A few months ago I had the pleasure of working with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust again, this time illustrating characters for a quiz to find out which Shakespearean character you most resemble.
There are some pretty dark and interesting characters - Game of Thrones has nothing on the Bard!
Why not take the quiz yourself. Apparently I'm Cleopatra!
https://wh.snapsurveys.com/s.asp?k=157528368620
Here's a detail from a sample illustration that I recently completed. The chaotic kitchen was so much fun to draw!
This project was SO much fun; illustrating kings and queens of the past for a new children’s range available from Westminster Abbey’s shop. If you fancy temporary tattoos, t-shirts, iron-on patches or even a micro jigsaw with my illustrations on, you can find them here.
Better late than never... Here's the finished family trail that I illustrated in summer 2018 for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries at Westminster Abbey, once again working with their fabulous Learning team. It was beautifully designed by Cartlidge Levene and is modelled by my four-year-old son, who was paid a fee of one chocolate coin for his work. (Photos by my better half, Gareth Brew.)
Here's a lovely project that I designed and illustrated for Westminster Abbey's family day back in October, marking 750 years since the consecration of Henry III’s Abbey Church. Working with the Abbey's brilliant Learning team, we highlighted various members of staff and their roles, encouraging visitors to engage with the Abbey as a living church.
It was a pleasure to create this illustration of Timmy, Brian and Lisa - three beautiful Jack Russells. Canine portraiture was new territory for me, it was a fun challenge!
My first hand-drawn map! It was a delight to design and illustrate this trail for Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria's birth. I had so much fun drawing all of the details, especially on the statues. Hopefully many families have had just as much fun exploring the royal trail this summer!
Here's a lovely little project that I recently completed - the cover illustration for Westminster Abbey's 2018/19 family events programme.
Very happy to introduce this bunch! They'll be embarking on adventures around Westminster Abbey as part of its brand new family trail. It's going to be launched this Saturday as part of the Abbey's action-packed Family Day. If you're in London with little ones then come along!
I'm brimming with happiness to have been longlisted for Most Exciting Newcomer to Picture Book Illustration in the inaugural Klaus Flugge Prize, along with some of my friends' wonderful books! Hurrah!
You can read more about it on The Guardian http://bit.ly/1WJSp6G or The Bookseller http://bit.ly/2109Xvq
It’s been wonderful reading reviews of The Jar of Happiness over the past few weeks! Here are a few...
“A beguiling story, beautifully told. But woven throughout are all sorts of empowering, encouraging and essential subtleties, making this a particularly perfect picture book”
“This is a delightful and whimsical little story… Certainly if a jar of happiness won't cheer you up a bit, then this fabulous little book certainly will! We love the positive message this book relays”
“This is a simple, but powerful story”
“With its warm-hearted feel, this is a lovely snuggle-up-together and share with a young child kind of book”
“A beautiful book of a good size with simple effective illustrations and a message which is useful for anyone living with or working with young children who are developing their own emotions and coping strategies… I would definitely give this a 5/5 score for overall value, presentation and quality”
“The pictures convey the emotions of the story to perfection”
“A wonderful book…that prompted a lovely conversation with Mr D at bedtime talking about what sort of things make him happy, or make me happy”
Barbara (Basya) Karp
“What a treasure this book is. Ailsa Burrows teaches a marvelous lesson: how one child can make a positive difference in the lives of others, and how those she touches give back happiness when she needs it most. The talented British author’s vibrant, imaginative illustrations bring Meg’s story to life. Endearing details like the band of stuffed animals accompanying Meg with their musical instruments are priceless. This story, like Meg’s jar, is sure to spread joy wherever it is read.”
I was delighted to spot The Jar of Happiness in Waterstones at the weekend - just in time for Christmas shopping!
The Jar of Happiness is officially out today! Hooooray! You can order it from various websites including Amazon or from your local bookshop :-) Happy reading!
It might be another grey day outside but happily I'm surrounded by colour, busily working on the illustrations for my first picturebook, which is due to be published in the spring. Watch this space for more details!
I've been busy immersing myself in the world of Vernon Ganglythorpe over the past few weeks, but this morning in a bout of Google Analytics procrastination I had a pleasant surprise...
It turns out that someone in the US turned a neuron illustration that I did a few years ago into a tattoo. I think they did a pretty good job!
A few drawings from the character development work I've been doing this week...
Portfolio and business cards at the ready for Bologna Book Fair next week, where I'll be meeting a few publishers, checking out beautiful books from all around the world and walking until my feet fall off. Exciting!
Last night's Private View of our Cambridge exhibition was a great opportunity to bid farewell to Cambridge School of Art and thank our wonderful tutors Martin Salisbury and Pam Smy. With copious free wine and crisps on offer, a good night was had by all!
This week I took part in Ania Stypulkowski's wonderful blog 'Ania Asks Eight Questions' which probes into the pencil, paint and biscuit-filled minds of illustrators and sheds light on their habits. You can read my answers and check out the rest of her blog here.
Here's the drawing that I did for her of my creative little helpers, based on the idea that we all have 'creative geniuses' to guide us along...
