How to find a fruit bat 

Written by the wonderous  and talented Michelle Robertson.

and illustrated by me.

is out on july the 5th of july.

so you can pre order from your favorite bookshop!

published by the lovely folks at Orchard books.

ISBN 9781408308547

Here are some links to read more about Michelle.

https://twitter.com/#!/laurentobia

http://www.celiacatchpole.co.uk/authors/robinson-michelle.ht

http://www.michellerobinson.co.uk/

and very funny twitterer.

https://twitter.com/#!/micherobinson

Always worth a follow on twitter , she keeps me laughing.

Oh I am also on twitter , but more prone to talking about the environment or banging on about my allotment..you have been warned!

https://twitter.com/#!/laurentobia

i have emerged from a mince-pie and sherry induced coma and have tons of work to get on with .

And i really think that the websight could do with a little new year revamp

have so much drawing to do it may be a bit slow!

but thought i would post up a few doodles using my new and lovely pen.

and I hope to get the gallery images changed soon .

Happy to say have just received the proofs of “how to find a fruit bat”illustrated by me and written by the super talented writer and mega twitterer

Michelle Robinson.

http://www.michellerobinson.co.uk/

@MicheRobinson

Published by the lovely folks at Orchard Books!

http://www.orchardbooks.co.uk/

apologies.

although this apears to be the cry of most bloggers.

so here is a very rough sketch for a little story i am working on …hush hush…..!

no more to be said.

We all had a fab if totally exhausting day at Blackwell’s bookshop today.

The illustration social group that i am involved in (Brillustration ) were celebrating the BIG DRAW.

We had a nutty day drawing in the shop window and Badgmaking with children.

we also sold a lot of our books and had a fab day.

here are a few pictures.

we will be taking over their window next saturday 8th of october for the big draw event.

Brillustration will be drawing live in their window, encouraging people to draw making badges and generally encouraging people to join in the fun.

so if your about do come by and visit .

As they have a three for two offer on all Brillustration books (including mine , he , he. ) come and stock up,. you can always save them for the impending winter festival that I won’t yet mention!

we will even sign them for you !

Apologies for the rubbish photography it was a very sunny day.

here’s my attempt at producing fantasy creatures .

(rather a strict brief)

sadly not to go any further .

so thought I would let them have a little life on my blog

run free nibbles.

happily no confidentiality agreement signed (name changed too)

This is how the book comes to me for illustrating, I also get a backup copy digitally but this is the one I work from.

To get to the finished illustration for a page, I first have a look at the page and what is suggested by the designer (who is very good at this)

and importantly what I would like to draw and how it would work with the text on the page.

I sketch it out on layout paper with my trusty propelling pencil ..and sometimes to help the design work on the page layout put the text under the sheet of paper I am working on just to see if it fits.

then I scan it into my mac and work on the page using Photoshop. It is a tool i find very handy when I want to remove lines or blotches or change the contrast of the line.

but I really try to do as little as possible with the line, otherwise it starts to look a little flat and computery really quickly ..so in my world less is more.

when I have sent these sketches off we discuss the pages and I may adjust the drawings to take into account things I havent noticed or that come up after discussion between the team, that is the Designer, the editor, and the near the end of the process the author. when we have all agreed I “go to artwork” although in these books that sounds a little grand .

as they are black and white I just tidy up the smudges on Photoshop and lay a tone layer over the whole page and with the rubber tool I remove what I don’t want .

This is because I like to keep these images quite simple and try not to detract from the drawing.

it is also because when these sort of books are printed the tonal work can get a little heavy  (due to how the ink and the paper works) I wont get too anoracky .

so I know if it’s an even tone it will come out how I want it.

anyway for those who want to know how the pages are done

thats about it.

so heres a peak at a brand new drawing for the latest book.

sneekely titled anna hibiscus 5 ( for the moment )

hope you like it.

http://brillustrationbristol.blogspot.com

Brillustration is a group of writers and Illustrators that meet up in bristol once a month for a social drink and a gossip.

We are organising a couple of group events for the big draw this october so I thought I would big them up a bit on this page too!

here are the details that are on the big draws websight:

http://www.campaignfordrawing.org/bigdraw