Last time I was here it was quite a few years ago…and to read the 2nd of the unlikely heroes to tell their version of the nativity … tomorrow it’ll be the camels …doubt @daniel_tillo will be into turning the pages so helpfully this time tho 😃❤️ all ages welcome 🤗 #storytime #camelsfirstchristmas #unlikelyheroes #nativity #nativitywithatwist
Lovely to relax at an interview for once…Ruth made it so easy to chat …catch up link in bio #camelsfirstchristmas #donkeysfirstchristmas #robinsfirstchristmas #unlikelyheroes #ucb2 #radio #stride2020
Thrilled to see this…if you want to hear the camels version of what went on at the nativity I’ll be @storyhouselive Thursday 21st 11am and @linghamsbooks sat 23rd 11am for free book reading would looove to see anyone who can make it with (or without) kids all welcome 🐑🐄🐪👑👑👑🎁🎁🎁🗡️🗡️🍼🧶👼🪽🪽🪽 #camelsfirstchristmas #christmasstory #nativity #readingtime #storytime #readingevents #kidspicturebooks #childrenspicturebooks
About to go on air in 5…🙃 #unlikelyheroes #camelsfirstchristmas #christmasstory #merseymade #kingsleyandco #writeblend #linghams #pritchards #claremontfarm #newsfromnowhere #thebarn #anglicancathedralliverpool #paulinemedia #storyhousechester #barehuntbooks #stride2020 #ferrysfamilies #bebingtonlifehampers
I’ll be doing story time here last Saturday before Christmas…would loooove to see anyone who can make it ❤️ 11am #christmasreading #christmasreadings #jinglejangle #warmestwelcome #unlikelyheroes #camelsfirstchristmas #childrenschristmasbooks
Sparkly yellow white lights coffee …homemade gifts …food and now a brand new cosy kids corner upstairs #earlyyearsstories #earlyyearsstorytelling #earlyyearslearning #earlyyearsnativity #christmaspicturebooks #christmasgiftideas #christmasbooksforkids #nativitystory #nativitycamel #camelsfirstchristmas #donkeysfirstchristmas #UnlikelyHeroes
Dropping off copies at this haven of delicacies and delights ☕️ #camelsfirstchristmas #donkeysfirstchristmas #christmasgifts #christmasgiftideasforkids
First box lost in the post …let’s try again 🤪 #camelsfirstchristmas #newreleasepicturebooks
First signing of my newly arrived book 🤩☝️ #camelsfirstchristmas #newchildrensbook #newchristmasbook2023 #christmaspicturebooks #nativitykings
Adding notes to self and sketches to any files that need re-doing…remembering to allow enough space for text 👌 #camelsfirstchristmas #authorillustrator #christmasbooksforkids
#camelsfirstchristmas #illustrationchildrenbooks #picturebookillustrator #picturebookillustrations #kings
#camelsfirstchristmas #illustrationchildrenbooks #picturebookillustrator #picturebookillustrations #kings
My youngest used to say YOU’RE not the boss of me…when he was v likkle 😀👆 #camelsfirstchristmas #illustrationchildrenbooks #picturebookillustrator #picturebookillustrations #kings
Looking at how to illustrate the camels legs … #makingapicturebook #illustratingachildrensbook #childrenspicturebook #32pagestorybook #christmasstories #christmasstorywithatwist #camelsfirstchristmas
‘nose up in the sky’ #makingapicturebook #illustratingachildrensbook #childrenspicturebook #32pagestorybook #christmasstories #christmasstorywithatwist #camelsfirstchristmas
Gathering my pages and getting them arranged into 32 sides that work next to each other as double spreads…am trying wherever possible to get each new thought or idea to turn up as a kind of surprise as u turn over the page… appreciating being able to borrow a beautiful and peaceful empty house to think and and spread my pages out in #makingapicturebook #childrenspicturebook #32pagestorybook #christmasstories #christmasstorywithatwist #camelsfirstchristmas
One of my fav artists and inspiration for my work…one of my biggest challenges when it comes to illustrating ..apart from changing styles that is ..is keeping the characters simple…knowing what details to leave out …it’s so tempting to just draw something that looks like a camel but then it’s just boring and often lacks personality …for me anyway… here @craigieaitchison has painted a camel with hardly any detail …I keep looking at this to remind me it IS ok to simplify ..I’m still not there but getting closer #illustratingchildrensbooks #camelsfirstchristmas #makingapicturebook
