OINK OINK OINK!!!!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggh!!!!

I screamed and jumped about my studio when I got THE email!!! It was Ladybird books asking me to work with them on updating their fairytales. They asked if I would do The Three Little Pigs!!! It has to be one of the most famous books ever and I am now part of it. They actually sent me a mock up of one of my old illustrations to show me how my work would look on a cover of a Ladybird Book. That sent me over the edge ha ha!!!

I actually had a blind panic as I looked at the white expanse in my sketchbook thinking OMG OMG whatever I draw may not be good enough. I'm guessing this is what writer's term as writer's block. Well I had illustrators block. Usually I am so excited at a commission I have to draw there and then but this time I couldn't.

Eventually I gave myself a talking to and said I told myself to stop being silly and to treat it exactly how I always do and forget it's for a book and just draw for myself. And that is what I did. I sent them about six variations for the front cover and they really liked them. After a couple of sketches later I was ready to paint the cover.

They then sent me the art directions for the whole book and I read the opening paragraph and it took me back to the original book when I was a little girl. It had come full circle from my parent's reading to me as a child to me copying the pictures and colouring them in with my amazing crayola crayons... I loved them I had the lot!!! mmmm the smell of them were amazing lol... to actually drawing for Ladybird books!!! As you can see I am over the moon!!

I have been working constantly on the illustrations and over the last two weeks it's been 24/7 painting. When I was feeling tired and fed up at times living as a painting hermit I thought about the book printed all colourful and new in bookstores ready for a pair of tiny hands smiling when they would say I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!!! And I would suddenly get a new burst of inspiration.

It's all painted now and I am just awaiting feedback for any changes that may need doing. And then it's printing time.

And no rest for the illustrator... I am now working on another Ladybird title... The Elves and The Shoemaker. And guess what I can't wait to start painting already!!! I'm just crossing my fingers there will be another one for me to illustrate after this one :-)



Ladybird,pigs,three little pigs, children,books,illustrations,illustrator

Better update... It's about time!!!

I have been such a busy bee that I have neglected my blog!!! Sorry blog I love you really :-)

Since January I have become a full time illustrator yaaaaaaay!!!!
MY DREAM CAME TRUE!!!!!

I have been working solidly since January and have work up until August time. I literally haven't had the time to start promoting myself yet ha ha!!! I'm not complaining... Not many people can say they love their job. How many people can put on their Facebook status... Painting in my pj's today!

I have had several commissions including some educational work with Oxford University Press and greeting cards companies.

OSCAR
I was so excited when my publisher from Palimpsest Press asked me to do a picturebook based on the paintings she had seen of Oscar for their new imprint Magpie Books.

It was an idea I had ages ago and I ended up submitting one of these paintings to Images competition and it ended up in their yearly annual and exhibition.

Sooooo I sent in my story idea and with the help of talented Jordan Troutt the story of Oscar was ready to be illustrated. It will be ready to go to print very soon. I can't wait to see the actual book. It is based on one of my two cats Oscar who is really greedy and fat. So the character Oscar is wanting more milk and takes a journey up to the moon to share a milky feast with the other cats.






http://www.magpiebooks.ca/

www.sarahprestonillustration.com

My new website is live and I am happy to say it's as girlie as I wanted it to be!! Cross fingers that it will be a successful promotional platform for my work!!

Now it is live I now need to promote myself big style! Next step is to get some promotional postcards out there and post post post to publisher and companies who would find my illustrations useful!



I am really pleased with my little girlie icons and have framed two of them in my newly decorated smaller bedroom as I have uprooted my studio from the box room to the main bedroom... More room for ever growing artwork!!!

New Me, New Logo, New Website(Coming Soon) and New Email

Well I have struggled over the last 4 weeks with illness so any lucid or well time I have had I have been trying to design a new logo. It has taken a lot longer than I had anticipated, not only because of illness but my inability to make decisions.

So at the moment this is my final logo design for my new name - Sarah Preston Illustration and new website - www.sarahprestonillustration.com (Coming Sooon!!!!)




Here are a few of the stages that led me to the final design.




I started off with a few sketches creating a little character that representing my characters in my illustrations incorporating my new signature with the S and P with a flower.



I then decided to relate the character to myself but also to incorporate the style and look of my characters in it too. So long blonde hair and my eyebrows were added.



I decided to go digital as it was for a logo but felt the colours didn't match the richness of my illustrations



So I tried a variety of colours but was still unsure. My son Dan said why don't you just paint it and it will reflect your style of illustrations!!!! Why reinvent the wheel!!! The obvious was staring me in the face so in between migraines I eventually managed to create my new logo. Now for my little buttons to be used for my website!!!

New Website(Coming Soon) www.sarahprestonillustration.com
New email - hello@sarahprestonillustration.com

New Logo!

Well as I have changed my name back to my maiden name I decided to rebrand myself. New website, new logo, new look. I want a more quirky and cute look that reflects my style. I decided to use Illustrator and vector art as I felt it had to look clean and fresh and have the abilty to work well in both colour and black and white. I also felt it works well both small and large scale.

So I decided to develop my basic skills in Illustrator as I am going to introduce a digital portfolio as another string to my bow. I would like to also get into the licensing market developing illustrations for stationary, textiles, ceramics in fact I will illustrate on absolutely anything and although my love for acrylics is my number one style I would like to show how versatile I can be.

So this week it's sketching illustrations for my website theme and then developing loads of cutesy characters for wrapping paper and textiles!!!

Busy bee!!!!!

Well here is my logo! It might change. Any comments and criticism would be gratefully be accepted and taken on board!

Illustration Friday - Muddy

An illustration based on the fairytale Donkeyskin where the princess tried to get out of marrying the king by disguising herself as a peasant.

Creative Boom - Standing out from the Crowd

I hadn't picked up a pencil for a good few months due to separating from my husband. My life felt like it had come to a stand still and I had jumped off the merry-go-round of life. I couldn't face anymore rejection. So over Christmas and New Year I spent lots of time socialising with my friends. Amazing friends who got me through the months and months of anger and sadness with lots of cuddles, dancing and laughter. But there was always such a hole inside of me and I presumed this was the fact I had no love in my life. But as I got back on track and picked up my pencil and smelt the acrylic paints I realised that black pit in my stomach was the fact I'd stopped being creative, stopped doing what I loved.

So I'm back drawing and painting and trying to get my work seen by as many people as possible. Yes I want the success and I'm sure one day it will come but I will never again stop drawing and painting even when I feel at my worst. Creating little characters and illustrations brings me a happiness that fills that empty void and helps me to forget the mess going on around me even if only for a short space of time. Inevitably I will have rejection in my life however no one can stop my love of being creative and take away them few hours of oblivion as another little character comes to life in front of my eyes.

I have to admit I am not the best at trying to promote myself and although I do have an agent it is such a large establishment that I am lost amongst the hundreds of other illustrators. So I made promotional packs, started to put some work on my blog and Illustration Friday. I have also started trying to get my work seen on other portfolio sites. I got a call out of the blue from an old friend from school living in Australia who really gave me a boost and started the cogs rolling again. I am going to get my website redesigned. New year, new me, new look! Things are looking up!!!

And even though I have had an injury this week that has knocked me for six I received an email saying I'd had my work reviewed in an online design magazine Creative Boom. It's a little stepping stone!!!!! One day I will stand out from the crowd!!!!!