Fear gets in the way of making art. So how do we manage that fear?
Here are three seriously good books that were recommended to me when I first started out in writing and illustration. Each one is a fantastic resource to help you face your creative fears.
Put them on your Christmas wish list early!
Learning to be a better writer and/or illustrator can be a tricky process. There are courses you can do, but a lot of the work ends up being self-directed, just you and your notebook or sketchbook, putting in the hours.
I’ve pulled together this list of books that have helped me along the way.
Continue reading “6 books to help you make better picture books”
I made some kid-size Viking costumes for my talk at the Perth Writers’ Festival. Here’s how.
Continue reading “How to make Viking costumes for kids (or grown-ups)”
Once or twice a year I get an email from an illustration student. They usually have an assignment to write, which requires them to ask a professional illustrator about their work. I got one of these emails last week, asking me for advice on how I got started, how I survive in the industry and how I self-promote. This is my reply.
Continue reading “How to survive as an illustrator: advice for a student”
I first presented at the Perth Writers’ Festival in 2013. I sat on a signing table next to Andy Griffiths. And this year I’m back for more sessions about my latest book, The Last Viking Returns.
Continue reading “Perth Writers’ Festival sessions, and advice from Andy Griffiths”
Last week I posted the roughs for this scene from The Last Viking Returns. This post will show how I got from my almost-final rough to my final illustration.
Continue reading “Evolution of a scene: the final version of ‘Big Trouble’”
There’s a scene in The Last Viking Returns called ‘Big Trouble’ where Fafnir the dragon is finally revealed in all his terrible glory. The scene went through a lot of changes during development, so I thought I’d share them here.
It’s a lot of pics though so I’ll share them in two parts. This post will show you the roughs, and next week’s post will show how the final illustration was put together.
(And if you haven’t read the book yet, there’s a few SPOILERS below.)
Continue reading “Evolution of a scene: the rough sketches for ‘Big Trouble’”
There’s only a fortnight until the release of The Last Viking Returns on Sept 1st! This is my last behind-the-scenes post before then.
I’ve been focusing on one of the main settings in the book – a theme park called Viking World. There’s a moment early in the book where the family arrives at the park for the first time, and I wanted Josh to have a sense of awe. The text only says “Wow”, so I was free to fill in the rest.
My first sketch looked like this. Not terribly impressive, not awe-inspiring at all, but it helped me to figure out what goes where.
Continue reading “Designing Viking World – the entrance gate”
There’s only 3 (!) weeks until the release of The Last Viking Returns on September 1, and I’ve got a couple more behind-the-scenes things to show.
I’ve been focusing on one of the main settings in the book – a theme park called Viking World. I had to figure out the rough layout of the park early on so that I could map the journey made by Pop, Josh and the family. I also wanted to make the backgrounds of each illustration consistent with the map so that the reader could really believe in the fictional setting.
There’s only 5 weeks until the release of The Last Viking Returns (Sept 1st), and each week until then I’ll show some more behind-the-scenes images.
I’m focusing on one of the main settings in the book – a theme park called Viking World. The theme park has many places where patrons can buy food and souvenirs, just like a real theme park.
Most of Viking World is in fact based on a real theme park – Universal Studios in Singapore. Norman and I attended conferences in Singapore in 2012 and 2013, and on both occasions we set aside a day to visit Universal (you can read more about our adventures here).
I remember vividly the entrance to Universal Studios and the sense of awe I felt. I knew it was all fake and ridiculous and designed to unburden me of my wallet, but I got caught up in the spectacle and the excitement of it all. Here’s the main street as you enter the park (that’s Norm in the middle):
All the shops and eateries tie back into the theme of the park, which is movies.You can buy t-shirts and soft toys and all that usual stuff, but you can also buy fresh popcorn, and Oscar statuettes, and movie costumes.
So for our park – Viking World – all the shops, restaurants and stalls would need to relate back to Vikings. Surely it wouldn’t be hard to come up with some ideas?
Continue reading “Designing Viking World – the shops and restaurants”
James Foley 