"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)