pp: research - pan macmillan

Pan Macmillan is a publishing house which publishes a wide range of different books, not just specialising in children's books. Their HQ is located in London, so it is a little bit far away from me. They have published works that I am very inspired by including The Gruffalo, The Detective Dog and Hansel & Gretel (by Bethan Woollvin). They have a diverse range of books, which they seperate into different age ranges. The way they do this is a bit complicated to me, as I would not know in which age range my books would sit. each year they hold a competition for children's books, which is how i found out about them in the first place. They also offer work placements which i would be really interested in if they weren't so far away in london!

pp: moo sample pack

whilst looking at business cards, i noticed that MOO has an option to send you a sample pack so you can see what each of their different types looks and feels like. i thought i would get one because i was unsure on all the options and i thought being able to hold one in my hand would be the most simple way to decide.

I didn't know they did so many different business cards! the shiney ones are amazing, although they are the most expensive and unfortunately i dont think i have the funds for that type just yet.

 After looking at all of the different types that they had, there was something about this little square one that drew me in. It's so simple just to change the shape yet i think it's really cool, you don't see a lot of square business cards! i think this one is my favourite and i might try to come up with some designs using a square card and see what i think then.

pp: research - gareth robinson

gareth robinson is an illustrator who i discovered from looking at beehive illustration's website. his work stood out to be for it's simplicity and charming qualities and i think to be able to stand out in that big of a crowd on their website is something pretty cool.

his website didn't lend much in the way of information about the artist behind the work, but i think his work stands for itself mostly. i really love the simplicity of it, and how it works really well without needing all the fancy textures. as someone who struggles working with backgrounds, this could be a style and a way of which i can work around that, making them more simple.

pp: beehive illustration agency

beehive illustration is an illustration agency working from Gloucestershire. their website tells about how they create artwork for thousands of children's books around the world. their website showcases a lot of their different artists (and there is quite a lot). i think even though i would really like an agency, one with so many artists feels less personal to me and i would like to know that i wouldn't just get lost in the crowd of people's names and pictures. i want my work to be able to stand out and make someone stop and click on it.

there is an artist that they represent who i found on their website who i am really interested in and will research into their work further. 

pp: research - anna cattish

anna cattish is a comic artist and character designer. i decided to research into her practice because i really love the character designs that she creates. she doesn't have much of a website other than a tumblr, so i can't really find a portfolio of hers but i picked some of her tumblr posts that i liked the best.

one of the things about her characters that really intrigues me is the unconventional body shapes. they are unrealistic and interesting, mostly featuring very long and slim legs. i really like this way of character designing, it makes the characters seem more otherwordly and interesting. i would like to try and incorporate this within my own work, to make my characters seem more ethereal and fun to look at. i think it will work for children's illustration too because it will be more fun for kids to look at and they don't care about things having proper anatomical proportions. 

pp: more creative business cards

 here is a collection of business cards that i found from when i went to the end of year show last year. i remember collecting ones that stood out to me and were colorful and fun.

these few were my favourite for the craftmanship and the designs. i prefer the mixture of hand-drawn and type on the back of the cards because it adds a personal touch but having the contact information in a typeface makes that more legible. 

i also think that making sure that the business cards are of good quality is important because i could tell the difference when holding them in my hands. i was definitely more drawn towards the business cards that were better quality.

pp: research - ella okstad

Ella Okstad is a children's illustrator who currently resides in Norway. She works a lot on books that authors have written and she illustrates. This is something that I myself am interested in doing because sometimes I'm not sure what type of children's book i would write, so having someone approach me with an idea instead would be a lot more fun. Plus working together on characters etc sounds like a really fun way to collaborate. Her work is very cute and whimsical, with the characters having a 'messy' but relatable feel. I think she is someone who my practice is really inspired by.

If i was to email her i would ask the following questions:

What is it like working on someone else's story?

What is your creative progress?

Do you prefer writing your own stories or collaborating?

What programme do you use to create your work?