A belated Happy New Year everyone. It’s nice to file last year’s timetable into a blog just to remember. This is a bit of a diary dump, maybe grab a cuppa before you sit down and read it. I hope it’s not too long!
I’ve had a lovely run of books since last Spring which will take me well into 2025. After this period I will have illustrated over 50 books! Crikey! Unbelievable!
The start of last year was more varied however, and I got to meet . . .
. . Hywel Dda school in Cardiff and did a lovely collage workshop. They were all fab children. Clever and engaged.
April I went with some illustrator pals to the London Book fair for a browse around the Children’s Book Publisher’s stands and meet my agent and publisher Nosy Crow.
April The author Lucy Owen and I did a big online event for schools about our book “Flower Girl” and then planted a blossom tree in the lovely Santes Tudful primary school in Merthyr . .
May Next, Lucy and I had a book event in Waterstones Swansea, drawing , reading and book signing with local schools . . .
I like to make donations to charity each year, and in 2022 I gave some original artwork to the Bookmark project, Epilepsy doodle auction and Children in Read. All to raise money for brilliant causes. .
June I did a very big workshop with Cardiff Libraries and 71 children. We had no tables but they worked brilliantly on the floor, and we cut out and stuck down some amazing collage house concertina books. It was brilliant. I had a helpful interpreter as the children couldn’t speak English and we muddled through so well, producing some fantastic art. They made me cry. .
June I made a ridiculous birthday cake for my lovely girl. It was a real throwback from the 70’s and made us laugh . .
June I finished the black and white illustrations in a middle grade book for an American publisher. I didn’t really have time to do this one but I fell in love with the story so much that I just had to! The author is Robin Gow. It’s gorgeous and out in March ‘23 (I don’t think I’m allowed to show much yet but here’s a sneaky peak -I hope I’m not breaking the law!)
July Phew! Live music! again! We went to see the lovely Unthanks.
My plum tree went into mega drive and I had to stop everything and get cooking. I made . .
Jam, Coulis, plum upside down cake and crumbles. It was like the magic porridge pot with plums!!!
We managed to fit in a small but dreamy holiday full of walks, swims and sketching. The tonic we needed . . .
Oct I tried to keep up with Inktober again this year. Daily prompts to draw with ink in the month of October. There are some for sale in my website shop here
My baby girl went to University yikes! Time for a poignant sketch in the car . .
During the heatwave I worked on the illustrations for a snowy Picture Book! I had to really get my imagination working. The hot Summer made my paints dry too quickly and I ended up misting everything with water to slow it down, I had to mist myself too! It was boiling! The story was about Snow Bunny and has become the third in the lovely series with Nosy Crow. It felt like I was back with an old friend. I finished it all in December and my desk was a big, messy pile of paintings! This book will be out in October ‘23
