Our witch here is done. Work, I mean 'work' - our 'work' here is...nevermind.

Remember those little witches (elves and vampires) from April's blog of last year that were on their way from Barbie Magazine to fully fledged novels all of their very own? (Pause whilst you check back on that blog though how you could possibly have forgotten it?!).

Well FINALLY - we're almost there - and atleast, my part is done!

Having first created their Barbie Magazine look in 2004 (this is Gwen in particular as I very first drew her...having based her vaguely on Isla Fisher...very vaguely)

And then as far back as 2008 started on getting them up to date and ready for today's 'tween' woman...

Gwen has finally reached the current end of the journey - that being the cover art pictured at the top of this blog! it only took 7 years - but she's still the same age, yet somehow all growed up! *tear*

One can only presume that both Nel and Rain will get the full transformative treatment in sequels to come...

PS: No blog posts 2 weeks in a row? Sorry - busy working on a lavish book for the purposes of proposing to my ex-girlfriend...now fiancee! P'raps i'll pop it up here in the blog one day...how romantical!

The Cocky who cried lunchbags!

So here, for the only time EVER (unless another time occurs) a startlingly small glimpse into what has been going on lately and hence why things have been so busy!

Coming ever so soonish via Little Hare Books is a little number entitled 'The Cocky who cried Dingo' - which came together a little something like this!

FIRST - I decided abstract and boldly coloured backgrounds were the plan (partly as I didn't want to have to draw page after page of foliage - presuming the birds in the story were tree dwelling types - and they were!). And why not try a rustic 'torn paper' vibe to abstractly (see: thoroughly obscurely) simulate the Australian outback...sky in particular!

Now...I decided brown paper lunch bags would be the tool of my trade - why? Because they're brown! thus they're an actual colour THUS when scanned into the computer I can easily change an actual colour to another actual colour in photoshop much easier than if it were a grey or white piece of paper!

Next - a plan - and in the grand tradition of my previous complex plans - behold - my plan! Note the numerous pages with question marks - yep, intensely designed to the finest detail before proceeding to rip up lunch bags!

so here are two examples of the scanned bits of torn paper in place with the rough pencil sketches included...

And then after a bit of fiddling and drawing - some finished spreads!

EASY! Now all thats' needed is a cover design and then WHOOSH - another literary gem out into the world...all thanks to Coles lunch bags and grim determination NOT to repeatedly draw leafy leafy Australian flora!