Picture it so...

A sneak preview of my latest project

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

River crossing with arms across the top of your mate's pack

River crossing with arms crossed behind your mate's pack

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!

Is Storytelling Dead ?

2011-07-11T17:09:00.001+12:00

Are you interested in storytelling, children's publishing, writing or illustrating for children?

Do you collect children's books or enjoy share them with others? If the answer is 'yes', you're sure to enjoy this panel discussion with award winning writer Fleur Beale, children's book expert and National Adviser of Schools Collection Dylan Owen, novelist, editor and journalist Rebekah Palmer and storyteller Holly Gooch.

Yes, I did the illustration and design for the flyer... silhouettes are lots of fun!

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

Airport Story

2011-01-31T19:27:00.001+13:00

These illustrations have been on the go since late October and they're finally finished.
The process of developing illustrations for high quality learning materials is never fast.

Interesting though, I made these in Painter X and if technical stuff isn't your bent - feel free to tune out now.

When I work in Painter I always save my Painter files as PSD files - since that way I can take the image in and out of Photoshop as I need to for scaling or manipulating the image. I really wish Painter had a better preview function - I've been working with Painter since Version 8, and still the transform tools aren't visual or intuitive enough for me.

So... after a day and completing one of these pages - (saving like a good woman as I went) I added the last brush strokes in Painter did one last save before closing it and after flattening it in Photoshop, reopened the file in Painter ... only to find -Yup you guessed it ! A black preview box, a message, a corrupt file and a wasted day. Even Time Machine could only retrieve an uncorrupted sketch for me (goodness knows when it happened).
Boy did I learn a lesson. Save as the native file first, then save again as a PSD - that way you always have a back up plan. This week I've even made iterative saves !

Seriously, you'd think I'd know by now wouldn't you?

Anyway, why am I telling you this? Well, because of the wonder of the brain's neural pathways. It's amazing, and I'm full of wonder at the ability of the human brain to remember a stroke a colour and a hand movement, to build a neural pathway and enable these actions to be repeated.

The first illo took a day; the second version from the line art to the last brush stroke took 3 hours. And that included a redraw of some tricky stairs and some tweaks to the colour palette. It really is true, if you do it once, you've taught your brain to make the marks and when you repeat the process it's so much faster, smoother and more effortless. I could get out the physiology books and show you how it works, but I'll leave that to you. The hard part of course is trusting that this occurs every time and that you have time to repeat the artwork. I did thank goodness - and I'm glad, because second time around it was definitely better.

Happy New Year

2011-01-14T17:02:00.001+13:00

Happy New Year everyone. I hope the start of your New Year has been as sweet as mine has. The summer's here and I've got work booked for the next couple of months - always a good sign for the incoming year. My small studio is heating up already, and afternoons are filled with the sounds of locals enjoying a cider in the sun at the café opposite Marion Square.

I know it's not desirable to make a montage do when you'd really like to see some of this stuff up closer, but I thought I'd begin the year by showing you what I was working on in the last month of last year.

So here goes:
A collection of posters for the Volunteer Fire Service which are the first of a whole bunch to come; these are all made in vector in Illustrator, an illo which is part of the baby sleep-sheet series (yet to be published on their site - so shhhhh.... just a quick look OK?), a sketch map of an energy centre planned for a major NZ city, a diagram of the life cycle of a corn plant... add to this several exhibition invitations, a brochure and an e-card and I can say I was busy !

The best part of my job is often the learning involved, and the posters and energy centre site sketch epitomise this to a T. Both involved the speedy consumption of highly technical information and exclusive terminology, lots of referencing and collaboration with the clients. I confess, I love this - in fact I lap it up. Applying the 'everyman' seive and retaining the essential details is like panning for gold and just as satisfying. More detailed views of these pieces to come in future posts. Meanwhile pizza in the sun beckons !

Great news for NZ children's book Illustrators today

2010-12-09T11:36:00.000+13:00

Thanks to The Children's Bookshop and to Beattie's Book Blog for posting this lovely piece of news today on Facebook and the blogsphere. It's made my day! I'm quite certain it will have done that for many others in the illustration community too.

Anne Mallinson, whose former publishing company Mallinson Rendell, has made a considerable donation to the Arts Endowment Fund to allow for the creation of an Illustrators award to be called the Mallinson Rendell Illustrators Award. Read about it here on Beattie's Book Blog.

This the best news for Xmas that New Zealand illustrators of children's books could hope for! We are delighted and excited - and very grateful to Anne for her generosity.

In practical terms, what it means for an illustrator (aside from the joy of recognition and obvious sales spin offs); is the ability to afford to spend the hours creating the images for another children's book project in the wings. It means freedom from anxiety for a time, affording to paying the studio rent, contributing to family expenses and freedom from supplementing the work we love with many smaller and often menial jobs just to pay our way. It means expanding our view point and horizons through travel or study and incorporating that experience and learning into our practice and our artwork. It will most definitely mean that the quality of illustrations in New Zealand children's literature will lift measurably. For this I am excited and grateful. Thank you Ann, I know we'll all reap the benefits.

Merry Christmas !

2010-12-01T14:51:00.001+13:00

It's only the first of December but today I've received not one but two seasonal e-greetings, so people are being very quick off the mark this year. I was going to hold off sending mine out - but you know, I hate being outdone... so here it is - the finished illustration that you peeped at a few weeks ago.

Now I know that you're thinking 'What's with the winter theme - it's summer in New Zealand!' There'll be barbeques and sandflies and sunburn and cider...
That's true - and we're about to head off for our holidays too... so I thought I'd show you the runner up for my e-card. Which one has mere Mmmmm ... then ? (remember the Mocona ad anyone?)

