Picture it so...

Feeling a bit summery lately

2013-03-22T15:44:00.000+13:00

My Facebook banner Summer's here.

Becks NZ label competition entry - End of the road

I've had an awesome summer. How about you? We've done a number of roadies in our trusty ute during this endless dry weather - up to the East Coast to the Bay of Plenty and down to Waihi Beach. We've camped and cabined, stuffed ourselves with oysters, walked, swam and played in the surf. It's been great.

I think all that summer goodness has rubbed off in my work though. These two little pieces just ooze late afternoon sun don't they? The top one was my Facebook banner for the holidays and the bottom one was my entry to the Becks New Zealand Art on a Bottle Competition. It was a finalist, which was nice to see.
And if you're wondering where it is - it's Ohiwa Harbour where the Dotterels nest - and just over the flax covered horizon is the channel to the estuary. Each night, after dinner we would walk to the end of the road and watch the sun setting. I used to think it would be a great place to park and have a cold beer and I guess that cemented the idea!

Papercut inspiration

2013-03-08T11:18:00.000+13:00

This work was super fun to make! No, it's not a papercut... but it's absolutely inspired by them, and by Rob Ryan's papercuts in particular.

I love Ryan's delicate quirky work and incorporating some of that feel into this job just felt right, though
I confess to planting this idea firmly in my clients thoughts!

Barbara Murison blogs about children's books. She's passionate about them and has been working in the children's literature field in New Zealand for 35 years now.

This is Barbara's first forray into the digital world of blogging, having put her quartlerly printed publication firmly to bed at the end of the year. We're all delighted that she's continued to review and write about the books she loves and if you'd like to follow her respected reccommendations you can find her here: http://www.barbaramurison.blogspot.co.nz/

Once I had an understanding of what Barbara needed for her identity, and a clear direction to head in - even a favourite colour to work with (Delft blue) the idea of using a papercut image just seemed so right for her online version of Around the Bookshops. As I talked the project over in the cafe next to my studio, I said to Barbara 'What about a book tree?' And here you have it!

An editor's branding

2013-03-08T10:43:00.005+13:00

This looks elegant, clean and professional: warm and reassuring - just the ticket for the editor who will take your work and rip into it!!

Here's the branding I made recently for Bronwen Wall of Anvil Wordsmithing.
Bronwen is a freelance editor in Wellington with a wide range of clients from Government departments to self-published authors. She asked me to create an identity that gave a nod to her blacksmith grandfather but also encapsulated the idea of crafting words and helping shape other people's words. It needed to reflect creativity, professionalism and dependability. I think it does all that as well as tipping the hat towards the editor's red pencil.

Quotations for a birthday

2012-10-25T13:40:00.000+13:00

"I always get trapped in my emotions".... This is my all-time favorite quote from this eclectic collection of personal quotations that make up a set of typographic designs. I made them for a friend who is turning 21 this weekend. He's tall, good-looking and willowy, with boundless energy and a penetrating voice. He's also autistic. His mother collected these quotes over the years, and although they are intensely personal, they offer a window into his world - and hers as his wonderful mother. His self awareness is acute, as is his wry sense of humor. I hope I've been able to capture the fun as well as some of the absurdity of his statements.

Designing a brandlogo

2012-10-16T15:21:00.000+13:00

Olive Books Literary Agency branding and stationary

This is a small branding and identity design job I've been working on lately. There's a bit of hand lettered calligraphy and a lot of Illustrator going on here but I think the marriage of the two works well.

Like the Olive tree, Kathryn Carmody's literary agency will plant seeds in barren soil and nurture them over time until they bear fruit for authors and illustrators in New Zealand. As The Little Country that Could, we have enjoyed huge success as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair this year. The birth of this little literary agency is very well timed therefore, to take advantage of the popularity of literature from New Zealand going forward. I'm proud to have had a part to play in the inception of this agency and I wish Kathryn Carmody and all who sign up to be represented by her well.

Riding to school

2012-08-14T17:47:00.000+12:00

Setting: Early morning, 1940's New Zealand.

Pukaea and trumpet illustrations

2012-08-06T15:58:00.000+12:00

These are two recent illustrations for an educational resource about the use of musical instruments during the 1800's.
The British foot soldier dating from 1846 during the time of the Maori land wars in New Zealand.
The warrior blows a Pukaea between 60 to 200 cm long. This carved wooden trumpet was used by a watchman to announce an oncoming war party or to sound an emergency. The sound that it makes is incredibly loud and can be heard kilometres away. Today Pukaea are used in a ceremonial capacity to welcome people onto a Marae or to herald an auspicious occasion.

