Creative Tips & Resources

Just a quick note - 

If you haven't seen these before and you're stepping out into the world of creative freelancing - they could very well be useful!
I've been writing (almost) monthly articles about Creative Tips & Resources for your fight through the freelance jungle over at Ten Paces and Draw. So far I've covered how to get your portfolio looking gorgeous (and professional!), using brushes & textures in digital illustration and 'Getting started, getting seen' - with plenty more topics on the way!

Now, I promise it's not just all ramblings from me in there! I've been in touch with some amazingly talented illustrators, industry professionals and all round fountains of knowledge who have given their insights, advice and processes to help you along your way (think the likes of Kali Ciesemier, Tigerprint, Advocate Art, Fig Taylor of the AOI etc etc etc)

Each article has a plethora (yes that's right, a plethora!) of useful links and pointers to fantastic creative freelancer resources from all across the digital plain. 

So get on over and broaden your freelancing artillery - it's a tough world out there!

Tell your friends!

Back to School

Just a quick illustration for all those back to schoolies this week! Do your little ones love going back to school or do you have to drag them out of bed in the morning?!

Fallen Flowers homeware

What's this heap of pretty you say? Well! It's a 'Fallen flowers' surface pattern that I finished yesterday, and has now hit the digital shelves of Ohh Deer as a gorgeous cushion (and soon hopefully notebooks/other nice things).  Hurray!

I've had a bit of radio silence in terms of producing work for Ohh Deer (I'm one of the first bunch of illustrators to get involved) - I've just been drowning in a swampy mush of book work.  Well, that makes it sound a lot worse than it has actually been - it's been good, but yeah, I've not had much time to work on anything else. 

Anyway, if you fancy prettying up your livingroom/bedroom/conservatory/shed/mountain shack/prison cell/studio/boat then get on over to this link - http://ohhdeer.com/product/fallen-flowers

and get yourself one now.  Ohh Deer ship worldwide too, so don't let that stop you : )

Tell your mum!

P.s. My Sylvester and the New Year book is going to print today! EEE!

Exciting post! Sneaky peek!

I was beyond excited today when the dummy books for my newest children's book 'Sylvester and the New Year' arrived from my publishers in Portugal! 
It's so very nearly finished and will be hitting the shelves this November! I'll try not to squeak too loudly.

What do you think from this sneak peek? Do you think any kids you know would like it?
Send me your digital words!

Love, Emmeline x

The Bookseller magazine

Hey everyone!

I got some good news a few days ago.  My newly finished children's book 'Sylvester and the New Year' was featured on the very first page of The Bookseller's Children's Buyer's Guide magazine (alongside a couple of fellow Falmouth Illustration BA graduates Ellie Jenkins and Owen Davey).

It's part of a feature on my up-and-coming publishers Far Far Away Books who are working with me on at least four books this year! 

This is the first look at the cover, though this is subject to change at this point - I think for legal issues with the story being 'inspired by a tale told by poet Eduard Mörike' a few hundred years ago we might not be able to put the name text on the front - I think it's quite cool not to have names on the cover, but don't worry, my name will be huge on the title page!  ;-) 

It's a very magical book, full of pretty spacey-cloud landscapes, gates into different worlds, billowing sparkles and a lot of chaps with beards. 

It should be out this November, so I'll keep you updated! 

I'm hoping you're all well, keep in touch.

Emmeline x

Family, love and old photographs

Now it's not that often that I write very personal posts here, particularly if they're not to do with my work - but I felt I needed to share this.

Earlier this year we lost my wonderful Grandad Michael Pidgen, and today would've been his birthday.
He was always so incredibly supportive and proud of me and my work, I remember when he was in the hospital he kept asking the nurses to bring him the card I made him (a drawing of him and me) so he could look at it.  I've dedicated my new book 'Sylvester and the New Year' to him and to my Granny, I wish he could have seen it finished, he seemed to love the first pages I showed him.  

I know everyone thinks their Grandparents are the best in the world, but I have to say my Grandad was a truly, truly amazing man.  He had so many adventures throughout his life and was probably the kindest person I've ever had the honour to know - he would absolutely light up a room and make everyone feel at ease and loved completely. 
I wish I could tell you all the brilliant stories about my Grandad, but this doesn't seem the right place - they're more tales over a cup of tea than digital words. 
It might not come as a surprise that I'm crying my eyes out as I write this, I miss him so much - so I'll stop writing and just share some beautiful old snapshots with you (note how gorgeous my Granny was back in the day!).  

 

The snapshot above was taken during my their four years living in Singapore.  To the left is my Grandad looking rather Inspector Clouseau-esque, and below are some gorgeous snapshots of my Granny when she was younger- I particularly love the one of her gossiping with her bestie!

What?

So, I ordered this [gorgeous] picture book the other day...and it arrived in THIS! 

What?! 

A little excessive don't you think Amazon? 
I won't deny seriously considering building a fort and/or giant cardboard origami hat.

LGBT Embrace Cards

Looky, Looky! 

The brand new Embrace Cards website has just gone live!
I was one of two illustrators designing cards for the launch of the brand - which focuses on LGBT greetings cards to include everyone and push for positive change! 

