Flickr groups

I've posted a few images to the Flickr groups I joined after doing the "Freddie and the Fairy" competition back in May. As I mentioned in my July post, those groups are "Illustrapedia", "Illustration Collaboration" and the new spin-off group from the latter, called "A To Z Alphabet".

The June challenge for "Illustrapedia" was Dinosaurs and the July challenge was Witches (click on the images to see full sets on Flickr)...





I'm going to be concentrating most of my effort for the next month on my "Y" image for the "A To Z Alphabet" book. Not that easy thinking of suitable "Y" words (child friendly, good use of phonics, etc.), but I've got a thumbnail sketch of possible choices:



I'm working on the composition of the image now. Oh...I've subsequently found out that there is no such creature as a Yardbird!! Shame. I could try drawing Eric Clapton instead!

My good wife felt that my Yak looked more like a goat. I assured her that it was only a sketch and either my good friend, Google, or one of my kids' animal encyclopedia's will be providing me with a better reference from which to draw :)

Our Digital Life - finished #002

Well...I've finally finished the 2nd picture for "Our Digital Life". Woo-hoo! Look at my Flickr set for the current series. Click on the image below to view different sizes on Flickr...

So...what's been happening?

Since my last post, way back in April, there have been several exciting distractions. In the April 9 edition of the Telegraph, there was an article describing a competition being held by the Telegraph and Waterstones to find an unpublished illustrator for Julia Donaldson's next book, "Freddie and the Fairy". The competition, called "Picture This", was open to any unpublished illustrators (as far as children's books, that is) to come up with full-colour character sketches for the main characters (Freddie, the Fairy and the Fairy Queen), some animal sketches and a full-colour illustration for one of the spreads. The complete story is available online to read (click on Picture This). The deadline was 18 May, so I dropped all (except pencils, pens and the like!) and started getting busy! I only just made it...infact, my wife and brother-in-law were kind enough to drive down to the Waterstones offices and hand-deliver my pictures, as I was too late to post them! Anyway, here's my interpretation of Bessie-Belle: You can see my full set of "Freddie and the Fairy" images in my Flickr Photostream. A group was started on Flickr as the competition came to a close and the entrants started waiting to see who had been picked for the "final 6" (I wasn't, BTW!). I added my pictures to the Flickr Picture This group, and got involved with a couple of other spin-off groups, set up by like-minded artistic individuals:

1. Illustrapedia - a group involved in producing artwork on a monthly basis for topics chosen by the group. June's topic was "dinosaurs"...you can see the entries here ---> slideshow. See if you can spot mine!! This month's challenge is "witches".
2. Illustration collaboration - a group dedicated to producing some artist-driven children's books. Currently, I am involved in contributing to an "A to Z" book...I've got the letter "Y"...hmmm...tricky.

So, somewhere between this lost, I still hope to get more "Our Digital Life" pictures finished. Hmph...wishful thinking!

Our Digital Life - next image (in progress)

Almost finished the coloured version (been a bit of a long gap!!) However, something has come along to divert me from this project for a while. Something which is very interesting (artwise) but must, for the time being, remain a secret!

In the meantime, here's a preview of the next 'almost' complete "Our Digital Life" image:

Our Digital Life - next image (pencilled)

Here's the next pencilled image for "Our Digital Life". It's a scene based on an old cartoon I drew way back in the Middle Ages (when I was a young nipper) :)



I'm now in the process of colouring it!

Website update - part 3...

Finally, I've uploaded the latest version of my website (NB: Now deleted! - Cladge, July 2022), which uses the JavaScript tools mentioned in my first post on the subject (Website update - 23 May). These image viewer tools present my portfolio images in a nice, professional slideshow.

The viewers used are:

• Shadowbox - http://mjijackson.com/shadowbox/
• SimpleViewer - http://www.airtightinteractive.com/photos/

I'm hoping to incorporate Highslide JS, another JavaScript image viewer, on the "Our Digital Life" page (more on that later).

Dark Thorn - coloured

Been away on a camping holiday down in Cornwall. So, not had a chance to post much (not that I do anyway!). As promised, here's the coloured version of "Dark Thorn".

Dark Thorn

My youngest son, Alex, is very much into trading card packs, such as "Yu-Gi-Oh". This inspired us to come up with some of our own creature creations, such as "Dark Thorn"...




Look for a coloured version coming up soon!

Website update - part 2...

I've almost finished updating my website (NB: Now deleted! - Cladge, July 2022). It now uses some neat little JavaScript tools for displaying images and web pages. I mentioned these tools in my previous post, "Website update" (23 May). Almost there...!

Facebook

I've entered the 21st century and joined the latest "digital social networking" craze. Something called "Facebook"...hmph...never last :)

Here's my profile: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1322447505

Website update

I don't think I've got this "blogging" thing down yet...I seem to go weeks without creating an entry! As part of the effort of trying to get my project off the ground (which at this point involves getting it onto my website (NB: Now deleted! - Cladge, July 2022)), I'm also revisiting the way my images are previewed. I've found a few nice Javascript tools for displaying images in a way that is not too dissimilar to a Flash presentation style. Check these out:

• Highslide JS - http://vikjavev.no/highslide/
• Shadowbox - http://mjijackson.com/shadowbox/
• SimpleViewer - http://www.airtightinteractive.com/photos/

Cladge...signing out :)

Time...and lack of...

In your mind's eye, these things are instantly created...but in reality, time steps in! Well, I've finally finished the title image for my "project". It's actually been months in the making - however, that's taking into consideration work, family commitments, holidays, etc.! Here's the finished image:

All quiet on the Western front...

Not had much to post recently. I'm still working on the colouring of the title image for "the Family". Here is the pencilled version:

The family

I've had this idea floating in my head for ages...years, in fact. Since just after my first son was born (2000). Originally it centred around one character, Monty, who lived in the not-too-distant future. It was going to be a series of strips about his life in the future. As the months and years have passed by, the idea has morphed into something else...suddenley, Monty had a family, and then his name changed (you'll have to wait for this), and then his look changed, and then the time was modern day, and then the ideas started centering around his family's life in our new digital age...etc., etc. The ocean of ideas is constantly moving (always will be), but the pictures are getting clearer now. Soon, the family will be making an appearance on my website (NB: Now deleted! - Cladge, July 2022). While you wait for this momentous occasion, here's the finished picture of the pencilled version in my previous post:

The first post is always the hardest.

Hmmm.

Now that I've got that over with...where to start?! Well, I'm using this blog in the manner of its origins...as an online diary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog). I have many artistic projects whirling around my head, but the two ideas that are foremost in my mind are going to be the subject of this blog. For the time being. Until the other ideas bustle forward and steal the limelight :)

In the meantime...meet the family...