Emily's Rather Large Adventure

Blog Tour

2014-07-27T08:12:00.000+01:00

Hello!

I have been the absolute worst. Really, the WORST with blogging now that work has been picking up. And let's get real, that blogger is dead. Been working lots regardless- now you just have to pay to see it.

Ha, just playin, but I will be a bit better- If you have a facebook, I'm much more posty and accessible there (HERE) everywhere.

Also considering to just stop blogspot and head over tumblr as it seems everyone's there- what do you think? Here is my tumblr address: TUMBLR!

ANYWHO,

on to more exciting things- the amazing illustrator extraordinaire, Chuck Groenink/Angel who hooked me up with amazing agent, Stephen B at Writer's house- has picked me to participate in this blog tour! Very exciting to do questionnaires and look into everyone's methods- miss that when out of art uni!

More importantly you need to check out Chuck's beautiful work here. Seriously beautiful.

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1. What am I currently working on?
I am at this very moment I'm working on a book called The Little Gardener with Flying Eye Books (who I did Wild with). As I did with Wild, this is my little story as well- so it has been a very intense and focused project!

I am also working on a book with Abrams called Brilliant and with Walker Books called A Brave Bear. I was at first a bit nervous about interpreting a project that already had text- but I'm enjoying the creative process of spinning someone's words and ideas into images of my own. It's a union of two artists (we'll see if I feel so positive and poetic when I get deeper in), so pretty neat so far!

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

This is hard to say, as I'm still very green. Being original is not an original process- absorbing everything you find engaging and beautiful is important. You get the things you love, mash it around, and make something that is fresh and new. God that sounds so children's book illustrator. As if finding style is as easily explained as guacamole. It just happens, I have no idea.

3. Why do I write what I write?

Wild got very mixed reviews- some people found her to be quite the anarchist and applauded, some thought she was a heroine for girls (hate the gender segregation. Next time I'm going to have to do something more questionable. Book of eunuchs), others thought she was a terrible influence. It was written with none of these in mind! It was just a story about trying to better accept and tolerate others for who they are. I write what I write because explaining something in 32 pages for a child helps instil lessons I want to better understand and practice myself.

4. How does my individual writing/illustrating process work?

Some people work better with order, some work better with chaos. I am sadly the latter. Wish I could have a clean desk without chocolate wrappers and a calendar that is actually on the right month. I'm terrible. But I am always working somehow!

Step 1. Starts with a doodle- if I draw something of interest it becomes a recurring motif in my sketchbook. This evolves into a character, then a story. This is a natural process, you do the same thing with people watching or overhearing conversations. Art imitates life, so characters are taken from all kinds of people I overhear and remember.

Step 2. Figuring out the story- this is a crazy self loathing time, and I'm never sure. Not much drawing at this stage, just trying to figure out the main message to get across in the undercurrents of everything I want to say.

Step 3. Storyboarding- This for me is the REAL effort- at least for me who has an Illustration degree- not an English one. With limited amount of pages (and my personal agenda for limited amount of text) it's almost like writing poetry. Drawings and pages set the pace, and it takes a while to get it right and make it all fit.

Step 4. Drawing! Loads and loads of sketching to get acquainted with a character. I think this is a long process to coax me into doing the finals which always freaks me out

Step 5. Finished pieces (with LOADS of editing and reviewing). Can't show you here sadly, but in a few months you'll see the fruits of this process ;)

5. Who are the two author/illustrators that you are passing the interview to?.

I'm going to pass to two ultimate, very refreshing book makers, Ben and Liam! I feel very lucky to be working with such talent for Flying Eye Books- both bringing such a cool new vibe to Children’s books!

Little Gardener

2014-04-17T11:25:00.002+01:00

Gouache painting for a little bookie in the works

My Trip to Éire

2014-03-08T12:03:00.000+00:00

I'm such a flippin cheapskate.

I don't have a camera

and while I usually go out and buy an £8 disposable and pay the £5 processing with no remorse for the sparse 11 photos that do come out, I was a bit tight fisted and wary this time. So, needing to show off that I have traveled (hehe) I decided to take the cheap DIY route and sketch my meagre ventures in an A5 sketchbook.

So I present you my wonderful trip to Ireland-

the town, Kilkenny in particular.

