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I've a new book out for Christmas! The title kind of gives away who it's about!

Most people will think of L. Frank Baum as the author of The Wizard of Oz, but he was an incredibly prolific author who created many other wonderful and classic titles, one of which is The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, first published in 1902.

Hesperus Press, which focuses on publishing neglected classics, has just released a new paperback edition of the book with interior pen drawings by me.


Released on 1st December in paperback,  I contributed 22 black & white drawings (note: the cover however is not my illustration).
Book details are here: http://www.hesperuspress.com/santa.html

ISBN 13: 9781843915904

Here's a taste of some of the interior drawings:


The blurb from the publisher's site: Who is Santa Claus? We all know he is real, but where did he come from, and how does he deliver presents to all the children of the world? In this wonderful book, L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, tells the true story of Santa Claus, from being found as a baby in the woods to making the first toy the world has ever seen (a carving of his cat Blinkie), to the invention of the dolly, the Christmas stocking, the Christmas tree, his battles with the evil Awgwas and being granted the mantle of immortality so he can keep bringing joy to children for ever. Beautifully written, and with glorious new illustration by John Shelley, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus brings the magic of the Oz books to the life of Father Christmas. Introducing unforgettable characters like the Master Woodsman, Necile the Wood-Nymph and little Mayrie, who just wants a toy of her own, this is a book for children of all ages, and is as immortal as Santa Claus himself.


You'll have to buy the book to see more!

This was a fun book to illustrate, the narrative rolls on quickly with many scene changes that could have been illustrated. With limited space for illustration though it was a struggle to decide which passages to illustrate and which to leave. Inevitably I drew more than were initially commissioned, thankfully the publisher found room to include all.

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An advance copy of my next book arrived yesterday, to my total surprise! I am absolutely thrilled with the way it turned out. (Hard to see in the photo, but there's a spot varnish on the butterflies, Charles, and the title. I totally wasn't expecting such a wonderful detail. The design geek in me is very, very happy!)

I'm feeling truly fortunate and thankful to be working with such an amazing Editor, Art Director, and the whole team at Abrams!

The book will be out in October... stay tuned for some behind-the-scenes book posts in the weeks leading up to release!

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Wow, busy April! The 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death is almost upon us and things have been very hectic here in the studio, hence my silence on the blog.

 Will's Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk was officially launched on 22nd March in the USA, and widely distributed in the UK.

Written by Jane Sutcliffe, illustrated by yours truly. 
ISBN 9781580896382,  40 pages long
Published by Charlesbridge (Penguin/Random House US), and distributed in the UK through PGUK.

Following my previous collaboration with Jane Sutcliffe Stone Giant, this book was another very involved project which occupied a great part of my activity last year. I've always had a big fascination for the 17th Century, so it's no surprise the research alone completely sucked me into the era (more on this in a future post!)



The narrative describes London in 1606, how the Bankside theatres were the entertainment focus points of their day, and one playwright stood out more than any other - William Shakespeare.

However, as Jane relates the story of The Globe, she finds that whatever she tries to write William 'gets in the way' - the text is punctuated with words and phrases coined by Shakespeare himself. Expressions such as 'excitement', 'a sorry sight', 'wild goose chase', 'cold-blooded', 'amazement', these all come down to us from Shakespeare through his plays to become 'household words' (another expression invented by the Bard). Jane uses these and many other Shakespeare expressions and explains their origins in the plays, while my illustrations form the background and setting of London life and the Globe in the early 1600's.



I'll post about some of the research and processes shortly, in the meantime the first reviews are in!

"Shelley’s meticulously detailed painted pen-and-ink drawings brim with life and convey a clear sense of 1606 London, “a bustling, jostling, clinging, singing, stinking, head-chopping, pickpocketing wonder of a city,” while still managing to individualize the personages both onstage and off. They are perfectly married to Sutcliffe’s concise, humorous, fact-filled prose" (School Library Journal starred review,  Spring 2016 selection)

"Shakespeare could turn a phrase, and Sutcliffe brings a number of them to readers' attention, smartly worked into a vestpocket history of London theater during Shakespeare's days. Shelley's artwork is a lively accompaniment, delicate in color and linework but bustling as only a big population in small confines can be." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Each spread is crowded with intricate, colorful details that seem to spring to life in, for instance, a cutaway of backstage actions, the crowd arriving for an afternoon's performance, how different social classes positioned themselves during the play, London street scenes, and so on. These watercolor and pen-and-ink images invite endless searching of the crowds' unique faces and Thames River vistas" (Booklist)

As the Shakespeare anniversary approaches I plan to be out and about with Will's Words in the UK, so do get in touch if you'd like me to be involved in your Shakespeare celebration! Jane Sutcliffe is touring New England bookshops this month, if you're in the US please check the upcoming events page of her website for dates.

