Aaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggh!!!!

I screamed and jumped about my studio when I got THE email!!! It was Ladybird books asking me to work with them on updating their fairytales. They asked if I would do The Three Little Pigs!!! It has to be one of the most famous books ever and I am now part of it. They actually sent me a mock up of one of my old illustrations to show me how my work would look on a cover of a Ladybird Book. That sent me over the edge ha ha!!!

I actually had a blind panic as I looked at the white expanse in my sketchbook thinking OMG OMG whatever I draw may not be good enough. I’m guessing this is what writer’s term as writer’s block. Well I had illustrators block. Usually I am so excited at a commission I have to draw there and then but this time I couldn’t.

Eventually I gave myself a talking to and said I told myself to stop being silly and to treat it exactly how I always do and forget it’s for a book and just draw for myself. And that is what I did. I sent them about six variations for the front cover and they really liked them. After a couple of sketches later I was ready to paint the cover.

They then sent me the art directions for the whole book and I read the opening paragraph and it took me back to the original book when I was a little girl. It had come full circle from my parent’s reading to me as a child to me copying the pictures and colouring them in with my amazing crayola crayons… I loved them I had the lot!!! mmmm the smell of them were amazing lol… to actually drawing for Ladybird books!!! As you can see I am over the moon!!

I have been working constantly on the illustrations and over the last two weeks it’s been 24/7 painting. When I was feeling tired and fed up at times living as a painting hermit I thought about the book printed all colourful and new in bookstores ready for a pair of tiny hands smiling when they would say I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in!!! And I would suddenly get a new burst of inspiration.

It’s all painted now and I am just awaiting feedback for any changes that may need doing. And then it’s printing time.

And no rest for the illustrator… I am now working on another Ladybird title… The Elves and The Shoemaker. And guess what I can’t wait to start painting already!!! I’m just crossing my fingers there will be another one for me to illustrate after this one

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