This was a trip to shake me out of my usual monotony, but mainly to visit my very dear buddy Jude (though I sometimes/oftentimes call her 'Mere' in the drawings). She's been living there the past half year, so she knows her stuff- Irish traditional music, where to get good chocolate biscuit cake, and that bartenders need to pour Guinness from tap in two parts (to my impatience).

Love that girl,

I'll definitely be visiting again for all the fresh air and happy-spirited folk.

Anyways, I'll stop blabbing and hope you get the gist!

freezing

2013-12-11T23:26:00.002+00:00

It's freezing in Brighton (doesn't help when the heater's been off for a week)

but it makes me cheery knowing it's warm somewhere else :).

Home sweet Home.

Oooooo

2013-10-30T19:36:00.000+00:00

Lookee ere what I went an dun.

Made with gouache and artist's own blood.

Happy Halloween!

Stone Age

2013-10-28T23:34:00.000+00:00

I'm back in prehistoric times when it comes down to self-publicity and networking.

For all you young'ns that use facebook, add me at my new art page here:

https://www.facebook.com/emilyhughesillo

Ursa Major

2013-10-21T23:03:00.000+01:00

Ooh what could this be for?

New project in the works, lots of claw, lots of hair.

Oh snap,

2013-10-11T22:21:00.002+01:00

This is the main reason I was gonna post, and totally forgot in the process of getting all my scans in.

This was the final entry I sent in of Wonka's choco room!

Click it (or better yet, right click view-in-new-tab it +zoom) for bigger, chocolatier fun!

Charlie

2013-10-11T21:26:00.005+01:00

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My Aunty Sampie and Pops, circa 1974. Photo courtesy of my Grandpa David

Here's some tinkering I did for a Charlie and the Chocolate factory creation!

I didn't get the illo job, but I had a great time dreaming up the characters that everyone has been so familiar with. I loved the original 70's movie depictions (though I promise, I love the book much much more), and tried to veer away from it- though retaining that warmth. Somehow an ugly scratchy 70's sweater fits, and the poor boy needs that acrylic warmth as watery cabbage soup doesn't do much filling up.

Also took in my Dad's rockin' pageboy haircut and angelic grin into reference!

Love drawing that haircut, might have to save it for another project :).

Unsavoury characters

2013-10-11T21:15:00.001+01:00

Some ideas

2013-08-18T07:56:00.001+01:00

Being home is great.

My head's unhinged;
ready to catch bits of inspiration floating by.

Wild in the classroom

2013-08-12T00:45:00.001+01:00

So I got to do a lil' Wild reading and character draw in my Mom's classroom, which was a blast.

Actually didn't want to leave after the session, these kids were hilarious.

I taught these kiddos how to draw Wild girl as well as a baby bear, and was so thrilled with how awesome all the drawings were in the end. I wish I had done a session like this BEFORE finishing up the book- it would've given me a whole lotta insight on how much I could have played with her character. Think some of these drawings are totally book-worthy (I'm not saying that to be nice or cute or supportive for young artists or anything, I'm saying this because I think there's some killer illustrative styles going on).

(how fricken fantastic is that last one, best for last)

50 shades of creme

2013-08-11T21:58:00.001+01:00

Hello from the dead!

So so so many things to post, and I've been so KO'd. I'm on vacation back home in the isles if that gets me any pity points for delayed posts. Probably not, but I'm using it.

My first book WILD with Flying Eye Press is out!

It made it's debut in June at ELCAF, and it has been terrific and exciting and a little nerve-wracking, but I am happy to finally share it.

Here's some of my very rough initial work for the book, all found it my buss' up sketchbook. If you wanna see what the finished book looks like, all gussied up, buy it here!

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Back again!

2013-05-09T20:13:00.002+01:00

Hello friends!

It's been a long long long long time since I last posted.

Just to let you know I am not dead, and I haven't forgotten about you all.

I just finished my first book with Flying Eye Books called Wild (which will be out next month), which I've been working on for the past half year. It feels good to have time off to doodle and come back into the blogging world again!

I will be posting a lot more, but in the meantime enjoy this weird fantasy food chain (looks better when bigger) . I've been drawing so much foliage, it's been working it's way into everything I draw. Also little babies. Deal with it.

Zürich, etc.

2013-01-19T01:59:00.000+00:00

Hey!