And this is me

2012-07-02T15:24:00.001+12:00

Small self portrait

Preschool science illustrations

2012-07-02T15:13:00.000+12:00

Breathing in and out

Testing conductivity

Adding air

These illustrations were done for two small leaflets for an early childhood science resource.

A sneak preview of my latest project

2012-02-02T12:05:00.002+13:00

River crossing using a pole for support

Building a fire using a candle

Introducing our group of trampers

Here's a quick look at a few of the illustrations I'm working on at the moment for a tramping (hiking) manual. They're vector based images (made in Illustrator) intended for a printed manual but destined to be converted to an iphone app in the near future. They're also designed to be simple and clear so that novices or day walkers like me can understand them, and to reflect the demographic of folk who are taking to the hills in recent times - surprisingly the largest number are women over 60. I'm grooving on the process of synthesising the technical nature of the work and then building up clean diagrams from the mass of information.

Happy New Year

2012-01-05T23:23:00.002+13:00

Happy New Year folks.

I've had a quiet couple of months workwise, with work taking a back seat to family and a small design job turing a little pear shaped last month. I want to share with you my thoughts and resolutions for this new year as well as the learnings from that work. Here goes.

This year I plan to:

reactivate my self marketing strategy
produce a 'working with me' file for all clients explaining my work process and clearly defining the steps we'll go through when I'm designing or illustrating for them, as well providing transparency with my pricing and quoting
scrutinize my client base in order to

focus more on their needs and add value to the service I provide them
ask myself whether their work and practice fits with my own values and focus for this year
look for more work I enjoy and that is realistically financially rewarded

ask for recommendations from clients when they tell me I've done a good job
keep my blog updated and fresh
revisit my picture book idea and iron out the flat spots

...and lastly, but simply - earn more from this lark that I love.

Now... that other chestnut.

In the rush that was December I made a silly mistake on a job - one I'm not proud to admit to and one I should know better than to have been part of. Yes... the dreaded printing error and subsequent delivery of goods with issues.

Briefly, I took my clients email request to send their business card to the printers as a tacit sign off of the image and information we had been working on. It wasn't, and the cards were printed with incorrect information on them about their business hours. It was an easy mistake and we both agreed the responsibility for the error was split between us.

Because I think every mistake holds gems of learning, I'm going to share my insights here with you too. Most of them are things I know well but had let slip in the Xmas rush, and some of them are things I thought were ingrained and maybe they weren't.

So here's what I recommend to myself for the future:

clearly explain the proofing process and explain that 'sign off' means the client has ultimate responsibility for proofing documents before printing. Explain that timeliness and their availability to set aside time to sign off are important at this critical time
walk the job if there is no reply to an email request to proof documents - they may be unable to get to their computer because their own workload is too onerous
double check that both of you are reading from the same proofs and amendments are signed off as completed
be relaxed about the number of proofs it takes to get a job right in the eyes of the client, even if it looks right to you several steps ago
keep the level of communication about their job on HIGH until the job goes to print
proof at the printers where possible and take this proof to be signed off with the client as well
be prepared to wear the mistakes and make it right with the client if/when they occur and thank your lucky stars this is a rare occurrence
apologise

There you have it. I plan to have a exciting and busy year this year, to add new clients and polish my illustration skills and styles. I plan to expand my design work a little and use Indesign more often.

What do you plan ?

Are you feeling a bit Quizzy?

2011-10-31T13:17:00.000+13:00

For anyone who loves children's books. For anyone who illustrates them. For anyone who writes for children and young people. And for anyone who wishes they did. For anyone who encourages kids to love books. For anyone who compulsively buys children's books. For anyone who sniffs their fresh newly printed pages in bookshops and in libraries. For anyone who remembers their favourite books when they were a child. For anyone competitive. For anyone who loves crafty cut and make and do. For anyone who wants a fun night out with some wine food and laughs. For anyone who hangs out with girls who read. For any parent whose kids read by torchlight. For anyone who publishes children's literature. For anyone who wants to start off their festive season early amongst friends. For anyone who loves quizzes. The Wellington Children's Book Association Xmas Quiz night is for you.