Thanks to all my clients and the wonderful folk who make my illo's and designs look so spiffing in print and on line - have a safe and happy Xmas and I'll see you in the New Year.

Cool... Thanks Corel !

2010-11-19T17:50:00.000+13:00

Well that was a surprise !
There I was yesterday checking my blog stats (as you do) and I noticed a huge traffic spike.
Lovely to have all of you new visitors over I thought - but what can have caused this? A bit of sleuthing led to a Tweet by the lovely folk at Corel who develop and market Painter, one of my staple and most loved software packages for illustration. Thanks Corel for noting my portrait of Molly - I'm very flattered!!

Isn't it nice to know that even when you feel just like a little guy bevering away in the industry, your good work is noted and shared about. Hoping everyone will pop back again from time to time to see what I've been up to and even leave me a comment if you like what you see. Cheers

Star quality

2010-11-17T22:30:00.000+13:00

'Molly'

Remember I said I'd been doing a small job for a baby product recently? The infographic I can't show you as yet because I don't want to gazump my client's website relaunch; but have a look at this. This is the delightful model who wore the product so willingly and grinned so happily for me on the day I turned up with my camera and the morning tea. Her name is Molly, and this is the small portrait I made of her for her obliging parents as a way to say thanks. It's made in Corel Painter.

Are you traveling on the back of a polar bear this summer?

2010-11-11T13:22:00.001+13:00

This past couple of weeks I've had my head down working away at a bunch of different jobs - each one with it's own technical or specialist information that needed to be absorbed and then represented accurately.
Sometimes I ask myself what I did to deserve this stuff... ? Volunteer firefighting posters (just what is a BA then ? I'll post these up when they're done), instructions for fitted sheets for babies (yes I'll feature those a bit later too) ... a children's book set in the airport for a ready-to read series...

And just when I'm patting myself on the back for coming out the other side of these a job creeps up on me and jumps out like a stranger on a dark night lugging a dictionary all written in Russian. "Will you illustrate our new energy centre for a magazine article ? - it's due tomorrow". So there I am gulping down information from an engineer about solid fuels and boilers, about auxilliary plant and 'bag houses'.

I'm not bad at reading plan drawings and translating them into an artists impression (ah so that's why these jobs find me!) - but this one took the cake. Phew - it's gone out the door now - and once the article comes out in print in the Canterbury Today Magazine I'll post up my sketch.

In the meantime - this is a sneak preview (she's alway's doing that !) of my one of my Xmas mail out images that I worked on in between the craziness last week. You'll have to wait until December now to see what I'm going to do with it... it's not all that far away now.
At the moment I'm asking myself - as the sun beams in my studio window and the tin ceiling heats up; why on earth I chose to feature a snow scene ? I suppose I must be a dreamer - I mean aren't all artists?

Cupboard Love for Xmas

2010-11-01T11:18:00.000+13:00

This invitation needs little preamble - it's just a little bit of fun illustration I made over the weekend for my local Children's Book Association Xmas book buying evening. If you'd like to come as my guest - let me know... it'll be fun!

At last I can show you...!

2010-10-28T19:22:00.008+13:00

Linda and Dan's celebration

This little project has been under wraps for a while now - it's strictly hush hush for obvious reasons...
But at last I can post the illustrations up for you to enjoy too, because Linda and Dan's guests will all have received their paperless invitations by now and popped over to their website to excitedly read more.

Why was it such fun for me though?
Well, every now and then we're handed a job that is such indulgence it hardly feels like work at all! Right from the get-go I got along with these clients - at our initial meeting we both 'got it' and the ideas bubbled up between meetings for all of us to enhance the final outcome and enjoyment for everyone. This was one of those jobs.

Linda and Dan have opted for a 'green' wedding with a small footprint and without a ginormous bill. They've sent out e-invitations to their vintage inspired, summer pot-luck wedding and built a website for their friends and family. When they came to me they requested a vintage feel to their illustrations, with silhouettes, teacups, bunting, lace and cupcakes to carry the theme of their celebration through.
Linda loves Martha's Pantry - and was inspired by the work I'd done earlier this year for them too.(Have a look through the archives if you're interested).

So here we are - a string of postcards making a pretty banner, and tiny individual elements which tell their story... Little Eli is included in a wagon and there's even a personalised postmark. Later on they'll be able to print and frame their artwork as a keepsake, but for now this pretty wedding is still in the planning stages. Thanks Linda and Dan for allowing me to share your secret here. I'll look forward to wedding photos too!

If you'd like me to design your wedding stationary; or like Linda and Dan, your e-invitations and web banner, then please drop me a line, I'd love to help make your celebration extra special too.

Cuba Street logos on the go

2010-10-17T17:21:00.002+13:00

I've been posting a bit about logos lately - ones I've been working on and thoughts about designing them. So to continue the theme, here's a collection of ideas I'm working on for a logo for our own creative studio Cuba Creative.
I want to reference our wonderful old building in Cuba St - ( isn't it great!) which has been home to creatives since it was built in 1900.
Originally a photographers studio, exhibition space and darkrooms; for many years it's housed art galleries and artists studio workspaces of all kinds. For the last 42 years our building has been home to Dr Peter McLeavey who has nurtured many of New Zealand's eminent artists such as Colin McCahon, Toss Woollaston, Bill Hammond, Robin White, Michael Smithers, Don Binney, Michael Illingworth, Pat Hanley, Richard Killeen Gordon Walters, Peter Robinson and Laurence Aberhart. Truly one of the best neighbours we could hope for!
Peter says he's even slept up in my little garrett space... it's a nice thought.
Anyway, these days we occupy the second floor of the building and we share it with Enjoy Gallery and with Peter. The paint job on our building is awesome. It's not really deliberately deconstructed and distressed - more dilapidated and destressed - but we love it. I know come the earthquake that the whole frontage will probably hit Cuba St with a reasounding crash of bricks - but since we're strengthened inside I'd like to think we'll still be standing proudly in the rubble.