On to the final stages of drawing before scanning…instead of drawing and painting then re doing things that don’t work I’m trying to neaten up my drawing style …enough so the program I use can pick up the outlines I make after I scan the images into it and do the colouring in for me…I’ve also drawn images on to separate pieces of tracing paper so I can move them around on the page to see what looks best before I finalise the composition as well as use the same images again maybe on a different page …this will b the biggest time saver if I can do this instead of re-doing sketches all day long… #camelsfirstchristmas #makingapicturebook #illustratingapicturebook #authorillustrator #childrensauthor #childrensauthors #illustrationforkidsbooks #illustrationforchildrensbooks #illustrationforchildren #illustrationforkids
#camelsfirstchristmas #makingapicturebook #illustratingapicturebook
I’m hoping I can keep this character look … I’ve done 1000s of sketches to try find my character … trying to make a camel look cute without losing its camel-ness is a v big challenge …(I keep making it look like a donkey)…as is sticking to one character and making him look the same doing different things. This is a sketch I photographed then cut out in photoshop .. traced over then filled with random colours and drew on top of. #camelsfirstchristmas #makingabook #workinprogress #illustratingpicturebooks
Still working things out …sketch to photoshop where I’ve filled in outlines from my scan with random colours at this stage ..just to see how things work..pencil added afterwards #camelsfirstchristmas #makingabook #workinprogress #illustratingpicturebooks
Last sketch …had to FORCe myself like the siren story where that guy had to strap himself to the mast of his boat so he didn’t jump after the sirens ..to sit still and DRAW…had to keep telling myself noooo u don’t need to go anywhere do anything u need to finish your story …can’t believe how hard im finding it to just finish something …man ..still not finished like ..but at least I’ve got the last sketch done so I can get on to the next stage 🤪. #camelsfirstchristmas #makingabook #childrenspicturebooks📚 #christmaspicturebooks
Working out eye types and positions using 2 layers of tracing paper to test with ...Caption I’m trying to illustrate is ‘lumpy bumpy camel with your nose up in the sky’..I’m thinking the higher the eye position the snootier it looks #camelsfirstchristmas #makingabook #workinprogress #childrenspicturebooks📚 #childrenspicturebookillustration #childrensauthorsofinstagram #illustratingapicturebook #illustratingchildrensbooks
About to embark on illustrating #camelsfirstchristmas ...first step is fixing new corrected text (thanks to new input from @jellybean_j9 and Jack Hedges @hedges5593 )onto the pages I am going to illustrate ...thought it would b fitting to use my new b day glue ...what a lovely tin and smell ...smells a bit too nice tho @original_fanny_adams 😀 #makingbooks #makingpicturebooks #chidrensbooks
Another day at the office ...sticking new text over old ...re doing drafts ..getting interrupted constantly by chatter @jellybean_j9 😆 #robinsfirstchristmas #makingabook #childrensauthorsofinstagram #processofwritingabook #childrensauthors #camelsfirstchristmas
More scribbles ...trying to find my character #camelsfirstchristmas #childrensauthors #childrensillustrations #writingprocess #illustrationprocess #makingabook
So I can move eyes nose and mouth around in the same image to make different looks but how to fill inside the vectors ...anyone know? #camelsfirstchristmas
This is revolutionising my work speed - scan hand drawn image and change to vectors in illustrator - thank u @ro_enna #camelsfirstchristmas
Trying to make camel more feminine looking as I’m gonna have to put a she character in one of my books some time ...it would b rude not to ...it’s cos Ive always had boys all around me all the time ..don’t really know how girls work as much ...apart from my nieces ...and that I’ve been one of course 😀 #camelsfirstchristmas
It worked 👏👏I have my own font downloaded on my laptop to use in my book #camelsfirstchristmas it’s called ‘myfont’ @susanbrown6583 - v original 😃 and not sure how to let others download it @tillo_design but I can send u the instal widget if anyone wants - just message me
Making my own font so 1. No copyright problems 2. It’s how I want it 3. It has a proper ‘a’ #camelsfirstchristmas
#camelsfirstchristmas how to NOT make the camel look evil ??
#camelsfirstchristmas trying to make sense of my scribbles and using a new technique (bold outline in ink so the computer can read the images as vectors) am I doing good @ro_enna