the graveyard book

Ooh, how exciting, a new book by two of my favourite collaborators - Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. It occurred to me today, when speaking to Jackson, how unsurprising it is that authors are inspired by their children. Apparently the germ of the idea for The Graveyard Book appeared when Neil Gaiman used to take his 18 month old son over the road to the graveyard to ride his tricycle. (He lived in a flat with lots of stairs and no garden). It lay dormant for a long time before emerging. While speaking to Jack today he told me "polar bears would like to live in trees".... it got me thinking....

lantern walk

The 'lantern walk' illustration for the winter issue of Juno.

I'll be attending the 2008 Royal Mail Awards for Scottish Children's Books on Tuesday 18 November (not as a nominee unfortunately!!)

dabbling

I had a wee shot of a friend's (very expensive) camera at the weekend, took a pic of Jack, then went at the original in Photoshop. The original is at the top, my effort underneath. I think it's quite cute...

winter juno

Finished illustration for the winter issue of Juno. One more to do - a lantern parade!

collecting her nectar like bees

Illustration rough for the Winter issue of Juno magazine - this one will be fun!

Quote (from upcoming Juno article "The Venerable Years" by Ruth Meyers):

"I worked with one play leader in the seventies before playgroups came under the homogenising umbrella of education, who sat in the one place all session to the most wonderful effect. I saw her as a solid and benevolent presence for the children. The place she usually chose to sit was the dough table. I never saw her scribble one note or observation, neither did she dole out progress reports to parents. She was always surrounded by small groups of children, they came and went, collecting her nectar like bees. The children glowed and animated with such sweet juice of the gods! She was always covered in flour because she loved to play with the dough as she chatted to the children. I find it hard to imagine such an easy, cosy and child-friendly scene in a playgroup or nursery today."