For our logo I'm looking at referencing the colours and the age of the building, also its Cuba St location and Cuban theme (think cigar bands, coffee, Cuban iconography, vintage lettering or products, elderly and tired architecture ...colours etc). I like the idea that the building has housed creatives for almost it's entire life and I want to highlight that too. At the moment I'm thinking of how to incorporate the architectural feature on the frontage where the buildings date is displayed. This small Greek styled concrete feature may well make it into the final shape, we'll see.
None of the ideas I've posted here are 'there' yet... but they offer a glimpse into the design process. You can see that the fonts aren't a good match in some cases (and some are deliberately mismatched) and the shapes aren't as I'd like them to be yet. I'm enjoying the coffee colours, the vintage style embellishments on the oval shapes (which echo the decorative scroll work on the first floor windows) and the look of the palm tree laden 'soda poppy' image on the extreme right.

I'll keep working on the ideas a while between my day jobs, and as I think of it I'll post more about the process of logo development because I think it's a useful insight if you're thinking of commissioning one for your own business.

Holly's final card

2010-09-15T12:46:00.003+12:00

Occasionally I post work in progress when I haven't put anything yummy up in a while and sometimes I forget to come back and show you the clients final choice. So today I'm posting up Holly's Storytailor card. It has a softy variegated back in the prettiest apple green and a single radius cut corner for difference. I think it really suits her style.

Thinking about style; if you need a business card, whether you work in a corporate setting or a more self driven or creative environment, the important thing to remember is that your card has to represent you in the best possible way - it doesn't necessarily need to be the most expensive production.

Today I've been looking at some very creative business cards over at Freelance Switch. Some of the comments about their more unusual card options are interesting to note too. One comment from Klaus stood out from the others as a good reminder to us all. He says "You as a person must make the impact – if you don’t deliver on that, no fancy business card will help. And if you make the impact, then the business card is just a way to express what you are: professional.
So, assuming you're wearing your impact kit (metaphorically) and you're thinking about commissioning a designer to make a business card for you, what should you keep in mind?

Clarity about what your business is about is most important, the message you want to convey through your card and who you plan to give your card out to are all vital to bring the conversation with your designer. On that note, let me know if you need me !

Flyer Fever

2010-09-14T10:09:00.006+12:00

The end of the year is approaching and with it, plans for festivities. Here's the first event off the blocks this week - it's a flyer for our own Wellington Children's Book Association Kids Literature Xmas Quiz. The Quiz is a bit of a tradition here abouts; it's not for children - but for enthusiastic devotees of childrens books, be they authors, poets storytellers, teachers or librarians.
Now me,I'm not the least bit quizzy. To me a quiz goes into the same basket as doing mental arithmetic in front of an angry teacher and an impatient class of brainier-than-me kids. I lose my words, lose the plot and finally after a long silence, blurt out silly answers. That always makes me the kind of team mate you definitely don't want on your table. So this year I'll content myself with helping with a raffle and making the publicity.

If you're a Wellington quiz nut and a kids lit whiz though - do come, it's bound to be heaps of fun !

Corporate stationary collection

2010-09-08T16:51:00.002+12:00

This weeks posting is business related design. CollinsGroup is a Wellington company who required a brand and collateral to reflect their newly independent status. The company is progressive in their business approach and their choice of bold red reflects their optimism and strategic approach to their core business. I designed their brand logo, an an open airy letterhead, business cards and other stationary to suit.

Telling a story

2010-09-02T17:21:00.002+12:00

This week's been a funny one. I've been hopping around on a number of jobs - some quite large and some quite ornery. By far the most fun little job that I kept coming back to in between the others ('quick! off to the printers to make a proof', or 'yes! off to the client to approve' and even 'drat the document corrupted! ...') was this simple business card for a storytailor.
Yes you read it correctly, a Storytailor.

Holly crafts her stories to suit the age and the needs of her audience, to teach and to support learning and she wanted her card to reflect that. We talked about the idea of a dress made of words and I played with the idea and let it roll about in the spaces I had available.
In the back of my mind was a book by Margaret Mahy illustrated by Brian Froud called 'The Wind between the Stars' . As a young adult I had adored it - long before I even thought of taking up illustration. There's this scene of Miss Gibbs dresses all hung to air from the branches of a tree.... Eventually the dress transformed into a pair of overalls and the story became the fabric... and here we are.
There's a number of colour choices here and it's up to Holly which one she picks.
If you get a chance to hear her stories - don't miss it.

Retro styling speaks up

2010-08-03T18:32:00.009+12:00

You're lucky today. I'm putting up a sneak preview of a logo design I'm working on at the moment for a friend. It's not printed yet but there's enough retro goodness in it for you to get the idea.

Phil Reed from Message Traders offers publicity coverage and advice at all levels for bands, theatre and dance companies and creative individuals. He also fronts the morning show on local radio Radio Active , as well as producing the Radio Active arts programme 'Caffeine and Asprin' on Saturday mornings. He's a talented man !
Phil's business is based in Cuba St, with it's old buildings and eclectic mix of entrepreneurs and coffee addicts. His logo design needs to reflect this creative sector that is the heart of Wellington. I'm going for a retro style for this branding; evocative of old products, coffee, cigars, local wall signage and a trusted but hand built aesthetic.
It would be awesome if this logo was printed on a letterpress onto recycled board; the one colour option was designed to allow for this printing method but unfortunately the cost of producing cards this way would be prohibitive.

Messing about with woodblock printing - not

2010-07-13T17:34:00.003+12:00

Hey there. I've been busy lately and I haven't posted in a week or two. Shame on me!

