Merry Christmas to you all

Merry Christmas to you all from April and Ugly Rabbit!

The Pigeon pushes my buttons!

 

Okay. I promised a feature about illustrators as this IS a blog about Children's Picture Books. So I thought I'd start off with one of my favourite author/illustrators in the business - the brillian Mo Willems yay!

You can find out more about Mo and his projects at his website: http://www.mowillems.com. I discovered Mo Willems at my local library when I was looking for something to read a few years ago - for my youngest daughter you understand -  and came across "Don't let the Pigeon drive the Bus". I love everything about it, from its humour to its simplicity and because it just works so well. This book definitely pushed all my laughter buttons and I'd recommend it and others in his series of Pigeon books this Christmas. Happy reading!

Learning to believe that dreams can come true

I really, really wish this were on my plate, but sadly it isn't!

It seems that when it comes to chocolate I can make a decision in 0.001seconds in favour of stuffing my (petite?) little mouth, in order to keep up my serotonin levels and my brain constantly wired into that equilibrium that only the cocoa bean provides.  But when it comes to posting things up here at  the Ugly Rabbit I teeter on the edge of indecision.  It's like that with my illustration and writing. I will not post anything up unless completely happy with it. I will not send anything off until it's word perfect. And I won't finish a painting until I think it's completely perfect, completely realistic. I suppose that's just me and I can't change me...or can I? There is always room for improvement, I suppose. 

And improvements have been made this week! I think I may be close to actually sending work off at last. (Yay says Liz!)

I finished Ugly Rabbit's story and am just working on the illustration side of what needs to go off: flat plan/story board, a few roughs and some finished colour pieces. I've also been working on Ellie's story which is my other project, long overdue again due to overloading that back burner.

While I am not one to send off unfinished work, I am aware that time is pressing on and the months are slipping away. I see wonderful things happening in other people's blogs and feel blessed to have 'met' so many wonderfully creative people. (You know who you all are!) Their creative progress is inspiring to say the least and has spurred me on.

The recession has spurred me on too. I've been pushed into a corner to do things and in the process I've acquired a more business head on my shoulders. I'm back teaching art in my local area, which is something I love and have a set of workshops all planned out in 2010, with gift vouchers on offer to accompany those workshops. Here are some of my students enjoying some time Discovering the Artist Within last month:

This year hasn't been particularly kind in places, but I've learnt a lot from it and about myself in the process. As a friend said recently: Learn your lessons. Count your blessings. I am slowly beginning to realise that dreams don't come true without hard work, focus and determination. So each day is spent trying hard to be more focused. I've learnt that despite the knocks and the tears shed in the process I have come through things a stronger person. Being in my late, late thirties I've gathered some wisdom to take into my forties, and the main lesson I've learnt is to keep a positive mental attitude. So important for oneself, but also for others. It's no good dragging others down with you. So I'm being very positive about the future. Not only about being determined to send off work to an agent at last, and teaching art but in putting my art on cards  and working on a calendar idea for 2011. No matter what 2010 throws at me, I'll be ready with my pencils in my hands!

photo above by htpp://www.pdphoto.org

Ugly Rabbit's monthly Children's book review - Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

 

 "Alice's Adventure s in Wonderland"  was one of the first Classic children's books I read as a young child of eight, after it was introduced to me by an elderly man who lived down the road. It was written by  Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in 1862, who is better known under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll.  Dodgson was a mathematical lecturer at Christ Church Oxford who lacked confidence in class probably due to a stammer. However he found his true voice in writing for children and based his main character of Alice  on Alice Liddell - the  daughter of the Dean of Christchurch, with whom Dodgson developed a particular friendship. It was while on a trip upriver to Godstowe on 4th July 1862 that Dodgson told the wonderful wonderland story to Alice, originally titled 'Alice's Adventures Underground' that later developed into the one we know today. It took him six months to write the story for Alice and it was published for a Victorian audience in 1865. John Tenniel providing the illustrations such as the one above of the White Rabbit.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland begin when Alice, tired of looking into her sister's picture-less book on the riverbank sees a white rabbit dashing past in a terrible hurry. She follows the rabbit down -  what must have been an enormous -  rabbit hole which takes her via a rather long fall into a small corridor. Eventually after eating and drinking and growing and shrinking in order to reach the key that will fit the lock of the little door that will open into the  wonderful garden in Wonderland, Alice can go through. When she does she meets the many strange creatures of Dodgson's imagination like the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the King and Queen of Hearts who challenge her understanding of the world and life with unusual logic until finally she decides enough is enough and wakes from the dream.

I know when I read it as a child I believed it to be real. There were characters I loved. Characters I hated and feared such as the Queen of Hearts. It's a story that has inspired many adults over the course of the last century and a half. From the Beatles to Disney, to Tim Rice and I hope that if you've never read it, when you do it will inspire you too.
For January we'll be looking at JRR. Tolkiens  The Hobbit

Coming in December: a new idea to look at the great Illustrators in Children's book publishing. Just to get you started click here for a look at some of the great illustrators of the industry who attended the 20th Annual Exhibition at the R Michelson Galleries in the USA.    

A glimpse of something serene

There have been times I have longed to come back to this little place in Polperro, Cornwall. Where as a small child I used to spend many a happy day. Happy without a care in the world with my grandmother down on the beach.  Happy as the day was long and the sea water wasn't too cold.  Happy in the hope the sun would never go down, and Grandma would keep her promise of an ice-cream for the way home.

I am no longer a child and found myself here again. It left me feeling out of sorts to be back alone.   Grandma had long gone. The ice-cream shops were closed for the winter and I was alone to walk the  cold empty streets with my camera, sit on the steps and think about the people we used to know who long departed.

  

  And when it was time to say goodbye I looked behind at the places where I had been and where I had sat. They say you should never look back...but only by looking back did I catch a glimpse of something serene and I knew that from somewhere, Grandma was smiling and everything would be alright. 

Magic and sorrow

Hello all. Just a quick post to say that I will be back in the blogging seat very soon. I've been in Cornwall for the last week saying goodbye to my father and bringing both my parents to a final resting place in a very magical little place. http://www.enjoypolperro.com
It was a very difficult week emotionally by no stretch of the imagination, but good to return and see family and feel the magic again when the trees spoke in the wind and fairy dust of the Queen of the Pixies sparkled on their branches. They say she brings good luck to those who carry her charm so I bought three! lol
In my next post I'll post up my own photos and tell you all about the stormy weather, the best seat in Polperro and about the golden hare of Joan the Wad, not to mention the cornish clotted cream and pasties!