Day 221: Drawing a Woolly Mammoth with Joe Lillington

Check Joes's How to Draw... a Woolly Mammoth!

Joe Lillington's bio, in his own words:

I'm a freelance illustrator currently based in London and available for commission.
You can contact me for work or just to say hello at joe@joelillington.co.uk

I'm on Twitter, Behance, LinkedIn, Dropr and Tumblr.
I'm also a member of Fold Collaborative and Just Us Collective.

I was featured as one one of It's Nice That's 2014 Graduates.

You can buy my prints and other goodies on my Big Cartel and Society6.

Remember to visit Joe's website!

Day 208: Drawing a secret transformer with Kristina Stephenson

Check Kristina Stephenson's How to draw… a secret transformer!

Kristina Stephenson was born in the desert and by the age of two she was very good at building sand castles.  As a child she loved making up stories and making a mess with paper, paints and glue. She still does, although now she clears up the chaos herself.

She was a day dreamer at school and her teachers despaired. She loved film and television and later developed a passion for theatre.  She wanted to be an actress – singing and dancing in musicals – but she was painfully shy so she didn’t even try.

After school she trained as a set and costume designer and had a successful career in theatre and Children’s Television until she had her children. Wanting to stay at home with them she turned her hand to illustration, working at night in an attic in a house in London (it was a very nice attic) where she illustrated many non- fiction books. Inspired to write her first picture book by her son Charlie (who does not have Stinky Socks), she showed it to a friend in the book trade. Thankfully for us he recommended that she send it to Egmont. With a change in artwork style, the bold, brave Sir Charlie Stinky Socks embarked on the first of his many really big adventures.

Kristina now lives in Wiltshire with her husband, who is a musician, her daughter, her son, a dog, two cats and a tortoise.  She juggles work with family life in a busy, bustling house without an attic – now she writes in an old turquoise VW camper van called BRU. She loves her work but she still loves the theatre and she’s not as shy as she used to be, so … who knows.

Don't forget to visit Kristina's website!

Day 203: Drawing Bod with Lo Cole

Check Lo Cole's How to draw… Bod!

Lo Cole is an illustrator and printmaker who has provided clients with visual solutions for editorial, design, advertising, publishing and licensing projects, for over 30 years. He has never missed a deadline and is used to working at speed (agonisingly, some illustrations need to be turned round in 2 - 3 hours).

In addition to his career as an illustrator, Lo has a following as a printmaker; making limited edition prints since he left art school. Nowadays, he creates and prints these digitally from his studio in Gloucestershire and ships to customers all over the world.

In 2013, Lo co-founded Imaginary Press, an outlet for his passion for colour print and pattern. Imaginary Press produces high-quality and quirkily distinctive paper products made in the UK. Lo’s designs are now licensed internationally, appearing on media including china, cards, stationery, lunch boxes – and even temporary tattoos!

Remember to visit Lo's website!

Day 198: Creating a toucan collage with Oscar Sabini

Check Oscar Sabini's How to create… a toucan collage!

born in Venice on 15.10.1972,
lives and works in Venice Italy

Publications:

- Geno (text by Juan Senis), OQO, Spain - 2013
- Primo giorno di scuola, Logos, Italy - 2011
- London?, (Various Authors), Bas Bleu, Italy - 2009
- Piano Forte, (text by Patrizia Rinaldi), Sinnos, Italy - 2009
- Pippi calzelunghe…, (text by Elisabetta Tiveron), Il Leone Verde, Italy - 2009 

Remember to visit Oscar's website!

Day 197: Drawing Rosie the Hen with Pat Hutchins

Pat Hutchins, one of seven children, was born in Yorkshire, England, and grew up in the surrounding countryside, which she still loves. At a very early age she knew that she wanted to be an artist and was encouraged by an elderly couple who would give her a chocolate bar for each picture she drew. A local art school offered her a scholarship and she studied there for three years, continuing her training at Leeds College of Art, where she specialized in illustration. Her career in the children's book field began with the highly acclaimed Rosie's Walk, a 1968 ALA Notable Book. Since then she has written five novels and created more than twenty-five picture books. She was awarded England's prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal in 1974 for The Wind Blew. Pat Hutchins lives with her husband in London, England.

Day 181: Drawing a Magical Zebra with Thomas Docherty (with a little help of Helen Docherty)

Check Thomas Docherty's How to Draw... a Magical Zebra!



Remember to visit Thomas's website!

Day 175: Drawing a troll with Adam Stower

Check Adam Stower's How to Draw... a troll!

Achieving a first class honours degree in Illustration from Norwich School of Art, Adam followed this by completing a Masters in Narrative Illustration at the University of Brighton and he has been illustrating professionally ever since.

