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I am so pleased to be able to announce today the arrival of my new book Print & Pattern Nature published by Laurence King. This is the fifth book in the P&P Series and focuses on design using flowers, leaves, birds, trees, butterflies etc. 101 fantastic designers have kindly submitted their work and given an insight into how they create their works, their inspirations and influences. Just some

I spent a couple of hours in Bristol last week and managed to take a look at some of the shops in Park Street like 'Rise' and 'Guild' and also popped into the Arnolfini Gallery. I mainly visited book and record stores but still managed to find some inspiring prints and patterns. Here are my snaps from the day featuring mainly book covers, some cards and wrap, and a smattering of homewares.

You may remember I posted about the publication of a new book by designer Paul Farrell a few weeks ago. But now I have actually seen the book in the flesh I just had to post again with new pictures as it is just so full of beautiful graphics. Called 'Great Britain in Colour' it is a treasure trove of colour and shape across a whopping 240 pages - just a small sample of which I have snapped

I was saddened to learn today that Castle Miranda (also known as Château de Noisy) in Belgium was slated to be torn down this month. Back in 2012 I stumbled across the gorgeous pictures from PROJ3CT M4YH3M of this heart-breaking, beautiful, decaying castle. The ceilings especially inspired me to put pen to paper and write the scene in my novel Glimmer of Steel where Jennica comes to terms with her fate while staring up at her bedroom’s ceiling.

Since I don’t own any of the copyrights for the images I saw back in 2012, nor have I paid for licensing rights, I have the next best thing… links to the owners’ sites so you can hop over a view them yourself.

The first link is for a website (in German) with historical photos/drawings of the Castle in its original state. http://www.lipinski.de/noisy-historical/index.php

The second link is from Ian Moone’s and PROJ3CT M4YH3M’s website page that covered their first visit to Castle Miranda in 2012: 

Urbex: Castle Miranda aka Château de Noisy Belgium – December 2012 (Part 1)

The third link is from Ian Moone’s and PROJ3CT M4YH3M’s second visit in 2014:

Urbex: Castle Miranda aka Château de Noisy Belgium – May 2014 (revisit)

So just as I’m getting ready to release Glimmer of Steel to Kindle Scout this month, and I’m looking for Castle Miranda pictures to share as an important visual inspiration for my writing, I learned the castle is being dismantled. Pascal Dermien recently photographed the start of the demolition and shared his photos on YouTube. You can see former turrets cast upon the ground, including the weather vane that used to spin atop the highest peak. Only the blogs, and photographs, memories, videos, and the occasional book will live on.

What a nice surprise! My picture book, Soap, Soap, Soap has been chosen to be included in the monthly books delivered through BOOKCASE.CLUB for Kids. Click the image to learn more.

Whilst in Selfridges last Friday I found they had an Anthropologie concession so it was a nice chance to snap some of their latest products. Anthropologie have been working with an artist I really admire : Starla Michelle who creates the most beautifully colourful flowers and animals. Her artworks have been used on textiles, plates, wall art and an entire alphabet of pretty monogrammed mugs. I

Thanks go out to Moonbeam Children's Book Awards for awarding "Big Red and the Little Bitty Wolf" a silver medal for the Picture Book Age 4-8 category!  The author Jeanie Franz Ransom and I are so excited for this recognition!  Thanks also go out to the publisher Magination Press for having me as a part of this great book project!

Maribeth Boelt’s new book A Bike Like Sergio’s will appeal to readers and writers of all ages. It’s a heartfelt story with a message to which readers will relate; the right decision is… Continue reading →

I am excited to announce that my artwork, along with several other illustrators from MB Artists, will be featured in Bill O'Reilly and James Patterson's new book "Give Please a Chance."  My illustration is the one shown here at the bottom, with the girl and the trampoline.  This title will be released on November 21st.

This new animation history textbook is based on the animation history courses that author Maureen Furniss teaches at CalArts.

