Puffin Competition

This is my entry for the Puffin competition to find the new James and the Giant Peach book cover to celebrate Puffin’s 70th anniversary. I worked on this competition during my Narrative unit at University.

I decided to use these colours to complement the original penguin book cover designs.

The peach tree is described as being dead, whereas the peach is golden and glowing, therefore I wanted to portray this contrast. Continuing with this theme I placed the fresh peach on the front cover and the dead peach stone (which James converted into a home in central park, New York) on the back.

James and the Giant peach final pieces

These two miserable ladies are Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge I used some of the old Edwardian photographs I had in my collection as reference. I altered the photographs a lot so that they would resemble the description of the aunt’s written by Roald Dahl.  The book was written in 1961 so I looked into late 1950′s fashion for the aunt’s dresses. After reading the book I felt that even though there is a whole section where they insult each other, the only thing they have in the world is each other. Therefore I felt that they should wear an identical style of dress but to separate them using a different colour.  However after I had completed the drawing and stepped back to look at it,I felt that they looked more like a pair of grumpy dinner ladies. Therefore I would probably reconsider their wardrobe.

This illustration is the witch’s skull that was used as a cauldron to boil the crocodile tongues. These tongues are what result in the peaches gigantic growth. After I researched other James and the Giant Peach illustrations I felt that this section wasn’t really covered apart from the odd illustration of the magical old man.

The gigantic peach in the process of growing. Through the book the peach is described in many different ways but what I picked up on was how it was described as being a giant glowing ball and  golden. Therefore I wanted to make sure my soft colour pencil lines demonstrated this. I am considering using this image on the front cover for my book deign for James and the Giant peach for Puffin books.

After the growth of the peach and James enters the peach pit he encounters theses amazing creatures. They are insects but just as the peach has grown to an abnormal size so have the insects.

Again being written in 1961 I researched into some different 50′s cars for this illustration.

The photo I used as reference for this image was taken on a trip to New York I went on in 2009.

This is the peach pit house that James builds from the remains of the Peach in Central Park. As I am considering using the growing peach on the front cover I then intend on using this image on the back.

A preview of James and the Giant Peach

These are the first couple of illustrations I have produced for my Narrative project on James and the Giant Peach. I was thinking about including typography I my work, however after experimenting with the text along side the image I decided against it. I felt the work spoke for itself.

I shall be entering the Puffin competition that is open to anyone who wants to create a design for the cover of James and the Giant Peach, using the peach tree on the front and the peach pit house on the back.

I did consider collage for this project, however it did not portray my ideas and skills to the best of their abilities.

James and the Giant Peach

My latest unit at University is looking at narrative. I decided to choose James and the Giant Peach by  Roald Dahl as my text to work from. This was partly because of the competition which Puffin is holding for the new design for the cover of James and the Giant Peach to celebrate Puffin’s 70th anniversary.

We have been advised on producing a minimum of 4 images for your chosen text. I have found it really hard to narrow the book down to 10 illustrations let alone 4. So I shall be trying to produce as many as I can before the hand in deadline in 2 weeks time.

Here are a couple of my first drafts for the book.  I still haven’t decided whether to illustrate it just with the coloured pencils or with just a graphite pencil, possibly adding pattern and colour on photoshop, resembling the style I have used in my ‘Up in the Air’ entry.

I am considering apply the text into the images. With the Skull illustration I was thanking of applying it into the smoke billowing out of the witches skull containing the magic crocodile tongues. The passage itself is the part describing how the magic tongues are created.

I chose to use my american typewriter, partly because it was to hand at the time, second because I’m not keen on my hand writing and 3rd I thought that it would match the ime period in which it was written.

However at my crit today my tutors felt that it would suit a children’s book better if the text was hand rendered. Which shall also allow me to shape the text around the objects in question for each illustration.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Here are the final 5 illustrations I did for my latest project on the Interpretation of text. Out of the selection of books given to us I chose The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde in the publishing field of specialist edition books. I enjoyed this project as it was a subject I love and a style I’m comfortable with.

A lot of my inspiration for these illustrations are from the text itself. I chose to use this particular quote from the book for my colouring.

“ The costume of the nineteenth century is detestable. It is so sombre, so depressing. Sin is the only real colour-element left in modern life.”

Therefore I thought I would add a small element of colour to each illustration to demonstrate this.

The Picture of Dorian Gray. Drafts.

My current project at University is on Interpretation of text and professional contexts. I have chosen to look into Specialist limited edition books such as the selection created by the Folio Society. The text that I was given was The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I love this book. My project consisted of my designing a slipcase for the book and 5 illustrations for the inside. I found it so hard to decide which parts of the story I wanted to illustrate as I wanted to illustrate it all.

Here are a couple of non-finished pages for the book.

“…looked at him in amazement through the thin wreaths of smoke that curled up n such a fanciful whorls from his heavy opium-tainted cigarette.”

“He saw it creeping into the stained trumpet of a Tyrian Convolvulus. The flower seemed to quiver, and then swayed gently too and fro.”

Dorian Gray Slipcase Design.

My current project is on The picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Our brief is to create a slip case and 5 illustrations for the book.

I have decided to do a screen print on fabric for my slip case. This is one of the frame designs I am considering.

I shall be printing the design onto a deep red fabric, with a gold or silver ink. With the title in the centre written in a hand rendered text.