"Jazz in the jungle"

Here we are again, getting things ready for the Illustrapedia monthly competition. October's challenge was "Musicians". This time I ended up in the second position, not bad at all considering that Robert was the winner!

August 2009

This months theme for the Illustrapedia challenge was "Space Aliens". And those were my visions.

Cosmic Bus

(Photoshop)

You are welcome, Marks and Spencer!

This Competition was launched in August 2009.

The following year I discovered they were in the end using my design without my permission.

Counting was the theme of the Puzzle competition launched once more by Tigerprint. Here was the original artwork that I presented (They even copied the stripy zebra, and the background)

..shame on you, M&S.

Counting in the jungle

(Photoshop)

July 2009

Another group that was born after Waterstone’s competition was The Fairy Tale Group.

13 double spreads, each one illustrated by a different artist to create a rhyme book taking the Classic Fairy Tales as the main theme.
‘Once Upon a Fairy Tale’ is not only a charming children’s book, it’s also a guessing game for the young ones, where they have to guess the title of each story by reading the hidden clues in each rhyme.
(I also had the honour to design back and front covers.)

The Princess and the pea.
(Gouache, colour pencil & Photoshop)

We were all working from a different location so the comunication had to be almost 24/7 and the information had to be very accured as well.

Finally, 5 of us had the chance to meet in Birmingham where we worked together doing the dummy book.

(See below for more details.)

"Once Upon A Fairy Tale".. The making of (Birmingham '09)

After "Freddie and the Fairy" (a competition launched by Waterstone's), more than 20 undiscovered artists met online and created "ILUSTRAPEDIA" (in flickr), but only 13 of them wanted to go further, and so, they created a book.

Since we were all based around Ireland and Uk, we were working independently on our own spread and rhymes and we were helping each other through the internet. Until the book came all together in Birmingham, were 5 of us were lucky enough to meet.

First step: To print all those double spreads. Caroline (the one on the right) did that for us. (Thanks Caroline!!!)

Second step: Sticking the pages together... and the covers as well.

Third step: the master piece is born! Ta-da! Let's take it to the publishers. (I love the diversity of the styles on the covers, every character interacts somehow with the rest of the characters around).

July 2009

Another Tigerprint competition, this time was Christmas Patterns for Greeting Cards, Wrapping paper, Bags, Boxes…

Snowman parade
(Gouache & Photoshop)

This time they also asked for a Mock Up to see how we imagine our designs.
Here are my ideas.

Snowman parade Mock Up
(Photoshop)

June 2009

Tigerprint’s competitions are great way to keep on trying new things.
This particular one was the New Baby character for Greeting Cards.

Little Chick
(Photoshop & Textures)

Here’s my second entry, more appropriate for Baby Boy.

I also did a Baby girl (pink tones) and a neutral one with a white background.

Little Chick, baby boy
(Photoshop & Textures)

June 2009

Old John is a sailor that’s based on the Catalan Children’s song “Tinc un avi”. A description of this character who has a white beard, loves the sea, explain fantastic stories and has a smoking pipe with nothing in it but smoke. I felt inspired while remembering the song, and that’s the result.

Old John
(Collage using Photoshop)

June 2009

Followed by Waterstone’s competition, most of the contestants organised themselves into small groups to work together in new projects. That’s how Illustrapedia was born (between others). Every month a new challenge to deliver always focused on Children as our audience. June’s challenge was Dinosaurs, and here comes little Lucy.

Lucy
(Gouache)

‘Picture This’ was a Waterstone’s competition, an opportunity for unpublished illustrators to work with, Julia Donaldson in her new book: Freddie and the Fairy.

Freddie
(Gouache)

I only found out about the competition two days before the deadline, so on the last day I took a train from Bournemouth to London to deliver my work: The 3 main Characters, 2 animals and a double spread.

Freddie to the rescue! -Double Spread
(Gouache)

August 2008

During a trip to Zurich I wrote a manuscript for a Children’s Book that I’m illustrating in my spare time. Jack is coming home with a new friend, but mum is having a bath and dad is too busy to meet Jack’s new friend.

Jack
(Gouache, colour pencil & Photoshop with textures)

May 2008

As a freelance artist I worked as a Character Designer and animator for a videoclip.
Les Poissons is a song that teaches French basic words to the little ones in an easy and funny way. The full video can be seen in Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcLIIz8p35M

Les Poissons
(Photoshop with textures & animated in After effects)

March 2008

Leo the Chameleon started only as a sketch but once it got stuck in my head it became an animated short film.

Leo
(Photoshop & Textures)

January 2008

Those are Sophie and her troublemaker friend; both were designed to be the main characters of an educational series.

Sophie’s rules
(Mixed Technique)

August 2007

King Edward was getting old and wanted to have grandchildren. His beautiful daughter, Princess Rose, always spoke her mind which highly annoyed her father. One day, out of anger, he yelled. ‘On your next birthday, young lady, you will marry the first poor man who even dares to ask your hand in marriage!’ That day arrived and the Majesties were woken up by a loud commotion early in the morning.

(Mixed Technique)

April 2007

I always wanted to do a crazy scenario and finally In the City was born: A neighbour complaining about the noise upstairs, a shepherd taking his sheep to the dentist while waiting for the bus to come and many other funny things to discover.

In the City
(Watercolour and Gouache)

September 2004

My final project at the Arts College was an animation about two sheep crossing a rope bridge at the same time. Ba, the arrogant white sheep, was determined to do so even if she had to pass over Be the lazy black sheep on the other side.
This short film is based on Jean de la Fontaine’s Fable: The Two Goats.

Ba i Be
(Photoshop with textures & animated in Flash)

September 2002

Here are 3 friendly characters I designed while studying in the Arts College of Barcelona.
Geometrical shapes for the little ones to enjoy.

Mis Enriqueta, Mister Architect and the Police Officer.

(Colour Pencils)