Make it so... I wish I could

2011-10-18T11:57:00.001+13:00

Blog update for a friend

There's something terribly frustrating about not having enough knowledge to do what you want - don't you agree? This image is a perfect example of that. I want to replace a background image in Wordpress and make it look like my mock-up but I'm stuck because I don't understand CSS. I'd love to have a helper who could turn my concepts into reality on this job. Alas I suspect we'll keep the template as it is. Here's a sneak preview of the hand drawn sketchy look I'm after anyway. Maybe learning HTML and CSS wouldn't be a bad thing for me to aim for hmmmm....

Cupboard Love for Xmas comes early again !

2011-09-30T12:31:00.001+13:00

So there she is, this woman; so like me (why is that?) manically but unsuccessfully trying to shut the cupboard on her book stash. She's a hoarder and a squirrel who feels cozy once her Xmas shopping is neatly stashed away under the bed or behind the folded linen (Not like me!).

If you're like her, or you know anyone who is from Wellington; and if they love children's books (who doesn't?) then share this date with them, save it in your calender and get along to Cupboard Love at The Children's Bookshop in December. After that it'll be browse and sip, browse and sip... You can meet some of our best children's authors and illustrators, have your books signed (so cool) and rub shoulders with other satisfied squirrels too. I made this little illo in Adobe Illustrator as a bit of Friday fun. Enjoy!

Concrete and more concrete

2011-08-02T13:58:00.000+12:00

It's funny how if you do one thing well for someone, suddenly you're the person that does that thing. Next thing you know, everyone arrives with requests to do that thing too and that's what you find yourself doing a lot of the time. Well, vector illustration is a little bit like that for me.
Here's another piece I made on the weekend in Adobe Illustrator for a different arm of the concrete jungle of associations that are cement producers. This time it's a rendition of a suburban home to appear in an inhouse magazine - just which one, I'm not clear.

To be honest I like the logical approach of Illustrator and I like making info graphics, but they aren't the kind of illustrations I always dreamt of making.

At 17 I wanted to be Brian Froud - and his illustrations for Margaret Mahy's The Wind Between the Stars with their mix of gothic faerie fantasy were what I aspired to produce one day. Somewhere in 'the middle' I lost the urge to paint fay subjects but here I am further along in my career, and I still admire his illustrations for the eerie strangeness and the detail they're filled with. Today I'm more likely to be transfixed by a clean soft simple line and the emotive qualities in an illustration and New Zealand illustrator Freya Blackwood's work embodies that for me. I've realised that to make a living as an illustrator in New Zealand I needed to be versatile, agile professional and most of all adaptable - and that includes my 'style' of work. Consequently I'm happy to take commissions of all kinds and my 'style' is harder to pinpoint. Perhaps it's best summed up as 'Educationesque' more's the pity!

Busy doing the business

2011-07-04T12:30:00.000+12:00

An infographic from a collection of graphics for NZRMCA to instruct and educate operators about hand signals to trucks.

Two illustrations from a small story about Schwapping - for adult learners

Two illustrations from a group of 14 illo's for a reader intended for overseas release.

Here's a collection of images from recent work for a range of clients with different audience needs. I have been very busy lately !

The Bootstrappers Manifesto by Seth Godin is an inspiration

2011-05-26T16:39:00.002+12:00

Today I haven't any new images to post for you. But I want to share the words of best selling author Seth Godin from his Bootstrappers Manifesto.

It's freely available here from Seths blog if you want to read the whole document as a PDF (Wow - thanks!).

I find it a tremendously affirming and inspirational document. I aspire to these ideas and I'm trying to work by them daily. I hope you might find some value in it too. Thanks Seth, you've put into words the ideals this freelancer is attempting to practice every day, even when some days I fail miserably or struggle to see the value in what I'm doing.

The Bootstrappers Manifesto

by Seth Godin

I am a bootstrapper. I have initiative and insight and guts, but not much

money. I will succeed because my efforts and my focus will defeat bigger

and better-funded competitors. I am fearless. I keep my focus on

growing the business-not on politics, career advancement, or other

wasteful distractions.

I will leverage my skills to become the key to every department of my

company, yet realize that hiring experts can be the secret to my success.

I will be a fervent and intelligent user of technology, to conserve my two

most precious assets: time and money.

My secret weapon is knowing how to cut through bureaucracy. My size

makes me faster and more nimble than any company could ever be.

I am a laser beam. Opportunities will try to cloud my focus, but I will

not waver from my stated goal and plan-until I change it. And I know

that plans were made to be changed.

I’m in it for the long haul. Building a business that will last separates me

from the opportunist, and is an investment in my brand and my future.

Surviving is succeeding, and each day that goes by makes it easier still

for me to reach my goals.

