5 Minutes With.. NEW ARTIST Erin Balzer

Welcome back to the PP blog! We're excited to say that we have been catching up with our NEWEST PP ARTIST Erin Balzer all the way from Vancouver! We absolutely love Erin's work and hope you enjoy getting to know a little more about her life, and how she creates her beautiful images...

Where do you live/work?

I live in a 40 year old, rectangular, forest green coloured house in Vancouver, Canada with my husband (I call him Grizz) and our dog Freya. My studio is located in my unfinished basement, it has a brick fireplace, lots of table space and a sliding door for my pup to come inside whenever she pleases. 

What do you love about working there?

It is an absolute dream to have a space that I call my own. I get messy when I work, woodchips, sawdust, inks and things everywhere, so it is nice to have a place to create worry free. Me and carpet don’t have a good relationship.

What are your dislikes?

It can sometimes be lonely! I talk to myself and my dog way too much.

 What do you love most about being an illustrator?

I have these drawings pinned up in my studio that I created when I was just a little tyke, and I keep them up as a reminder that I am doing what I have loved to do since I was young! One of the drawings is of a mother goose BBQing potatoes in a field. I love that I have the opportunity to now draw characters like a mother goose BBQing her lunch as a career.

 How do you work – what are your techniques?

All of my illustrations are created using woodcut prints.

I usually start by drawing terrible quick sketches of characters and patterns (like these birdies). 

I choose one that captivates me, and create a refined and more detailed sketch. (like this christmas partridge).

Then, I go over the finished sketch in pen. After that I transfer the drawing onto the wood and then I carve away! Sometimes I carve outside, or in my studio, or on my couch while watching a movie, this part of the process is my favourite and most rewarding. Wood shavings all over the place.

Once carved, I ink, then ta da! I do a bit of cleaning up in photoshop and then the illustration is complete!

What is your favourite thing to draw?

Animals and bearded mountain men. My husband is a bearded/scruffy dude, he’s inspired many of my human characters. Bears are probably my favourite animal to draw at the moment.

 Are there any tricky parts to being an illustrator?

Right now, I find it is pushing through the mediocre sketches to get to a really great character or concept. Sometimes it can take days of sketching non-stop to create something really substantial in my own style.  

 What or who are you inspired by?

Many illustrators and printmakers inspire me. As of late, I have been inspired by William Escher, John Lawrence, Lesley Barnes and Steve Light. My dutch heritage also inspires my work. I find loads of inspiration from dutch folk art books my Papa loans to me, the art around his home and in his own paintings. Also, I get inspired michael jackson, mc hammer, james brown….those dance moves: 

Do you have a favourite illustrator?

At the moment, Mark Hearld, he is so talented! His aesthetic and prints! *droool*

What do you like to do in your spare time when you’re not illustrating?

When I am not illustrating you can usually find me at my family cabin with my husband and pup or I could be out eating delicious food somewhere, watching Netflix of course, or taking a dance class. 

How did you get into illustration?

I have known that I wanted to have a creative career since I was young. In high school, my painting style was very graphic so a university teacher told me I should try graphic design. After graduating, I really wanted to pursue my more arty side, so I enrolled in a studio art diploma program where my love for illustrating and printmaking really got fired up, I realized it was my true passion and have been pursuing it ever since!

What are your three top tips for aspiring illustrators?

1.    Do something creative every day.

2.    Never stop learning. Keep taking classes online or continuing education

3.  Stay passionate and don’t get too serious, remember to have fun and enjoy the journey.

What were your favourite books when you were younger?

I loved all of the Robert Munsch books! Still do. The Princess in the Paper Bag is a favourite.

What was the last book you read? what did you think? 

I finally read The Hobbit. Loved it. Home is now behind you, the world is ahead! – Gandalf

What’s your ultimate dream?

To illustrate lots of Children’s Books and to make it work as a full time career. Also to have my own barn studio, with lots of tools and trinkets inside.

We really hope you enjoyed getting to know Erin! You can find Erin's PP Profile here! so please do take a look around - we're certain you'll love her work as much as we do! 