The post ‘A New History of Animation’ Could Become The Definitive Textbook History of The Art Form appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Illustrator, graphic designer and print-maker Paul Farrell's debut book 'Great Britain in Colour', was published on 22 September by Boxtree and Pan Macmillan. The 166 full page colour illustrations are one years' work and the book was completed almost two years from the start. It is a personal journey full of memories and travels from the last 45 years or so. There are hidden gems, familiar

Many people watching UK television drama National Treasure will have made their minds up about the guilt or innocence of the protagonist well before the end of the series. In episode one we learn that this aging celebrity has ‘slept around’ throughout his long marriage but when an allegation of non-recent sexual assault is made he strenuously denies it.

The post What if they are innocent? Justice for people accused of sexual and child abuse appeared first on OUPblog.

Peter Gilliver has been an editor of the Oxford English Dictionary since 1987, and is now one of the Dictionary's most experienced lexicographers; he has also contributed to several other dictionaries published by OUP. In addition to his lexicographical work, he has been writing and speaking about the history of the OED for over fifteen years. In this two part Q&A, we learn more about how his passion for lexicography inspired him.

The post Learning about lexicography: A Q&A with Peter Gilliver part 1 appeared first on OUPblog.

What was it like as one of the few female performers in the New York Philharmonic in the 1960s? We sat down with cellist and author Evangeline Benedetti to hear the answer to this and other questions about performance and teaching careers, favorite composers, and life behind the doors of Lincoln Center.

The post In conversation with cellist Evangeline Benedetti appeared first on OUPblog.

The viking image has changed dramatically over the centuries, romanticized in the 18th and 19 century, they are now alternatively portrayed as savage and violent heathens or adventurous explorers. Stereotypes and clichés are rampant in popular culture and vikings and their influence appear to various extents, from Wagner's Ring Cycle to the comic Hägar the Horrible, and J.R.R Tolkien's Lord of the Rings to Marvel's Thor. But what is actually true? Eleanor Barraclough lifts the lid on ten common viking myths.

The post 10 myths about the vikings appeared first on OUPblog.

Quite a lot has happened in 2016. The year has flew by with history making events such as the Brexit, the Presidential election in the United States, and the blockade of Aleppo to name a few.

The post Place of the Year 2016 longlist: vote for your pick appeared first on OUPblog.

Curse is a much more complicated concept than blessing, because there are numerous ways to wish someone bad luck. Oral tradition (“folklore”) has retained countless examples of imprecations. Someone might want a neighbor’s cow to stop giving milk or another neighbor’s wife to become barren.

The post Blessing and cursing part 2: curse appeared first on OUPblog.

‘Public Servant’ — in the sense of ‘government employee’ — is a term that originated in the earliest days of the European settlement of Australia. This coinage is surely emblematic of how large bureaucracy looms in Australia. Bureaucracy, it has been well said, is Australia’s great ‘talent,’ and “the gift is exercised on a massive scale” (Australian Democracy, A.F. Davies 1958). This may surprise you. It surprises visitors, and excruciates them.

The post Australia in three words, part 3 — “Public servant” appeared first on OUPblog.

In September, the Israel Antiquities Authority made a stunning announcement: at the ancient Judean city of Lachish, second only to Jerusalem in importance, archaeologists have uncovered a shrine in the city’s gate complex with two vandalized altars and a stone toilet in its holiest section. “Holy crap!” I said to a friend when I first read the news.

The post Holy crap: toilet found in an Iron Age shrine in Lachish appeared first on OUPblog.

Between October 1787 and August 1788, a collection of 85 articles and essays were distributed by the Federalist movement. Authored by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, The Federalist Papers highlighted the political divisions of their time.

The post Federalists and Anti-Federalists: the founders of America [infographic] appeared first on OUPblog.

Like their forebears in the 1960s, today’s students blasted university leaders as slick mouthpieces who cared more about their reputations than about the people in their charge. But unlike their predecessors, these protesters demand more administrative control over university affairs, not less. That’s a childlike position. It’s time for them to take control of their future, instead of waiting for administrators to shape it.

The post How university students infantilise themselves appeared first on OUPblog.

Initially, they had envisaged dozens of them: slim booklets that would handily summarize all of the important aspects of every parish in Ireland. It was the 1830s, and such a fantasy of comprehensive knowledge seemed within the grasp of the employees of the Ordnance Survey in Ireland.

The post Big data in the nineteenth century appeared first on OUPblog.