I pledge to know more about my field than anyone else. I will read and

learn and teach. My greatest asset is the value I can add to my clients

through my efforts.

I realize that treating people well on the way up will make it nicer for me

on the way back down. I will be scrupulously honest and overt in my

dealings, and won’t use my position as a fearless bootstrapper to gain

unfair advantage. My reputation will follow me wherever I go, and I will

invest in it daily and protect it fiercely.

I am the underdog. I realize that others are rooting for me to succeed,

and I will gratefully accept their help when offered. I also understand

the power of favors, and will offer them and grant them whenever I can.

I have less to lose than most--a fact I can turn into a significant

competitive advantage.

I am a salesperson. Sooner or later, my income will depend on sales, and

those sales can be made only by me, not by an emissary, not by a rep. I

will sell by helping others get what they want, by identifying needs and

filling them.

I am a guerrilla. I will be persistent, consistent, and willing to invest in

the marketing of myself and my business.

I will measure what I do, and won’t lie about it to myself or my spouse. I

will set strict financial goals and honestly evaluate my performance. I’ll

set limits on time and money and won’t exceed either.

Most of all, I’ll remember that the journey is the reward. I will learn and

grow and enjoy every single day.

Latest hot off the pen

2011-05-10T16:48:00.000+12:00

If I had this divine red mixer I know I'd be a happy Kitchen Boss!
This little book is destined to be published in te reo Māori for emergent readers attending New Zealand's Kura Kaupapa Māori (Māori language immersion schools). I'm really happy with how it turned out and I especially enjoyed the collaboration between the designer and myself - go working together on the photo shoot!

Vintage inspired wedding

2011-05-09T15:52:00.000+12:00

Remember a while ago I posted up some work I'd done for a lovely couple celebrating their civil union?

Well Linda and Dan had the best day and I want to share a little of it here with you. For my part, I made a banner for their website and a digital invitation to their celebration and it helped to frame the 'story' for their event. Linda's brief was for vintage inspired imagery, with silhouettes, books and soft colours that reflected their choice of bridesmaid frocks. Cupcakes were to be on the menu with bunting and lacy doilies complementing the collections of old china and books that the couple had been squirreling away for months. Here are some of their wedding photos so you can have a sneak peek at how it turned out.

The soft blue and yellow theme was carried through in flowers, balloons, and frocks. That cheese cutter hat in the invitation was worn by all the groomsmen along with dapper braces and pin stripes. It's such a delight to see the results of many hours of meticulous event planning and attention to detail in design - Linda and Dan did a fabulous job I think you'll agree!

I just love the secret compartment in this book !

One night in the rest home...

2011-04-04T15:15:00.001+12:00

Do you ever wonder who trains the carers who look after our incapacitated elderly?
This month I've been working on a cartoon sequence destined for an online learning resource which does just that. As a baby boomer, it's good to know that quality of care is a concern for training organisations working to educate those carers and I'm happy to do my bit to ultimately increase their skills. At the same time I'm paying it forward on this occasion, for the care that my father-in-law received when he was an inpatient and so very ill.
In this learning module there are 3 scenarios with very different outcomes - like a pick-a-path book (do you remember those? I loved them.) It begins when an elderly gentleman with dementia wanders naked into the reception area of his rest home and makes for the front doors. What happens next is determined by the reader. The learner chooses a path in order to graphically see the outcome of the choices they might make and hopefully develops an awareness of escalating consequences. I'm reasonably pleased with these drawings although comics really aren't my area of expertise !

Appealing to the head, heart and hands of an organisation through visual communication

2011-03-15T14:03:00.002+13:00

Today I want to share a movie featuring one of the most inspiring advocates for visual communication in business today - Dave Grey. Dave is the author of a number of books about visual communication ( Marks and Meaning, Selling to the VP of No and most recently Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rule Breakers and Change Makers with co author Suni Brown) as well as the founder and chairman of Xplane, a consulting and design firm whose headquarters are based in Portland Oregon.

Here he's in conversation with Dr Martin Epler of the University of St Gallen in Switzerland. In this movie, Dave provides us with a most compelling story to support the use of visual thinking within change management. He demonstrates the benefits of visual communication to engage staff at all levels, to grow a vision, achieve buy in and ownership of the change through connecting with the emotions and to map out the change process to staff.
His description of 'head graphics' (schematics), 'heart graphics' (for example the use of a metaphor) and 'hand graphics'(practical, logistical task based graphics) and how these work together is very insightful.