Adam illustrates work by a great variety of authors as well as several books he has written himself, the most recent being Troll and the Oliver (Templar). He wrote and illustrated SLAM! - a tale of consequences - which won the Norfolk Library Silver Award for Children's Books.

Recent picture book projects include an exciting collaboration with renowned children's book author, Jeanne Willis: Bottoms Up (winner of the Red House Children's Book Award 2010) and the sequel, Sing a Song of Bottoms (shortlisted for the BookTrust Early Years Award 2010). He also illustrated the popular Mungo series by Timothy Knapman (Puffin).

Adam is well known for his strong cover artwork and charming black and white inside illustrations, including the series, Spymice (Puffin), The Dragons of Wayward Crescent (Orchard) and The Secret Country for Simon & Schuster.

Adam works with publishers in the UK and the US and his picture books have been translated into many languages around the world. Adam is represented by Arena Illustration.

Remember to visit Adam's website!

Day 164: Drawing a Horse with Frank Rodgers

Check Frank Rodgers's How To Draw... a Horse!

I was born in Bellshill Lanarkshire and loved drawing and writing when I was young. I went to Glasgow School of Art and was an art teacher for a while. But the call of children’s books was too strong! In 1987 I left teaching to become a children’s author and illustrator. Since then I have written and illustrated overy sixty books for children including…
The Bunk-Bed Bus (A SATS choice), Doodledog (Shortlisted for the Nottingham Children’s Book Award), The Witch’s Dog and the Magic Cake (One of the top 50 books of 1999 chosen by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups), Mr Croc’s Clock (One of the Top 50 Books of 2000 chosen by the FCBG), The Intergalactic Kitchen (CBBC TV series), Eyetooth (BBC Audio) The Witch’s Dog books (Animated TV series)
I have also illustrated many books by other authors including Dick King Smith, Penelope Lively, Virginia Ironside and Humphrey Carpenter.
My most recent work has been for developing readers…
the best-selling Robodog and Witch’s Dog titles for Puffin and my latest swashbuckling Pirate Penguins series.

Remember to visit Frank's Web site!

Day 159: Drawing Greg with Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney didn’t grow up wanting to be a children’s author. His dream was to become a newspaper cartoonist, but he wasn’t able to get his comic strips syndicated.

In 1998 Jeff came up with the idea for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, a story about a middle-school weakling named Greg Heffley. Jeff worked on his book for almost eight years before showing it to a publisher in New York.

Jeff Kinney was born in 1971 in Maryland and attended the University of Maryland in the early 1990s. It was there that Jeff ran a comic strip called “Igdoof” in the campus newspaper, and he knew he wanted to be a cartoonist.

However, Jeff was not successful in getting his comic strip syndicated after college, and in 1998 he started writing down ideas for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which he hoped to turn into a book. Jeff worked on the book for six years before publishing it online on Funbrain.com in daily installments. To date, the online version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid has more than 80 million visits, and is typically read by more than 70,000 kids a day.

In 2006, Jeff signed a multi-book deal with publisher Harry N. Abrams, Inc. to turn Diary of a Wimpy Kid into a print series. The first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book was published in 2007 and became an instant bestseller. Just a year later, more than 100,000 copies were in print in the United States alone. With each subsequent book, in-print numbers continue to grow exponentially both in the U.S. and abroad. The ninth book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, sold more than 2 million copies in all formats around the world in its first week. There are more than 150 million copies of the series in print. 

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has been a fixture on the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. The series has remained on the New York Times bestseller lists since the publication of the first book, for more than 400 weeks total, and more than 300 on the series list. The books are currently available in 51 editions in 45 languages.

Since publication, the series has gone on to win many regional and national awards around the globe including two Children’s Choice Book Awards and five Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards for Favorite Book.. Jeff Kinney was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people in the world. In addition, three movies based on the book series have grossed more than $250 million internationally. 

In 2007, Jeff also created Poptropica.com, where he continues to work full-time as the creative and editorial director.  The Wimpy Kid Island (Wimpy Wonderland) on poptropica.com, a virtual world for kids, remains one of the most visited on the site. Jeff lives in southern Massachusetts with his wife and two sons, where he is opening a bookstore.

Don't forget to visit the Wimpy Kid's website!