But suddenly my work has geared up a notch and I find myself the coordinator for the Storylines Children's Literary Festival in Wellington for the third consecutive year. This year the Free Family Day will be held in the Wellington Town Hall on Sunday 15 August. Only 4 and a bit weeks away. 'Ulp!

I won't be taking my granddaughter to Storylines this year; she and her family take off back to Melbourne - where it's warmer, drier (maybe), has better alley art but not as good coffee.

I'll miss them, so this week I'm posting a little pic I made for Tui a while ago. I was messing about trying to get a woodblock printed effect - I like how it's turned out and I can see the possibilities for this style for web banners or old school logos.

Oh Moleskine I love your analog state!

2010-06-23T13:43:00.012+12:00

One of my favourite design/craft and eye candy blogs of the moment has to be Poppytalk for the sites handmade but clean aesthetic, the design content they choose to feature as well as the craft/art focus.

Last year Poppytalk featured a Youtube clip by Moleskine describing the functioning of the nifty new MSK Wizard by Moleskine to transfer images information and text from digital to Moleskine paper. I've linked to it today because I think it's such a great example of digital and analogue mash-ups - and the animation is a lovely humorous piece to boot.

Recently I featured one agency's idea of how a digital magazine could look and function when viewed on a suitably large, full colour, state-of-the-art reader (and since posting, the ipad has pretty much filled that space - I want one). Well this concept is a bit like the inversion of that, for those of us who still love and need a paper-based book to hold in our hands and contain our thoughts.

So if you're one of those folk who prefer to carry their lives in a Moleskine but do most of your work and some of your thinking on your computer (and that's certainly me!) - then you'll love this online MSK facility Moleskine's developed and it's cute accompanying introductory clip.

There's an online MSK template wizard which allows you to type into it directly or copy and paste info from your desktop and then simply press 'print'. I'm thinking about making my blog posts MSK compatible - when I do, I'll let you know.

By the way, If you find that the movie clip is cut off on the right hand side, click on the MSK link here and you should find the video on the bottom of the page at Moleskine.

Just good quotes today

2010-06-22T15:23:00.002+12:00

Today I've been reading a gorgeous glossy book about good book design (Book Art; Innovation in book design by Charlotte Rivers). Here are a couple of quotes from the book that struck me:

'A good book cover is like an honest smile and a firm handshake' Joe Marianek USA

'I think that the experience of a book is the same as life - everyone wants to be seduced' Bret Phillips Australia

What gets me through the winter...

2010-06-15T15:13:00.002+12:00

I entered a nice wee competition today (as you do in between the jobs you really should be doing - like filing your tax return or sending out invoices)... and I thought I'd post my entry here for you to see.

I wonder what gets you through the winter?

Check out Madame Fancy Pants store - it's really her competition!

Bits and bobs

2010-06-09T13:28:00.007+12:00

I was looking through my archives for something else today and I came across these friendly characters that I made a while ago now in Freehand for Te Wananga o Aotearoa. They're avatars (static at this stage but with the potential to animate simply) and they were made for a mixed delivery adult Maori language course offered by the Wananga. Students choose one of the characters and practice their Maori language in character with each other in an online environment. It's a cool concept which supports language acquisition in a fun way I think. This is a selection of the over 20 characters I made for the website - from a shearer to a whitebaiter and an honored Kuia (elder).

A powerfully simple example of visual thinking

2010-05-26T15:40:00.012+12:00

If I ever doubted the potential of visuals to reveal what rafts of words struggle to make clear - here's a great example of the power of a picture.

On the side bar to your right is a list of blogs I'm following at the moment.
If you have a moment, go take a look at Dan Roams movie presentation of the history of visual thinking or click on this link to see it at Vimeo.

In five short minutes, and with simple but incredibly powerful visuals Dan has clarified a concept that I've always grappled with - time in terms of human generations, right back to the dawn of cave art. This is an extraordinary example of how visuals can enable us to comprehend complex or mind boggling concepts in a much more meaningful way. Hats off and thanks to Dan!

In business the requirement to convey information visually both for staff and clients is vital. These visuals take on the role of story-telling and can assist with reinforcing a brand, supporting a work culture, selling an idea through marketing and comms, or even upskilling through desktop staff training. I've illustrated and designed visual materials for all these areas so if you need a hand, do browse the images here under the categories I've listed.

If you're interested in other forms of visual communication, have a look at Communication Nation, David Grey's blog (another one of my links on the right). He and his colleagues at Xplane are experts in all forms of visual,thinking including visual note talking in a business setting.

I haven't heard evidence of visual note taking being done in Wellington, but I'd be keen to try it.

Pretty work in progress

2010-05-17T17:10:00.005+12:00

Don't you think it's interesting when you're allowed a sneak preview of work in progress?

These are concept pieces for Martha's Pantry, the little tea shop up the road from me. Stickers, loyalty card, and a recipe post card. There's a postcard, and business cards too.

I have to say, it's been a delight to work with such a pretty brief.

More pretty things in progress

2010-05-11T14:07:00.005+12:00

On a tea cup theme, here's a glimpse of the postcard and business cards for Martha's Pantry that I'm working on at the moment.

Booktalks launches today

2010-05-10T15:21:00.002+12:00

A fantastic opportunity for New Zealand authors and students of all ages was launched today by CORE Education.

It's called Booktalks, and it brings together New Zealand authors of children's books (and of course that means illustrators too) and their audience by means of Skype technology.

Schools, learning centers and groups can now register and book a session with an author of their choice via this website. Authors will be paid for their time and have the opportunity to talk intimately about their work and processes with their audience; inviting them into the writing environment to see where the creative bone is savoured and stories are crafted.

