Chris Riddell comes to see Many Ways To Tell A Story

Children's Laureate Chris Riddell came to see our exhibition at Hove Museum so we just had to tell you about it...

Thank you to Chris Riddell for this hand drawn poster

It was very special to have Chris Riddell - children's laureate and successful, talented illustrator - visiting our exhibition. Knowing that he must be very busy we were delighted that he was so generous with his time.  It was fun walking around and talking with him as he commented on the art work and gave professional advice in a warm and self deprecating way. He also shared his fond memories of bringing his children to Hove Museum when they were small.

Chris even made this poster to help spread the word - we hope you can come and see this 'magical exhibition' for yourself.

The show is all about stories told in many ways and because of the variety of work, it appeals to all ages. We are very keen to spread the word about Hove Museum too because if you haven't experienced this gem of a museum yet you are really missing a treat.

Chris discussed doing an event with Fabula in the near future (exciting!) - we will keep you posted!

Hurray - New Picture Books Are Coming!

What has Fabula member Emmi Smid been up to? - well, she has been drawing, painting and writing and is developing not just one, but two new picture books! The first of these is a picture book that explores issues around encouraging positive body image. 

The book is called 'Minnie and Max are OK!'and it is written by Nicky

Hutchinson and Chris Calland who are specialist advisers on children's behaviour and mental health.

Introducing Minnie and Max

Without giving too much away, the story is about a little girl who's not too sure about her appearance and her loyal dog Max suffers from similar insecurities. Luckily they have an awesome grandmother and lovely friends who show them that they are totally OK! 

Children are bombarded with "perfect" role models from a very young age and so a story like this is very much needed. It is it is a very heartwarming, recognisable and endearing story and Emmi says she is very excited to be illustrating it.

Emmi strongly believes that picture books are the perfect vehicle to introduce young children to difficult, profound topics, without them feeling like they are being lectured to. Her debut picture book, Luna's Red Hat, published by Jessica Kingley Publishing, tackles the stigma of suicide and has received excellent reviews. Sensitively written and beautifully illustrated by Emmi it is designed to be read with children aged 6+ to help them cope with difficult feelings arising from bereavement by suicide. It also includes a guide for parents and professionals by grief expert, Dr Riet Fiddelaers-Jaspers.

Introducing Luna

Another one to watch out for from Emmi is a picture book that she is currently developing with the working title of Cardboard Box Village. This is a story about gender roles and diversity. Emmi says she was inspired to write it by a friend who is currently questioning their gender and potentially transitioning. In this forthcoming book Emmi aims to show how the fear of anyone who is 'different' can restrict us from working and living together and seeking strength in our differences. She has started noticing all the small ways in which we box ourselves and each other into our established gender roles. What we would achieve, Emmi wonders,  if we could let go of not only gender, but also skin colour, religion and background? 

Emmi has an illustration style that would bring many different kinds of stories to life but currently she is focusing on designing picture books that address social taboos and highlight current global topics. But can we discuss anything and everything in picture books? - this is a central concern of Emmi's work and one that she has taken part in debate about. In asking herself this she questions her own practice and ensures that her work will remain useful for it's intended young audience. 

Cardboard Box Village, follows on from Luna's Red Hat as another big and important topic that Emmi is taking on. We're confident that her new book will have the same lightness and sensitivity apparent in Luna's Red Hat and we look forward to seeing it when it's finished. Unfortunately there are no sketches to show you yet as all the illustrations are still in Emmi's head! Watch this space!

Both Minnie and Max are OK! and Cardboard Box Village will be published in 2017 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers and both books will have a guide for parents at the back.

Luna's Red Hat is out on the shelves in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia, and can be ordered online through the publishers or at www.waterstones.com. You will also be able to see it exhibited at Hove Museum from December 3rd until April 2017 as part of Fabula Collectives show - "Many Ways To Tell A Story". 

For more information about Emmi Smid's work please go to the Fabula Collective website and follow links.

A new children's book by Juliette Rajak

Juliette Rajak showing the work in progress on her picture book 

Fabula member Juliette Rajak took almost two years out from studying for her masters degree to go to Australia. But she didn't take any time out from illustration - while she was there she won the Wilson Vineyard Wine Label Design Commission and was shortlisted for the Five Mile Press Illustration Prize as well as having several exhibitions of her work.