Entries now open for the V&A Illustration Awards 2017!!!

We have an exciting announcement for you all!

We just wanted to let you all know that entries are now being accepted for the 2017 V&A Illustration Awards competition. The competition is organised by the V&A’s National Art Library and is free to enter for illustrators who have been published in the UK market in 2016. There are three categories: Book cover design, Book illustration and Editorial illustration.

The winner in each category receives £3000 and a trophy. The judges will also select an overall winner to receive the 2017 Moira Gemmill Illustrator of the Year Prize and an additional £5000. Winners may also be commissioned to produce publicity artwork for the museum. The winning work will be on display at the V&A from May 2017 and winners must be prepared to lend some or all of their original artwork for the display.

The closing date for entries is Thursday 15th December 2016 at 17.00 and only online entries will be accepted.

So just to reiterate - work must have been published in the UK in 2016 to be eligible for entry.

A shortlist will be drawn up in Feb 2017 with final decisions on winners taking place in April and final winners announced in May 2017. 

If you are interested in entering, the submission link is below:

https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/va-illustration-awards

Wishing you the best of luck if you do decide to enter! 

5 Minutes With.. NEW ARTIST Chloe Douglass

When we asked NEW PP ARTIST Chloe Douglass if she wanted to take part in our "5 Minutes With.." series of interviews, she was very happy indeed and has even dug out her primary school books to show us some of her very first drawings! We are incredibly excited to have Chloe with us at PP, and we can't wait for you to see her wonderful work and get to know her a little better...

Where do you live/work?

I live in a little tiny flat in South Wimbledon, London (not quite the glamorous part by the common!) with my fiance and our two cats, Samson who's half norwegian forest and Lucifer, who is a felix black and white cat. 

It has a small L shaped garden, the long bit of the L is paved which holds a wood store under the window, a cold frame for seedlings and a bed of hollyhocks in the summer and dahlias that flower into Autumn. The kitchen windowsill is full with pots of flowers and geraniums that never stop flowering. The shorter bit has the smallest lawn you’ve ever seen, a couple of flower beds and lots of plants in pots everywhere. 

I love having a potter about outside as the kettle boils, to have a break from the computer screen. I work in the corner of the living room at my little wooden school desk by the window. All the walls are covered in pictures, of which some are by amazing illustrators.

What do you love about working there?

I mainly have the living room all to myself during the day so I can crack on with drawing whilst having the radio on. I’m an avid Radio 6 music listener so that keeps me company along with the cats, all day long.

I also live a few minutes walk away from Morden Hall Park which is fantastic for a stroll when you need your stretch the legs after crouching over the desk for a long time, and helps me think over projects if I’m getting stuck with one. 

Plus just living in London! There are always talks and events about illustration and meetups to go to and get inspired by. I love the bustle of it around me as I wander along the Southbank, in a bit of a daydream letting ideas pop in and out, jostling for attention as to what could be drawn next in my sketchbook. 

What are your dislikes?

Sometimes not having a shared studio to brainstorm and get feedback on an idea instantly with people around you, but then I wouldn’t be able to sing out loud along to the radio like I do at home! (I love singing, I’m just not very good at it!)

Rubbish drawing days are always a drag. No matter what you do it just won’t look like what is in your mind's eye.

Otherwise I really, really dislike spiders and moths in a HUGE way. And that DC comics can’t make a decent film since the Nolan Batman trilogy *sighs*

What do you love most about being an illustrator?

That I can say things without words but through a picture instead, as I find that much easier! And that feeling when a picture comes together really quickly and just how you imagined it! The best thing is when something you’ve drawn makes someone laugh or smile or ahhh’s at it!

How do you work – what are your techniques?

Always firstly with a cuppa earl grey tea. This is essential! Then I’ll start off with a rough doodle in my sketchbook, which I’ll then scan into my computer, either tweak it about if it needs it and then colour it in on Photoshop.

Sometimes though, the sketches aren’t behaving how I want them too, so then I’ll have to re-jig it about on the screen, print it off and then redraw it on the lightbox until I’m happy with it, then scan that back in, tweak it again if needs be, and then colour it! 

