Petr Horáček's Blog, page 11

Sketching Blue Penguin again and again.

My latest book Blue Penguin is coming out pretty soon. In fact I already have a first copy of the book at home. The book was in front of me when I received an email asking me to design a Christmas card. I didn’t need to think too long before I made up my mind about what I would do.

I thought Blue Penguin would make a good card.Here is Blue Penguin taking off.Similar, but perhaps a more festive launching of Blue Penguin.Then I thought about a picture with Blue Penguin and the winter sun coming through a snowy sky.And one more. This time with a Christmas star.Or perhaps this one,…or this one.When I start sketching ideas sometimes I don’t know when to stop.

So I didn’t stop.I think this picture made it to the final. I’m happy with the choice.This illustration was one of the least successful. I liked the house in the picture so I did a picture of the house by itself.Here are some other houses from my little sketchbook.Upside down house.

And one more. It looks a bit like a gingerbread house, don’t you think?

Lots of pictures

I’m working hard on “My First Book of Animals” brilliantly written by Nicola Davies. The book has more than fifty pictures and the deadline is coming slowly.

The good news is, that I’m really enjoying working on the book, so I don’t mind locking myself in the studio and paint…and paint.

Some animals are easier to draw than others and then there are animals which I was putting off, worried that I won’t be able to do it well. One of them was a whale shark.

No wonder I was worried, this was my first sketch.

As often is the case, once you start dealing with the problem, things get easier. I’m now quite happy with the result.

I had a look at my sketchbook to find more sharks, but instead I found two drawings of orcas (killer whale).

This one is almost abstract.The other challenging picture was an illustration of a dragonfly. Here is the sketch.Nicola’s text mentions the stage when the dragonfly is emerging from the nymph. In real life it looks like this.It’s quite fascinating, but also a challenge to draw it the way children can understand what is happening. Here is my interpretation.This is the final illustration with the dragonfly.Then I did a picture of giraffes. I like drawing giraffes and I have a couple of them in my little sketchbooks. Here are some.

One very tall.One swimming (by the way giraffes can’t swim).One giraffe falling.

This is the sketch for the bookand this is the final picture.

The illustration with monarch butterflies took me a long time.The sketch and the final picture.

As a bonus, this is what happens when two chameleons try to catch one dragonfly.

 

 

 

Snail and firefly

I didn’t need to travel anywhere this week! I’ve spent the whole week in my studio working on my new book.

Here is a sketch for one of the pictures I finished just a couple of hours ago. Arctic terns.

Nicola’s text says that the arctic tern travels three times the distance to the moon and back during its life time! It’s amazing. I decided to change the picture and show the birds flying in a flock.

Here is the final picture.

I also finished a picture of an orangutan. This is the work in progress.

And the final picture.Next I did a picture of fireflies. I wasn’t quite sure how to do this one, but I think it came out quite nicely.

Then it was snail. Here is the sketchand here is the finished illustration.

I looked through my little sketchbook for more snails.Here is one.

This is a very old snail.

I thought that’s it, but then I noticed a picture on the wall in my studio. This snail on the bench is almost ten years old.

 

Mouse in Edinburgh

This week was mainly about “The Mouse Who Reached the Sky”. It started on Monday at “The Tea House Theatre” next to my my publisher Walker Books.

The publisher invited children and their parents who are enthusiastic about picture books. There was a presentation by editors from Walker Books, a storyteller, I did my talk and some drawings, and then we all ate lots of delicious cakes.

I also got a present. Lucy gave me a picture with all the characters from my books. I love the penguin bouncing on the giraffe’s back.

It’s always nice to meet parents who love books and their children.

Then it was Edinburgh International Book Festival. Edinburgh is such a nice city and the Edinburgh International Book Festival is definitely my favourite festival. Well, after talking to other authors and illustrators, I have a feeling that it’s everybody’s favourite festival.

Whole event is so well organised. Everybody who is involved and everybody I met were friendly, smiley and always happy to help. And let’s not forget the great audience as well!

For authors the festival is also a great opportunity to catch up with fellow writers, illustrators and people who are involved with books.

