On Monday my friend chauffeured me to the NEC Spring Fair, where I saw the end results of my Disney work. There was a delicious secrecy, (taken into a secluded cubicle away from prying eyes) as the range of cards is not to be launched until next year. I was the first person to see the mock-ups and got a bit weepy as I saw the end results of my labours in print for the first time. The designers have done a marvelous job and I can't wait to see them in the shops. But I will have to wait at least another year...
I guess because my profession is illustration, I find it hard to enjoy other people's artwork without a highly critical eye. But I confess I fell swooningly in love with Angie Lewins' work; gorgeous flat lino prints of seedheads and still lives, sophisticated natural colours and a retro jazz 50's ambience. I am besotted. I am lost. But not entirely; I am also fickle. Five minutes later I had discovered the sublime woodcut stationary range of Mariaelisa Leboroni, who was there in person to promote her own work. With the help of a friendly interpreter (she had little English; I have no Italian) we made kindly noises at each other - but unfortunately her products don't seem to be available in the UK yet.
Later that day, when my crocked hip/back were aching and my senses overwhelmed by a day of gawping at lovely things, I found my tired, swollen hand being massaged by the kind spirit who is 'Naturaleigh' beauty products. I almost cried with gratitude and think I owe it to myself to invest in some bergamot scented avocado hand cream...
I guess because my profession is illustration, I find it hard to enjoy other people's artwork without a highly critical eye. But I confess I fell swooningly in love with Angie Lewins' work; gorgeous flat lino prints of seedheads and still lives, sophisticated natural colours and a retro jazz 50's ambience. I am besotted. I am lost. But not entirely; I am also fickle. Five minutes later I had discovered the sublime woodcut stationary range of Mariaelisa Leboroni, who was there in person to promote her own work. With the help of a friendly interpreter (she had little English; I have no Italian) we made kindly noises at each other - but unfortunately her products don't seem to be available in the UK yet.
Later that day, when my crocked hip/back were aching and my senses overwhelmed by a day of gawping at lovely things, I found my tired, swollen hand being massaged by the kind spirit who is 'Naturaleigh' beauty products. I almost cried with gratitude and think I owe it to myself to invest in some bergamot scented avocado hand cream...
10 comments:
I can be critical, too, but more often than not I'm amazed at the way artists (and illustrators) tackle the same topic from such amazingly different viewpoints. I guess I'm just greedy and want all the viewpoints.
That's wonderful news about eh Disney stuff! Many congrats!
Congratulations on the Disney work Gretel, you must have been bursting to show everyone the final pieces! Will we also have to wait a year before we can see them on here or can we have a sneak preview? :0)
Congratulations Gretel on the display of your Disney work!! :)
I am really dying to see the cards...When can we see them????
I clicked the 2 illustrators links you put...they have truly lovely work!!
Have a magical and inspiring weekend!!
love
x
Maya
Hi G, brilliant news about your disney work. I'm proud of you! I agree with you about the wonderful links, I love the honesty seeds. Funny you should mention the naturaleigh lady, she has a stall in SMolt market and I have some of her soap on the go in the bathroom, a real fave of the children and a very sweet lady. Hope you've recovered from the day. Mx
How delightful to get to be first to see the mock-ups! And to like them! I'm always somewhat nervous that they'll have reproduced badly, or that I really didn't do as good of a job as I had originally thought and now it is much too late, etc... It's such a huge relief when you are pleased with the end result! I'm so pleased you were.
Thanks for the links as well. I especially liked the woodcut stationary, and wished I knew some Italian so that more of the webpage made some sort of sense, but I found my way around OK.
I also have to keep checking out the new links you post in your side menu (where do you find all these people? Such fun stuff!) Thoroughly enjoyed browsing the Workhouse site. Thanks!
Thank you all my dears! I afraid I am really not allowed to put anything visual about the Disney job on my blog until NEXT YEAR when the cards are out...this is truly a pain in the butt, I'm sorry...:( I shan't even see the finished cards until autumn, I think, when they are printed.
TLC, I know the nice people at the Workhouse through an earlier little publishing venture of mine, we kept in touch for a few years and then I badly let it slip - but made the effort to write to them this Christmas, and got a reply last week, complete with website/blog links! (And I spend far too much time on t'Internet, which is where I find a lot of the other links!)
Mel, next time you see the little Naturaleigh lady, please say hello to her for me, and remind that she told me I had 'soft hands' (being a soft spoilyta artist...no daily grind!)
Well done Gretel, how exciting to see your work. I can't wait to see them.
I love the seed head prints and can't help thinking how beautiful they would be as fabrics, they have a 50's atomic feel to them, scrummy!
Hi Dons, I completley agree with you about the 50's atomic thing, (my favourite kind of fabric!) and apparently someone is producing fabric from it (there's a link on her website, an open day in Spitalfields) but I fear it'll be a *bit* beyond my budget!
All good news Gretel - well done - like everyone I can't wait to see the Disney stuff ...
Lovely links to ;)
-Gail
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