A SITE FOR SORE EYES

I have a new incarnation of my website up and running now. I've made it a bigger page for bigger screens which has allowed me to have bigger images on it...are you following? Yeah and it also means I can write a little about each piece which is a nice bit of freedom to have. I see the site as the pubescent teenage version of the last one: more grown up but not yet adult. I've attached a few screen shots below. Click here to visit.

VIEW A NEW REVIEW NUMBER TWO

The following text is a review by My First Poem. Visit here to see it in context as well as an interview with me:


(The book review is by Lilly, aged 2 along with her mum)
Lilly really liked the pictures, especially the scenes with a lot going on in them. She had fun naming all the animals and food and she understood that the fox and owl were hungry and the start and full up after their picnic. Lilly loved the fox so much she kissed him!


We found this to be an engaging book and no words meant we discussed the pictures and talked about what could happen, for example, would Foxly eat an animal? Why had he got a backpack? Lilly enjoyed the book and although it’s a large book it’s not bulky so it was ideal for her to hold on her lap and ‘read’. The fact that Foxly’s adventure was one a human could have made it much easier for Lilly to relate to the story, and having a vegetarian in the family also helped! I recommend this book as a great family read, you can let your imaginations create alternative story lines for Foxly meaning Foxly’s Feast won’t grow old.

GET A BUZZ OUT OF IT

My flatmate Chris Boyce and I were sick of our shabby buzzer box so we decided to give it a make over by collaborating on a sticky cover. Chris did the typography and I illustrated the little robot fellow. You can see more of Chris' work by clicking here!

LAUNCHING THE LUNCH

The edible adventure of Mr Foxly is now available in all the shops (well, all the good ones). To celebrate the achievement, I had a launch party in The Bee's Mouth, a pub in Hove. After one year of creating, one year of waiting, one week of organising, one day of baking & one day of hanging, I had created one hundred cupcakes in four different flavours, six A3 Giclée Prints, one Screen-Printed A1 End of the Road Festival Poster, two Shirts, one DVD containing six Films & twelve different A5 Lithographic Patterned Prints (five of which were framed). Despite all this work, I forgot to take any photos of my work. Luckily Joe Brett took my camera and got snap happy with the crowds. Using the following photos, it is possible to piece together the general exhibit and the atmosphere of the night...

IT IS A SIGN

Visited the lovely fellows at End Of The Road the other day, to pick up a variety of goodies and bits that I'd illustrated, including some American Apparel Shirts with my design on them, some Gig Adverts for The Unthanks & a Limited Edition Screen-Printed Festival Poster, celebrating Five Years of End Of The Road. Here are a couple of Photos of the Screen-Print.

GRO UP

I realised that I didn't actually share the original Gro Company Cover Illustration with you, but merely the photos of the brochure. Here was my original edit for the cover; they ended up changing it because they didn't want the night to be too dark, but I liked this version too.

VIEW A NEW REVIEW

My mum sent me the link to this phenomenal review by an Australian blog called Kid's Book Review. Follow the link to see it in context or just have a read below: http://kids-book-review.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-foxleys-feast.html

Foxly is hungry. Like, really hungry. And he’s cruising for a bite. When he begins stalking the countryside for a scrap of supper, he comes across all manner of fox-like tummy tempters… chickens, birds, frogs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, sheep, even an unsuspecting little owl who follows him on his gastronomic quest.

When he finally comes across an abandoned picnic site, Foxly gathers together his plates and cups and bowls for the feast, he gathers his knife and fork, he licks his chops, he hunches over unsuspecting little owl… and…

Well, do you really want me to spoil the ending? Don’t worry Mum and Dad – this book may cleverly build to a suspenseful and logical conclusion, but it’s totally toddler friendly. Your little one won’t be scarred for life over a small mountain of feathers piled high on the ensuing page. All is well. And super cute.

Although the storyline of Foxly’s Feast is super-simple (the book, which now has a single narrative line per page, began life as a wordless story) its illustrations are far from pedestrian. Davey has created a luscious visual feast that hardly even needs a storyline. With that certain retro/modern take, he pens Foxley and his potential supper finds with such finesse, visual pleasure is assured.

Inked with that soft vintage colour that also has the curious capability to pop from the page, the illustrations are riddled with emotion, humour, texture and a balance that belies this author/illustrator’s age. At only 22 years old, this British born talent may have a strong catalogue of freelance illustrative work (he even dabbles in short film) but it looks like children’s books are heavily etched in his future.

Look out, Emily Gravett.