I stayed for a couple of days and even managed to see a couple of events myself. There is so much to see, but one of my favourite talks was Best of the Brits: Celebrating our Young Adult Fiction. It was a discussion between Elizabeth Laird, David Almond, James Dawson and latest Carnegie Medal winner Tanya Landman and was chaired by the brilliant Daniel Hahn. Very entertaining was also Rev Richard Coles, who was chaired by the equally brilliant Richard Holloway.

Apart from my two events in the festival I also visited Gilmerton Library in Edinburgh and talked to a bunch of lovely kids from a local nursery. I’m not sure if the children were carefully selected, or if I was just lucky, but they were really well behaved and they were a great audience.

I don’t know how, but I also managed to deliver a couple of pictures for the new book I’m working on with Nicola Davies.

Here are wolves and a sketch for a chameleon with Nicola’s text.

and the final picture.

I looked at my sketchbook for more chameleons and here is one.

The Mouse Who Reached the Sky!

Summer holiday is over, at least for me. I had a great time traveling and visiting lots and lots of galleries and museums.Here I am in one of them – The Eric Carl Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts. I’m trying on the wings of the butterfly. Guess from which book is it from!

I’m now back in my studio. When I got home a parcel was waiting for me. Inside were the copies of my new book The Mouse Who Reached the Sky!

I’m packing for Edinburgh Literature Festival. Edinburgh is one of my favourite cities and The Edinburgh Festival is one of my favourite festivals. I’m going to talk and also do a workshop about Little Mouse who reached the sky.

As I was getting ready I found some of the earliest sketches for the book.This is a sketch for the cover.

Here I was trying to choose the most suitable mouse for the picture. 

 

Illustrating this page from the book was fun!

This is the final artwork from the book.

We already have a paperback cover ready.The paperback is made from thinner paper, so it can’t have the cut out in the front and the cover is a bit different.

I can’t wait to read the book to children and find out if they like it.

Since I was home I also finished two pictures for the book with Nicola Davies – My First Book of Animals.

Here is a polar bear with cubs

and an emperor penguin looking after an egg.

Painting snow in the summer is rather refreshing.

 

Crocodile before I go

It’s time for a holiday, so I was finishing bits and pieces, before I go,

I also did a picture of a crocodile with babies.Crocodiles are fascinating animals and I got a bit stuck watching documentary films as I was doing the research.

Talking about babies and crocodiles, here is an interesting picture I came about. I don’t think this crocodile would be very happy.

On the other hand this crocodile looks quite happy.I was also looking through my little sketchbooks, trying to find some pictures of crocodiles. I found two.Here is a picture of a very large crocodile eating a tiger.

And here is a picture of a very large crocodile being eaten by a monster.

O.K. enough about crocodiles. I must pack my suitcase.

Next week on my holiday I will pop into Candlewick Press. I’m really excited. I’ve never been to Boston before!

Candlewick Press recently published my book The Fly.I promised to do a little talk about my work and about this book too. It took ten years from my first idea to do a book about a fly to actually publishing the book.

It was wort the wait I think. I enjoyed working on the book.

One more piece of news. It’s only couple of weeks before “The Mouse Who Reached the Sky” is going to be published!

Hurray!

 

If I were a Bird

This week it was my birthday, so I was watching the Moon.

I was also working on “My First Book of Animals”. I was painting bees.

I decided not to write about bees in this blog because one can get stuck with the subject for ever. Bees are rather fascinating creatures.Next picture was picture of camels. Here is the sketch andhere is the final picture.

I know, there is always something special about the sketches, but one has to keep in mind that the book is for children who may have never seen a camel before, so I have to be more realistic.

I looked at my little sketchbook for some more drawings of a camel.Here is one! He should have just one hump, but he has two.

The next illustration I did this week was a picture of a waver bird. It’s rather fascinating how they make their nests.Talking about birds. My friend and brilliant artist Piet Grobler gave me a picture for my birthday.

I know – it’s beautiful! Apparently it’s a portrait of me if I was a bird. I love the picture and it’s already hanging on the wall so I can look at it all the time.

