John Shelley's Blog, page 3

Happy New Year!

A very Happy New Year of the Dog to all my followers!!  2017 was tough for a great many people in very many ways, here's hoping this year the strength and determination of the Dog shall guide all my friends and followers to greater success!  

Christmas 2017

Sending festive joy and warmth to all my friends and followers!

Amidst the challenges facing the world, may this Christmas bring you peace, hope and inspiration.

Alt-Write: creative reactions to uncertain times

Here's my illustration contribution to "Alt-Write: creative reactions to uncertain times", a collection of new stories, poems and illustrations from leading names in the children’s book world. It's to illustrate Andrew Fusek Peters' poem "Salmon".     At-Write is being funded by a crowdfunding campaign. The original artwork is available for sale on the campaign page. Please support!
The book is full of luminaries from the world of children's books in the UK, with a cover illustrator from Chris Riddell and contributions from amongst others Frank Cotrell Boyce, Carol Ann Duffy, Jackie Kay, Patrice Lawrence, Sarah MacIntyre, Susan Price, Michael Rosen, Nick Sharratt, Jane Ray, Alex Wheatle and Jane Yolen.
Here you can find the original campaign launch video. There's also a Facebook Group. Please share the campaign!

Inktober 2017 - the final week!

... Or rather 10 days, to finish off the month-long daily-ink-drawing exercise that ran through October.

I've really enjoyed Inktober this year, though at times it has been a rather big distraction! Here are my last installment of drawings.

'On the Trail', for Day 22.  “Oh look, so juicy!” for Day 23. What could possibly go wrong?

I've learned a lot from this exercise this year, it's really given me a chance to grapple with the capabilities of my materials - though it's a shame I didn't try line & wash, or do more with brush pens (reminder- need to buy more Kuretake!).

For Day 24 the prompt word was “Blind”.
“Moon Ship”. Day 25 and I couldn’t resist a bit of whimsy for the day’s prompt ’Ship'.
I had hoped to do some more brush-pen and also ink & wash drawings in my studio, but the second half of this month has entirely been in Pilot HI-TEC-C pens, basically because I've been busy with work and a London event, because I love them, and because they are remarkably portable and easy to use. The pressure of deadlines meant that studio time is for commissioned work, these drawings on the other hand are sketchbook activities drawn in the kitchen, the lounge, on the train etc, and to a very short deadline (mostly drawn in 1 day, at most 2 days!) so I stuck to the medium I'm fondest of - that's just the way it worked out.

“Squeak!” For Day 26. After the heavy detail of the previous day's post it was a relief to do something simple and fun!
I don't often join in social media group-art exercises but Inktober is very much my kind of thing, this year is only the second I've attempted, and the first I've joined in from Day 1.  I loved it! More (it has to be admitted) than current commissioned work because it's almost entirely down to me what I draw, with just the optional prompt words for guidance - it gets me exploring the corners of my imagination, challenges me to draw every day, and pushes the boundaries of where I want to take my work.

When I get into "the zone" it kind of takes over, some drawings grew on the page and took rather longer than planned, sometimes well into the early hours.

‘Climbing to the High Notes’ Day 27's prompt word 'Climb'. This was initially inspired by a recent visit to the National Gallery in London, where I saw ‘A Concert’ by Lorenzo Costa.  “Falling under the spell of the Siren’s song” was for Day 28's prompt word 'Fall'
Some evolved from completely different ideas, some I've looked at afterwards and realised in retrospect - oh, it would have been better had I done it this way, or that way, tweaked this or that.... but they are drawings of the moment.

‘United.’ For Day 29.
‘Found.’ For Day 30.
Despite some heavily crafted compositions these are ultimately sketchbook drawings, exploratory, sometimes a little rough around the edges, but that's what gives the drawings their appeal for me, I'm not sure they would be as challenging if everything was planned out and drawn over a long time.

