FRANCES CASTLE: WHERE THE TIDE LINES LEAD

Published by Little Tiger Books, Where the Tide Lines Lead is a YA mystery by Sophie Cameron, with a striking wraparound cover by Frances Castle.

Set off the sun-drenched yet shadow-filled Spanish coast, the story follows sixteen-year-old Elio and British tourist Sam as they're pulled into an underwater world of selkie-like creatures after a string of teenagers vanish without a trace. Frances's design spans front to back, capturing the moment where the world we know gives way to something stranger beneath the waves.

It's a cover that makes you feel the pull of the story before you've read a single word - and a striking showcase of Frances Castle’s range across atmosphere-driven illustration.

Frances Castle is represented by Arena Illustration.

ALEKSEI BITSKOFF: TALES OF THE COBB STREET COMMANDOS

Published this month by Faber, Tales of the Cobb Street Commandos is a fact-filled, funny wartime adventure written by Tony Bradman, with cover and internal illustrations by Aleksei Bitskoff.

Set in London's East End in 1941, the story follows Jimmy and his friends as they form a top-secret commando unit determined to do their bit for the war effort - training in abandoned warehouses, raising money for Spitfires, and even landing a daring mission to meet Winston Churchill himself.

Aleksei Bitskoff’s energetic line work and instinct for comic timing make the Commandos leap off the page, while his eye for historical detail gives the book its real sense of place and period. Known for his intricate, humorous style, his client list includes the bestselling Little Bad Man and Who Let the Gods Out series.

Aleksei Bitskoff is represented by Arena Illustration.

Jenna Elsby Bennet x Sunspel

Sunspel commissioned Jenna's signature timeless, clean lines for their save-the-date invitations

Jenna Elsby Bennet is represented by Lipstick of London

Jess Rose Bird Masterclass for the V&A Dundee

In alignment with their latest exhibition, "The Art of the Fashion Show", Jess hosted an experimental fashion illustration workshop.

Jess Rose Bird is represented by Lipstick of London

Jacquie Lawson – Svetlana Molodchenko

Armenia-based illustrator Svetlana Molodchenko creates a richly detailed illuminated alphabet for e-card company Jacquie Lawson.

White Mountain – Carolina Rodriguez Fuenmayor

Carolina Rodriguez Fuenmayor illustrates her second book in Ruby Jean Cottle’s Black River duology, commissioned by Simon & Schuster through Atria Books.

Gregori Saavedra – Not So Fast China – Newsweek

Gregori was commissioned to create a front cover illustration regarding a possible future conflict between China and Taiwan.

Gregori’s illustration was briefed to highlight how the reality of a war with Taiwan wouldn’t be a quick win for China.

More of Gregori’s work can be viewed at https://www.debutart.com/artist/gregori-saavedra?tags=illustration

Lisa Sheehan – The Guardian – Lifestyle section.

Lisa was commissioned to create an illustration for the cover of a Guardian Lifestyle section.

The cover feature explored the idea of skincare product overload and the pressure around excessive beauty routines. Lisa decided to use her own face for the concept, though in the end the focus was mainly on her eyes, combined with a fake CG “goo” effect to push the visuals into something really exaggerated and surreal. It was a fun challenge for Lisa tackling the cover while also acting as the model — always nice to experiment and have fun with a cover!

More of Lisa’s work can be viewed at https://www.debutart.com/artist/lisa-sheehan?tags=all

Lucy Davey for Flock Cards

Lucy was commissioned to produce a set of beautiful bird illustrations for the ‘Flock’ card range with Stormy Knight Cards. Complete with gold foiled edging and details, they are a stunning set!

Lucy said: “I’m big into birds so this was a lovely commission for me. Herring gulls and swallows to start with, more to come!

Lucy Davey is represented by The Artworks

A Mighty Mural, by Hannah Bailey

Hannah Bailey was commissioned to illustrate some gigantic murals by the Star of the Republic Museum, Texas. Read on to find out how she approached this mammoth task, complete with life sized chickens!

"I was absolutely delighted to be asked to illustrate a set of murals for the Star of the Republic Museum, Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas - a big moment in my career in more ways than one! This was my first mural and a whopper, my illustrations covering the length of 2 x 14m long walls inside the family gallery.

It was a huge challenge to scale up my work, calling for my rusty maths skills, a big scanner, huge brushes and some giant tracing paper. I loved the chance to create big textures and splash the ink around. To give an idea of the proportions - the chickens in the mural are lifesize!

To make sense of the huge space, I broke it down into lots of scenes, and joined them all up. From one end to the other, the mural shows a 19th century Texas landscape, moving from farmers cottages and livestock to a market town with stores, carts and stalls, and an old well. I wanted to capture the essence of the townspeople through their bits and bobs - as if they had put down their things and gone inside for lunch.

Thank you to the Star of the Republic Museum and Gallagher Design for inviting me to be a part of this project, to the Artworks and Tom at Mendola for all your hard work."

Hannah Bailey is represented by The Artworks