I've been meaning to post the details about the Jane Austen book that I illustrated for ages. It's been another thing on the list of things to do which seems to grow by the day. So, I'll be brief. Here is the link to the publishers website. Unfortunately the book is only available in Italian at the moment, but the New Year should see the English version. I'll let you know when that happens, but for now, you can read a little about the book and about me HERE (then search Andrea Joseph).
See. I told you it would all go horribly wrong. Poor old Alice will be regretting sipping so much Claret tomorrow morning. I hope this is a lesson to you all. Now I just need to practice what I preach.
An interesting thing about creating the illustrations for this book is how you also create relationships with the characters and people you are drawing. I've often heard actors talk about how they begin to love the characters they play, no matter what their flaws. I feel like that, not just about dear lovely Alice, but also Jane Austen herself. After spending so long with this story I feel that I have become, in some strange way, close to and a part of both of these girls.
Alice is not your usual heroine. She's not, by any stretch, perfect. She drinks and gambles more than most but that just made me love her more. She longed after Mr Charles Adams who made his feelings about the plain ordinary Alice quite clear. He was not interested in somebody so, well, flawed. By the end of the project I kept thinking of her as 'my Alice' and I despised Charles Adams for not seeing how fabulous she really was. The swine! Besides, I think she should aim for somebody less conceited and shallow. That's the least my Alice deserves.
Yeah, I REALLY got into it.
This weekend, boys and girls, I am going to teach you about the perils of too much alcohol. Believe me, I am well qualified to do so. Sometimes it's about knowing when to stop. But, if you don't know when that is it's about not starting at all. Because things can all go horribly wrong. As you will see in my next post.
So, watch and learn. Watch and learn.
My last post found me extolling the virtues of endpapers...
...when it struck me that I now have some endpapers of my own...
...not only endpapers, of course, a whole book, but at the moment we are just talking about endpapers...
...it also got me thinking that not only do I love
endpapers...
...but I love a good flyleaf too...
...and you know what, I might be blowing my own trumpet here...
...but I think my flyleaves look non too shabby either.
It's been a slow couple of weeks drawing wise. I've been having some work done on my house and I've realised that any disruption to the tranquility of my solitude means that drawing just does not happen. But, I do, of course, still have the book illustrations to share.
It just so happens that I live five minutes down the road from a place called Lyme Park, which is where the BBC's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was filmed. It is, quite frankly, THE only adaptation you'll ever need to see (we all remember the lake scene, right girls?). Anyway, as a little nod to that, I made Lyme Hall the house in the Jane Austen story that I illustrated (it also appears in THIS drawing and THIS one). I absolutely love weaving all this stuff into my illustrations. Packing them full of references, messages and clues. There's plenty more in this drawing. Maybe you can spot some?
My drawings are, to say the least, highly detailed. Often I over do it. I know I do. It frustrates the hell out of me that I just cannot let a drawing be. So, on the odd occasion when I create something and resist the urge to cross hatch the hell out of it it I feel quite pleased with myself. Those drawings often become my favourites. Probably because they make a refreshing change.
Here's one of those. It's another from the Jane Austen book.
Damn, my laptop is playing up again. It's so frustrating. I got a fix back in June, but I suppose I knew that that was not going to be a long term solution. Hope it gets better soon, cos I've got a couple drawings, that I am loving, from my travel sketchbook to post.
In the meantime here's a little drawing from the Jane Austen book. You know what's even more frustrating (there's really no reason you should)? I've been sent the PDFs from the publishers, so I could take a look at the book. But, because my computer is unwell, I can't bloody open them. Aaargh.
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I've been meaning to post the details about the Jane Austen book that I illustrated for ages. It's been another thing on the list of things to do which seems to grow by the day. So, I'll be brief. Here is the link to the publishers website. Unfortunately the book is only available in Italian at the moment, but the New Year should see the English version. I'll let you know when that happens, but for now, you can read a little about the book and about me HERE (then search Andrea Joseph).
Thanks for the link, was going to drop an e-mail and ask where/how copies might be found.
Should also say how much I have enjoyed your zines, Molezine 1 & 2; cheaper than an evening for two at the cinema and far more permanent, easy also to keep to hand to fill those procrastination moments with reverie.
I have a copy of Jack & Alice and I can confirm it's really really really lovely! :)
Provincial of me, I know, but I hadn't realised how popular Jane Austin is outside English-speaking countries.
I'm going to take some ur sketches as an inspiration
Wish I could figure out the Italian bookstore selling the first edition...would buy it if I could figure out how to get it shipped to the U.S.
Sad to wait for the English edition -lots on my Christmas list that will get a lump of coal instead :(
Good link!
Thank you, folks.
I have heard that people are having trouble with ordering the book - if they are outside Italy. I don't know how to help I'm sorry. I'll drop them a line.
Cheers, my dears.