And finally... ‘Mask.’ For the final Day 31. A Halloween theme - not all witches cavort on broomsticks you know.
Will I be doing it next year? Well it depends on circumstances, deadlines etc. I hope so. First I need to catch up on housework and some sleep. But I will definitely be filling my sketchbooks and posting the results, maybe not at such a frenetic pace, but exploring the byways, pushing the boundaries!

Inktober 2017 - Week 3

This Week 3 of Inktober has been odd, I've actually had a fair bit of work to get on with, but amidst the clamour of deadlines Inktober had the loudest voice, gradually things began to become more and more elaborate! All the drawings over the third week were created in a Pilot Hi-Tec fineoint, either 0.4 or 0.5, I tried as far as possible to follow the optional prompts.....

Day 15 of #inktober 2017 and the prompt word was ‘mysterious’. ‘Promenade’.  Day 16, and something traditional for the prompt word: ‘fat’. “Graceful Dreamer”, for Day 17. ‘Dirty Old Town’. Day 18, and the prompt word was “filthy”. I like the slightly off-white paper in my larger sketchbook, it particularly seemed to fit this drawing.  “Clouds”, for Day 19. I drew this for Inktober, but also as a birthday gift for my sister-in-law, who now has the original drawing. “Deep”, for Day 20. In contrast to Day 21 which followed, I knew exactly what I wanted this drawing to look like from the word go, and it pretty well turned out that way. “Furious Wind”,  for Day 21. Coincidentally on the day that Storm Brian swept the UK! This was a drawing I started with the intention of making it quite simple, but it grew, just like the storm. Things were getting very labour-intensive by the end of this week, I actually have commissioned work to get on with (but it just goes to show how much I'm enjoying this exercise!). Possibly I'm cutting back for the rest of the month.... but it takes me where it takes me.

Inktober 2017 - Week 2

So we're at the end of the second week of Inktober, in what has been a rather surprisingly eventful week for me (but that's another subject!).

Day 8 and the prompt was “crooked”.
Here's a summary of the last seven days of my pen drawings. They're all drawing in either finepoint Pilot pens or the Kuretake brush pens I brought back from Japan at the beginning of this year (some are about to run out!). Some of these are inspired by the prompt words, others just the flow of what happens on the page.

"Are you thinking what I’m thinking?" Day 9
I've seen some truly breathtaking work from others online, whether simple daily sketches or work that has clearly been carefully crafted or prepared,  I love the way #Inktober brings artists together from all over the world, at all stages of their career.

"Big Brass", for Day 10. The prompt was ‘Enormous’, so fingers in ears!
I'm particularly fascinated to see the work of other artists in coloured inks, or using tints of line washes, but for me the chief pleasure of the exercise is about playing with the crisp, descriptive power of black line on paper, whether in pen or brush-pen. I'm not averse to ink washes though - I might have a go before the end of the month.

Things started to get very busy midweek, so something simple....  the prompt was particularly apt: "run". In a hurry ... Deadlines! "Street Talk". Day 12 Oops, Mole’s in a spot of bother. For Day 13 the prompt was “teeming”.
"Dust Devil". Day 14 and the prompt word was “fierce”.I'm running out of steam now, can I get through to the end of the month? Let's hope so!!

Inktober 2017 - the first week

October brings us to the social media drawing challenge "Inktober". I don't usually go for Twitter/Instagram keyword challenges, but as pen & ink is at the core of what I do I joined in Inktober last year and found it a really interesting challenge. The rules are simple - draw and post a  inked drawing to social media every day throughout October (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or whatever else you use), including the hashtags #Inktober and #Inktober2017. There's a list of optional daily prompt words which you can use to spark ideas or not.

I've been getting back into sketching a lot lately so was looking forward to getting stuck in with my pens and brush-pens again this year. Here's my daily posts from this first week.