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"... There are several other sources of enjoyment in a long voyage... the map of the world ceases to be a blank; it becomes a picture full of the most varied and animated pictures." –from THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE

Charles Darwin was born 207 years ago today, on February 12, 1809. Today is also Darwin Day– a celebration of Darwin's life and amazing contributions to the world of science. Cake for everyone!

*Art detail from CHARLES DARWIN'S AROUND-THE-WORLD ADVENTURE (Abrams 2016), coming in October!

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You may find that what really makes Matt magnificent is not his cape, goggles or his lightening speed ......

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A is for Abrams! (Also, "Awesome!" And "Aw yeah!")

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My, it's been a long time since I posted to my blog, you may have thought in fact I'd given up on the blog entirely. Well no, not given up at all - but I made a decision to put things on ice for a while. There are a few reasons for this, one of the biggest being a very heavy workload this year, so I've cut back on a lot of social media until things get a little easier. 

So what have I been up to then? Here's a brief update on activities. 

First and foremost, a cover reveal! 

My next picture book collaboration with Jane Sutcliffe is currently awaiting release in the US in March 2016. Will's Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk, is published to coincide with the anniversary of Shakespeare's death in 1616, and takes the reader through the streets of Jacobean London to the Globe theatre. Dropped into the narrative are numerous words and phrases from his plays that are widely used in everyday speech today. I'm greatly excited about this book, research and production of the artwork consumed much of my workload during the first half of this year. This will be my second collaboration with Jane, (our previous book together Stone Giant: Michelangelo's David and How He Came to Be was released in 2013).


Currently I'm working on a picture book for Japanese publisher Fukuinkan Shoten, Yozora o Miageyo, with words by Yuriko Matsumura, which follows a child's discovery of the stars of the night sky, culminating in a country trip to see the Perseids meteor shower. This too is due for release in 2016 in Japan. Here's a sneak snapshot of some work-in-progress.



Other book projects thereafter are currently under wrap - all will be revealed in due time! 

Finally, I was recently honoured to be interviewed by writer Kathy Temean for her excellent blog Writing and Illustrating. This is a very full interview with plenty of images, so if you haven't seen it already do please have a look!

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With three books under her belt in the past two years, author Katharine Hall is ready to compare and contrast again with Amphibians and Reptiles. This is the fourth book in our popular series and like the other books in the Compare and Contrast Book series young children will learn a ton of facts and get an up-close look at these slimy or scaly creatures.

Some of the most common questions we get from readers are about coming up with book ideas. Get to know Katharine and her writing…

How have you decided what topics to write about in the series?

I started with Polar Bears and Penguins because so many kids – and even adults! – think that these animals inhabit the same area. So I really wanted to pull them apart and say, no, this is where polar bears are and this is where penguins are, and they are completely different regions. So comparing/ contrasting two groups that are frequently confused is a fun topic and probably my favorite approach. But there are also things that are around us all the time that we don’t necessarily think about or examine. Those make great topics because they involve exploring something familiar and learning new things.

As an avid reader, what were some of your favorite books as a child?

How long of a list do you want? I could go on forever, but I’ll try to limit myself here. When I was little-little, I loved the “Baby Blue Cat” books and anything/everything by Jan Brett. Then by elementary school, I basically read everything and anything I could get my hands on. In terms of non-fiction, I have always enjoyed biographies. My mom stocked our bookshelves with biographies of famous women in history, famous inventors, scientists, and mathematicians – books that introduced me to important people and moments in history and helped expand my understanding of the world. For fiction, the “Harry Potter” series by JK Rowling and the “Song of the Lioness” series by Tamora Pierce were – and still are – near and dear to my heart.

Find out what author Katharine Hall has coming up next in her full author interview!

Ready to compare and contrast Amphibians and Reptiles? Leave a comment and enter to win a copy of the new book, then get started with our Venn diagram!