I looked at my sketchbooks and found lots of strange birds.Some of them have faces and ears.Some of them are just weird and have noses.Here is a woodpecker.

This is some kind of kingfisher, but the truth is – I made him up. Same as this very colourful duck.This magpie and pigeon are not made up at all.

And I like this strange bird. Not just for his bravery, but I like the colours too.

And the winner is ….

Salvatore Rubbino! He won the IBW children’s book award. CONGRATULATIONS! “A Walk in Paris” is a beautiful book publish by Walker Books, so let the best one win!

 

Meanwhile  I have to be happy with being shortlisted with “The Mouse Who Ate the Moon”. And I’m happy!

People running independent book shops are people who know their books and they are good at what they do.

They have to be since it is not easy to be able to compete with big booksellers these days . You have to put in a bit extra to stand out.

“LONG LIVE INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOPS!”

Over the last couple of weeks I was painting a farmer’s family for my next bookand I also finished a couple of illustrations for Nicola Davies’ and my book “My First Book of Animals”.

Here is an ostrich and a hummingbird. Did you know that a hummingbird is as big as an aye of an ostrich?

I have painted little turtles

and a big owl.I love Nicola’s poems. The text is inspiring me to do my best.

Here are ants.

I know woods in the Czech Republic where ants’ nests are so big that they can reach up to my waist and I’m quite a tall man.

Talking big, here is a Komodo dragon and a drawing of a sleeping lion. I’m also finishing off pictures of bees, elephants, monkeys but more about that next time.Just one more picture. This is a new fan of board books – Guy Harrison. He knows a good book when he sees it!

Showing pictures

Claire Harrison – “Gate at the Other World” mixed media

Mark and Clare de la Torre, Adrienne Craddock, Claire Harrison and I are having exhibition!

One always forgets how much work it is to get everything together, frame and hang the pictures, make invitations and invite people, buy wine and food…and have a PARTY!

The private view was last Friday. The weather was fabulous. Lots of people came and the evening was great.

Here is the display of the beautiful jewellery made by Clare de la Torre. My paintings are hanging on the wall.

Over the weekend five of us were making coffee, pouring wine and chatting to people who came to see our work.

This is display of Mark’s pots and lamps. The paintings are done by my wife Claire Harrison.I decided to exhibit some of my illustrations from books and also some of my small paintings and drawings on vellum.

There was enough space for my tigers

and even more space for my big paintings.These are three swimming giraffes.

The picture called “Late Breakfast” was finished only a couple of days before the exhibition. It’s one of a series of ten pictures. I named the series “Interiors”.

The exhibition will be on for one more weekend, so come to see us if you can! The opening time is Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm.

 

Exhibition!

 

 

We are having an exhibition! As the poster says it will run for two weekends 6-7th and 13-14th June.

Mark de la Torre is a great potter.Clare de la Torre makes beautiful jewellery. 

Adrienne Craddock is a brilliant printer and painter.

Claire Harrison is a painter. I love her work and not just because Claire is my wife!

Some time ago, when we were discussing the possibility of having an exhibition, I was thinking: “Shall I show my illustrations, or shall I exhibit my paintings?”  Then I looked at my work and realised that these two are getting closer together these days.I have less time for painting big pictures and I spend lots of time traveling around schools and book festivals talking to children. I do get inspired by children’s work and drawings. Sometimes their sketches make it in to my paintings.

I also get inspired by some of my illustrations and take them a bit further. 

I call this series of ten paintings “Interiors”.

Recently I was also painting on pieces of vellum. The small paintings are inspired by notes and sketches from my small sketchbooks. They are silly ideas and dreams.

Here is “Mammoth hunters”.“A Falling Giraffe”..and “Something else”.

I framed these small drawings in deep frames.

It was good fun to get ready for the exhibition and Mark and I made ceramics together as well. Well, Mark did the hard bit – the pots – and I just drew on them. They are not completely finished yet. We still have a couple of days!

I think that’s all about the exhibition. I hope you can make it.

Oh, yes I did an interview for KINDERLIT.  There is also a nice little introduction to Czechoslovakian illustration.