Kristyna Litten: Gucci Children’s Collection Spring Summer Catalogue

The luxury Italian fashion brand Gucci, commissioned Kristyna Litten to give their 2015 Children's Spring Summer Collection a picture book twist.

Kristyna created animal and kids characters and twenty three different scenes for their catalogue along with additional elements for their Look Book, to showcase their children's accessories. Using photographs of all the clothing and accessories, she developed each of the kid's characters around them, giving Gucci a variety of poses for other uses in the Look Book. The result is a fresh and vibrant series of spreads that beautifully display the clothes, hats, sunglasses, bags, shoes and belts in the range.

Kristyna Litten represented by Arena Illustration

Thomas Flintham: The Spy Who Loved School Dinners wins the Blue Peter Book Awards

CONGRATULATIONS!!! We are delighted to announce that The Spy Who Loved School Dinners has WON the Blue Peter Book Awards for Best Story Book, written by Pamela Butchart and illustrated by the marvellous Thomas Flintham.

Thomas proudly picked up his award from the UK’s Children’s Laureate, Malorie Blackman in a special World Book Day edition of CBBC’s Blue Peter.

Thomas Flintham was on the shortlist last year for Marvellous Maths with Jonathan Litten, this year he is the proud owner of a Blue Peter badge to wear and a trophy to display in his studio.

The enormously popular Blue Peter Book Awards, which are managed by Booktrust, celebrate the best authors, most creative illustrators and the greatest reads. 200 children from 10 schools across the UK read the shortlisted books and voted for their favourites. The Spy Who Loved School Dinners is the second book By Pamela Butchart in the series about Izzy following on from Baby Aliens Got My Teacher, recently shortlisted for the Red House Book Awards, and you can read more about the illustration process in Thomas’s questions on the Booktrust website.

Thomas Flintham is represented by Areana

Meanwhile Issue 2: Featuring Euan Cook

Soaring Penguin Press' latest issue of Meanwhile… is a great anthology of comic stories by top notch talent, both new and old. It features, Fish 'n' Chips, the first in a series of single page strips by new talent Euan Cook, which gets a great review in Forbidden Planet's Blog: 

"… a fish 'n' chip supper… telling a simple mood piece, musing on isolation, on a lack of focus in life, monologue moaning, capped off with a final few panels where the isolation is hammered home by the moaner's companions complete lack of attention. It's a nothing strip in many ways, but damn, it's an entertaining nothing."

Watch out for the next instalment by Euan in Meanwhile #3

Euan Cook is represented by Arena Illustration

Just Published: Steve May Illustrates More Dennis The Menace

Steve May is back with more anarchic illustrations for the fourth in the series of The Diary of Dennis The Menace: Bash Street Bandit!, published by Puffin this month.

Steve's fluid line has an energy that brilliantly suits author, Steven Butler's, hilarious text. To celebrate the launch of this book, Steve was asked to help out in the 'Draw-along' at the Puffin Virtually Live event.

Steve May is represented by Arena Illustration

Just Published: Frances Castle Cover Illustration for Stonebird

Frances Castle's illustration and hand lettering makes a powerful cover for Mike Revell's debut novel, Stonebird, published by Quercus this month.

Stonebird is a dark and exciting children's story about a boy who befriends a stone gargoyle which comes alive and changes his life in impossible ways.

Frances Castle is represented by Arena Illustration

Euan Cook: Crazy Classics for Teens

French publisher, Editions Didier have commissioned Euan Cook to illustrate a number of modern retellings of classic tales including most recently, Dracula. Euan's bold linework lends itself brilliantly to the graphic novel style series for Teens and gives Crazy Classics: Login: Dracula a fresh and contemporary feel.

Euan Cook is represented by Arena

Just Published: Animal Noises by Thomas Flintham

The chickens are clucking and the cows are mooing in this fun rhyming picture book, Animal Noises, by Thomas Flintham.

Published by Scholastic Children’s Books, this is the second in the series of toddler books by Tom. His drawing style uses bold shapes, strong lines and a limited colour palette to create a joyful book with a simple, engaging story, perfect for very young readers.

Thomas Flintham is represented by Arena

The Spy Who Loved School Dinners: Shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Mountwood School for Ghosts cover illustration by Alex T Smith

Toby Ibbotson is the son of award-winning author Eva Ibbotson and Mountwood School for Ghosts is his debut novel about ghosts going to school to learn a thing or two about being scary. The story is based on an idea conceived with Eva, and planned out in detail by the two of them before her death. Alex T Smith was delighted to be commissioned by Macmillan to illustrate this cover along with the reissues of four of Eva's well known children's novels: Which Witch, The Secret of Platform 13, Monster Mission and The Beasts of Clawstone Castle.

Alex T Smith is represented by Arena