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News archive 2009-2011

MA Children's Book Illustration graduates shortlisted for major national publishing awards

For the second year running, two graduates have been shortlisted for the Booktrust Early Years Awards in the Best Emerging Illustrator category. Ellie Sandall, who completed the course in 2007, is shortlisted for her highly successful picturebook, Birdsong (Egmont UK, 2010) and Kazuno Kohara, for her second book with MacMillan UK, Jack Frost. Kazuno's book is a follow-up to the internationally acclaimed The Haunted House, which was one of the New York Times' Top Ten Picturebooks in 2009.

The awards ceremony takes place at BAFTA on London's Piccadilly in September.

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Martin Salisbury invited to present at the Summer Picturebook Workshop, Tokyo

In July 2010, CCBS founding member Martin Salisbury attended the five-day Summer Picturebook workshop at the Itabashi Art Museum as invited presenter. The museum has worked closely for a number of years with the Bologna Children's Book Fair, bringing the selected Bologna illustration exhibition to the museum each summer.

Workshop organiser, Kiyoko Matsuoka developed the project some twenty years ago and has since invited illustrators, publishers and educators from around the world. Twenty-three students were selected from over sixty applicants and each developed a picturebook dummy and sample artwork over the intensive week's work. The workshop culminated with a group critique and a public lecture on picturebook art from Salisbury at the museum.

Please click images to enlarge.

 
 

New European Storytelling Archive wins British Academy Funding

British Academy funding worth over £7,000 has been awarded to the new European Storytelling Archive project developed by Dr Mick Gowar.

The Archive will consist of two collections of subtitled digital films of story-telling in action. The first will be a major collection of subtitled digital films of oral storytelling drawn from a wide range of European languages and cultural traditions, including new and emerging traditions such as British/Asian, German/Turkish and urban Hip Hop Storytelling. This collection of tales told by experienced storytellers is primarily intended for scholars, and for the practical use of teachers and others in encouraging students and pupils to tell their own stories, or versions of traditional stories.

The second collection will be stories in digital format told by students and pupils and submitted to the Archive. This will form a European Story Map, and the Archive intends to make available specially designed software tools and resources to encourage educators, students and school pupils in particular to re-tell, create and share stories in digital form.

At present, the Archive is beginning a pilot phase, supported by funding from the British Academy and the Cultures of the Digital Economy Research Institute, which will: investigate the practical and technical issues concerned with selecting, filming, editing, translating and storing such an archive through creating a number of pilot films; create and test, in collaboration with UK partners, a website, software tools and other support materials to enable scholars, librarians and educators to access the archive for research and teaching investigate the most appropriate and effective ways of developing a network of partner organisations and expanding the archive.

We have received considerable encouragement and support from ALSS, especially from CoDE, and recently from Cambridge University, (particularly Mark Turin, Director of the World Oral Literature Project).


'Lob' long listed for Guardian Children's Fiction Prize

The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize long list has been announced and includes 'Lob', written by Linda Newbery and lavishly illustrated by Pam Smy of the MA Children's Book Illustration staff team.

Published by David Fickling, 'Lob' has been critically acclaimed both for its text and the exquisite illustrations. Based on the traditional concept of the 'Green Man', the book's themes come together with Smy's personal creative research interests in the spirit of landscape and landscape as 'character'.


Anglia Ruskin student wins MacMillan Prize for Children's Picture Book Illustration

Congratulations to student Mike Smith of the MA Children's Book Illustration course, who has won first prize (and £1000) in this year's national MacMillan Prize for Children's Picture Book Illustration. A further three of our students were highly commended: two postgraduate, one undergraduate.

Mike's brilliant book is an allegory of the global banking crisis, related in the form of a story about Edward Hopper, a rabbit who sells 'futures' (carrots that haven't yet been planted).

The MacMillan Prize is now 25 years old and many previous winners have gone on to become nationally and internationally known author-illustrators, including a number of our own graduates.

For more information and images please visit the Cambridge School of Art news page. Click images to enlarge.


'Lob' hits the shops

Illustrated by our own Pam Smy, Linda Newbery's Lob, published by David Fickling, has received glowing reviews:

"Linda Newbery's tender, appealing short novel... with timeless line drawings by Pam Smy, this is a family classic for children from seven with no upper age limit." The Observer, 4 April 2010

"Filled with beautiful, rather old-fashioned illustrations by Pam Smy, this is an exquisite novel for the more sensitive seven to nine year-olds." Sunday Telegraph, 4 April 2010

"Pam Smy's pictures well depict the atmosphere of the developing plot." The Scotsman

Please click images to enlarge.



Alexis Deacon joins part-time teaching staff

The acclaimed illustrator and author, Alexis Deacon has joined the regular part-time teaching staff of the MA Children's Book Illustration programme. Alexis, who is recovering from poor health that has restricted his output recently, was named as one of the Top Ten New Illustrators in 2008 by the Big Picture Campaign. Picturebooks for Random House such as Slow Loris, Beegu and While You are Sleeping have established him as one of the most exciting talents in the children's publishing world.

