Owen Davey

So, I'm doing an intern at Bath Festivals at the moment and today I was putting together some info sheets about some authors who are visiting schools as part of the Kids Lit Fest. I was going from website to website and this one blew me away...

Check out Owen Davey. He's an illustrator and he's produced this beautiful picture book, Foxley's Feast and is soon to release a second. I think his drawings are brilliantly stylistic. I want one!

His talents don't stop at stories. He's produced work for the likes of Orange, The Times, Jamie Oliver and the BBC! An inspiration to all us budding creative types.

Take a look at his wrapping paper too. It's the coolest. Now whose birthday's coming up...?

Day 336: Mr Men Google doodles...

It's been one of those days where I've visited Google a lot to get this and that for my assessments I'm finishing. A pretty boring job to be honest, but Mr Roger Hargreaves has cheered up each visit. Everytime I go to the google homepage, there is a different on of these:

Mr Men have taken over Google for the day! These three are my favourite, I think (although it's hard to choose). When I was a kid I remember going round my grandparents and choosing which one I wanted them to read to me. Little Miss Tiny was my favourite.

It must be cool to think you affected so many lives of children through your wonderful stories and illustrations. Thank you Mr Hargreaves.

Take a look on the Google homepage and see which one is your favourite...

Day 293: The Fiction Project

So, yesterday when I was 'researching' Takeshi Kawano's Melting Sculptures, I found an advert for this;

It's a project which is fusing words and visual art and making a book out of it, which will tour America, from coast to coast. Just think of your ideas, in a book, wandering around America...what a great opportunity! The cool thing is anyone from anywhere in the world can get invovled, which includes YOU! If you're into art, drawing, writing, graphic design, illustration...then check out their website. Once you're there, you can chose a theme and away you go! You could use an idea you've already got or be inspire here and now by one of the themes.

So, what are you waiting for? Go be inspired and be part of the project.

Day 191: Illusions on the street

Check out these amazing images drawn on pavements:

They are soooo cool and really inspiring. I love illusion art. It makes you question what is there and how it can be made to look like that. Do you recon these artist draw them for fun? Art like this brings the community together and get people interested, even it it's not their thing. everyone can enjoy art out in the street! What would you draw on the street if you could?

I hope these images inspire you're creativity today. How could you bring illusion into your creative work...?

Day 162: RCA Secret

Everyone likes a good secret, don't they? Well this one involves famous artists, illustrators and art students from all over. More than 1000 artists have designed a postcard, which go on sale this weekend at Royal college of Art in London to raise money for art students. The catch, you don't know until you buy it who it's by. What a cool idea!

Each postcard is £45 and you can buy a maximum of four per person. It's getting everyone excited about owning their pocket sized Tracey Emin or David Bailey. But you might get work by a student who could go on to become the next Picasso! How exciting!

What a great way to get the community interesting in art. Not only that but raise cash to help creative people like you and me get to uni and do what we love. With the way thing are going in government, we need all the help we can get, so thank goodness someone is sticking up for us, eh!

Check out their website for more info. If you live around London, you can go see them for free before the sale. Maybe you can guess whose is whose!

So, who'll get the postcards worth millions? We'll have to wait and see...

Day 156: Illustration and Stephen Cartwright

Lately, when I've been reading, I've found myself thinking, 'man, I wish my books still had colourful pictures in.' Wasn't it great when your mum/dad read you a book and all you had to do was 'read' the picture? I miss those day...

It got me thinking about how amazing illustrations are. They tell way more of the story than the words really. One of my favourite things used to be finding something on the page, like in Farmyard Tales. Stephen Cartwright drew these wonderful pictures. Can you spot the duck in these pages?

I used to love it. Searching the picture and sharing the experience with my parents was great. Now I read to my little sister and do it with her. I ask her what she can see and talk about what's going on.

Illustration is under rated and I this has to change, right? It's a really powerful way of story telling. It must be so fun telling stories in pictures...have you thought about it? Could your creative talents take you there?