It's a wonderful idea that had it's origins in last years Spinning Gold Conference for children's writers and illustrators and which now boasts Margaret Mahy as patron as well as many eminent NZ authors. Go check it out !

I'm very excited to have been involved with the set-up and development of such an awesome collaboration and I'd like to thank Derek Wenmoth and Matt Tippen of CORE Education for seeing the potential in the project and making it real, also NZ Book Council for their part too.

Incidentally, my part has also included development of the Booktalks brand logo, designed to reflect New Zealand children, authors and the shared technology within a fun environment.

I wish all involved in the project many happy hours of talking with kids, and much resulting inspiration !

Thoughts on drawing today

2010-05-06T16:43:00.002+12:00

"Between a line and a smudge lies a bridgeable gap, a shift of the eye. A line is a trajectory; too close or too far, too slow or too fast, it's a smudge and a blur. A smudge is a trace of what was or is to come. But a line is here."

"...sometimes a line can break your heart - and you have to leave it"

Today's thoughts come from May Stevens from 'Lines of Vision' . I found these small quotes in my notebook - though not an accurate reference of their publication of origin. I'm kicking myself for that. But aren't they lovely?

Nifty nifty nifty

2010-04-28T15:41:00.006+12:00

Occasionally, (like we all do when we're looking for something completely different) I bump into something really cool.

Here's a nifty diagram called So You Need a Typeface by a clever young designer called Julian Hansen which offers an alternative to the way designers like me usually choose a font. Check it out, it's seriously cool.

I especially like ...'if I say Science Fiction movies are my favourite' which has it's natural end in one of my favourite fonts - Eurostyle. Hey presto!

You can buy the poster at Julian's link here if you want it.

Work in progress

2010-04-21T16:45:00.005+12:00

Today I've been playing with ideas for my local, much loved tea shop Martha's Pantry.

The tea shop is located on Karo Drive, a newly created road which materialised when the inner city bypass was built some years ago. The little building in the back of this draft logo depicts a skeletal sculpture by Regan Gentry called 'Subject to Change' in which he references the areas original historic buildings, many of which were moved to accommodate the busy road.

Mary's family were some of the original owners of the buildings in Tonks Avenue, so the tea shop which she and her lovely girls run is truly a local landmark. Gentry's sculpture can be seen from the french doors of the shop as you take tea.

Martha's does a fabulous array of little cupcakes, beautifully fresh bite sized sandwiches and morsels which are baked before your eyes in the open kitchen every day. They serve high tea (which I think is the best to be found in Wellington) on tiered cake stands, accompanied by vintage tea cups and pots adorned with bright tea cozies.

On a glum day Martha's is a welcome hide out for me, and if I'm at Thistle Hall - well then Martha's will hand deliver tea on a painted tray - now that's fantastic!

Autumn Flyer

2010-04-16T12:12:00.004+12:00

Shorter days call for indoor projects

Here's my Autum Flyer that I posted on Facebook and sent out last week. It's wee a sampling of vector illustrations on an Autumnal theme - because sometimes this oft ignored style needs showcasing too. You know, I must be wierd - if I'm a bit wound up I often just play with making vector art these days... not sure why it's so soothing, perhaps it's the precision the programme provides, or the unequivocal lines and fills?

Patterns and tesselations are sweet too - and this sample contains heaps of them. The Rabbits are William Morris inspired, and I can just see this as a print on a notebook cover can't you? Hmmm...

A peek back into the past

2010-03-17T17:30:00.006+13:00

A week or so ago I posted a sneak peek at some work I'm doing at the moment - this is the finished job. It was done for Learning Media Ltd and it's copyright is owned by The Crown.

The Maori Battalion from New Zealand fought in Crete and in Italy during the Second World War. The men left as young blades, some of them distinctly under age bluffing all the way to the boat, most were from rural areas. Their bravery and expertise with a bayonet is renouned worldwide. Those that returned came home as men who knew the full impact of war and many of them were very moved by the poverty and destruction they witnessed. I tried to convey this in the illo's and to give the men a dignity without stereotyping them or playing up the violence. I used Corel Painter with a charcoal brush to render my drawings - I was trying for a vintage feel and hopefully keeping things from getting too detailed (my weakness!) and Photoshop to add the distressed page elements afterwards.

I'm really happy with how this work came together, and it was a delight to work on. For me each job entails a full emersion into the subject. This one was so rich in historical facts, imagry and emotional ties to the past - as well as the challenge to be true to our history. I had a veritable goldmine of reference material thanks to the digital archives and online resources available.

In my travels, I found this lovely Flikr album posted by a Wellington woman of around my age whose Dad also went to war. Take a look here - it's very poignant.

I hope I've done the subject justice here, it's kind of hard to pull myself away from it now, and I wish I had something equally meaningful to focus my work energy on.

Instead, Easter approaches and I'm planning to make a little greeting to all my clients ... I feel an Adobe Illustrator play coming on...

Busy lately - heating up and cooling down

2010-03-04T09:17:00.008+13:00

A series of illustrations for Learning Media Ltd for inclusion in an educational resource about insulation. Copyright The Crown

Here's a collection of illustrations and diagrams that I've been working on recently. The diagrams were made in Illustrator(and the illustrations were made in Corel Painter) and some of them, like the astronauts suit, will become cut-aways which nest inside the illustration. It's been an intense job that's required the use of both the left and right noodle - which has been a bit of a challenge (I found switching between is a bit disconcerting).

Beauty and the Beast

2010-02-23T14:43:00.009+13:00

Beauty and the Beast Illustrated by Walter Crane.

Yesterday was my significant birthday. My oldest and closest friend gave me a treasure from her collection and I'm delighted and rather in awe of the significance of this gift to me.