It can be quite a process sometimes! But I like how I can manipulate the image traditionally and digitally at any point if I like to get it to where I’m happy with it 

What is your favourite thing to draw?

Bears, ducks, cats and people from the 18th and 19th Century, they have the best fashions! Not necessarily the bears, ducks and cats though!

Are there any tricky parts to being an illustrator?

When the creative block sets in. It can be a little wallowy at times and self doubt can sneak in with this also! They’re a nuisance pair! So I get out, have a whinge with friends, go for walks or listen to illustration talks to get ideas to try and shift it and not feel guilty about not having drawn that day or days sometimes if it’s a big block!

What or who are you inspired by?

My Mam would take me and my brother to the library every week when we were little until we were quite old actually! There are so many picture and fictions books that have been a source of inspiration through my whole life.

And I’m always blown away by all the illustrators I follow on twitter, it’s great to see styles change and evolve and see what’s popular and what’s working.

Do you have a favourite illustrator?

I have tons of favourite illustrators! It’s hard to pick one, but my current favourite three are Sara Ogilvie, Benji Davies and Jim Field. I love Sara’s energy of line, Jim’s expressive characters and gorgeous spreads in books and Benji’s use of colour and sense of nostalgia he evokes at times in his illustrations.

What do you like to in your spare time when you’re not illustrating?

I LOVE gardening at home or on my allotment, quizzes (either pub quizzes, tv quizzes, quizzes in books etc!) watching the latest period drama, or all the DC comic series from America, like Arrow and gang, and getting to the cinema or theatre. I do like a bit of mind escapism! 

How did you get into illustration?

I’ve drawn since I can remember, but it was my year 5 teacher Mr Stroud that made me realise that being an illustrator was a real option for when I grew up, and would often let me spend most of the day drawing! 

At secondary school I had the same art teacher, Mr Johnson, all the way through and he encouraged me to go to art college after my GCSE’s. I luckily lived in a town that had a brilliant art school, so I studied BTEC in Fine Art at Hereford College of Art and then did a degree in illustration at Southampton. After a brief stint back in my hometown volunteering at a media company there, I then moved to London and worked in Colour and Trend Forecasting for 5 to 6 years. This was the real tipping point as I had my degree in illustration but wasn’t illustrating in the way I wanted too, so I went back to university at nearby Kingston and did a masters degree, focussing on children’s illustration. 

So since then I just kept plugging away at it! I go to the London Book Fair every year as I like meeting face to face with editors and art directors to get instant criticism and advice. It’s a good opportunity to meet other illustrators too! But with the feedback I’d receive I would develop and work on what I’d been given, gradually improving and updating my portfolio. 

What are your three top tips for aspiring illustrators?

1. Keep drawing. You can only get better and better by doing so! But don’t forget to draw for you. Obviously listen to crits and feedback when you get them, but ultimately by drawing what makes you happy will be what makes you unique and stand out. 

2. Make friends with other illustrators! It makes for a less lonely ride, and you can help boost each other along with feedback and sharing advice, going to local meetups, talks, events and so on. It’s just so lovely having a group of support to lean on and vice versa! 

3. Believe in yourself. If it’s your dream to illustrate then you can do it. Grow a bit of a thick skin for all the no’s you’ll come up against, learn from them and improve, observe the wallowy times then pick yourself back up and crack on. And eventually those pesky no’s will become yes’s! 

What were your favourite books when you were younger?

*shouts* MY CAT LIKES TO HIDE IN BOXES! By Eve Sutton and Lynley Dodd. Shouting out loud is the only way to read it, and I loved the Brambly Hedge’s by Jill Barklem. You could spend hours pouring over the details! And the classic Ladybird Fairytale books. I think these (and a healthy dose of Disney) ignited my love of all things romantic, ballgowny and historical! 

What was the last book you read? What did you think? 

The Storm Whale in Winter, which is wonderfully heartwarming. There’s something really timeless about Benji Davies’ picture books. And also the last Poldark novel! I LOVE a historical fiction! If you haven’t read them do, there’s a whole load of social history running through the novels that the tv series isn’t able to go into much depth about.