Please click images to enlarge.
 

Oliver Jeffers in conversation with Martin Salisbury

Date: Friday 19 March 2010
Time: 14.30
Venue: Main Lecture Theatre, London College of Communication, Elephant and Castle, SE1 6SB

This event provided a rare opportunity to hear the award winning children's book author, illustrator, artist and New York resident Oliver Jeffers talk about his work and new book 'The Heart and the Bottle' in conversation with children's book expert Martin Salisbury. The event comprised a presentation by Oliver followed by a discussion of his work with Martin Salisbury before the floor was opened for questions.


MA Children's Book Illustration: London Graduation Exhibition

The annual 'passing out' exhibition took place at the Illustration Cupboard in London's St James, Piccadilly in February. This year saw a particularly high turn out of publishers and it was possible to discern a buzz of post-recession optimism in the children's publishing industry. Marion Lindsay received the Egmont Best New Talent Award (£500.00 and a keen interest from the publishers). Marion has also received offers from numerous other publishers for both her illustration work and her writing for older children.

But it was Nadia Shireen's 'The Good Little Wolf', a postmodern picturebook that subverts the traditional role of the wolf that caused this year's publishing feeding frenzy. No fewer than five publishers were bidding for the book and Nadia eventually settled for a lucrative advance on a two book publishing deal with a leading publisher.

The exhibition also showed in the Ruskin Gallery, Cambridge from 4-10 March 2010.

Click images to enlarge.
 

Bologna Children's Book Illustration Competition

In January 2010 Martin Salisbury was invited to join the international jury in Bologna selecting for winning entries for this year's exhibition and catalogue at the Bologna Children's Book Fair in March.

The other four members of the jury were acclaimed illustrator/author Vladimir Radunski, publishers Gaia Stock and Belen Freijeiro from Italy and Spain respectively and Japanese writer and critic, Yukiko Hiromatsu. This annual competition requires entrants to submit original artworks for five images in sequence. Entrants can be professional illustrators, students or amateurs. The jury was charged with the responsibility of selecting around 90 submissions from the 3000 that were entered, a total of 15000 images to be viewed over three days! This year there was an extra competition, in celebration of the late Italian author, Gianni Rodari.

Please click images to enlarge.
 

Cover illustration from 'Small Mouse, Big City' by Simon Prescott

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Doctor Who and Simon Prescott

Outgoing Doctor Who actor David Tennant will read 'Small Mouse Big City' (Little Tiger Press) by recent MA Children's Book Illustration graduate Simon Prescott on CBeebies, Wednesday 23rd December.





Bologna Children's Book Fair 2010

Martin Salisbury will be serving on the International Jury selecting work for the 2010 Bologna Illustration Exhibition, awards and annual. The other invited jury members are:

Ms Belen Freijeiro (OQO Editora - Spain)
Ms Yukiko Hiromatsu (art critic - Japan)
Mr Vladimir Radunsky (Illustrator - Russia/ USA)
Ms Gaia Stock (Edizione El - Italy)

Judging takes place 18-20 January, when the jury will be selecting around ninety entries from over two thousand submissions.


The front cover of 'Katie and the Spanish Princess' by James Mayhew

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James Mayhew's 'Katie' retrospective exhibition at the National Gallery of Scotland


James Mayhew is to have a major retrospective exhibition of his Katie artworks to celebrate 21 years of Orchard Books publishing this million-selling series. The books, which introduce children to the paintings of important artists and movements through history, are sold throughout the world and published in numerous languages.

For more information please visit the Katie's Picture Show blogspot.


Paralympic stamp © David Doyle 2009

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Royal Mail stamp commission for MA Children's Book Illustration graduate


David Doyle, who graduated with an MA in Children's Book Illustration in 2007, has recently designed one of the Paralympic stamps now in circulation. In gaining such a sought after commission, David is following in the footsteps of some of the great British designers including David Gentleman and our own Visiting Professor, John Lawrence.

Since graduating, David has been extremely busy with a variety of high profile illustration commissions for newspapers and magazines but has yet to produce his first children's book! More of David's work can be found on his website, Half Man Half Pen.


Farol de Sonhos, Lisbon October 2009

Martin Salisbury and Neal Hoskins, (publisher, Wingedchariot Press and regular MA Children's Book Illustration lecturer), were among the guest speakers at this four day conference and exhibition held at Cascais, Lisbon.

The conference covered aspects of children's book illustration and publishing and was accompanied by major exhibitions of the work of artists Isidro Ferrer and Teresa Lima. These two spoke about their work and delivered workshops and seminars. Other speakers were Belgian artist and one man publisher, Benoit Jacques, Flemish artist Isabelle Vandenabeele, Spanish illustrator and educator Carlos Ortin and Portuguese publishers Luis Mendonça and Isabel Minhós Martins.