Here are two pages from Beauty and the Beast illustrated by Walter Crane and published by John Lane. London (circa 1900).

Walter Crane (1845 - 1915) artist and book illustrator, is now appreciated as a significant illustrator alongside Kate Greenaway and Ranolph Caldecott. He was part of the Arts and Crafts movement, a close friend of William Morris and a student of John Ruskin.

His illustrations are printed from wood engravings and the detail he achieved is breathtaking. It's hard to see here but the soft green of the background wallpaper is created from delicate lines of blue and yellow, each a separate plate.

Crane studied Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints from the early part of the 20th century and I think this is really evident in his composition, joy of patterns and strength of line, as is the Pre Raphaelite influence with the gorgeous flowing robes and pastoral themed imagery in the background.

As a Socialist, Crane was also committed to making art for the masses and so he is known additionally for his textile, wallpaper and ceramic designs. There is a beautiful website here

dedicated to his art and illustrations.

I'm going to have these beautiful and aging pieces preserved and framed so that they can continue to inspire and astound as they do me. And I'm going to find out a bit more about Crane and his illustrations. Enjoy !

Building icons for builders

2010-02-04T13:24:00.005+13:00

This week I've been playing with icons to be included in a corporate publication in black and white. They're a fun challenge because of the constraints and these ones need to look good at 15x15mm as well, which makes the woodgrain texture a bit tricky. Which style do you think they chose?

Deliciously detailed illustration and design

2010-01-27T11:43:00.008+13:00

Here's an invitation I made a week ago.
I used illustrator mainly for this piece because there was much old detailed ephemera to include (star navigation maps of the Pacific etc) and I wanted to be able to scale the image and it's component parts for repurposing later into posters and flyers. I'm loving the vintage feel of this though. What do you think?

A glimpse of ebooks from a design perspective at last!

2009-12-29T10:22:00.005+13:00

I was browsing my friend Derek Wenmoth's blog today and earlier this month he posted this great movie which gave me a glimpse of the ebook as I have always hoped it might evolve.The movie has a design focus - it describes a reading and browsing experience which simulates a magazine and is both visually engaging and intuitive. In many ways it corresponds with navigation we've come to know through the iphone, but it goes much further than that (I love the idea of 'rubbing' and heating up the content to enable it to be activated - saved, searched, shared etc) . This is the digital interface I'd like to be designing content for. I can't wait for it to come into being. Thanks Derek for sharing this.

Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.

The legend of Maui

2009-12-28T16:12:00.008+13:00

IST 412 Maui and the Sun for The Correspondence School

This is my version of the legend of Maui. I've illustrated Maui and his brothers fishing in the gathering dark and longing for more daylight to haul in their catch. Then I've shown them straining mightily on the ropes as they net the sun to try and slow it's rise in the heavens. It makes more sense to me to have the sun rising from the sea above the cliffs - this is how I'd plot to capture such a fiery element. I used Corel Painter X and my old favourite pastel brushes to give this work a soft sketchy quality. The illo's are actually quite small, so I've left the rendering reasonably loose - don't look too close! I like to paint on tinted ground - and in this case I think it helps to amplify the dramatic lighting - especially in the evening illo.

Happy Christmas!

2009-12-18T17:00:00.004+13:00

It's been a while since I posted here, I'm sorry. Since November I've been working on a large contract for NZ distance education providers The Correspondence School. Their Japanese resources are being redeveloped at last, but have necessitated a lot of work.

I've also had to remove several of my posts from earlier this year, so if you're looking for samples of recent educational illustration work in colour, it may be that's why they're not to be found.

Copyrights being what they are, and a publisher deferring their publication date by almost a year has meant the work is not available to the public yet - and may not be. This is an issue that needs careful working through with the publisher and also the commissioning publishers in the US. It's a pity because the work was good and I'd like to show it in my portfolio.

Meantime here's a Christmas greeting to everyone viewing my blog. Have a safe and happy holiday season and celebrate the fact that you made it through a tough year - I know I am!

A multi-tooled company

2009-11-12T13:17:00.005+13:00

It's not often I meet someone who likes orange as much as I do, but Paul Rayner the Director of Working Words does.
Here's his new business card and logo for Working Words. His communications consultancy company brings a creative and innovative approach to the work it undertakes and their logo was required to reflect that diversity and uniqueness. I gave the pocket-knife illustration a loose hand rendered look and chose a retro styled urban palette to unify the elements and reflect his website colours.

Banners and business logos

2009-10-19T18:54:00.006+13:00

It's a been busy couple of weeks for me, assisting a couple of small businesses with branding and design services.
Here's the first one off the block for Ruth McDavitt of Get Sussed; a Wellington company offering consultancy, advisory, programme and event management services. Initially my client required a banner and icons for a web blog and a business card.
Having previously worked with Ruth on an infographic to map the Wellington Business landscape (which you can read about in my previous post here); we had some ideas for a look and feel that would suit her business style whilst maintaining a light fresh approach.
The thistle, as a motif for expanding business opportunities was an element of the previous illustration that the client chose to feature and which directed much of the design.

Invitation design

2009-09-26T10:42:00.004+12:00

This is where my personal work intersects with my business I guess - having the luxury of designing my own exhibition invitation for my show in October at Red Gallery in Nelson!
If you're in Nelson for the Arts Festival, call in to Red Gallery and have a look at the work, it's a fabulous gallery and I'm showing a mix of abstract paintings which are based on maps or territories, tiny postcard sized drawings and large 2 meter drawings on paper.

Conference bits and pieces

2009-09-21T13:52:00.000+12:00

Spinning Gold, the conference for authors and illustrators of childen's books held over the past weekend was a huge success, and we can feel very proud as organisers of such a quality event.
Many wonderful keynote addresses and workshops will give us all much to think about as professionals, I'm sure. It was undoubtedly a tiny boutique style conference that punched well above it's weight and it will be talked about for a long time I suspect.