It's great to have her back in Brighton again now and although she is currently completing her MA in Sequential Design/Illustration at The University of Brighton she still found time to  come to Hove Museum to be involved in our residency there. Here she is showing work from her MA project to members of the public at Hove Museum.

Juliette's MA project has culminated in a children's picture book about the importance of 'slowing down'  - letting children experience boredom so that they can start to use their imaginations.  The story she has written and illustrated follows the imagination of a child playing with a puddle of milk on the table while her mother is busy with the housework.  The child starts to imagine herself in the miniature world of germs and so begins her adventure! It is illustrated using textures that originate from print making techniques and Juliette got inspiration from maps to develop the beautiful colour scheme.  As well as tackling the subject of 'slowing down' it gives lots of scientific information about germs.

Here are some images from the development of her book.

Juliette's book will be on show at the MA degree show at The University Gallery, Grand Parade, The University of Brighton. The show is on from 16th September (private view in the evening) until 23rd September.

It is likely that she will also exhibit images from the book at our forthcoming exhibition at Hove Museum in December and so that will be another chance to see them.

You can also see more of Juliette's work at  www.fabulacollective.com

Word of Month REPEAT - by Somin Ahn and some exciting news!

To illustrate the word REPEAT, Somin Ahn made this charming narrative in which a yellow square keeps repeating and a cat plays with it. The story is based on the concept of relativity.

Somin says she got her inspiration when she was cat-sitting for two months with a cat called Cookie. She enjoyed watching his daily routines such as looking through the windows, chasing bees and other typical cat behaviours. The relationship between the square and the cat makes the narrative: A square changes into a drawer that a cat jumps on, a square of sunshine that keeps him warm and a box that he likes the most.

Somin has now made this story into a picture book and the great news is that this book is soon to be published. 

This isn't the only book by Somin - her first published picture book 'One Minute', also explores the concept of relativity. The story follows a young girl facing a variety of experiences that last one minute and explores how the sense of time differs depending on the circumstances. 

We're delighted to tell you that Korean and American children will soon be able to read 'One Minute' as it will be released on Friday August 12th in Korea and on November 15th in the USA as well. Congratulations Somin!

Somin's books are being published by Corraini Edizioni, an Italian publisher that won the Bologna Prize for the Best Children's Book Publisher in Europe in 2014.

'One Minute' is a truly lovely picture book and if you'd like to find out a bit more about it or to purchase a copy please follow the links below

http://www.corraini.com/en/catalogo/scheda_libro/1246/One-minute 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Minute-Somin-Ahn/dp/145215564X

There is a chance to see more of Somin's work at www.fabulacollective.com and at our exciting exhibition at Hove Museum from Dec 2016 - March 2017 (for more information please read previous posts by clicking below on the label 'Hove Museum').

SILENCE! - by Jay Eunji Lee and some great news!

Here is another illustrative interpretation of the word SILENCE as part of our word project. This one, by Jay Eunji Lee, is a little sequence that tells a story. 

Jay usually exhibits with us but as she will not be taking part in our next exhibition in Hove Museum in December (see previous posts for further information) we thought it would be a good opportunity to tell you a bit about her work and show some of it here.

Jay's first picture book - 'The Way to Outer Space' is about a girl's journey to another planet and it includes three different craft activities to encourage children to use their imagination. 

We'd like to congratulate Jay because her picture book was published by Hansol Soobook in Korea last month and is due to be published in the UK today by Oxford University Press - Fantastic!

To see more examples of Jay's work please go to www.fabula.collective.com or www.jaypicturebook.com

Animal Characters by Pip Carter

 Here are some new images from Fabula member Pip Carter. Pip has recently started working in ink/nib and watercolour wash - she is really enjoying the results and it's great to see what she's been working on. Her focus has been on developing her portfolio for the children’s book market. She has been drawing animals and children with an aim to keep a strong feeling of energy, dynamism and emotion in her work - we think it's working!

During her MA Pip developed a picture book for older children. If you'd like to see that and other examples of her work please go to www.pipcarter.co.uk or the Fabula website www.fabulacollective.com

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy these characters!

Silence! - another illustrated word

Another interpretation of SILENCE. For this one I was thinking about how the snow insulates us from sound, all the traffic stops and life can become a bit simpler (in some respects) for a while. You can see more of my work at www.louisedennisillustration.co.uk or on the Fabula website www.fabulacollective.com