Puddletown Moleskine prelims

First Puddletown ideas 11 Feb 2009

(All pictures can be viewed at much larger size by right clicking your mouse)

Goodness Heavens! I was completely overwhelmed at the amazing response to my little book announcement - and so touched to read such kindness, from 'old' blog friends I feel I've known forever, to all of you who commented for the first time and new followers. Thank you does not seem enough, but thank you all so very much anyway!

First Puddletown ideas 11 Feb 2009

It has been a hard secret to keep; I had my first meeting at Templar in February 2009, where it was loosely proposed that together we should create this little world (it didn't even have a name then). And as it was a new approach to all of us, creating models which would fit in a pop up scenario, there was no definite book offer. I simply went away and did some brainstorming in a little Moleskine.

First Puddletown ideas 11 Feb 2009

All I was required to do initially was draw whatever I felt would be in the world, so I set to work First I did little craft ideas for possible scenery and props, (at that point we knew there would be needle felted toys, but not how much of the rest of the book would be physically 'made'). Here I drew several toadstool and fungi models, of which one was eventually chosen to be made for the first book.

First Puddletown ideas 11 Feb 2009

A good many trees and landscape bits were drawn. One tree made it to final production.

First Puddletown ideas 11 Feb 2009

To begin with, I only made a few small 'props' - we didn't even have the main characters then, though we were certain geese would be a main feature. These props and a few toys I lent to the Templar sales team, were packaged nicely as a proposal to show at various book fairs. If feedback was good, I would hopefully get commissioned. If not...

First Puddletown ideas 11 Feb 2009

I also had to design some 'backdrops' and scenery settings. I have to confess, this was the easiest and most enjoyable part for me, l could draw little, lonely landscapes - well for a long time! I only ended up painting one of these.

First Puddletown ideas 12 Feb 2009

Still not decided on story lines, we juggled various ideas - here we have Custard eating trifle at a party he was afraid to go to. Eventually elements of this ended up in the second book 'Peggy's Lost Pennies'.

First Puddletown ideas 12 Feb 2009

More unused landscapes - who knows if they will also make a later appearance?

First Puddletown ideas 16 Feb 2009

This is the first sketch for what would become a much larger and slightly changed artwork that does feature in 'Mrs Mouse's Cupcakes', the background of the first spread.

First Puddletown ideas 16 Feb 2009

I never did get to make this sun - I've always liked the idea of suns, moons and stars hanging tenuously from a thread. In fact, nearly everything I drew in this batch of sketches ended up 'on the cutting floor' and you just have to be thick skinned about it. People often refer to producing a children's book a being 'a dream', but the reality is that it is a business, it is a job, and ruthless editing is often necessary to create something saleable for the market place.

First Puddletown ideas 16 Feb 2009

Of course, these were just the start of a much larger body of work needed, once we had two stories figured out.

A secret revealed

At last I can let out my breath; I have finally received my advance copies of the most exciting job I have ever worked on. And work it certainly was. Blog followers who've had the patience to stick around this quiet place might remember that I spent the first half of last year working on *stuff* which rendered me an exhausted hermit. And here is the first fruit.

'Mrs Mouse's Cupcakes ' April 2011 available for pre-order on Amazon.co.uk

Yes. My needle felt toys now have their own little world, 'Puddletown Tales', published by Templar UK. It has been over two years in the making; one year of waiting to hear if the books were going ahead, six months of creating them and then a long, slow wait for the first copies to arrive this week. Regular readers may recognise the mouse on the front, a bit altered from the original.

Dear Andy has looked after me for nearly twenty years. We aren't married, but we have stuck to each other like glue and he has been there for me all the time, solid as a tall oak tree. It hasn't always been easy, especially during the ten years when it seemed as if I would never get a break. Without his support, this book may not have happened. So this first *all me* book is dedicated to him. There is also a beautiful introduction composed by Hannah Wilson the editor.




Friends will know I adore silhouettes. They aren't terribly commercial, but Janie the designer (who shares my love) squeezed one in as the Puddletown logo - naturally, a goose. Although this first book has no geese in, long time readers will know that I have a 'thing' about needle felt geese and they star in the next title.




The first spread is flat. Every penny counts in book production and we had to choose between having the multi-layered cover (expensive) or five pop up spreads. So one pop-up scene was sacrificed to pay for the simply gorgeously produced cover.



Quite often I unconsciously drew on familiar home surroundings to create Mrs Mouse's little home.




The actual book design was put together by my friend and designer Janie. All the artworks were done as spots or separate layers and the needle felt characters photographed in-house at Templar by William Steele. I did enjoy making the cupcakes!




Thankfully in these days of Photoshop and digital magic, single items can be manipulated and reproduced, saving a lot of work.




I was allowed to more or less indulge myself to my heart's content, which (as my fellow professional illustrators will know) is quite a rare and wonderful thing. The cake which Kitty Blue is pulling is just one example.




And of course, there had to be toadstools of some kind, illustrated and needle felted. ( am a very keen mushroom spotter and sometime gatherer).




There are a few little 'in-jokes' in the final spread.




For instance, this little picture of trees by moonlight...





...is *rather* similar to one we have hanging on a beam in our own tiny cottage.




It's a photo of a mixed media/textile illustration I made an awfully long time ago at college in 1993.





On this side you can see a grandfather clock which has a tiny wooden mouse on one side, referencing one of my favourite furniture makers, Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson.




And to end with (you will be relieved to hear) a cheeky nod to my own Red Flannel Elephant Designs logo, which anyone who has bought my cards or toys will recognise.

Thirty one years ago, a sad, angry and very alone twelve year old orphan stood under a favourite tree. Her parents had died, one after the other, in the space of a few months - her mother had passed away at Christmas. Now she was off to a strange new foster home - God help her, she didn't know then that it was to be as unkind as it was.

She stood under that tree, looked at the sky and whispered 'I will become an artist for you Dad and a writer for you Mum'. She swallowed the many tears that she couldn't bring herself to shed and walked off to her new - and very uncertain - future. Well Mum, Dad - it took three decades, but I finally got there. For you. With cupcakes.