Artist Interview: Christiane Engel
Posted by Amy on Saturday March 13, 2010
The weekend is here (for me anyway ;) And there’s nothing better than to kick off a possible breakfast-and-reading-in-bed day with an interview with Christiane Engel, an accomplished illustrator who has done amazing work for editorials, ad campaigns and children’s books!
Name: Christiane Engel
Location: London, UK
Website/Shop: www.desertfriends.com www.etsy.com/shop/chengel
Blog: www.christianeengel.blogspot.com/
Illustration media: digital collage / pencil+acrylic / pen+ink / paint on wood
Tell us a little more about yourself!
Hello! My name is Christiane. I’m an illustrator of children’s books and other things and I like to design fabrics. I’m originally from Germany and I hope to live in a semi-desert climate one day.
Where do you live? What stands out about living where you are, and what is your daily schedule like?
I’ve been living in London for a while now, but in a less urban area with lots of parks, sports grounds and leafy roads.
Sometimes I forget it’s London and when I get off the underground at Piccadilly Circus it hits me that I’ve been living in my own bubble surrounded by children’s books, animal wall-charts and maps of National Parks, and I really need to adjust to get into that fast-paced city mode again. What I like about this place though is that you can find all kinds of things here and that it doesn’t even surprise people when you’re not from here because rarely anyone is!
And when it gets too much I can always escape into my dream world through my illustrations.
My daily schedule is mostly a variation of this: checking e-mails / revising color artwork digitally / sketching on own projects / working on roughs for commissions / going to the library or food shopping / more e-mailing or uploading artwork/ googling pictures of Namibia / work out at the gym plus Yoga or Pilates / re-hydrate / eat in or out / watch TV whilst still sketching or noting down ideas…I have to learn how to switch off.
How did you get your start in illustration?
I studied mainly Animation at a German art school but when I moved to England I ended up making little story books and finally, for my MA, I wrote and illustrated a children’s book series called Louis + Bobo. After I graduated I sent my work out to a few agents and the response was quite positive, that really surprised me cause all I heard were warnings about how difficult it would be to break into children’s publishing. Soon after that I had my first commissions which were in advertising and my first book, ‘Louis+Bobo – We Are Moving’, was published by Chrysalis in 2005.
I still had various day jobs by then and mainly worked on my illustrations at night.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of Christiane’s interview!
Scout Books: Mike Perry
Posted by Amy on Friday March 12, 2010
Scout Books are making their way around the interweb these days and understandably so: you can customize these little handy notebooks made of 100% recycled papers and soy inks with your artwork on the cover.
Every month, they also launch an illustrated cover edition by various artists, and this month it’s Mike Perry, whose work I absolutely adore. Get his limited edition Scout Book over here.
Little Clouds
Posted by Amy on Thursday March 11, 2010
Fun little characters all lined up in a row from Little Clouds, and I love how she has a zine that share juicy details on each individual character!
Originally from London, she moved to Hong Kong to experience something different and is documenting her discoveries on her blog.
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The Doom Girls
Posted by Amy on Thursday March 11, 2010
Not all girls are sugar and spice, and The Doom Girls understand this fact. In fact, they celebrate it. The impish grin, the sneaky laugh – we’ve all been there, haven’t we? ;)
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Brendan Wenzel
Posted by Amy on Wednesday March 10, 2010
How adorable are these animals? Love the work of Brendan Wenzel — his sketches are amazing, and his lines are fabulously fluid.
{via Sam Caldwell}
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Claire Murray
Posted by Amy on Wednesday March 10, 2010
I don’t quite know what it is exactly, but I find myself keeling over laughing my head off at works by UK illustrators. (In a good way — I’m laughing because they made me laugh!)
My latest find and indulgence is Claire Murray. The fun really starts when you head on over to her website dedicated to her zines entitled The Joy of Hate — an illustrated zine of pet peeves. (Remember to zoom in on the covers. Hilarious.)
Also, here’s a tip for navigating the website: hover over the left or right hand side of the white paper and a hand will pop up, which will let you go forward or backwards to see more zine entries. It took me some time to figure it out!
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Sponsor giveaway: Benconservato
Posted by Amy on Tuesday March 9, 2010
Everyone should have a monster to call their own. Mine would be one that’s a little rough around the edges, scruffy looking with a gruff voice, but a big heart (and one with a smile goes a long way too.)
If there ever was a lady who could translate my perfect monster onto paper, that would be Emma Kidd of Benconservato. She’s based in Australia, and is an artist, illustrator, printmaker, and photographer who’s always busy dreaming up and drawing monsters!
She’s giving away a set of Monsters Behaving Badly Colouring Book and a 6-pack of Colour Me Happy Gocco Party Invites to ONE lucky reader if you’ll share with us your favorite monsters (real or imaginary!)
Giveaway ends on 16th March 2010 and the winner will be announced via email!
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Joana Rosa Bragança
Posted by Amy on Tuesday March 9, 2010
Joana Rosa Bragança is an illustrator based in Portugal and can I just say how lovely her work is? Everything is so pretty and beautifully detailed – she has mad watercolor skills! I’m so in love with how she draws people too: soft, rounded and fluid. Check out the lack of elbows. SWOON.
Check out her flickr and here’s her blog about her little pet!
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beverly ealdama
Posted by Racheal Anilyse on Monday March 8, 2010
A little inspiration for you today from Beverly Ealdama. Enjoy the day, make it a creative one friends!
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Vintage Children's Book Illustrations
Posted by Jamie Shelman on Friday March 5, 2010
Some time ago I happened to stumble across this incredible collection of vintage children’s book illustrations posted by Tiny Tin aka Christine Copland on flickr and haven’t been able to forget about them ever since! The bright colors, shapes and textures are an inspiration and joy to behold!
The first two images are from The Circus by Brian Wildsmith.
The third image from The Lion and the Bird’s Nest by Eriko Kishida.
Grab a cup of tea and curl up with your computer to spend sometime with this truly unique and interesting take on children’s illustration.
See the full set here.
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