Particularly inspirational were those speeches by author/illustrator and TV series creator Martin Baynton (Jane and the Dragon and The Wotwots), inspirational speaker Lawrence Green, and author Kate De Goldi. I won't forget her 'abcedary' themed speech - 'know your own bone'... it resonated soundly with many of us.

Here's the quote from Henry David Thoreau that Kate used:

"Pursue, keep up with, circle round and round your life as a dog does his master's chaise. Do what you love. Know your own bone; gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still..."

Another highlight - but of the gobsmacking variety would be the trade publishers panel - where at least six publishers had an open and honest discussion with us about children's book publishing in New Zealand and the issues that affect it. Brilliant stuff! For more info check out the Spinning Gold blog here over the next few days- I'm sure there will be reviews and feedback as well as copies of the keynote addresses.

This is the design I came up with to brand the conference and here are a couple of examples of the logo applied to our conference materials.
Here's the Spinning Gold Freeset eco-friendly jute conference bag which was sponsored by Learning Media, and the little pocket pal sized conference programme. We also had complementary badges, signage and maps but I didn't grab samples in the clean-up (if I can I'll collect some and put them up too - it was a nice package for delegates and looked good).

Spinning Gold excitement

2009-09-14T17:22:00.000+12:00

This weekend promises to be really exciting. The Spinning Gold Conference for writers and illustrators of children's books is on in Welly at Capital House and I'm going!

I'm looking forward to listening to a wide range of speakers talking about digital publishing, publishers and educators describing the future of educational publishing, experts sharing tips about promoting yourself online and making the most of your money... and I can't wait to spend the weekend with a bunch of like minded creatives who write and draw for kids.

I'll post up the conference materials I designed for Spinning Gold after the event - I wouldn't want to spoil the surprize so you'll have to wait and see!

Goodies for Air New Zealand Fashion Week

2009-09-10T21:06:00.000+12:00

Image by Danielle Saudino for Basquesse copyrights apply

Konev Leather Ltd is proud to sponsor Basquesse Design Ltd at Air New Zealand Fashion Week '09 and this small flyer will find it's way along with a pretty leather keyring into the goody bags this year. Supplied with such a great image by Danielle Saudino, it was easy to pull together a simple sophisticated design that works positively for both companies and reflects their collaboration. For marketing materials that attract attention, reflect the quality of your products and don't cost the earth, don't hesitate to contact me.

And another one

2009-08-24T15:06:00.000+12:00

Friday album cover

2009-08-21T16:33:00.001+12:00

Today it's only 2 days before the Storylines Family Day at Te Whaea Dance and Drama Centre. (11 Hutchison Rd Newtown. 10am -3pm)

I've been busy answering last last minute queries from stall holders, publishers and volunteers today. We're expecting around 3000 people to the event on Sunday, so it'll be bigg'ish'.

There'll be well known children's authors and illustrators there, crafts, story reading all day, Hairy Maclary, Clifford the big red dog, children's theatre, the children's community choir and special effects gurus from Weta Workshop with fabulous displays from the Narnia films, Jane and the Dragon and TheWotWots.
I've spent the last 5 months coordinating this day and all the wonderful volunteers who make it possible for Wellington families to have free fun - and it's almost here.

And what am I doing today ? Panicing ? No.
Stressing? No too late for that - been there...
enjoying myself illustrating - absolutely !

I've spent the last hour or two making mock-ups of ideas for a CD cover for a collection of children's stories about to be recorded in Wellington. Here's one of 'em. Happy friday and I hope if you're in Wellington you can make it to Storylines on Sunday - it's the best FREE fun out !

Cherry Picking Story

2009-08-19T09:45:00.000+12:00

A Bad Day at Cherry Farm - by Nadja Fisher
Springboard into comprehension - Macmillan

Destined for publication in the United States, this story features an Aboriginal family and is set in Victoria Australia - the cherry growing region.
Completed earlier this year, it involved some detailed research into small owner operated orchard farming techniques and some negotiation around the best way to portray cultural and ethnic difference to an offshore client. Short deadlines and detailed content made this a rather pressured job, however despite compromises, I think the results are acceptable. I used the watercolour brushes and an Italian watercolour paper - in Corel Painter to render this artwork with my Wacom tablet.

Ridin' the range

2009-08-06T16:31:00.001+12:00

Sometimes there's only so much work you can do before you hit the wall.
Here's a mock-up that relieved a bit of tension for me today. I'm enjoying playing with textures, complementary type and brushes in Illustrator. This style works a treat for album or book covers.

My Killer CV branding

2009-07-30T14:01:00.000+12:00

Here is a snapshot of the logo and brand materials package currently in development for Wellington business My Killer CV the CV make-over artists for corporate and IT professionals. The client requires branded templates for use in Microsoft Office as well as business cards and car signage so I've designed banner headings, watermarked stationary, a business card and car signage which incorporate the logo I designed earlier in collaboration with the client.

Turning brochure

2009-07-22T17:31:00.001+12:00

A small but fascinating Dervish Turning group asked me to develop a marketing brochure for them. This job was an unexpected pleasure to research and stills from film footage made for evocative and emotive images. Their grainyness became a feature of the brochure. I made the graphic elements on the front cover to reflect the circular swirling and the Turkish origins of the turning ceremony.

Making rich ideas easy to experience

2009-07-16T09:37:00.000+12:00

A sure way to ensure group understanding is through the use of smart visual information. Infographics are a type of visual communication and have a powerful role to play in making complex ideas tangible and easy to experience.
For businesses or people whose primary method of communication may be the written word, communicating information graphically can bring clarity, brevity, richness and innovation to a message.