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I'm so thrilled to finally be able to share this news!

"Tamar Brazis at Abrams has bought author-illustrator Jennifer Thermes's Charles Around the World in a preempt. The picture book biography tells of Charles Darwin's adventures on the HMS Beagle, featuring maps illustrating the route of his travels and his discoveries in each location. It is scheduled for fall 2016. Marietta B. Zacker of Nancy Gallt Literary Agency brokered the deal, which includes a second book, for world English rights."

– from Publishers Weekly Rights Report: Week of September 8, 2014

 

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This arrived last week!

There's a map inside...





















And loads of illustrations big and small...





















On almost every page...





















Including drama! (Grasshopper plague!)...





















And in the back there are recipes, games, and instructions for making a corn-husk doll. Fun!...





















And under the dust jacket, one of my favorite things– a sweet silhouetted surprise that just about made me swoon. (I LOVE this special detail!)...





















The actual book birthday is about three weeks away (September 16th), but you can pre-order a copy now if you'd like. (May I suggest your local independent bookstore?)

Yay! (Also, please excuse the phone-quality pictures!)

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Publishers Weekly Children's Books Fall 2014

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I'm so pleased that Little Author in the Big Woods: A Biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder  is included in @FuseEight's School Library Journal post (scroll down):


Librarian Preview: Macmillan Children's Publishing
Group (Fall 2014)

Whee!

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Yippee! Today the US edition of Jane Sutcliffe's picture book Stone Giant - Michelangelo's David and How He Came to Be is officially released. 

Some time ago when the Japanese edition was advance-released I blogged about my process in creating the illustrations for this title, now, finally it's revealed to the public in it's originally commissioned, English edition for the United States. Other than language the only differences are a somewhat different cover for the Japanese edition, and an artist statement from me instead of the list of sources on the last page of the US edition. However the American edition is printed in a slightly silkier, matte paper, which gives it a feeling reminiscent of classic older books. 

As today is the release day, here are a couple more of the artwork interiors before text was added!  



Charlesbridge has posted an interview with Jane about Stone Giant here. I was interviewed about the illustrations by Elizabeth Dulemba here. 

Reviews have already been very supportive of the book! Kirkus Reviews has called it "a handsome offering that helps youngsters understand both an artist’s process and how this stunning statue became the enduring symbol of a city and its people". A School Library Journal review posted on the Charlesbridge site states "This well-written, lively account is graced with excellent illustrations, rendered in pen-and-ink and painted with watercolors, that truly convey a Renaissance Italian flavor".  Smart Books for Kids says it's an "Engaging storytelling with beautiful illustrations".

So I'm hoping the book will do well!


The book is on sale in the US, and also through online sellers in the UK and elsewhere. I always recommend people buy or order copies through their local bookshop whenever possible, but here are some direct online links:

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Hey, I’m back. It’s only been . . . well, months.  Have been struggling with getting “Buried Alive!,” John Victor’s second adventure, edited and published. It’s available–right now!–online at Create Space’s Book Store.  Finally! But, before I get into that, there’s something exciting (at least for me and possibly for any of you who suffer with insomnia):  Over the counter medicine, prescriptions, and the usual suggestions have all failed me. But, there’s a cure that actually works for me!  Finally! My long-time friend, Erna D, told me about it on the telephone. You simply need a banana, a small saucepan and some water.  Cut both ends of the banana off. (I’m not sure why, but perhaps they’re bitter?).  Then place the banana–skin and all–into a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil.  Let it simmer for ten minutes.  Then, use the water like tea (I add lots of cream and a little sugar).  Tastes great that way if, like me, you like a little bit of tea with your cream and sugar.  Anyway, drink your tea that tastes slightly like banana, and eat what you can of the banana–skin and all according to Erna–but with my stomach troubles I don’t bother with the skin.  I even mash the banana and add a bit to my tea. Reminds me of the consistency of extra pulp in OJ.  I end up falling asleep within half an hour, instead of struggling for two or more hours.