Please click images for larger versions.


CCBS researchers to present paper at forthcoming conference

Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles will be giving a joint presentation at the 2nd International Symposium: New Impulses in Picturebook Research at the Faculty of Education, University of Glasgow. The presentation, Words About Pictures, Pictures About Words, will give an overview of the ongoing collaboration between the two and their respective students at ARU and the University of Cambridge. The conference runs from 18 - 20 September.


Cover illustration from 'Small Mouse, Big City' by Simon Prescott
Click to enlarge
Early Years Awards 2009

The Booktrust Early Years Awards 2009 will take place in London's Piccadilly on 23 September. In the 'Emerging Illustrator' category, three of the six short listed picturebooks are by recent graduates of the MA in Children's Book Illustration here at Cambridge School of Art. They are:

'The Grump' by Sarah Garson (Andersen Press)

'Small Mouse, Big City' by Simon Prescott (Little Tiger Press)

'Ghosts in the House' by Kazuno Kohara (MacMillan Children's Books)


Ilustrarte 2009

Martin Salisbury will be one of the guest speakers at the Illustration Biennale in Lisbon in October.


Bologna Children's Book Fair 2009

Staff and students of the MA Children's Book Illustration programme attended the Bologna Children's Book Fair once again this year. This is the major international trade fair of the children's publishing industry. Many students were busy showing their portfolios to publishers from around the world. The work of recent graduates of the course was to be seen prominently displayed on publishers' stands, including that of Nicola Killen, winner of this year's Egmont Publishing award who is now working on her second book for our partner publisher. (Click images to right for larger version).


Building links with Korean Children's Publishing

Martin Salisbury joined a panel of judges in Seoul, South Korea in January to select the winners of the Picture Book Awards and Illustration Awards at the inaugural CJ Picture Book Festival. The other judges included the legendary French publisher, Thierry Magnier and Yuko Takesaka, director of the Chihiro Illustration Museum in Tokyo. Recently published picture books and original illustration work were submitted from all corners of the world. The judging took place over two days and was followed by the opening of a major exhibition of the entries in Central Seoul. Each of the three overseas judges gave a lecture at the opening, along with special guest author-illustrator, David Wiesner - winner of two Caldecott Awards for his innovative wordless picture books. Wiesner's work was exhibited in a major retrospective at the CJ Picture Book Festival.

Please click images to enlarge.




More Success Stories from Anglia Ruskin's MA Children's Book Illustration Degree Course

Yet more students and graduates of the MA Children's Book Illustration programme at Cambridge School of Art are forging reputations in the children's publishing industry. Current student, Nicola Killen, who is just beginning the final Masters Project module, has signed a lucrative contract with our partner publishers, Egmont UK, for her book Not Me which was developed as her submission for the Diploma Project. Pick of the recent graduates is Kazuno Kohara, a 2007 graduate, who has just received rave reviews in the New York times for her first picture book 'The Haunted House,' published by MacMillan Children's Books. Faye Durston has also signed up with MacMillan after something of a bidding war between them and other publishers.

Others with newly published books on show at the Frankfurt Book Fair include Simon Prescott, Alice Wood and Celia Biscoe (Little Tiger Press), Ellie Sandal and Simon Wild (Egmont), Algy Hall and Katie Pamment (Boxer Books).


Poetry and Childhood International Conference

Date
: Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st April 2009
Venue: The British Library, St. Pancras, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB

Includes Guided Tour of the British Library's Ritblat Gallery, Workshops by British Library Curators and a conversation between Andrew Motion (Poet Laureate) and Michael Rosen (Children's Laureate).

For further details see flier below:


At 11.30 am on Tuesday 21st October James Mayhew and Martin Salisbury will be speaking on the BBC Radio 4 programme, Art For Schools. The programme explores the work of Brenda Rawnsley who, in the immediate post war years, pursued an imaginative project to bring the work of leading artists of the day into the lives of children by commissioning editions of prints for schools.


Sara Fanelli's 'Pinocchio'

Date:
1st - 18th October 2008
Time: 10am - 9pm Monday to Friday, 10am - 5pm Saturdays
Venue: Ruskin Gallery, Cambridge

Sara Fanelli's Pinocchio has completed its highly successful stay at the Ruskin Gallery. This interactive exhibition for children is based on Fanelli's award winning illustrated version of Pinocchio (Walker Books). The gallery has been filled with Cambridge schoolchildren engaging with the exhibits and being entertained with stories and music in the performance area. Sara Fanelli herself gave a lecture to a packed Mumford Theatre to mark the opening of the exhibition (its first appearance in the UK) and the research centre. The exhibition now returns to Belgium before being shown at Seven Stories in Newcastle.

More information about Sara and her work can be found at www.sarafanelli.com

Please click on the below images for a full-size version:



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