The next time you're in a bookshop, swing past the kid's section and take a look at the picture books. They're are incredible! We all need to give a little more time to just looking, I think...

Day 154: Rupert the bear

Today I want to say, Happy Birthday Rupert!

Everyone knows who Rupert the bear is with his red jumper and yellow trousers. When I was a kid I used to watch him on tv and my nan had all the comic books too from when she was a child. Now he's on tv with mobile phones and scooters! How times change, but good all Rupert has rolled with it and is still entertaining children worldwide.

Can you imagine creating a bear which would touch children's lives for over three generations. He's even got his own museum. Now that's inspirational! If my stories are half as successful I'll be happy. How about you, what do you hope for? Where do you want your creative work to go...?

Just think about all the different people that have been involved in Rupert's 'career', animators, artists, writers, painters, musicians...so many people and all of them creative. Without creativity the world wouldn't have Rupert and personally, I think it would be a darker place!

I couldn't resist putting up this. Send Rupert Happy Birthday thought as you watch. Looking good for 90 eh!

Day 138: Creative parties and pictures

So, the other day I went round my friends house for, I guess you could call it a party. It wasn't your traditional student party with booze and loud music. Oh no, it was far more safisticated than that.

We spent the evening watching Disney movies and colouring in! It was great! It took me right back to being a kid again. I used to spend hours colouring and drawing. It would seem that not much has changed.

We watched Matilda, which is an incredibly creative story (hats off to you Mr Dahl) and made those swirlly pattern pictures. You know the ones where you take your pencil for a walk on the page and then colour in the sections? Well anyway, it was heeps of fun and I really enjoyed being creative with my friends who I wouldn't normally be creative with.

I also feel like I put my own mark on the old favourite. Instead of colouring each section in one colour, I added paterns too. I feel like I have advanced from my five year old self, even if just a little bit! Here are my much loved pattern pictures:

Psychodelic huh!

Move the page up and down with your curser and see them mooove!

My hope is that this will inspire you to have a party with a difference. Invite your friends round for a DVD and a colour. Boys, maybe you could watch and draw zombies instead of princesses, but whatever takes your fancy...

Give it a go. Creativity is all about having fun!

Day 131: Xfactor and knitting fest...

Is it me, or is EVERYONE ill at the moment? For the past week I've had a stinking cold. I can't sleep, I can't taste, I can't breathe! I tell you what I can do; sneeze.

As you can probably tell, I hate being ill. It's so annoying, but I can't help but feel it's my body's way of telling me to slooow dooowwn.

For 2 whole days this week, I didn't even leave the house. They were spent in bed. How was this helping me? I couldn't do my work, I couldn't go to lessons...

Well, I wasn't about to let it defeat me. Whilst I was cooped up in my room, I got creative! Yep, I spent most of my day watching Xfactor online and catching up with my knitting. Loved it! Sitting in bed, knitting away (with the odd nose blowing added), watching people sing...What more could you want from an illness?

So, if like me, you are feeling a bit rotten this week, use the time to create. Do some writing, drawing, planning, making...whatever you can muster the strength to do. Even if it's just watching T.V. watch something helpful to inspire your ill, but creative mind!

Get well soon...

Day 80: 'My name is Mina'

Today I finished this wonderful book (check out Day 75 for more details). There are soooo many inspirational things in there I want to share with you, but if I did, I might as well call this blog, 'David Almond's blog.' So, for today I will just share one nugget of creativity that it gave me. If I had my way everyone would read it!

Throughout the book, Mina, whose diary it is, gives the reader 'Exterordiary Activities' to do. You must understand that it was REALLY hard for me to chose only one to share with you today, as they were all bursting with creative potential. This, however, is the one I have chosen:

"EXTRAORDINARY ACTIVITY
Take a line for a walk.
Find out what you're drawing when you've drawn it.
Take some words for a walk.
Find out what you're writing when you've written it.
Tke yourself for a walk.
Find out where you're going when you get there.''

So, there you have it, the inspirational thought of the day. Do it, draw it, write it, walk it.

Where will you and your creativity go today...?