Getting back to “Buried Alive!,” the scene is set near Tucson, Arizona.  Our intrepid hero is literally buried alive in a crude cedar coffin somewhere beneath the Sonora Desert. And to make it interesting, his “coffin” is digitally connected to a live radio show. The radio host invites a bevy of professionals to communicate with John Victor, in an effort to pull elusive clues from his memory. Professionals like detectives, profilers, scientists, etc.  So they can find him before it’s too late.  An endangered plant is the basis for his being found. There are bits of trivia about the Tucson region, and most importantly of all, there’s information about the Bible. Between John Victor and one other character, bits of Biblical information is revealed, including info about prophesies that have actually been fulfilled–the chance for them being fulfilled is astounding–and about faith in its various forms.  Like with “The SEED,” John’s first adventure, “Buried Alive!” has intrigue, humor, a touch of romance, and faith-based information.  Speaking of “The SEED,” have I mentioned at least a hundred times that it was nominated by a professor for inclusion on Green Mountain College’s required reading list? And that it placed as a top-ten finalist in a national contest?  Well, right now, you can find “Buried Alive” by Ann Rich Duncan by Googling Create Space Book Store.  It’ll be available thru Amazon.com after April 10.  By the way, the ISBN #s are:  13:978-1496055538 and 10: 1496055535.  Here’s a pix of the cover:

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A little Bear and Bird art to remind me that summer will be here. Someday.

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It's been a while since my last post! In fact you may notice I've not blogged since the New Year, blimey, what's been going on?

Well the short answer is "work!".  I usually write blog posts in two languages to go on separate English and Japanese language blogs, which can take up a chunk of time, so I took a tactical decision to stand back from blogging while I tackled more urgent matters.  Other social media? Well, yes, to a point, but I've tried to keep my online activities short, sweet and quick. As some people read this blog from feeds on Facebook and Twitter I thought it would be quicker to just post occasional updates directly to those platforms, but it's not quite the same is it. Blogs are more personal, more of a journal, more themed. Earlier this year I posted daily sketches on Twitter and Facebook until work issues obliged me to stop that too - however sketches will return shortly!

Things have been very hectic. At the moment I'm working on a picture book for Holiday House in the US. It's my second collaboration with author Marion Dane Bauer, after the spooky Halloween Forest. Though not a follow-up to that title at all, our new book has a somewhat complimentary rhythm.

Without giving too much away at this stage, I'll just say the book follows the journey of a bear, a child and various other animals through a late winter night, because, as the bear explains, "It is time..."

Time for what you ask? aha....


The title is Crinkle, Crackle, CRACK! Right now I'm painting the spreads, here are some scans of the pen work before colouring.

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Here's the cover of my latest picture book. It's about a fire dog and takes place in a fire house.  I've always wanted to do a fire house book.

There's a big slurpy doggy kiss on the cover. I like how the cover typography came out. I also like fire engines, but red is a difficult color to do because it just gets too red!

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I feel like I've been hibernating for much of the winter. Why go out when it's icy cold and snowy? Especially when it's nice and cozy in the studio, and I can do what I love best– write and make art.

But, oh yeah– we DO have this thing about making cookies every time it snows. And it has snowed a LOT this winter! (I am capable of eating more cookies than a bear. Heh!)

Here is a wonderful and very thoughtful blogger's review of Bear and Bird. Enjoy!

Art from Bear and Bird, written by James Skofield, Sleeping Bear Press, March 2014.

(Below: Oatmeal-Butterscotch cookies. OH yeah!)

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CAUTION: A fish named Doreen has taken over my twitter feed… and now my blog! I cannot be held responsible for anything.

In celebration of POOR DOREEN (swimming into stores in March) I’m doing a fantabulous giveaway!

But before we get to the giveaway, introductions are in order.

Meet Poor Doreen, the fish star of my new picture book.

Actually. Sorry. Her full name is Mrs Doreen Randolph-Potts. Ever heard of a fish with such a name? Neither had I.

And she is quite unusual. Have you ever seen a fish in a headscarf? With an umbrella? Me neither. Nevertheless here she is.

Now, Doreen is on a mission—to visit her second cousin twice removed who’s just had 157 babies… But unknown to her, she is dodging disaster at every turn on her journey upstream—oblivious to the mortal danger she is in! She remains an oblivious unfortunate fish, utterly clueless, despite the narrator’s panicky warnings along the way… like, “OH NO DOREEN! That’s not a dragonfly! IT’S A HOOK!”

Fortunately, for Poor Doreen, that’s not the end of the book or of her. (As you’ll find out when you read the book.)