Day 158: Drawing Alice with Dan Taylor

Tumble down the rabbit hole and discover Alice's world of wonder, then complete the Wonderland scenes, magical beyond your wildest dreams! Use over three hundred stickers to set the table for the Mad Hatter's tea party and join in the Queen of Hearts' croquet match. This lively sticker book is packed with activities including mazes, puzzles, join-the-dots, spot-the-difference and plenty of scenes to colour, and puts you in charge of Alice's amazing adventures. A wonderfully interactive introduction to Lewis Carroll's classic children's story, with bright, contemporary illustration by Dan Taylor, Alice In Wonderland: First Sticker Activity Book is perfect for curious little hands.

Check Dan Taylor's How To Draw... Alice!

Day 157: Drawing a leaning bus (and an elephant) with David Tazzyman

Check David's How to Draw...  a leaning bus (and an elephant)!

David Tazzyman lives in south London and likes drawing a lot.

Visit David's Web site!

Day 147: Drawing the Mona Lisa with Salvatore Rubbino

Check Salvatore's How to Draw... the Mona Lisa!

Salvarote's bio, in his own words:

As a child

I liked to daydream and draw a lot when I was small. Now that I'm a lot bigger I still daydream and draw but I call this 'work' instead. I grew up in London very near the Arsenal Stadium in Highbury but unfortunately this didn't make me any better at football. I loved the excitement of living in a big city, where things moved fast and there was always something interesting to point at. In fact, I'm still inspired by city life, the endless cast of characters on the street, the changing architecture and by the thrill of not knowing what I might see around the next corner.

As an adult

I studied printmaking at art college and discovered that you could think about drawing in lots of different ways. I started to combine words with my pictures and this inevitably led to making books and telling stories. I love the way a good story or picture can take you on an adventure and introduce you to wonderful new things. Later on at the Royal College of Art I studied illustration, and in 2005 was short-listed for the Victoria and Albert Museum Illustration Awards for a series of paintings set in New York. This series has been transformed into my first picture book, A Walk in New York, and it charts the adventure of a walk through the Big Apple.

As an artist

Drawing and observation underpins the way I work and helps me to achieve a well-informed response to a project. I like taking my sketchbook with me wherever I go. I have pages full of bumpy drawings made whilst on a train, pages stained by the rain when I've been caught out without an umbrella and other pages contain conversations that I have heard in passing and jotted down. There's always something that sparks off my curiosity when I'm out and about and drawing helps me to understand what I'm looking at. As well as working as an illustrator I teach at various art colleges. Each discipline feeds the other and I always learn a great deal from the students.

Things you didn't know about Salvatore Rubbino

1. I like eating ice cream with my son (he usually ends up eating most of it!).
2. We also like visiting building sites together to watch the diggers and dump trucks 'in action'.
3. When I get stuck for an idea I go for a long walk and this helps me to see things in a new light.
4. I often work on my pictures late at night when everyone else is asleep. You can tune into some strange and wonderful radio programmes that you can't hear at other times.
5. I love travelling by airplane and always ask for the window seat; clouds are so beautiful especially when you see them up close!
6. I hate wearing socks with holes in them.
7. I like to eat smelly cheese but this doesn't make me many friends.
8. I like to read on the train and sometimes miss my stop.
9. I still have the first paintbrush that I ever bought (aged 10).
10. My favourite quote is by the 19th century German thinker, Goethe. He says: "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."

Day 133: Drawing a a sunset with Jenni Desmond

Check out Jenni Desmond's How to Draw... a sunset!

Jenni's bio, in her own words:

I am an artist and a picture book writer and illustrator, based in Hackney, London UK.  My first book Red Cat Blue Cat won the 2013 Cambridgeshire Read It Again Award, and my books have been translated into twelve languages.  I was the 2014 illustrator for the National Portrait Gallery Family Trail, and have exhibited my work at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London Design Week, and London AAF.

I aim to make my work entertaining, beautiful and funny. I love hidden depth both visually and narratively. I work primarily by hand, and then scan my work into the computer to clean it up. I am inspired by Japanese art and aesthetics, interior design, nature, people-watching, cycle rides, travel, textures, fabrics, architecture, films, literature, food, photography and exhibitions.  

When I am not creating in my studio, I love to cook, drink ale in old english pubs and to go for long walks, cycles and adventures.