Here's an example of an infographic I made for www.Bizchat.co.nz, which is out in this month's In Business Magazine here in Wellington. It integrates rich ideas and visuals neatly whilst maintaining an informal approachable style. If you think this may be something your company could use - do contact me.

Procrastinating

2009-07-08T12:27:00.000+12:00

I found this image in my files today and remembered that I had earmarked it for an image for my new business card a while back. So here it is - I'm sure I'll get sick of it before I get it printed! (Designers are notorious for changing their minds about their self promotion and I'm no exception).
I made it in Corel Painter using the watercolour and pastel brushes.

Wii characters

2009-07-06T16:47:00.000+12:00

Little guys like these are fun to make in Illustrator - I made them when I was transferring over from Freehand 10. No one's picked this style up yet although I think it's got loads of potential. If you'd like to use it for a project you have in mind these grungy little folk and their retro styled environments would meld well with a magazine style layout in a teen style publication.

A killer logo that hits the spot

2009-06-02T16:48:00.001+12:00

Recently I designed this logo for a company specialising in CV development. Their website is currently under construction, but as soon as it's up, I'll link to it.

Simple line and a hint of tone for a Japanese language course

2009-05-25T13:18:00.001+12:00

Here's a simple style I'm working with at the moment, to illustrate a Japanese language course for The Correspondence School. Sometimes less is more.

A winning analogy for a team

2009-05-13T13:18:00.000+12:00

This piece of work was developed for a large Wellington based energy company using a collaborative work process I'm really excited by.
Over several long meetings the company team leaders and I workshopped the concept of using an illustration as a means of describing their core business. With an internal focus, this work aimed to increase understanding both within the wider company and to enable their own large, diverse and dispersed team (who are the engine room in the company) to understand how the various operations and their strategic programmes interlink within the business.

After some good dialogue it was decided that a Bathurst Super 8 car race theme would engage team members with the ideas and be something most of them could relate to.

Feedback from the project was very positive and the Strategy Value Manager has said this:

'I have been very impressed with how little time it took you to translate what we were verbalising, and whiteboarding, into an actual artwork. I was expecting it to take a lot longer given the nature of what we do, but you were able to conceptualise this and execute to a high degree of accuracy with the first iteration. In my view, any further iterations have been fine tuning of detail or changes on our part. The communication backwards and forwards has also been excellent I feel.

I’ve liked the common sense approach too, like the time I gave a long winded explanation about dry year hydrology and revenue risk, but you really just wanted to know why we would have a dead fish on a mountain….'

The opportunity to develop (illustration/design/visual solutions) work within the space that sits after business strategies have been defined but before creative ideas are concieved, communications developed or briefs written is both exciting and stimulating. There in that place there's much that can be done using creative solutions to engage people with concepts and to create innovative communications. Working collaboratively to interpret ideas for and with businesses is fun and I'm very interested in seeking out more of this work.
The finished piece was set into a design incorporating bite sized pieces of information which unpacked the visual in more detail.

High Tea and Handbags anyone?

2009-05-09T16:54:00.000+12:00

A collaboration between the American Women's Network in New Zealand and Konev Leather, led to an event that combined a love of handbags, elegant afternoon teas and delighted newcomers to Wellington, earlier this year.The e-invitation needed to convey a sense of old world charm and elegance whilst still providing plenty of background information.

A dynamic looser line works for older students

2009-05-08T13:20:00.002+12:00

This is one of my favourite styles at the moment because the dynamic brush and pen marks can convey so much movement or emotion.
It's great for a magazine format, engages older readers and it reminds me of quick 30 second sketches you might do as an observer in a corner. Under layers have subtly referenced images - in this case guitar tablature, wiring diagrams for audio set-ups, guitar diagrams and music book pages. This work was completed for Learning Media Ltd for an overseas client.

Wrong House

2009-05-08T12:57:00.001+12:00

An example of some illustration for local educational publisher Learning Media Ltd, this was done using Corel Painter - my favourite software for digital illustration. The job was for a client in Canada and it required a bit of research to set the scene. It was an urgent job and a previous unknown illlustrator had supplied preliminary drawings for some images - which occasionally happens to all of us. Although these were a good starting point, I moved away from them and the final job is my own.

A little picnic by the sea - Painter

2009-05-07T18:58:00.001+12:00

This illo' was for The Correspondence School's early childhood department a year or so ago - I like how it breaks out of the frame a little.

Mocking up book covers

2009-05-07T18:50:00.001+12:00

Here's a little spec job for a poetry book by one of my favourite poets... now how to get her to write the poems?

Mothers Day poster

2009-04-30T17:08:00.000+12:00

Here's the Mothers Day poster I've just made for Konev Leather Ltd, it echoes the leather and lace theme from their latest collection and I made the graphic from the beautiful plate that was designed by Konev to embellish the leather.

Product brochure

2009-04-30T16:12:00.000+12:00

This was a luscious little design job which had great photos for me to work with - it's an 8 page product brochure for Konev Leather Ltd which is a well known leather goods manufacturer here in Wellington. They have a beautiful retail store in Featherston St in the city.
The brochure showcases their new '09 winter range as well as their classic stock. The look and feel of the brochure comes directly from the lace theme of the leather embossing and it appears throughout the publication.
I was really happy with the design and the resulting print job by Milne Print.

Solving complex ideas with pictures

2009-04-30T16:05:00.001+12:00

This is a draft of an infographic I'm working on for Bizchat, a new website set up to assist small to medium businesses with information help, and advice. The illustration describes how to navigate through the maze of the Wellington business support landscape. I'm looking forward to this infographic being in the June issue of the INBusiness magazine. It's not there yet, and this is a draft but the bones are in place enough for me to show it here.