PP Welcomes Matt Baker!

We're delighted to represent new PP artist Matt Baker! Matt brings something really different to Plum Pudding and we're looking forward to clients' feedback. Welcome Matt! We hope you enjoy working with us! Check out Matt's portfolio page here.

Today's Illustrated Interview - Paula Franco!

Where do you live/work?

I live in Argentina, in a beautiful city called Rosario. I work from home, which is small but very comfortable.

What do you love about working/living there?

Many things! Rosario is a big city and has many cinemas, theaters, libraries, exhibition centers, museums, craft fairs and parks. The place where I work is very bright and quiet. It has a large window through which I can see my little garden. My dog is always there to keep me company (we are inseparable) Working from home is great!

What don't you like?

There are too many cars in the city. I think people should drive less and walk or bike more.

What do you love most about being an illustrator?

Creating characters and telling their stories! The whole creative process is exciting, I enjoy it very much! I'm very demanding with myself and I spend most of the day illustrating. It’s too much fun! When I draw I feel free.

How do you work?

I start with lots of pencil sketches. I love to draw on paper. The coloring is always digital. From time to time I enjoy working in acrylic.

What's the hardest part of your job?

Stopping working I guess! Sometimes I work more than 16 hours straight! Fortunately, I have a Mark and a Hannah, they guide me and care for me.  I consider them as part of my family. Their advice is very important!

What/who inspires you?

Wandering around libraries, fairs and exhibitions, talking to other illustrators, watching many movies.

When I studied Art History in college, I fell in love with the work of Monet, Van Gogh and Hokusai, among others (in fact I have some reproductions of their paintings at home) Their work is breathtaking.

I really admire Glen Keane’s drawings and his character designs, I'm in love with Eyvind Earle's concept art and also Mary Blair’s work is very inspiring!

I always listen to music while working, it's an important element when it comes to illustrating. Music 

creates the perfect atmosphere.

What do you like to do when you're not illustrating?

I love reading! One thing that I really enjoy is to visit book stores searching for used books. I also like to take care of my plants and to work as a volunteer at the animal shelter. I love animals with all my 

heart!!!

How did you get into illustration?

As a child I drew constantly! It was my favorite thing to do. I spent hours admiring the illustrations in books. I thought it was the best job in the world! It  truly is!

My parents always supported me, along with my husband. In college I had two teachers that motivated 

me to continue illustrating and now I feel very lucky to have Mark and Hannah as my guides.

Any tips for aspiring illustrators?

To never give up! And of course, to draw and practice constantly!

What's your ultimate dream?

In the future I would love to create characters and backgrounds for animation! It would be great! Fortunately I have fulfilled one of my most important dreams of my childhood: illustrating children's books! That makes me very happy.

Mark's Radio Debut

After the success of his talk at Illustratour in Spain, Spanish radio station North by Southwest invited Mark to be interviewed live on air and to discuss with them the challenges for illustrators in Spain, the demands of the international publishing market and the differences between illustration in the UK and continental Europe. To listen to his fantastic interview click here. You can hear Mark's part of the interview from the 13.34 minute mark, but do listen to the whole thing if you have time to hear their interview with renowned Spanish illustrator and graphic designer Isidro Ferrer. Great listening!

Competition To Enter!

House of Illustration and The Folio Society have announced the launch of the third Book Illustration Competition. Following on from the success of their competitions to illustrate The Outsider and The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, this year the book to be illustrated is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
For more details about the competition, their terms and conditions and the deadline for entry please visit the competition website here.
Good luck!

Go Glen Go!

Check out these amazing videos of PP paper engineer Glen Coleman in action! Simply mind blowing! 

Mosquitor Mask

General Klytus Mask

Well done Marina Aizen!

Fabulous PP artist Marina Aizen has been awarded a special mention for her beautiful images submitted 

to the Third Ibero-American Catalog of Illustration, (Fundación SM, El Ilustradero and the International Book Fair of Guadalajara, Mexico). She will be included in the catalog that will be presented in the International Book Fair of Guadalajara in November and featured in the travelling exhibition next year in Latin America and Spain! 45 illustrators were selected among 477 Ibero-American illustrators. This year there is one winner and five special mentions. Well done Marina! You can read more about it here (though it is in Spanish, so have google-translate ready if you are not fluent like us!)

'Scary Mary' Featured On Wise Owl Factory!

PP author/illustrator Paula Bowles's Scary Mary, published by Tiger Tales in the USA, has been featured on Wise Owl Factory's website as a title that has become a hugely popular share on Pinterest between teachers looking for books to help with addressing behavioural concerns. Congratulations Paula! Paula is currently working on her third book for Tiger Tales as author/illustrator and her first with Bloomsbury. We can't wait to see more! 

CONGRATULATIONS Flory Denis!

Flory is the winner of our 'Le Freak! C'est Chic!' caricature of Mark competition advertised on our blog earlier in the year! We had some fab entries, so thank you all! But the winner had to be this hilariously cool submission from Flory. Congrats! Choccies are on their way to you!

Check out Flory's gorgeous portfolios here.

Look Who Arrived In The Office Today!

Wall.E is our new intern... he's supposed to be making tea, photocopying and doing admin, but for some reason all he wants to do is recycle our rubbish into cubes...