to share with you the first colour illustration I did for The Little Prince since the full colour cover a year ago. It took me a while to finish as I worked on other projects in between. I did the sketches of the king back in the summer (see my post in Sep), made the charcoal drawing in early autumn and finished colouring only this month. The Little Prince meets different characters throughout his adventurous journey and one of them is this old king who sits in his overgrown throne on a tiny planet. He likes issuing orders but is kind and reasonable unlike some of the other adults the little prince meets later on. I would like to illustrate a few of those characters too and refine my digital colouring technique along the way.

Here is the original charcoal drawing together with the finished piece:

Below are a few close-ups of the two characters in colour:

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Spooky Inky Drawings for a Spooky Season!

Inktober theme for the 31 October, Mask! Ink line and wash by Trish Phillips.

Trick or Treat! Ink line and wash by Alina Surnaite.

Ooooh, check out those legs! Ink line and dry brush by Patrick Miller.

El Dia de los Muerto Flamingo! Ink line and wash by Shana Nieberg-Suschitzky.

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Aesop’s Fable - Part 2

This weekend, I joined a lovely group of SCBWI members for an insightful and fun masterclass abouth the art of sequential storytelling with David Mcdougall from HarperCollins. We had a month to create an illustrated spread with text for our chosen Aesop’s fables after receiving the feedback from the art director and brought our projects for a friendly group review at the House of Illustration in London. I had already shared my character sketches and early rough drawings for this masterclass on Big Little Tales back in the summer and am excited to show the new work I did since then. I imagined the audience for the 'Boy Who Cried Wolf' fable is slightly older than the picture book age so I reduced the size of the page and used a spot colour throughout the story. At first, I went for a warm drawing with a light blue spot colour and a more ‘realistic’ approach, but was encouraged to experiment further. I then settled with the warm tones, which, I believe, suit the mood of the story better and emphasize the harsh consequences of lying.

Another change was the character of the wolf, which was very lean and looked more like a dog than a wolf. I referenced wolf photos online and adjusted the pose and the silhouette accordingly in my final illustration. I like how the roughness of the wolf contrasts the softness of the sheep in this illustration.

Below are some edited roughs, including one, which was not part of my original sequence, but helps the flow of the story and shows the shepherd boy in regret.

Here is a quick list of things I took away from this inspiring SCBWI illustration masterclass:

Don't be afraid to make mistakes - it's all about the learning process and constant improvement

Leave those small imperfections in your final artwork - they show you are human!

Step out of your comfort zone - be bold (and use that bright colour)

Be like an actor or animator - think not only about the appearance of your character but movement too (so you can bring them to life)

Learn from others by reading art blogs or attending masterclasses!

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Inking in October

Well, this is a flying blog as it is a busy time with lots to think about starting back at Cambridge. Also I am finding my way around Instagram having recently joined and although I have not quite got on the Sketch 365 bandwagon (attempting a sketch a day for a year!) I have decided to ease myself in gently by taking up the #inktober challenge. Many of you will know of this already and been doing it yourselves, but as I am new to it, please humour me!

You simply post a drawn/painted image using ink every day in October. There is a list of prompts if needed, for instance today the prompt is UNDERWATER.  This can make things easier or harder, depending on which way you look at it but you don’t have to use them. Surprisingly #inktober has been going since 2009, set up by Jake Parker as a drawing incentive for artists all over the world http://mrjakeparker.com/inktober/ what a great idea.

Here is how mine is going and, as you can see it is not so simple as a quick sketch a day- sometimes it takes a while for the brain/pen co-ordination to warm up.  Hopefully I will be in the swing of it by the end of October!

Scribbles for DAY 1 - SWIFT.

Some sketches are quite random as you can see, it is not always easy to keep the mind on track and often if you let your pen ramble on a bit on some nonsense, eventually you will get some sense out of it....

....in this case, I opted for the non-prompt image on the right.

  #Day 2 DIVIDED didn’t make the grade, so moving SWIFTLY on to #Day 3 POISON. Me and Shana hit on the same idea proving great minds think alike!Either that or we have similar spelling problems.

Finally I have got one correct - #Day 3 UNDERWATER although I was thinking of cake at the time.

So now go ahead and join in the fun but one final tip - Instagram only uses square images so crop crop crop.

Follow me on Instagram - trish.phillips.scribbles. On Twitter  @trish-again and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Trish-Phillips-251160868269621/

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Keeping Momentum through the Seas of Woes and Nos!

My last couple of posts have been about diversifying.

This has indeed been so important in terms of my creative development, as it is for so many of us. It’s one of those key activities that keeps me going against the current of rejections and self doubt.

As I write as well as illustrate I spend a lot of time with material in my head before it goes down onto paper, though I guess that’s just how I work.

I often feel that I literally have a traffic jam of my characters and stories just waiting to get out, but that I can’t get them into my sketchbooks fast enough (or maybe I’m just too much of a perfectionist! ;).