 For more information here is an interview - - -

http://www.playingbythebook.net/2012/09/13/an-interview-with-jenni-desmond/

CLIENTS INCLUDE:
Walker Books (UK), Vermillion - Random House (UK), Quire Cards (Holland), Papyrus (USA), Oxford University Press (UK), National Portrait Gallery (UK), NEXT (UK), Little Tiger Books (UK), Gestalten Books (Germany), Fuji Sangyo Stationary (Japan), Folens Publishers (Ireland), Enchanted Lion Books (USA), CardMix (UK), Camden Graphics (UK), BR Books (Korea), Blue Apple Books (USA), American Greetings (USA)

EXHIBITIONS INCLUDE:

Summer Exhibition: Royal Academy of Art (London), Affordable Art Fair (London), The Poundshop: London Design Week/ KK Outlet/ ICA (London), A-side B-side Gallery: Call of the Wild/ A Long Way From Home (London), Telling Tales: Avery Contemporary Art (Kent), Open Studios: Whirled Art (London), Brighton Festival, Joint exhibition with Amy Wiggin: Firestation Gallery (Henley)

AWARDS:

Winner - The Cambridgeshire Children's Picture Book Award'13

Winner - Batchelder Award'14 (artwork for Truus Matti tr.Laura Watkinson MISTER ORANGE)

EDUCATION

BA English and Art History (2:1, 2006, Sussex University) 

MA Childrens Book Illustration (Dist., 2011, Cambridge School of Art ARU)

Remember to visit Jenni's Web site!  

Day 132: Drawing a singing mermaid with Lauren Beard

Check out Lauren Beard's How to Draw... a singing mermaid!

Lauren Beard graduated in illustration from Loughborough and has been working as an illustrator ever since. She lives in Manchester with her cat, Sushi.

Don't forget to visit with Lauren's Web site! 

Day 131: Drawing a giant with Benji Davies

Check out Benji Davies's How to Draw... a giant!

Benji Davies is an illustrator and animation director.

His first self-penned picture book The Storm Whale won the inaugral Oscar’s First Book Prize in 2014 and was shortlisted for Booktrust’s Best Book Awards.

Benji studied animation at university, and has since worked on a diverse array of projects, from picture books and animated short films to music videos, commercials and title sequences. His books have been co-editioned in many languages and countries around the world.

He lives in east London with his wife Nina.

Remember to visit Benji's Web site!  

Day 130: Drawing My very own Rabbit with Eva Furnari

Check out Eva Furnari's How to Draw... Your very own rabbit!

Eva Furnari was born in Rome, Italy in 1948. She moved to Brazil when she was two years old and now lives in São Paulo. 

She taught arts at the Lasar Segall Museum from 74 to 79, in the 80s she published several illustrations in several magazines, and received the Prêmio Abril de Ilustração (April Illustration Award -BTW, 'April' in this case is the name of a Brazilian editorial-) in 1987. She published weekly, for four years, stories about the Little Witch ('Bruxinha' in Portuguese) in the Folha de São Paulo (it's a very important Brazilian newspaper). She began her carrer as a kidlit writer and illustrator in 1980, with picture books, and she's published 60 books so far. 

Remember to visit Eva's Web site! (It's in Portuguese!)

Day 103: The Guardian Big Draw project with Marion Deuchars (and a little help from Joan Miro)

Check Marion Deuchars’s The Guardian Big Draw project.

Marion Deuchars is a Scottish born, internationally acclaimed, 
award-winning illustrator.
Marion works with major design and advertising agencies, publishes illustrated children's books and has created a much-loved style of hand-lettering. Whether it’s client work for the likes of The Royal Mail and The Imperial War Museum, or inspiring youngsters with her Let’s Make Great Art books, Marion’s impact on the creative scene continues to be wide-ranging.

Visit with Marion's Web site! 

Day 102: Drawing an angry monkey with Brian Biggs

Check Brian Biggs’s How to Draw... an angry monkey.

Brian was born in Arkansas in 1968, moved to Texas in 1979, fled to New York City in 1987 to attend Parsons School of Design, lived in Paris France for a few years, ran away to San Francisco in 1993, and since 1999 he has lived in Philadelphia. He works in an old garage and writes about himself in the third person.

He has worked as an art director and graphic designer, animator for interactivity and multimedia projects, teacher, writer, and illustrator. He has written and drawn comics and graphic novels, designed publications, and illustrated for many many magazines and newspapers. He illustrates children's books; for magazines, newspapers, and advertising; posters, toys and puzzles. He also works with animation, music, and various other media. Examples of all this stuff can be found on this site.

Some notable clients include The Museum of Modern Art NY, The New York Times, HarperCollins, Random House/Knopf, Simon & Schuster, Hyperion/Disney, Penn Gazette, Bell Sports, and Galison/Mudpuppy.

find Brian here on the internets as well:
my store on Etsy
my photos on Flickr
my videos on Vimeo
twitter: @mrbiggsdotcom.
Be a fan on the Facebook.
my beepity music site

Remember to visit Brian's Web site!  

Day 101: Drawing a colourful animal with Eric Carle

Check Eric Carle's How to Draw... a colourful animal.