Watch this and think about how much benefit could be attained if all companies or organisations were brave enough to include visual thinking in their normal work practices - or even just within their change management.

Announcing a fresh new look for a favourite store

2011-03-11T10:17:00.001+13:00

Ta Dah!

Here's my latest project, just completed and signed off. It's the new branding for Wellington's favourite independent bookstore The Children's Bookshop in Kilbirnie. I'm really excited have had the opportunity to freshen up their brand and com's materials with a lively new look.

What do you think?

The Children's Bookshop is a pivotal part of the children's publishing and literary scene in Wellington, in fact nationally. John and Ruth Mc Intyre and their lovely staff have a wealth of knowledge about children's books (and zine's and paper technology....) and they're incredibly supportive to established and emerging authors and illustrators working in this field in New Zealand. Many of us ask for their advice about manuscripts and concepts before submitting to publishers!

John and Ruth regularly host book launches and literary events at The Children's Bookshop for the children's literary community and for schools, seeking out talented overseas authors and bringing them to speak and to tour in schools too.
Within the NZ book oeuvre they're both seen as terrific mentors and experts; this year Ruth is privileged to be the convener of the judging panel for New Zealand's highly respected and largest book awards, The New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards.

Check them out on their Facebook page, 'like' their new branding and you could win a $25 book voucher.

We've planned a range of new collateral to come - pull up banners and a table skirt, so when you next find the folk from The Children's Bookshop at Storylines or the next kids literary event, they'll be totally unmissable!

Local Island Bay history

2011-02-14T13:33:00.002+13:00

This weekend just passed was the annual Island Bay Festival here in Wellington. Island Bay is a coastal suburb which looks out onto Cook Strait and is rich in local history, being the home of some of Wellington's best loved poets, novelists, dramatists, journalists and artists. Rita Angus, Robin Hyde and Alan Brunton all lived in Island Bay. Today there is still a thriving arts community as well as Wellington's main population of working fishermen and their families, many of whom originated from Naples and Stromboli in Italy in the early 1930's and came here as young single men. Local magazine 'Fishhead' features an article about Island Bay here which is well worth reading.

In 2006 I illustrated a story for local educational publishers Learning Media Ltd which was set in Island Bay. It was written by local author Phillipa Werry and it tells the story of a 10 metre long fishing boat called 'The Santina' through the eyes of a young boy and his grandfather. The Santina lost engine power in a dreadful southerly storm and went down amidst heavy seas off Baring Head south of Wellington one September night in 1933. Four men were lost that night and their bodies never recovered. Their families remember them every year to this day. The Island Bay community holds a commemorative service for the men and a special 'Blessing of the Boats' ceremony each year as part of their local festival.

The year that I illustrated the story there was a horrendous southerly storm and I spent many hours researching the story of the Santina on line and in the National library - unable to venture to the coast to sketch in the horizontal rain.Yesterday though, was brilliant sunshine and I was privileged to join local Italian families who had unveiled a sturdy wooden seat by the Bait House in Island Bay as a place where the current generation can go to remember the past.

I met Annalisa, the granddaughter of Gennaro Amatrano, one of fishermen on the Santina and some of her warm extended family. I stayed for a lavish afternoon tea and thought how lucky Pippa Werry and I have been, to be able to contribute in a small way to the ongoing memory and history through our small School Journal story. Here it is - if you would like to follow up further, with a history hunt of your own about the Santina and the Italian community of Island Bay - here are some good links to start you off.

Evening Post article from 1933

Photo from Te Ara - digital resource of Ministry of Culture and Heritage

A little girl's big idea

2011-02-09T09:49:00.000+13:00

Today I'm posting a selection of illustrations from a story published within a journal for an overseas client. The work was completed over a year ago although the publication date was delayed until recently. The story follows the exploits of a middle school child in the Pacific North West USA who has a great idea for a civic project that will make her commute to and from school and her friends, not only safer but much more fun.

I set the location for my illustrations in the town of Willamette in Portland Oregon with the help of a friend who lives close by - and Google Earth. Where would overseas illustrators be without this tool for referencing I ask!
There really is a stunning bike path in Willamette - how lucky they are, it looks very attractive for cyclists there - have a look at this little slide show to see what I mean. Anyway, here are some of the illo's I made. Interesting to compare their looser rendering to the work I've just completed for the Ready to Read series (see the post before last).

Wellington Children's Book Association Clubnight coming up!

2011-02-03T19:58:00.003+13:00