Recently though, having joined Instagram, has been a great way to prompt me into drawing characters or posting sketches more fluidly, like the ones below:

Instagram can also be a daunting and overwhelming environment, when you’re confronted with a constant stream of beautiful and inspiring work by others, so I find that I can only visit it every so often, like twitter and facebook.

But these platforms can also be such a heartening environment, when you’re able to hear about other creatives’ experiences who are battling the tides as well.

For instance, I read a great blog post today by the lovely Kathryn Evans, who shared it via Facebook, which has heartened and fuelled me with positive thoughts for the day, so thanks Kathryn and indeed all who share both the ups and downs.

And in exploring a different avenue during the last few months, that experience has in turn led me to an exciting new picture book story, linked to the image below, so I’m thankful for these times and am looking forward to swimming on!

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Little Prince and the King

Hello there! Here are a few character sketches of the king, which lived on a small planet by himself and was very excited to meet the little prince and issue orders as a real king should. I also included some sketches for my new double-page illustration, which I plan to colour in Photoshop. I love working in black and white, but during the SCBWI portfolio intensive I was encouraged to use colour on my charcoal drawings. It is an exciting challenge and I am happy to give it a try.  I hope to do a few more pieces with new characters from this story later on. It is a real joy to relive this wonderful classic!

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Holiday sketching

Holidays this year brought a mixed bag of opportunities producing an eclectic mix of sketches which reflect my original idea that I would spend the time experimenting with different mediums and methods. Firstly a great trip to the British museum with blog buddies where I tried various things; here a mixture of pastel pencils/chalk/charcoal pencil on a page prepared with acrylic paint.  Using a small A6 sketchbook and quite chunky pastels prevents showing a lot of detail so instead this is more a representation of scale and mood. I loved the textural effect of the pastels on the painted background.

Inside I reverted back to my trusty Lamy, Chinese brush pen and a wash needed to quickly capture constantly moving people. Here I have been playing with drawing with a continuous line which seems to focus the eye on the subject and less on the page – a great warm up exercise. The little boy had a wonderfully bright dinosaur jacket which I couldn’t resist playing with.

As there is a constant flow of people one tends to draw layer upon layer.  On the right the family were quite obliging with the young girl sitting down first, then as I drew her, the brother sat down almost protectively and was unwittingly my next model, then along came mother. Perfect!

…and a bit of sketching from above creates some fun and distorted body shapes..

Oil pastels are infuriatingly hard to control on a small scale and I find the choice of colours bewildering. Here they are added over a collage of newspaper with a fairly limited palette and Chinese ink brush for detail/outline.

By way of contrast, a few days spent in the stunning area of Piastroso (in the mountains of Tuscany) proves it is not so easy to keep a limited palette as the scenery is so overwhelming beautiful.  Experimenting with both oil and chalk pastels below, but again sometimes my mind just needed the clarity of pen and ink as in the final image.

It has been both fun and challenging and the time has gone ridiculously fast so now I look forward to starting a very busy semester and I hope to report back soon.

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Fox Without a Tail

Another Aesop’s Fable entry for SCBWI Art Director’s brief.

For this year’s art director’s brief with David McDougall at HarperCollins Children’s Books, we are to create a character sheet and 3 - 5 spreads on our Aesop’s Fable of choice. This final (well, further along anyway) A3 sheet of foxy sketches comes after 12 pages of thumbnails and sketches in my sketchbook. Still not there, but I think getting closer.

Attempting any of Aesop’s Fables is a challenge because of the language, a classical text, and the moral message. The first challenge this story presented is in the first line, “It happened that a Fox caught its tail in a trap, and in struggling to release himself lost all of it but the stump.”

I sketched several different ideas on how to deal with this opening and decided on this after feedback from my critique group.

One of the other things the brief asked us to do is work with the text, breaking it up in different ways to explore different ways the text could break up or integrate into the artwork for exciting different interpretations of the story. Unfortunately, I didn’t get far enough with storyboard thumbnails to come up with text breaks and placement. I’ll have to spend more time on that when I get my initial feedback from the art director.

With the two spreads above, I wanted to get a feel of the camera moving around the playing foxes, seeing how distance and contrasting body language would emphasize Fox’s feelings of loneliness.

Another challenge, expressing the body language of Fox putting himself in front of the other foxes, trying to sell the idea that having a stump for a tail is so much cooler!

This spread is still not working either. I know I need to introduce the older fox who sees through Fox with no Tail’s ulterior motives in a clearer way in the previous spreads.

Although the brief asked for 3 - 5 spreads, we’ll only be bringing to final one spread after we receive our feedback from the art director. My hope is that with constructive feedback I might be able to produce portfolio pieces showing consistency of character, interesting composition and narrative interpretation, and text placement. Feedback is due very soon! I can’t wait to take what David McDougall suggests and apply it. Watch for the next set in this brief!