Author Archives: Natalie Eldred

My Two Again

  Not really much to say, apart from that the boys make good subjects, and I like the technique I’ve used here. I hope to use a similar technique for a project that I am planning for the life story of Anne Naysmith. Link here: https://www.facebook.com/RIPAnneNaysmith?fref=ts I will keep you informed of any progress inContinue reading “My Two Again”

Donuts and Plastic Chairs

I’ve not been doing so well with updating this blog recently. I suppose there’s been the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, a wedding to illustrate (see previous post on being a ‘jobbing’ artist) and the small matter of a floundering dissertation. Then Grotsby (another previous post) and the new ideas that I have for two books (one for olderContinue reading “Donuts and Plastic Chairs”

Making Big Doll

This work refers back to the wordless graphic novel style story that I worked on for my second semester of my first year on the MA. The project brief was ‘The Sequential Image’ and I chose to work on a story that developed from two separate incidents; spending time drawing in an old folk’s careContinue reading “Making Big Doll”

News Update & Infant Nativity

I haven’t posted on here for an absolute age. It’s not because I haven’t been busy, well, obviously… It’s Semester 1, year 2 of my MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Anglia Ruskin, Cambridge School of Art – and it’s fabulous as ever. I’ve been working on a book aimed at the pre-school age groupContinue reading “News Update & Infant Nativity”

Victorian House

  Same house, two versions. Which do you like best? I was commissioned to draw a house for a couple who are moving and leaving this one, presumably their first house together. It happens to be a really nice house to draw but that isn’t why I drew it twice. I began drawing it andContinue reading “Victorian House”

Cacti

  I had fun doing these. I wanted to have a very minimal, paired-down look, especially with the colours and use of line in the background. I think this ‘selectivity’ is part of the reason I like the results, it feels ‘illustrative’ to me, making design-based decisions about my drawing rather than simply drawing forContinue reading “Cacti”

Breasts

  Laura Dodsworth has inspired this sketchbook spread – click here to see Laura’s work in a Guardian article. After a friend sent me a link to this article, I thought I’d like to draw breasts, you know, how you do. I like Laura Dodsworth’s work here because it is important; we are all (menContinue reading “Breasts”

Event Illustration & Being ‘A Jobbing Artist’

The term ‘Jobbing Artist’ is one I first heard mentioned in a lecture by Martin Salisbury during last Semester. He referred to Barbara Jones as having been a ‘jobbing illustrator/artist’ – and really we all are… except, as I’m not yet published, and I got made redundant from my FE Lecturing post last year – IContinue reading “Event Illustration & Being ‘A Jobbing Artist’”

Delicatessen Undertakers

Here I am again, trying to ‘make friends with architecture’. I read somewhere that I should treat buildings in the same way I would a plant or person, you know, see it as something organic. So here is my attempt. Admittedly it was drawn from a photograph I’d taken, to make it easier to simplify; although perhapsContinue reading “Delicatessen Undertakers”