Go and take a look at www.embracecards.com (and hey, why not buy a few?).  They have a fantastic ethos and were wonderful to work with.

Windmills

Hi guys!

Just a quick one to show you my very first toe-dip into making Gif's! 
This was going to (and quite likely will be..) part of a print inspired by my recent trip to Amsterdam.  Yes, yes, I know it's a little cliché with the windmills and all, but what can I say? That's what I saw!

In other news, it looks like there are going to be at least two new book commissions on the horizon for me! I'm very excited and started some spec work today.  I'll tell you more when I can!

Have a gorgeous evening lovely ones x

Amsterdam

Hey everyone!

Boy oh boy do I have some adventures to tell you about!  As you may or may not have heard, last week I spent some time in the beautiful city of Amsterdam in The Netherlands. 

I think it's completely fair to say I was in desperate need of a break. There'd been a few months there without a single day off working on those books, and yes, it does slowly drain your soul after a while (not that I don't love working intensely on lots of children's book commissions!).

So, I needed a re-charge.  For my screen-weary eyes, graphics-tablet-crippled hand, harvested imagination and general body and soul.  What better place than exploring a gorgeous European city full of bicycles and canals!  Plus, the flights were cheap.

Okay, okay, I know - don't worry, I won't bore you with hundreds of touristy snapshots of me and the Mister (well, maybe just the one of us on the pannenkoekenboot!) and every canal view in the city. This is a blog about illustration 

after all, but some of them are just too memory-capturing and lovely to resist. 

Ace warehouse on the North side of the river-right next to the MTV Euro HQ

One thing I think you'll definitely be interested in seeing is these snapshots 

taken from the amazing and humongous Library.  It was definitely near the top of 
places we wanted to visit in Amsterdam, apart from us both being bibliophiles we'd 
been recommended the gorgeous and free view from the top!  I have to say, it was a 
really impressive library.  Not so much in terms of sheer volume of books, but just how 
comfortable and intinuitive it was.  Lovely lighting, seats everywhere, relaxed atmosphere..

Also! We stumbled upon this exhibition of the Dutch editions of 'Little Golden Books'.  

Gorgeous retro illustration, characters and giant books galore!

Yes, that's me; a children's book illustrator, reading a children's book, in a window, in a giant children's book.

We hired some old bicycles to explore the city and ended up getting completely lost (I love being lost) and finding THIS sign!  We'd obviously cycled a lot further north than we anticipated... 

Over that bridge were mile upon mile of gorgeous, flat wetlands.  We navigated through the marshy pathways amidst the rainfall, cycling through tiny, rustic villages with gorgeous houses like these:

and, er, buffalo statues!

We did finally make it back to central Amsterdam that evening - it was a good 30 mile or so bicycle ride though! Adventures are the best.

We spent a lot of time in the gorgeous parks and sitting at the sides of canals - 
watching people go by and snoozing in the sunshine.  
Such perfect places to fill my sketchbook up!

Okay, I'll leave the tales at that for now, come and have a chat if you want to hear more (think jumping on canal boats with an old Clint Eastwood-alike called Hubert, or me getting hit off my bicycle by a crazy cyclist and having to barge into a Dutch bar covered in blood and bruises!).  

You should definitely go to Amsterdam sometime, I think you'll

really like it.  Go and have some adventures, I'll speak to you soon x

Aeroplanes and words

Hi!


I've still been working very, very hard on the three children's books - but things are winding down now.  Snapped by Sam for Octopus Publishing is done and dusted, and the other two for Far Far Away Books are almost finished. Nearly there!


I've spent a few days recently just hanging around waiting for feedback, which, although it left me feeling a little lost, was great for giving me some time to work on personal illustration projects.


Yesterday would've been famed pilot lady Amelia Earhart's 115th birthday, which reminded me that she had been on my list to draw for a very long time indeed.  This is a combo of ink linework, digital colouring and a fair few textures. You can see the work in progress below it too (something I might keep doing more of if you like).

I think Amelia's story is fascinating, I love a good mystery.

I posted this WIP up on Tumblr yesterday asking for a bit of feedback and someone pointed out that they thought the scarf looked like an open chest and heart! Which, although it's quite an morbid perception, I saw once it'd been said - so of course, I've changed it - looks better now right?

This is a quick one I sketched up yesterday for my friends at Creative Boom's third birthday.

Creative Boom is a great site supporting and advising up and coming creative businesses - they've helped me out a lot, so, yeah, they deserved a card I say.

Sorry if this post is a little in-cohesive.  I'm pretty exhausted and in the midst of packing to go to Amsterdam tomorrow afternoon! I'll be coming back with a ton of drawings (hopefully), but there'll be some radio silence for a few days.  Have a good week lovelies!

Let me know what you think of the new illustrations, and keep in touch.

Best of the web

Hi everyone!


I've been more or less chained to my desk working for the past few months, juggling three book commissions as well as a few other bits and bobs at the same time.  It's been great, but a little stressful! I can't wait to show you what I've been working on.


In the midst of all this crazy work, I got some really nice news last week.  Pocketchange shopping blog have included this page in their 'best of the web' section, promoting their choice of blogs they love and websites that their readers may enjoy. Hurray!