Day 1: Pondering whether the little bird of inspiration will hatch me some creative eggs?
Day 2. Warming up with a Kurotake brush pen. I'm still pretty new to using brush pens, and finding them an interesting challenge as they're very different to hard point pens. Day 3. "Prince of Plumes". Back to a Pilot pen in my pocket sketchbook for a lunchtime cafe drawing. Day 4. Rooster Rhumba. Loosely based on an ancient Greek motif. It's actually been a busy week, Day 5 was a particularly hectic day, so just time for a quick brush-pen drawing. Day 6. General Tortoise. I hadn't paid any attention to the official prompts until this day, I realised when I was half way through the drawing that today's word was "Sword", it all fitted very well!

Day 7. "Shy" My first concious attempt to follow the official Inktober daily prompt. Is the shy one the little fellow, or the big fellow?More to come!! Follow my daily updates on Twitter and Instagram @StudioNIB

At the Rijksmuseum, meeting Van Der Velde again

Last week daughter and I took some time off to hop over the Channel and wander the canals and museums of old Amsterdam. It was a short break, but a full schedule, we went everywhere on foot from morn till dusk, apart from a paddle boat hour on the canals.

One of the highlights of the trip was the Rijksmuseum. It was my second visit there, I blogged about my initial trip when I first started this blog years ago, but this time there was much more time to explore the museum. Daughter was much taken by art objects like clocks, china and other decorated crafts, for me though I was totally caught up with the wealth of visual arts. One painting by Peeter Baltens sparked an idea for a picture book - recording it here so I don't just sit on it (as often happens with my picture book ideas).

Peeter Baltens: A performance of 'Een cluyte van Plaeyerwater' at a Flemish fairground. (Rijksmuseum)Another painter I was much impressed with was Jean-Étienne Liotard. I knew of his work vaguely as a mid-18th century portraitist, but seeing the originals was pretty amazing. The delicacy and lightness of his portraits in pastel and oil had an almost ethereal reality, some seemed almost modern in colour and tone, this one in particular to my eyes could almost have been painted in the 1920's.

Jean-Étienne Liotard: Portrait of the artist’s wife, Marie Fargues (ca.1718-1784), in Turkish dress
(Rijksmuseum)There was so much to be impressed by, the ship models, the doll houses, the Waterloo display, and the highlight pieces by Vermeer, Van Eyck, and of course, Rembrandt...


But the big one for me was seeing once again the marine pen and ink drawings of William Van Der Velde the Elder.

Paying respects to William Van der Velde 1: The Battle of Dunkirk 1659
The Van der Velde family of artists are often lumped together and sometimes confused, the oil paintings of the brothers William (the younger) and Adriaen are very well known, but it's the work of their father, William Van der Velde the Elder that particularly impresses me. Van der Velde the Elder was master of a technique called pen-painting (after the Dutch penschilderij), consisting of pen and ink drawing and fine washes over a hardened oil lead white primer base. These enormous, incredibly detailed ink drawings of naval battles were a new discovery for me the last time I visited the Rijksmuseum and just blew me away with their intricate fine pen lines.

The Battle of Dunkirk (detail) 1659 (Rijkmuseum)It was just fantastic to see these works again. I love all painting, I can appreciate oil paintings from a relatively lay perspective, because I don't paint in oils myself. But this is pen and ink, my medium, it's just breathtaking to see such fabulous detail in the hands of an absolute master. I'm completely humbled by this.

The Battle of Livorno or Leghorn (detail) c.1659-99 (Rijkmuseum)
Van der Velde I worked with ships his whole life, initially in Holland, then in Britain after he moved with his family to London. He was even present at a couple of battles, so knew the workings of these vessels intimately. I've always loved old ship paintings, but it's the sheer scale of these drawings and their precise, fine detail that really impresses - the subjects could have been of anything really and still blown me away, but the technical renderings of these fabulous ships take it to another level. It's difficult to give a true idea of the size and level of detail in these snapshots.

The Battle of Livorno or Leghorn (detail) c.1659-99 (Rijkmuseum)The Rijksmuseum has five of his large-scale battle pen-paintings (here are the full size works). They're fine compositions seen from a distance, but to really appreciate Van der Velde's work you have to get up close.... very close.

