Patterns

One of the things I've always been interested in is patterns and surface design. Unfortunately we never covered this in our illustration course ... This was not going to stop me having a go myself though ...

Ships! Based on this...

Toys and dancing based on this...

Paper Anniversary

I love you Mr Sunshine ... last year you made me the happiest woman alive ... and you keep doing so on a regular basis ... lets go build some sofa forts! ;)

Uncle Albert

This was one of my favourite-est self directed projects. I wanted to do something science-based for the degree show ... and this was it. Done in the last few weeks of my degree, these were cover re-designs (and endpapers/title pages) for a set of children's books by Russell Stannard called the "Uncle Albert" series. They are fictional, but use storytelling to teach kids the principles of quantum physics. The books revolve around Uncle Albert (Einstein) teaching his niece Gedanken all about the wonders of the universe by magically being transported into his thought bubbles; and I loved them from my very first read.

I read them initially when I was doing my Post Graduate Diploma in Science Communication (yes, I have too many qualifications), where my dissertation was on "science writing for children"; and have always wanted to put my own slant on the covers. Here's each of the three covers with accompanying endpapers and title pages (they are animated gifs - so some of you might have browsers that don't allow it!)




Some sketchy images...

La Mer, Le Ciel (The Sea, the Sky)

This was my entry for the Cheltenham Illustration Awards with the theme of "Travelers Tales". I went with the idea of 'the grass is always greener on the other side' - with a fish who wants to travel the skies, and a bird who wants to travel the seas ... Details and development sketches below:


Hmmm.... quite like the octopus .....

Launch

This little boy ended up on my final postcards and some of my business cards. He was originally done as part of my proposed design for our London show invites - to "launch" all our new careers as illustrators. I really like these long composition versions and that's how they were printed up for the degree show (at about 200% of their original size). Here's them in context of the invite (front and back) and some closeups:



Last but not least some development sketches:

Royal Cycling

This year's AOI/TFL competition was on the theme of "Cycling in London". I entered the two images above. This is what the multitude of Queens were about. Here's some more sketchbook work.


Although the image of the Queen and her corgi is my favourite, the horseguard on a tandem made the cut and is one of the 50 chosen to be exhibited at London Transport Museum till 22nd August 2010 :)

Trotting with Mr Fox ... revisited

Remember this from last year? Well, it did get revisited again this Easter - improved and submitted for Macmillan. Above are the final 6 spreads I entered. And here's a selection of sketchbook develomental work.


Although it didn't get anywhere with Macmillan, I've had a lot of my friends - especially the dancers - be really interested for themsleves (and the young people in their lives...). The bulk of the storyline and drawings are done so hopefully I'll finish off the other 10 or so spreads (and cover) over summer and maybe self publish it. Watch this space for news!

Alice's Adventures on Planetmithi

Finally ... its all over. Although "the end" was a few weeks ago, we've had a couple more shows in London, which meant that I have still been preoccupied with college life - till last Friday that is. At 5:50pm Friday I started taking down my work from the walls at the Coningsby Gallery; wrapped up books/portfolio/chair; Sunshine then proceeded to come pick me up and we stuffed everything in the car; I said my goodbyes; and we headed back to Bristol. Apart from the graduation ceremony in November - I will not need to have to do anything with the university ever again! Blimey! What a quick three years this has been ... Anyways, now I can finally sit down and spend the rest of the week updating the blog with all of this last few months worth of work.

This was my entry for the Puffin Cover Design competition to re-design Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.


I did a sneak peak of some sketchbook work earlier, but here's some more:


Over the next week I'll be putting up more stuff that was in the degree show ...

BA (Hons) Illustration 2010, UWE

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the graduating class of 2010 BA (Hons) Illustration, University of the West of England. Go forth and illustrate! And the rest of you go forth and check out their work ...

Frank Adam
Lucy Bayley
Greg Bott
Anne Marie Callaghan
Jack Cassidy-Seed
Ashley Clarke
Charlotte Cooke
Charlotte Dawson
Jonathan Dodds
Ella Dore
Sara Dunkerton
Owen Gatley
Jennie Gyllblad
Caroline Halliwell
Adam Hancher
Charlotte Hobbs
Jack Hudson
Alice Hyde
Luke Jinks
Christine Lau
Pearl Law
Liam McAuley
Aidan Meighan
Kate Nelms
Christian Norman
Richard Partridge
Małgorzata Piątkowska
Harry Powell
Emily Rawle
Ignjat Reljic Djuric
Olly Robertson
Lewis Rowley
Harry Sankey
Gaby Selby
Mithila Shafiq
Laurie Stansfield
Tengku Adam
Kirsty Thatcher
Megan Warre
Mark Wilding
Cei Willis
Regine Yong
Francesca Lloyd

The end.

