Tor Freeman's Blog, page 27
June 4, 2013
Toucans Review
The Toucan Brothers is Kids' Book of the Month on Gransnet! I am very excited!
Here is their lovely review. Thank you so much Gransnet!
Here is their lovely review. Thank you so much Gransnet!
June 3, 2013
Mural Painting!
Queen Mary's Hospital in Roehampton has long been considered by my family as the best of hospitals, with great staff who give consistently fantastic care. I born there, along with my friends Ella and Esther; my sister Jessie the persistent ankle-breaker has had wonderful care there, and in adulthood so have the rest of us.
So when they asked if I knew anyone who could do a mural in the children's dermatology suite I volunteered myself and Mum. I felt quite apprehensive in the run-up as I'm used to drawing animals thumb-sized rather than giant, but we ended up having a GREAT weekend, and think the paintings have brightened up the children's cubicle. We hope the staff at Queen Mary's will agree!
What ho! What would brighten this slightly clinical (though excellent-care-involving!) room up?
Our brief: Do something that goes with these curtains.
Mural Painting Team! (Mum and Tor)
Ingredients for fun.
But what shall we do first?
Let's get cracking with this parrot!
And a monkey!
Pensive by the giraffe.
Now ecstatic!
What's that monkey doing with that banana??
End of the first day.
Back again - renewed vigour!
Tortoise and baby.
Defining ants.
Tortoise details going on.
What has that parrot got his eye on?
IT'S FINISHED! We took photos of all the areas...
The banana was not a great success.
Watch out caterpillar!
Antmusic.
Parrot hanging out with the latex gloves.
Mum's gorgeous ladybird family.
Waving not drowning.
All done - and it looks like they're waving goodbye to us!
But it's taken a toll on the exhausted muralists. Off to the pub!
Bye!
So when they asked if I knew anyone who could do a mural in the children's dermatology suite I volunteered myself and Mum. I felt quite apprehensive in the run-up as I'm used to drawing animals thumb-sized rather than giant, but we ended up having a GREAT weekend, and think the paintings have brightened up the children's cubicle. We hope the staff at Queen Mary's will agree!
What ho! What would brighten this slightly clinical (though excellent-care-involving!) room up?
Our brief: Do something that goes with these curtains. 
Mural Painting Team! (Mum and Tor)
Ingredients for fun.
But what shall we do first?
Let's get cracking with this parrot!
And a monkey! 
Pensive by the giraffe.
Now ecstatic!
What's that monkey doing with that banana??
End of the first day.
Back again - renewed vigour! 
Tortoise and baby.
Defining ants.
Tortoise details going on.
What has that parrot got his eye on?
IT'S FINISHED! We took photos of all the areas...
The banana was not a great success.
Watch out caterpillar!
Antmusic.
Parrot hanging out with the latex gloves.
Mum's gorgeous ladybird family.
Waving not drowning.
All done - and it looks like they're waving goodbye to us!
But it's taken a toll on the exhausted muralists. Off to the pub! 
Bye!May 30, 2013
Olive in clay!
The wonderful illustrator Rachel Clowes sent me this photo yesterday. Her son Harry made a clay model of Olive during his half term holiday!
Every time I look at this it gives me a lovely feeling. Thank you for sending me the photo Harry and Rachel - I absolutely love her!
Every time I look at this it gives me a lovely feeling. Thank you for sending me the photo Harry and Rachel - I absolutely love her!
May 21, 2013
The Toucan Brothers
June is a really exciting month for me, as I have two new books coming out. I will blog about both of them, but wanted to start with
The Toucan Brothers
, out on June 6th and published by Macmillan Children's Books.
Sammy and Paul are brothers and plumbers. They look after the taps, drains and U-bends of Tapton. But when a flashy new cowboy arrives, their customers desert them in droves. But is Flash Rover all he seems? Or is he up to no good? And when Tapton is in trouble, who can they turn to?
Back cover - a selection of pipe-based problems!
A glimpse of the brothers' HQ, Ghostbusters influence in evidence!
Flash Rover appears on the scene: the wretch with a wrench!
This joke sadly got outdated before publication - Flash Rover is a corgi dog, because in the UK you had to be CORGI qualified in order to safely service gas boilers. But I've now been informed that CORGI registration has been replaced by the Gas Safe Register - and thinking of an animal joke about that would have been beyond me! And as I had to explain this "joke" to everyone I've shown the book to so far, I guess it won't be much missed!
Trouble in Tapton - but who're they gonna call?
The Toucan Brothers is a story about doing the right thing, loyalty, honest work, and not being dazzled by flashy new guys! And it rhymes!
They've had a wonderful review already, by the very nice father and daughter duo at Read It Daddy!
I will post a fun-with-pipes worksheet on publication day to celebrate!
Sammy and Paul are brothers and plumbers. They look after the taps, drains and U-bends of Tapton. But when a flashy new cowboy arrives, their customers desert them in droves. But is Flash Rover all he seems? Or is he up to no good? And when Tapton is in trouble, who can they turn to?
Back cover - a selection of pipe-based problems!
A glimpse of the brothers' HQ, Ghostbusters influence in evidence!
Flash Rover appears on the scene: the wretch with a wrench!This joke sadly got outdated before publication - Flash Rover is a corgi dog, because in the UK you had to be CORGI qualified in order to safely service gas boilers. But I've now been informed that CORGI registration has been replaced by the Gas Safe Register - and thinking of an animal joke about that would have been beyond me! And as I had to explain this "joke" to everyone I've shown the book to so far, I guess it won't be much missed!
Trouble in Tapton - but who're they gonna call?The Toucan Brothers is a story about doing the right thing, loyalty, honest work, and not being dazzled by flashy new guys! And it rhymes!
They've had a wonderful review already, by the very nice father and daughter duo at Read It Daddy!
I will post a fun-with-pipes worksheet on publication day to celebrate!
May 17, 2013
Babies!
My friend has just had a baby girl! So this is a hello babies card!
And where there's a baby card, surely a baby pattern must follow...
Oh, babies, look at you!
May 15, 2013
May 14, 2013
May 10, 2013
Online Shop!
I have opened an online shop to sell cards made from my illustrations!! I am very excited, it's been a long time coming...
SO: Feeling your correspondence of late has lacked cats in zoot suits, apes in drag and birds playing brass instruments? Feel this no longer! Please head on over to my:
SHOP
Thank you for looking!
SO: Feeling your correspondence of late has lacked cats in zoot suits, apes in drag and birds playing brass instruments? Feel this no longer! Please head on over to my:
SHOP
Thank you for looking!
Benji Bear's Busy Day
I received my copies of Benji Bear's Busy Day yesterday! It's a board and clock book that I illustrated for Campbell Books, and is my first novelty book that has published in the UK.
It's a lovely big board book with two flaps on every page as well as a big yellow clock which makes very satisfying clicks when you move the handles.
Here's a short video which Campbell made to show a couple of the spreads:
And here I am interacting with some of my favourites!
It's a beautifully produced book for young children who are learning about the time; there are lots of details to spot, and hopefully it will give a lot of pleasure.
It's available in bookshops now!
It's a lovely big board book with two flaps on every page as well as a big yellow clock which makes very satisfying clicks when you move the handles.
Here's a short video which Campbell made to show a couple of the spreads:
And here I am interacting with some of my favourites!
It's a beautifully produced book for young children who are learning about the time; there are lots of details to spot, and hopefully it will give a lot of pleasure.
It's available in bookshops now!