What’s your ultimate dream?

To illustrate books! Be it for a writer or my own one day, it’s all I’ve ever really wanted to do! Or if Aardman wanted me to work on a project for them that would be insanely marvellous!

... Although if Kit Harington knocked on my door and whisked me away… *stares into the far distance dreamily* (I'm sure my fiance wouldn't mind!)

We really hope you enjoyed getting to know Chloe, her folio is now live on the PP website so please do go and have a look around here!

5 Minutes With.. NEW ARTIST Jessica Allan

The last few weeks have been incredibly exciting here at PP HQ, with four new artists joining us! We wanted to take "5 Minutes With.." NEW PP ARTIST Jessica Allan to get to know a little more about her and her journey into Children's Illustration. We're so happy to have Jessica with us and are excited for you all to see her amazing work!! So make yourself comfy and join us while we catch up with Jessica.

Where do you live/work?

I live and work in a little commuter town outside London called Hitchin. It is very leafy. I have a house with my husband and our little cat called Simba.

What do you love about working there?

We live on a path so it is very quiet, and our neighbours are lovely. I have my own little set up with my desktop Mac and tablet.

What are your dislikes?

It is sometimes TOO quiet, but my cat keeps me company. Luckily, Hitchin has a nice market square, so if I am in need of human interaction, I go out for a coffee. I quite enjoy the peace and quiet, as it means I can really get my head down and concentrate.

What do you love most about being an illustrator?

Drawing comes very naturally to me. I feel like I am just doing what I love doing. I really enjoy bringing text to life or turning what is in people’s minds into a visual. No drawing is ever a waste and what you don’t use for one project may end up being inspiration for another.

How do you work – what are your techniques?

I always put pencil to paper to start. I like working on acid free watercolour paper. I may use pen and ink depending on the style, and then I scan it in to my computer and start working on it in Photoshop. I like using patterns and textures in my illustrations. If I want a cleaner finish I will use Illustrator. 

What is your favourite thing to draw?

Animals. I love drawing my ginger cat. My husband and I like to go on adventurous holidays to places like Africa and Canada. I remember leaving the Rockies and all I wanted to do was draw bears.

Are there any tricky parts to being an illustrator?

The trickiest part is when you start out as an illustrator. It does take a while to develop a style and find your place in the world of illustration. However, if you keep at it, you will find that your style naturally develops, and remember that it can be a good thing to have a few different styles up your sleeve. 

What or who are you inspired by?

I am inspired by many artists and illustrators. I have always loved the works of M.C Esher and Dali. I love anything with detail. I am also inspired by illustrators who do something completely different, such as Lauren Child, or other artists who are completely original in the children's book world. I also get inspired just by going out for a walk or going to an art gallery. I find going abroad really inspires me, travelling is great for a creative mind.

Do you have a favourite illustrator?

My favourite children’s book illustrators are Maurice Sendak, Oliver Jeffers, Quentin Blake and more recently David Litchfield.

What do you like to do in your spare time when you’re not illustrating?

I like to go out and spend time with my friends and family. I also love exercising and venturing out into the great outdoors. 

What was the last book you read? What did you think? 

I read Divergent by Veronica Roth. It was good but I wish I hadn’t seen the movie first. Classic mistake!

How did you get into illustration?

I was studying Theatre Design at Central Saint Martins, when I realised my favourite part was the drawing of the characters, So I transferred to Middlesex to complete my degree in Illustration, which I absolutely loved.

What are your three top tips for aspiring illustrators?

1. Never give up. 

2. Believe in what you do and be confident. 

3. Always show your work to people.

What’s your ultimate dream?

I have a few ideas for children’s books of my own, such as my character Louella Lou (who was only two) that I would love to see made into a book series.

We hope you enjoyed getting to know a little more about Jessica, we're certainly very glad to have her with us here at PP! If you'd like to have a look at more of her work, you can visit Jessica's folio on our website here! Have a wonderful week, from all of us at PP!

To find out what's going on at PP over the course of October, read below!