This is it folks ... 3 years (4 if you include the foundation) of blood sweat and tears ... and it all ends with some bits on a wall and some stuff on the floor ...

I am beyond tired and just need to take some time off - although we still have quite a full three weeks ahead of London shows, portfolio reviews and Junior Fellowships to apply for.

More pictures and updates once I get my life back in order ...

Here's to new beginnings!

ps, the show is still on till the 24th. All details, plus London show details on the right hand sidebar

... and it is LIVE!

Click on the image to go to the NEW and IMPROVED website!


Thank you to Sunshine who helped tremendously with code-hacking.

And in other news ... my list of things to do seems to get longer the more things I tick off!

HIGHS: Mounts cut. Website up (still not convinced about banner image Updated!). Silk mmm... . Moo stuff has arrived. Booked into portfolio review with someone from Walker Books. Got into the AOI/TFL Cyling in London competition!

LOWS: Prints still not ready yet; some other things I tried printing just didn't happen (yesterday was the first time I cried throughout this whole process ... it has been so stressful and EVERYTHING went wrong yesterday). I haven't generated nearly as much work as everyone else as I've had loads of colour/screen/print issues which means I've wasted alot of time just trying to get the colour/printing correct on the images I DO have. I have kicked myself for not getting confident cycling and driving over the last year as it would have been SO useful this past week (I must have walked MILES between the main campus - studios - printers -stationers - etc in the last two weeks). No weekend access to the studios (I'm not even going to go there - that is a story for AFTER we graduate). Have to get AOI/TFL image printed, framed and sent off to London by Degree show day (what bad timing!). AOI/TFL opening night is same as our London Degree show ... damns!

Off to whitewash the show space today and tomorrow. And then its putting up show next week! CHINKIES!

Drip feeding...

Here I am lovely peeps ... drip feeding you content to keep you interested.

Planetmithi is in full blown get-ready-for-degree-show mode. Today, postcards and mountboards were ordered. I am still making images, still have to print them, and decide what's going up on the walls at the show and what's going in my portfolio; tweeking website and all manner of other bits and bobs.

Ah, and yes, the Degree Show info is up! Lookie (click on image to go to site):

PRIVATE VIEW (invitation only)

Friday 18 June 18.00-21.00

GENERAL OPENING
Saturday 19 June 10.00-18.00
Sunday 20 June 10.00-16.00
Monday 21-Thursday 24 June 10.00-20.00

We are also going to be in LONDON twice:

D&AD New Blood 2010
(With Graphic Design, and a limited show)
The Old Truman Brewery
15 Hanbury Street
London E1 6QL

Industry Private View on Thursday 24th June 2010
Continues until Monday 28th June 2010
10am to 6pm daily

And the Coningsby Gallery,
(Just illustration so more substantial show than D&AD - but smaller than UWE show)
30 Tottenham Street
London W1T 4RJ

Private View on Monday 5th July 2010 (6:30-9pm)
Continues until 9th July 2010
10am to 6pm daily

Please come and see us!!!

Ye Olde Stuffe

Earlier this week, the lovely and very talented Miss Hattie Newman sent me this image ... its something I helped her with way back in August 2009. I'd almost forgotten about it ... its the New York skyline done with books - for a Royal Mail internal magazine. It was lovely working with Hattie ... Favourite bit had to be precariously hanging books to look like they were flying :)

Aaaaand here is a picture of the Queen ...

Hello there those lovely people who still come back to see what's up on planetmithi - almost nothing by the looks of it ... but fear not! A LOT of work is happening behind the scenes and we are T-minus 37 days to the degree show!

I've been working days, evenings, weekends ... and it feels (mostly) good. My work is finally beginning to look a bit more consistent, and I'm much happier with where it is going. Its amazing how much its moved on from just 6 months ago. They've been cracking the whip at college and you can see the reasons why as everyone's work is really coming together. There is a real buzz in the studios and I think it is going to be one hell of a good show :)

I still have a lot of images to make and work to do - and I really need to rehash this blog and my portfolio site, and design some personal stationery/business cards on top of all that. Have a look at our timetable leading up to the three (one Bristol, and two London) shows ... its manic!

I promise I'll upload all the work I'm doing now (including process sketches etc) once the show is up and I have a bit more time on my hands ... but in the meantime, here are some drawings of the Queen to keep you entertained ...