The Sea is a Good Place to Think of the Future

First of all – thanks so much everyone for the love regarding my new blog design, I'm really pleased you all like it! I thought today I'd share the piece that inspired the theme and palette of my new design.

a peek into my sketchbook: the wind in the willows

so around october time last year, i was sifting through some university work where i was asked to research into some design competitions and find one that i'd one day like to enter, and during my searching i came across the penguin design award and decided that i'd enjoy entering the puffin children's competition, where you're asked to design the book jacket for a classic penguin children's book.

this year's chosen book was the wind in the willows, a story that i was (surprisingly) unfamiliar with as, as a child, i'd never read the book or even seen the film! i received the book as a christmas present, and although i started reading it in january, i've only just finished reading it today! as soon as i'd finished the book, i also set about watching the film from 1995 just so that i understood the characters and story fully so i knew what i'd be working with when it came to developing a book cover idea.

below are a few peeks into my sketchbook, there's not much to show at the moment because i've only spent a couple of hours sketching so far, but it's a start nonetheless! i'll be sure to keep my blog updated with my progress as and when i make it, hopefully within the next couple of weeks as the competition deadline is very soon and i think it would be beneficial for me to at least attempt to enter, just so i can try to somewhat develop a style, my use of colour, composition and my overall character generation.

all four main characters sketched out roughly in a style that i wished to further develop

all four characters developed further with my chosen style and with colour added using watercolour, acrylic and fineliner pens

i've got a long way to go in terms of colour application (i'm fairly new to working with acrylics so it was a bit hard to master controlling them exactly as i'd wished, however i did like the texture they helped me to achieve!) and tweaking my overall style, but i think i'm at a good starting point and it should be fairly straightforward to progress further and a lot of fun, too!

i'm setting myself a few deadlines for this week: to have collected and written up all my timeline information formally by monday evening, to develop some ideas and attempt to finalise them by wednesday evening and to have completely finished my timeline by friday evening. by setting these and sticking to them it will ensure that i have an entire week to look at developing and finalising any work for this book cover. fingers crossed i can work efficiently and stick to my plan!

also, don't forget to follow my blog on bloglovin!

motel rocks illustrations

at some point last week i became aware of the competition that motel rocks are currently holding, where entrants are asked to illustrate their favourite motel rocks pieces for the chance to win money to spend online and some arty goodies. i thought "what the hell?" and drew up a few sketches before finalising them into what i've got displayed above.

this isn't a style i've drawn in before, and is probably one i won't revisit again, but it was something different to have a go at and i felt it was appropriate for what it was i was illustrating. i've seen a couple of brilliant entries so far - and although i drew these up for more of 'something to do' rather than because i was interested in entering in an attempt to win - and they've left me feeling a little nervous about entering! i've ten days left to enter, so in that time i think i'm going to decide whether or not i want to enter; half of me says "why not? you've nothing to lose!" and the other half says "if you do enter, it means a few judges might have a few cheap giggles if they don't like what you've done." probably a nasty mindset to possess, but it's one i'm struggling to let go of at the minute.

in other news, i'm now back in barnsley for my 3 week spring break and in that time i intend to finalise some ideas i've had for the wind in the willows book cover, finish my outstanding university project that i should've finished a LONG time ago (oops...) and make a start on my new university project, which sounds very interesting but also scary because we have a measly 4 weeks to get it all done in. 

busy as ever, being a graphic design student is a lot of hard work.

how me and the pea feel about the snow

view in flickr for a better quality image

i'm just quickly popping by to say a: my mothers' day gift and card went down a treat, and b: it's snowing again here in 'boro (and i'm assuming in most other places of the uk, too) and this time, it's really, really not welcome. at all. by anyone (but especially me.)

so, in celebration of my hatred for the snow, have an illustration depicting how me and the pea feel about the snow: pretty ticked off.