Princess Disgrace is here!

Exxxxccccciiiiiiiiiiittttiiiiiinnnnnngggggg...

...I have just received first copies of ‘Princess Disgrace’, the fabulously written book, by Lou Kuenzler, which I was fortunately chosen to illustrate. Its published by the wonderful Scholastic and available to pre-order on Amazon here.

"Princess Grace is anything but graceful. Her clumsiness gets her in all sorts of trouble. But now Grace is starting at Tall Towers Princess School - she can learn to be a proper princess at last! At her new school she must make new friends and learn the rules. Most importantly, she must pass her first test: she must learn to train her unicorn."

It was great fun to illustrate and I cannot wait to start the second book...who knows what Grace will get up to in her second year at Tall Towers...?

‘The Black and White Club’ gets nominated for The Portsmouth Book Award!

One of my favourite books to illustrate last year was ‘The Black and White Club’, written by Alice Hemming. I am now extremely happy to hear that it has been nominated for The Portsmouth Book Award, 2014. 

The Portsmouth School Library Service had been looking at suitable books throughout 2013 and out of 80 books, and much debate and discussion, a shortlist of four books was agreed, with ‘The Black and White Club’ being one of them!

The 4 final books will be judged by school children from 29 Portsmouth Schools, thats almost 2000 Year 1 pupils!

Fingers crossed they’re animal lovers!

Alice Hemming has also been visiting schools and book shops recently, inspiring new young authors...http://www.maverickbooks.co.uk/events/alice-hemming-inspiring-future-authors/

http://www.maverickbooks.co.uk/events/alice-hemming-at-the-leaf-cafe’-and-children’s-bookshop/


The Black and White Club can be bought here...http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-White-Club-Alice-Hemming/dp/184886096X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390390424&sr=8-1&keywords=the+black+and+white+club

Two Stubborn Pirates and The Sheffield Children's Book Award

Great news today... ‘The Two Stubborn Pirates’, written by Oakley Graham and illustrated by myself, is up for consideration for the Sheffield Children’s Book Award. Its great to even be considered!

The local Sheffield library service is asking local residents/readers to help to select the 2014 shortlist for the award.

The link to vote is here: http://shefflibraries.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/book-9-what-are-best-picture-books-from.html

And you can keep up to date with Top That Publishing here: https://www.facebook.com/topthatpublishing 

London Book Fair 2013

London Book Fair 2013 has begun, and I'm off to join in the fun...!

The Circus Mice!

Eeek so its been a while again since I last posted. I've been caught up mostly drawing dogs, and mice, and naughty little boys, and giraffes and zebras and lemurs and Cinderellas and bogey monsters and a hundred and one other things.

And then this morning, interrupting my colouring of scientific experiments, a delivery came...and who should it be...only THE CIRCUS MICE!!! and CELEBRITY CELIA too of course!

These are two little books I illustrated for Octopus Publishing last year, and they're available to buy HERE and HERE. I absolutely luuuuurvved illustrating the Circus Mice - not surprising being the mouse lover I am.

   

It's time to bake Challah Bread!

First of all...Happy New Year!!!!!! 

....Bit late I know but my start to this year has been incredibly busy and I've hardly had the time to go to the loo let alone write on here! 
So yes its started busy with pencils for a few Science books by Wayland, a calendar for WHSmith, pencils for Maverick Publishing, a new greetings card range...oh and more pencils, this time for Egmont. Hmmmm a lot of pencils can only mean a lot of colouring coming soon!

Its been a good but busy busy start.

And to begin this week nicely I received some samples all the way from America this morning from those lovely people at Kar-Ben Publishing. It's a book I illustrated for them last year called "Rise & Shine A Challah-Day Tale", written by Karen Ostrove. It's a cute little story all about making Challah bread  - it even includes a recipe to make your own!

Just in case you want to know, the book is available in hard back over at Kar-Ben's website HERE.

Or paperback at Amazon HERE.

A Superhero has arrived...!

Two more books of mine are now out to buy...It's only grumpy Fairy Fay and the one and only Superhero Ed!

Both books are part of the I Love Reading Phonics reading scheme, which is based on Synthetic Phonics and arranged in levels to give plenty of practice in all the sounds of the English language. 

Fairy Fay's Bad Day is about a bad fairy, but what will happen when she casts a very bad spell?

And Superhero Ed, well he is just the best superhero in the world. But can he save Emu Meg when Wicked Ted strikes?

You can buy them on Amazon by clicking the names below:

Superhero Ed

Fairy Fay's Bad Day

The Big Apple

So last week I went to The Big Apple! Finally, after a looooooong time of wanting to go we found (or made) the time to actually do it...fly to New York. It was amazing. As soon as you step out from the subway station it just hits you...right in the face...noise, flashing lights, people, dogs, suitcases, noise, cars, yellow taxis, the smell of pretzels, skyscrapers and...did i mention noise?!

They says its a city that never sleeps...well I'd very much agree with that, and I'm not sure we did either whilst we were there!

Anyway I wont bore you with the rest of my trip...I'll just share a couple of photos...

In Central Park

Metropolitan Museum of Art - of course I HAD to visit this place!

