Love To Share

McCann Erickson Advertising have commissioned Gail Armstrong to create 10 images for Nestle's "Love to Share" campaign. The images, which focus on hands and bags of sweets,  are effective in design and clever in the way they reflect the title. Gail says "They are set against a single colour scene behind, which gives a sense of the location and atmosphere in which the different sweets might be shared. Everything in the images is made from paper - hands, bags, sweets, type - an entire world made of paper." You'll spot the first posters and point of sale pieces in selected London cinemas now.

Forest Love

Here's a sneak peek of a book project by Bee Willey;  Esmeralda the magic hare and another called Maximilian come together in a forest love story set at Christmas. Experimenting with medium, Bee says "I have just started using egg tempera and I love it". More to come soon!

Rosie in Country Life

A recent edition of Country Life Magazine saw a full page photo of Rosie Sanders at work on one of her enormous paintings. The feature, which talked of other botanical painters alongside Rosie, gave a short interview with our talented nature artist.

Meet Me in Paris

 

Take a peek at Daria Jabenko's utterly romantic animation 'Meet Me in Paris'. Completed as a personal project Daria uses her skills to evoke the feel typical of time spent in the city; "Picture yourself in a luxurious place in Paris, it's snowing outside... and your heart is filled with love and romance". WATCH IT NOW.

Diplom-Is

Diplom-Is, a Norwegian company celebrating the 60th anniversary of their original ice cream have released a special treat to mark the occasion. And commissioned by design and advertising agency Frank, Steinar Lund has created some illustrations for the product which are out in the market now. Steinar says "The white chocolate, blueberries and raspberries signify the colours of the national flag. Being Norwegian I was very pleased to do this job and hope to taste the product when I next visit Norway!" Steinar produced images of the Norwegian flag, splashes of cream & milk with white chocolate and berries and the ice cream cone itself, Anette Kirkeby of Frank says "... The client is very happy with the packaging, and the ice-cream is really tasty, so hopefully this will be a hit!"

Rosie's Etching

With the feel of a vintage postcard, this etching created by Rosie Sanders is a result of some time spent at a local workshop; hauntingly romantic, the black and white artwork is an interesting addition to Rosie's botanical studies.
Rosie is currently spending the month in Glasgow, soaking up the atmosphere whilst working at the Glasgow Print Studio and taking part in some woodcut workshops. We can't wait to see what she produces there!

Brick Lane Market at The Mall Galleries

Liam O'Farrell is currently exhibiting at The Royal Society of British Artists 296th RBA Annual Open Exhibition. Running from now until 23rd March, Liam's painting ‘Brick Lane Market’ has been selected and hanging at The Mall Galleries in London - ‘Exhibiting the best of contemporary representational painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing, sourced from member artists and open submission.'

Liam says "I am particularly pleased as I know the competition is very tough. Paintings aside the gallery is a lovely place to visit too, it has good coffee, great cake, and The Queen lives in the same street so do go along if you get the chance." Admission: £3.00, £2.50 Concessions. Free to FBA Friends, National Art Pass holders and under 18s. 

Selfridges Shoe Carnival

Jacqueline Bissett @ Selfridges London

Shoe lover or not, how can you resist having a new pair illustrated! Whether on the box they came in, the bag they are put in or the soles you will walk on, Jacqueline Bissett and Lucia Emanuela Curzi are guest illustrators at Selfridges over the coming weeks doing just this to your shoes!

Selfridges is 'the world’s most iconic destination for shoe lovers', and is celebrating the Shoe Carnival by filling their 'extraordinary shoe spaces with fun, theatre and dance'. Taking place at the London, Birmingham and Manchester stores, Jacqueline and Lucia will be ready to put their style on your soles on Saturdays this month and next; Jacqueline is at Selfridges London on 16th March and 20th April, Lucia will be at Selfridges Manchester Trafford on April 6th, Selfridges Manchester Exchange Square on April 13th and Selfridges Birmingham on April 20th.

Jacqueline says of her first day at the London store on Saturday "(a) German lady was thrilled to have her heels customised on the 'arches' so the lips that I painted could be seen!"

 

Business Perils

 

Stuart Holmes's brief from APICS magazine was to illustrate an article highlighting 'The perils of outsourcing business overseas'. We think his illustrations have brought a clear and fun dimension to the issues he had to tackle such as: communication breakdowns; rising fuel costs; port authority red tape; distance travelled and product quality control.

The Edible Garden Show

An illustrator with a passion for his allotment aswell as the art he creates, Greg Becker is excited about appearing at The Edible Garden Show at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire next week.  Greg will be signing his Allotment books at the 3 day event which starts on 15th March and is 'the only national event dedicated to growing your own fruit, vegetables and home produce'. Greg's book signing slot is at 1pm on the first day, and he is hopeful he willl meet a few gardening celebrities! These images are from 'Wheelbarrow & Chips' recipes from the wild allotment.

A Map Of The World

Vic Lee is proud to be part of this scrumptious book entitled 'A Map of the World: The World According to Illustrators and Storytellers'. Published last month, Vic's intricate work sits very comfortably in this celebration of maps. More info on the book.

Some Boo Style!

Boo and Friends provide some cute illustrations for this page on a teenage fashion addict commissioned by Michelle Buckley at the Sunday Times Style Magazine.

Portas Pilots

photograph by www.paulgreenphotography.com

Andy Council has recently completed this magnificent mural of a horse in the Bedminster area of Bristol. It was commissioned as part of the Government’s ‘Portas Pilots’ – an initiative to get TV retail guru Mary Portas to help revitalise town centres. Bedminster’s bid, put together by local traders, community leaders and councillors, had the vision of turning the south Bristol suburb into a renowned ‘village’ centre for street art and street theatre, complete with a bicycle rickshaw service. Andy's large mural took several days of work to complete with the help of the Upfest team, the use of a scissor lift and dozens of cans of spray paint. The horse was chosen to reflect the area's mining past and it is purely coincidental that current news stories involve horses!