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN “POOR DOREEN” I want to hear from you! Please enter 1 of the following via Twitter, or Instagram, or my Facebook page (here) and make sure to include the hashtags to be in the running -

My fish’s name is ……. & I hope to win “Poor Doreen”! #PoorDoreen #unfortunatefish #fishynames @sallylloydjones

My fish looks like this.. & I’m entering to win “Poor Doreen” #FishFace #PoorDoreen #unfortunatefish @sallylloydjones (include a photo or drawing)

My fish met her end by…… #unfortunatefish #PoorDoreen @sallylloydjones

The contest will run until the end of March and a winner will be chosen at random to receive a free book (you may enter more than once! You may enter 101 times! As much as you like.)

And entrants will be featured in future blogs too! Don’t miss the chance to have your fish portrait shown in a glorious fish gallery.

I can’t wait to hear from you, and to share more about POOR DOREEN in coming weeks.

SLJ

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I've been too busy drawing to feed the hungry blog.  But here is a sneak peek sketch from a new book that showed up last week. This is a book with lots of fun characters. This is nice since it seems lately I've just being doing books about animals.

Lately I have done 2 cat books, 1 gator book, 2 worm books, 2 mice books, 1 pig book and a panda book. But people are endlessly fascinating and I like to draw them.

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I’ll be traveling the country this fall talking about Will in Scarlet to any vagabonds and scallywags that will listen! Below is the schedule of where you can find me and when. Be sure to check back for updates as we get closer to the actual dates!

Huzzah!

Friday, October 4^th

Voracious Reader (Larchmont, NY)

 

Sunday, October 13^th

New York Comic-Con

 

Tuesday, October 15^th 

Lemuria Books (Jackson, MS)

 

Thursday, October 17^th

The Country Bookshop (Southern Pines, NC)

 

Friday, October 18^th

McIntyre’s Books (Chapel Hill, NC)

 

Saturday, October 19^th

Barnes & Noble (Cary, NC)

 

Sunday, October 20^th

Barnes & Noble (Skokie, IL)

 

Monday, October 21^st

Anderson’s Bookshop (Downer’s Grove, IL)

 

Tuesday, October 22^nd

The Book Stall (Winnetka, IL)

 

Saturday, October 26^th

Books of Wonder (New York City, NY)

 

Friday, November 1^st

The Center for Fiction (New York – not open to the public)

 

Sunday, November 3^rd

Northshire Bookstore (Saratoga, NY)

 

Saturday, November 9th

YALLFest (Charleston, SC)

 

 

 

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I worked on this little book a while back and found out that is now available!

It's a cute bath time board book featuring a bunny! I love drawing bunnies so I was thrilled when the people at Highlights asked if I wanted to create a bunny family for this book. I'll share a few pics of the inside once I receive my copies. :o)

This book is part of a set published by Highlights for Children and it's along the lines of their new Hello Magazine for little ones. You can learn more about these books and order some if you like by clicking here.

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Want to know how I brewed up the creepy artwork for Halloween Forest? The dark secrets of the forest are about to be revealed! It's a long post so lock your doors, settle down with a cup of of your favourite brew, and read on, muwahahaha.....

Artwork for the wrap-around cover. The title was originally envisaged to cascade downwards between the branches

As every book is different,  I always strive to approach each project with a clean slate, as if it's the first I've ever illustrated. The materials I use are are fairly established, so it's the way I approach the project, my response to the text that determines how the book will take shape. I dislike books where the illustrator slaps the same branded style on whatever manuscript they receive without adapting or exploring to harmonise with the world of the author. I always try to match my work to the tone of the text. Nevertheless, in terms of production technique I do have an established process for creating books and Halloween Forest is quite a typical example of this.

detail from page 16-17

In the case of a picture book written by another writer (as opposed to my own composition) the very first impressions are crucial, often the emotional impact of the first reading can form the germ of the final illustration. It's important to get these ideas down on paper immediately, so before I began reading Marion Dane Bauer's text I made sure I had pen and pencil at hand for jotting. As I read, I noted page breaks (i.e. the natural point where text will roll onto the next page), and jotted down any ideas that immediately came to mind in tiny thumbnail shorthand on the same sheet, like so:

Raw text as received, with my initial notes

Deciding page breaks with Halloween Forest was quite straightforward because the book is in verse, each stanza roughly equated to either one page or one spread (double page) of the book.