Basketball! - The NY Knicks v the Denver Nuggets

The Chelsea Markets - such amazing food

Spice & teas at the markets

Just LOVE these - cookie monster's my favourite!

Just along the streets...

The Empire State Building - viewed from the top of the Rockefeller Centre

More Street Art

...and more!

In the Christmas spirit

Oh and I think I spent half a months wages and ate my body weight in MnM's whilst out there...the peanut butter ones are just TOOOO good!

SPOTTED!

Just a quick one...popped into my local WHSmith this weekend, and what did I see...

...some of my Christmas Card designs for sale! ho ho ho...

Monty has arrived!

Well its certainly a Happy Friday, as today I received my samples of the new book I illustrated for Egmont - 'Monty Wins the Cup'.

It's an action packed story about a boy (Danny) and his amazing home-made racing car. Danny's  inventor parents build him a racing car for his seventh birthday, but Monty is more than your average car. Not only does he run on chocolate milkshake instead of petrol, he can actually talk! It is very cleverly written by Jake Sparks, and illustrated by moi!

And its available on Amazon NOW! woohooooooo! Time to celebrate with a big chocolate milkshake!!! Just CLICK THE PICTURE BELOW to go to the Amazon page...

Sorry to have to say the 'C' word...

Ok so its only September and its aaaaaggggeeeesss till, yep, I'm going to say it...Christmas but I have to talk about it...purely because I have another book for sale in Marks & Spencer. Yippeeee!

It's another Touch and Feel book, this time called 'Merry Christmas'. I'd say they're perfect little Christmas Presents myself!

Just click the picture below to see more on the Marks and Spencer website.

Bear With Me Book

I am very excited to be part of a wonderful new project called 'Bear With Me Book'.

The Bear With Me Book is a charity collaboration with the best British illustrators around today, and even better all proceeds go to the charity Great Ormond Street Hospital. I wont say too much more about it now, you'll have to find out more by following us by the following methods:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Statigram
• Website

Do follow us, its going to be an exciting adventure...

New Stuff

So its been aaaaaages since I've written on here. Sorry. It's been a busy couple of months, and looks to be a busy next few!

I've been illustrating greetings cards and books...and more books...and more books, oh and my best friend got married so there was some Invitation and Order of Service design squeezed in there (and flower arranging & table decorating & a lot of celebrating) followed by more books...and now more books. So I am a happy illustrator!

And today I have just seen two more of my illustrated products are available to buy...woohoo!

The lovely folk over at Ginger Fox asked me to illustrate another puzzle and a book for Marks & Spencer, and they are now up on Mark's and Spencer's website.

See...

and you can see them by clicking HERE (for the puzzle) and HERE (for the book).

And here are some pics...

I'll pop some more up when I get my samples! Now back to the book pencils...

More Samples have arrived...it’s Lady Grace!

Well, this morning I received a very welcome parcel from the wonderful Random House Publishing. Inside were the advanced copies of two of the four books I illustrated the covers for. They are part of the book series called 'The Lady Grace Mysteries’, fabulously written by Grace Cavendish.

I was also very pleased to see rather well applied gold foiling to the text on the cover and spine - having worked in the greetings card industry I can’t help but pay close attention to things like this!! Anyway, I can’t wait to see the other two covers...

Website Update

As usual I am busy busy at the moment working on a mix of illustrations for a variety of books/Clients, including a couple of young reader ‘Phonics’ stories, crazy Monster Sums books and then some rather funny but factual Bees and Wasps illustrations. So a good mix up!

But I have just managed to squeeze in the time to update my website. Well, just a little for now. I’ve added to the book section new books that are available to buy and a few new B&W & colour illustrations I have created recently(-ish).

Click here to go to my website:

The Learning Gang

Recently I was approached by ‘The Learning Gang’ who asked me to create some illustrations for their new blog/website...of course I was delighted to do so! The Learning Gang (TLG) was founded by David Evans, an experienced qualifed teacher who provides tutoring services for children aged between 7 and 13 in the London boroughs of Richmond and Kingston upon Thames.


The Learning Gang blog can be found here: http://www.thelearninggang.blogspot.co.uk/
which explains more about TLG as well as featuring an Education News section for parents and a Fun Page (for children only of course!!). They can also be followed on twitter at @TheLearningGang

Have fun exploring The Learning Gang...

Two more books out to buy!

Last year I illustrated two very funny stories for the publishers Igloo Books. They are really comical tales very cleverly written by Melanie Joyce, and were such fun to illustrate.

‘The Bunged Up Trunk’ tells the tale of a very frustrated elephant who has a sticky bun stuck up his trunk, and all his friends in the jungle try to help him get it out, with quite hilarious consequences.

‘Cock-a-doodle-who?’ is a story about a rather bossy cockerel who throws his weight around the farm yard...all until the other animals have had quite enough and congregate together to take action against him.

I have been really excited to see these in print, and I have yet still to do so. However, I have noticed they are up on Igloo Books website and available to buy/order on various websites. To buy, or just find out more click the links below:

THE BUNGED UP TRUNK

COCK A DOODLE WHO?