Fringe

New Project! How exciting! This one is another typographically based project but has more illustration to it. We are designing a leaflet/handout/mailer about the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The leaflet is dance or music. By the powers dictated by short supply of printing credit I am doing Music. Now for the illustration part: all illustrations have to be done by us. It doesn't have to be drawing but I think I'll play to my strengths personally. And so yesterday I spent my time drawing musicians and here they are so far:













I'm really enjoying this I hope I still do later on in the project.

Pauline Baynes and Smith of Wootton Major

I'm a fan of JRR Tolkien, I admit it. Although I'll also admit that I never finished Lord of The Rings, I got bored of Frodo. But anyway, knowing my like of Tolkien, last year my parents came to visit me in Carlisle and went to the second hand book shop. My next birthday arrived and I unwrapped this book. This beautifully illustrated book.



The story is about a boy who swallows a Fay-star that was put into a great cake. When he grows up he then takes great adventures and sees a tree growing many different fruits, a red lake and he meets fairies and elves. It's a really good story (in my opinion) and it's enhanced by its lovely line drawn illustrations by Pauline Baynes.



Baynes was an English book illustrator who died only a few years ago in 2008. She did many collaborations with JJR Tolkien and also with CS Lewis. I really like her style and she's made this book even more special then if it was just pure text and a birthday present. Another favourite illustrator.

Grids, Spreads and Sneezing Cows

Second Year of Uni. Second Project - Grids. We have been learning about grids and spreads in magazines and books. Learning and then doing. We picked a name out of a tub/envelope and then created a double page spread upon our designer/illustrator.

I picked Jim Flora. An amazing illustrator who designed Album covers in the 1940s and 50s for jazz artists such as Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong and Gene Krupa. Then went on to do freelance magazine illustrations and children's books, including titles such as: 'The Fabulous Firework Family', 'Charlie Yup' and 'The Day the Cow Sneezed'.


He was a brilliant designer, his work has real feeling in it and a great sense of animation. I admire it so much that I recently ordered 'The Day the Cow Sneezed' which was recently republished. It arrived yesterday and I've already read it twice.


I think I have found my new favourite illustrator. I love his work and expect it to influence me in future projects.

For more information on Jim Flora please go to: jimflora.com where you will find plenty more information and links to other websites.

So here it is; the end spread, complete with Sneezing Cow, and made with grids.