Thumbnail jottings helped to establish some of the initial rough look of spreads. I have a cinematic way of planning images, I imagine the scene as if it were a stage, then consider a variety of poses or designs to find the best "camera angle", lighting etc. Often a very elaborate illustration can grow from a tiny compositional note. I then turned to doodling in a sketch pad in pen to explore details suggested by the story, the look of the central character, and some of the visual conundrums created by the text, such as how to visualise a forest of bones.

sketchbook doodled ideas

With some ideas thus loosely established, I then started planning the book spreads by using a storyboard such as this, still keeping everything very rough and fluid:

32-page storyboard before starting on sketches

Each square represents a double page spread of a 32-page separate ended book (that is, a book that has separate paste-down endpapers). This allows me to plan the whole book out on one sheet, because everything is small and loose I can change things around easily, scrub out, redraw etc, without any major reworking involved. Often I use post-it notes to re-organise page breaks or move ideas around until I'm happy with the overall planning. I had five or six spreads already fixed in my mind, certain 'crescendo' spreads that would provide the foundations, I developed the remaining connecting spreads around them, looking to establish a rhythmic flow of images through the book.

With the basic planning fixed and ideas of the details in sketch books etc, I then began to draw more elaborate images for each picture in pencil on A4 size paper, one sheet representing a double page spread. These sketches, though larger than the thumbnails, are therefore still considerably smaller than the final artwork. 

alternative idea for wrap-around cover (unused)

pencil sketch for the spread on pages 12-13

Pencil enables you to easily establish the tone of each picture, some images rely very much on drama created by shadows and highlight. This was a very exciting stage, as the book really began to take form, with details of line, depth and mood established.

Halloween Forest is undeniably a scary story for young children, but at the same time full of fun and rollicking energy. In the illustrations I aimed for a balance between spookiness and humour. The skeleton creatures crawling from the bone forest had to be convincing, but also attractive as characters. I was trying to create a warm glow of acceptable Halloween fright in the reader, finding the right level between scary but not truely frightening was a delicate challenge.

From the town to the forest, sketch for spread on pages 8-9

finished art for spread on pages 8-9

Once the whole book was drawn out I scanned each sketch, then in Photoshop and In Design darkened the lines, tweaked proportions, added text where necessary, and emailed the whole dummy book to the art director as a pdf file. The publishers are in America, I was in rural England, but we could have been next door to each other, ah! the wonders of technology. There were a few editorial revisions, most importantly to the last climactic pages, where it was felt there needed to be a house at the heart of the forest as the character is going trick-or-treating. So I dropped one image, adapted and brought another forward one page, and drew a new final spread of a house for page 30-31 (more on which below). Thereafter the book was given approval and I could begin on the final artwork.

cancelled image - this sketch was dropped and text rearranged so I could fit in a house spread at the end of the book

Using a photocopier, I enlarged copies of the sketches to the final size of the book. Often I work at 115% or 120%, that is to say the artwork is slightly larger than reproduction size of the book, which helps to sharpen definition of detail when it's reduced for printing. The full sized photocopies were then traced in pencil onto watercolour paper using a light box. Finally I was ready to begin inking and painting the illustrations.

Halloween Forest was a very intuitive book which flowed very smoothly, the drawings were straight out of my imagination with very little research, however for reference and to give me a real feel for the subject I looked at a lot of photos of animal bones, which were a great inspiration as well as providing direct reference, though I don't claim that every skeleton is anatomically correct!

Many of the characters were a balance between visual accuracy, fluidity of image, and animated character.

Detail from page 22,  I foolishly drew this little bird right across the trim so it was unfortunately cropped in the printed book!

Not every spread is of the forest and bones. At key points of drama I included colourful graphic images designed to jolt the reader and emphasise a turn in the narrative, in these spreads in particular I could play with font layout. As the text was laid out by the designer I gave directions in the sketches as to how I envisaged the words should appear, the design team did a wonderful job in following through with this.

spread on pages 20-21 from the printed book

ditto, pages 24-25

Finally, to show the progression of a single illustration here's a series of images of the last climatic spread on page 30-31 in the process of creation.

part way through inking with india ink

completed pen and ink drawing before colouring

at work on watercolour

Individual sections of tree were back-filled in two colours and water, which is why I'm holding multiple brushes.

defining sepia edges on the skull house

filling in the door

The painting in watercolour almost there

And finally, voila! The completed illustration.

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