Eric Carle is acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for very young children. His best-known work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has eaten its way into the hearts of literally millions of children all over the world and has been translated into 62 languages and sold over 38 million copies. Since the Caterpillar was published in 1969, Eric Carle has illustrated more than seventy books, many best sellers, most of which he also wrote, and more than 128 million copies of his books have sold around the world.

Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929, Eric Carle moved with his parents to Germany when he was six years old; he was educated there, and graduated from the prestigious art school, the Akademie der bildenden Künste, in Stuttgart. But his dream was always to return to America, the land of his happiest childhood memories. So, in 1952, with a fine portfolio in hand and forty dollars in his pocket, he arrived in New York. Soon he found a job as a graphic designer in the promotion department of The New York Times. Later, he was the art director of an advertising agency for many years.

One day, respected educator and author, Bill Martin Jr, called to ask Carle to illustrate a story he had written. Martin’s eye had been caught by a striking picture of a red lobster that Carle had created for an advertisement. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?was the result of their collaboration. It is still a favorite with children everywhere. This was the beginning of Eric Carle’s true career. Soon Carle was writing his own stories, too. His first wholly original book was 1,2,3 to the Zoo, followed soon afterward by the celebrated classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Eric Carle’s art is distinctive and instantly recognizable. His art work is created in collage technique, using hand-painted papers, which he cuts and layers to form bright and cheerful images. Many of his books have an added dimension—die-cut pages, twinkling lights as inThe Very Lonely Firefly, even the lifelike sound of a cricket’s song as in The Very Quiet Cricket - giving them a playful quality: a toy that can be read, a book that can be touched. Children also enjoy working in collage and many send him pictures they have made themselves, inspired by his illustrations. He receives hundreds of letters each week from his young admirers.

The secret of Eric Carle’s books’ appeal lies in his intuitive understanding of and respect for children, who sense in him instinctively someone who shares their most cherished thoughts and emotions.

The themes of his stories are usually drawn from his extensive knowledge and love of nature—an interest shared by most small children. Besides being beautiful and entertaining, his books always offer the child the opportunity to learn something about the world around them. It is his concern for children, for their feelings and their inquisitiveness, for their creativity and their intellectual growth that, in addition to his beautiful artwork, makes the reading of his books such a stimulating and lasting experience.

Carle says: “With many of my books I attempt to bridge the gap between the home and school. To me home represents, or should represent; warmth, security, toys, holding hands, being held. School is a strange and new place for a child. Will it be a happy place? There are new people, a teacher, classmates—will they be friendly?

I believe the passage from home to school is the second biggest trauma of childhood; the first is, of course, being born. Indeed, in both cases we leave a place of warmth and protection for one that is unknown. The unknown often brings fear with it. In my books I try to counteract this fear, to replace it with a positive message. I believe that children are naturally creative and eager to learn. I want to show them that learning is really both fascinating and fun.”

Eric Carle has two grown-up children, a son and a daughter. With his wife Barbara, he divides his time between the Florida Keys and the hills of North Carolina.

Click here for a list of Awards Eric Carle has won for his work

(If you are interested in more complete biography of Eric, please refer to the autobiography section of The Art of Eric Carle published by Philomel Books.)

Photo credit: Paul Shoul

Remember to visit Eric's Web site!

Day 100: Drawing an enchanted forest with Johanna Basford

Check Johanna Basford's How to Draw... an enchanted forest.


Johanna's bio, in her own words:

Tumble down the rabbit hole and find yourself in my inky black and white Wonderland...
I'm an illustrator and ink evangelist who prefers pens and pencils to pixels.
I create intricate, hand drawn illustrations predominately, although not exclusively, in black and white.
My creativity is cultivated by a curious imagination and a delight in the fantastic. Much of my work has roots in the flora and fauna that surrounded me growing up on my parent's fish farm in rural Scotland.
I graduated in 2005 from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee with my degree in Printed Textiles and a portfolio stuffed with monochrome silk screen prints and drawings. Following that, I set-up my little studio and began on my mission to vanquish the vector and champion the (wobbly) hand drawn line.

Every piece I create starts life as a simple pencil sketch, evolving into a rambling pen and ink drawing usually spanning several sheets of paper. I love the tactile nature of the materials I use and the joy of smudgy fingerprints. My delicate hand inked designs intend to charm and delight, inviting you to peer closer and discover the hidden intricacies.
For me, computer generated graphics can feel cold and soulless whereas hand drawing captures a sense of energy and character which no pixel can ever replicate.
I like sugar mice, Alice in Wonderland, peonies and 0.05 Staedtler pigment liners.
Find out more about my work on my FAQ blog and in this one about My Process.
Follow my creative adventures via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Don't forget to visit Johanna's Web site!