Long time no post.

I've been pretty under the radar for the past few months, but it doesn't mean I haven't been keeping busy- my non-work related doodling has been pretty minimal, yeep.

ANYWAYS,

I had the lovely chance to stay with my lovely friend Raquel + the rest of my adopted Fernan family in Zurich over the Christmas break! I made the most out of my trip by drinking tea, eating Panettone, reading, hiking around the woods and listening to Albi sing every song on the Mamma Mia soundtrack. It was a pretty glorious holiday!

I don't have many things to post. Just trees (had a lot of time to soak in new tree textures, yee) & girly sketches, mainly trying to grasp this marker concept.

Sweet confusion

2012-10-26T02:08:00.000+01:00

After staring at the computer screen for a few days, real-life color is radiant.

I don't give a hoot

2012-10-20T11:26:00.001+01:00

I'm drawing some birds, I won't say why,

but it's fun to draw something you've never really felt comfortable drawing before and keep drawing it until you wonder how you could have not drawn it before. Does that make sense? Is that putting it too simply? Is it not exclusive to art? I don't care, I'm having a good time.

My trip to Vienna in a nutshell

2012-10-18T12:24:00.001+01:00

Vienna's the home to my most favorite art everythings, so I had to go, I've been wanting to go for years and years and years. Because it was Klimt's 150th birthday this summer, I decided that this was my moment to go, as everyone else would be in full gear to celebrate their famed artist.

So this October I went by myself for a week to take a peek around the city, here's a hodgepodge and scrappy little sketchbook full of my anticlimactic little adventures around the city for you to all peer in. It's a long post, but maybe you'll understand my brain or Vienna a bit more from it.

Can't be tamed!

2012-09-10T18:00:00.001+01:00

Sneaky peek at some ideas/color schemes I've worked on today!

Fingers crossed!

Superstitious

2012-08-11T03:08:00.001+01:00

I'm not superstitious. I'm a very skeptical person.

BUT I have dealt with ghost farts that have made me think otherwise, even if it was only for a minute or so. It's supposed to be that when you walk into a cold spot, you're encountering a spirit, but they fail to mention what happens when you encounter a totally strange smell. I'm not talking dog poop, or drainage. I'm talking about a straight up fart, except you didn't do it, and there's no one in sight.

Bizarre. Another world mystery.

Wild

2012-08-07T11:18:00.002+01:00

I've been struggling to get back into the groove of drawing again. Haha I always am whining and complaining and making excuses about it! With drawing it's either really fun or really frustrating, maybe just me. I feel like I'm getting back in the hang again. Maybe.
These are quick gouaches- the clean up took me so much longer than the painting, errrr.

Here's some tame character ideas I have going on about this wild child. She kinda looks like me, which is pretty gross of me to have done- so these are very basic. Trying to capture more of a crazy look to her, she looks a bit Mother Nature-y and docile, which is totally not what I'm going for. Back to the drawing board!

Old old old

2012-07-31T01:52:00.001+01:00

Did some drawings of squires a few months back for a basic storyline

and finally got to redo my crappy scans!

Zigzag swords are the best!

Gouache and colored pencil and Fabriano paper
(I'm only putting the paper in because it made that much of a difference).

What have they done to my brain, Ma?

2012-07-25T04:09:00.002+01:00

Sorry I've been so off about posting!

I've been having a hard time drawing lately, so sorry for the exasperated doodle.

It's been a strange summer. Lots of business, yet lots of watching the ceiling in the afternoon. I don't really know what to do in the limbo between student and graduate adult thing.

I'm off to London tomorrow though, so I'll try and bring back a lot more sketches!

150 Golden Years!

2012-07-16T21:09:00.003+01:00

Happy (belated- his birthday was two days ago) birthday to one of my most favorite of artists, if not my favorite- Gustav Klimt. I don't like to use the word 'genius' when talking of people, but Klimt's no mere mortal, and doesn't deserve any lesser adjective.

Here's a sketch I did tonight (trying to get back into drawing/blogging habit) in his honor. The pose and dress was adapted from a drawing Schiele made (here)

Here's a toast to 150 more years of inspiration!

Little knight

2012-06-16T22:53:00.000+01:00

A little gouache medeival fun.

It's hard being a knight in training.