Charlie Higson's Enemy - Early Map Sketch 1

More from the sketchbook working towards the final map for Mister Higson's 'Enemy' series for Puffin Books (just released and accompanying Charlie on a first signing tour for Book 4: The Sacrifice).

I was trying to develop a solid working visual language that could be applied across the whole of the devastated London in the books; here the notion of much smaller figures representing both the diseased adult 'Sickos' and the bands of kids fighting them might have been developed.

As I knew they would by necessity have to be very small in the scheme of things (so much ground to cover, literally - the complex journeys of FOUR novels) the figures would probably need to be bold.
Making them a solid black could have been one solution, which is what you see here.

This fragment doesn't refer to one specific incident, but as the kids pick up all kinds of weapons along the way at places like The Imperial War Museum (Book 2: The Dead), the sword makes a good, potentially-distinctive element for the central figure.

No such image made it to the final version.
Click on it to see a larger version, as usual.

Mapping Charlie Higson's Mind? Friend - or 'ENEMY'?

As some have seen from the very man's Twittersphere account, the new Illustrated Map charting the gruesome events of the 'Enemy' series of novels by polymath Charlie Higson has arrived from the printers this very day.

I have yet to see the finished thing, but I was the man that drew it - and prepared it for a first edition of printing with the invaluable help of Danish book artist and designer,  Mette-Sofie D. Ambeck (see www.ambeckdesign.blogspot.com).
Here above you can see one of my early trial images for the Sicko look.

This has been an immensely challenging piece, created over the Summer months from a first discussion in May this year and across several subsequent meetings between
Charlie and I.

You can find the journeys of characters representing the first four novels in the sequence, and begin to see the scope of what Charlie is creating in the epic as a whole.
It sums up London in the grip of the dreadful illness that has rendered every adult a lurching, shambling killer with a taste for human flesh - especially that of the kids who are left in the shattered ruin of their old lives.

A great privilege to be asked to do this, and I'm thrilled that CH is pleased with the result.

More details will be available soon from the man himself regards how to get a copy.
I'll post more on my development of the piece here in the near future.
Until then, here's a second detail from the sketchbook - an early trial for the Map's 'Legend' - the box that carries the detail of what to look for.
If you click on the images they get bigger.

Fragments before Summer's dog days Number 2: Skyline

Very pleased to be part of the latest incarnation of designer Sarah Hyndman's mammoth 'Random' postcard design project – see www.random-project.co.uk/

The premise is simple - an email will see you receive a randomly-selected word from which you might create a piece of original artwork that will be thenceforth archived in the project, whether online or at gallery events. 
My word speaks for itself. . .

At the moment, pushed along by SH's apparent limitless energies, there's a fine selection viewable - along with workshop activities - in the deepest trendy East End of London.

With a distinctly Olympic Year theme - though not in the case of my own contribution as you can see - the show is at the Rich Mix facility on Bethnal Green Road until Sunday August 19th.
Another webby link will take you to more information:
http://www.richmix.org.uk/whats-on/event/random-project-2012/

Fragments before Summer's dog days Number 1: Interesting Times

After last year's very successful publication 'Long Live The Art School!' by the Graphic Design BA (Hons) course at University of the Creative Arts in Epsom (one of my parallel careers exists therein) there will soon be a sveldt new tome to add to the shelf.
Course Leader Luke Pendrell thought the title 'Interesting Times' entirely appropriate for these days that we live in.

My own response to the theme is here. Do click to make image larger should you wish to feel the benefit of the details.

Two years old but – after a weekend of June gales, downpours and flooding – well worth the wait.

A genuine fragment for your delectation.

There's something beautifully-rounded and elegant about this.

UPDATE/CORRECTION

Sadly the St.Bride Event – as publicized at various points of the virtual compass, not least here (see below) – has been postponed until later in 2012, and so the new blog connected to it will thus appear as  the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness wraps its cooling arms around the post-Jubilee, post Olympicballs nation.

Attached here - a fragment from a parallel universe where this image publicized what was a fabulously popular event in mid-June, cracking open the much-misunderstood activity/profession/mindscape of illustration.

NEW THINGS - SOON!

Amidst the final heavy marking period – in my role as 3rd year Tutor at an institution of Higher Learning – I just wanted to say that there will be a new raft of material here shortly.
I will be revealing unseen images connected to the preparatory process for the Living Well With Dementia project featured recently (and also covered in Design Week and Creative Review blogs) and ushering in my role as 'conference illustrator' at an event at St.Bride off Fleet Street entitled 'Making Pictures'.
The latter has just been featured on the Eye magazine blog - take a look at

http://blog.eyemagazine.com/?p=12764

Incidentally, I will soon be creating a new bouncing baby blog nearby this old war-horse to offer parallel material and host the record I create, in drawn form, from that day.

You have been warned.

The next post will contain a genuine fragment which I have meant to include here for a very long time.

And - while you're waiting - here's a superb speech delivered by a certain Neil Gaiman at the graduation ceremony of a London-based university related to 'the Arts'. It's not far away. . . in The Land of Vimeo

http://vimeo.com/42372767