The Battle of Livorno or Leghorn (detail) c.1659-99 (Rijkmuseum) The Battle of Terhaide (detail) 1657 (Rijkmuseum) The Battle of Terhaide (detail) 1657 (Rijkmuseum) The Battle of Terhaide (detail) 1657 (Rijkmuseum) The Battle of the Downs (detail) 1659 (Rijkmuseum) The Battle of the Downs (detail) 1659 (Rijkmuseum)Van der Velde the Elder's best period was in the Netherlands - after he moved to Britain pressures of living, domestic strife (he cheated on his wife repeatedly), and differing art markets must have had a big effect - his work become less intricate in later years. Next time I'm in London I must visit St. James church Piccadilly, where he's buried, and pay my respects. He may not have been the ideal husband, but man he knew how to use pen and ink. I can at least stand in awe of his art!

Getting in the Groove: daily sketching and writing

If you've been following me on Instagram (which I'm slowly getting used to) and Twitter, you might have seen some of the - mostly - daily drawings I've been posting recently. I've avoided multi-posting to the blog or on Facebook on a daily basis, I think the continuous nature of Twitter and Instagram is better suited to daily sketch exercises, but in case you missed them, here are a few recent scribblings.


On a train, playing "guess the famous book"
Sketchbooks are an intrinsic part of my work, both for working on ideas for commissioned projects and for time-off drawing, but, unusually for me, the first part of this year I actually found it very hard to think about sketching. I was at a low ebb after the death of my father (he was almost the last of his generation in my family), so I wasn't feeling particularly whimsical. Most of my creative energy was focused on commissioned briefs, and when I could devote spare time to creativity it was focused more on reviving my long-dormant picture book stories than sketching. Of course, for picture books I need to do both - writing and sketching, together! Admittedly I wasn't travelling much either, and it's often on trains that I tend to get into the groove of doodling, so, commissioned work aside, sketching was sluggish. 

I needed a break, thankfully the SCBWI Picture Book Retreat earlier this summer played an enormous part in helping me re-charge my batteries. I had a couple of very heartening meetings with presenters, and the workshop activities were a delight.  

From a sketching exercise run by illustrator Adam Storey at the SCBWI Retreat - we were asked to loosely sketch the outline of volunteer models, then develop the sketch into a character - here I turned attendee Gary Fabri into a wolf-man.
Since then I've been working on ideas and filling the pages of my sketchbooks, just getting back into the rhythm. Eventually I'll write picture book stories based on or developed from my own free doodly sketches, so they're not separate things, but united themes, expressed in words and pictures, visuals and story together.... but I'm not quite there ... yet. My sketchbooks tend to be about drawings only, I don't find it easy to pull out and develop stories from my sketches, the drawings say it all! Likewise when I think of story ideas I tend to focus on the words and the narrative, rather than illustrations. It's a curious separation in my mind, which I'm trying to bridge. There are stories in the sketches though, can you see them?
Dog Lover Beaver in a library run by Otters Air Bus Two Rats in the Rain Some of these were drawn on train journeys, as I've been out and about a little more lately, but also sometimes late at night sketches before bed, or doodles while watching TV (like this friendly monster)..... just getting back into the habit of daily drawing. I'm not laying any rules on my doodles, I draw when I can, mostly daily, and post the ones I like, but this isn't a race or an exercise, it's all at my pace, for my benefit and enjoyment. It's for this reason I don't tend to go for some of the more structured art challenges on social media. 


This started from scribbling on scrap paper, trying to unblock clogged pen nibs (one of the drawbacks of fine-point pens), and ended up as a drawing in it's own right. Any kind of creative activity takes you on a journey, sometimes though when you pause for a breather you might dally too long and forget the way. But the path carries on, and if you walk it, it gets clearer, you'll find it takes you to all kinds of places.

Best Wishes for Summer 2017!

Summer greetings to all my dear friends and readers.

It's been a rather cool and wet summer in the UK so far, not so glorious for beach-lovers perhaps, but good for gardens... and frogs!