An Unexpected Visitor: Behind the Book with Bright Star Jessica Courtney-Tickle
Jessica Courtney-Tickle is an incredible talent. Her soft and misty landscapes are dream-like and comforting. The perfect, peaceful way to send little ones off to sleep at night. Her debut picture book is due out in February and published by Egmont. The theme is environmentally friendly as is the material from which the book is made; Egmont use paper sourced from sustainable forests, which is the first message you see on opening the book.
Behind the Book with Dave Mottram
Dave Mottram lives in Ohio with his wife, daughter and black lab, Gracie. He drew so much as kid, he would occasionally run out of paper. There were paper bags filled with Dave’s art all over the house. Still drawing after all these years, he now enjoys watching his daughter draw all the time. The circle continues! His latest book, Race Car Dreams published with Running Press Kids in September 2016.
A New Era of Greetings Card Designers – Meet Jon Lau…
Jon Lau graduated from Art Center College of Design in 2011. Through his intricate paintings, he tells whimsical stories that are inspired by nature, animals, and our interactions with them. He is based in Los Angeles. We spoke with Jon about his inspiration, process and how his personal experiences inform the subject matter of his work. Read on for a glimpse into the creative process of a new Bright artist:
The Building Boy with David Litchfield & Ross Montgomery
If you’re looking for a perfect match in both writing and illustration, there couldn’t be any better fit than Montgomery and Litchfield.
Introducing Brand New Talent To Bright Art Licensing
After graduating from the London College of Communication in 2008, Emily Rand spent some time working in arts education, running workshops with children in galleries and schools. A trip to Paris and its beautiful children’s bookshops re-ignited her love for children’s books and inspired Emily to create the illustrations for her first book A Dog Day.
Meet Rising Star, Jessica Courtney-Tickle…
Jessica Courtney-Tickle graduated from Kingston University in July 2014. She has a stand-out style, with beautiful attention to detail and the ability to create an incredible light and atmosphere in her work. Jess joins us at The Bright Emporium this month with her newly published book featuring the music of it’s names sake, The Four Seasons,by Antonio Vivaldi. A musical story time is a first for us and we are thoroughly looking forward to it. In speaking to Jess about her inspiration, music is a huge one, making this book very special to her. Here’s a bit more about the very talented Jessica…
The Insider: Steph Laberis and Little Golden Books
This edition of “The Insider” takes a look at Bright artist Steph Laberis’ successful partnership with Little Golden Books. Since 1942, the renowned company has been publishing beloved books for children, including two of our favorites, My Little Golden Book About Sharks and The Little Grumpy Cat that Wouldn’t. Read on for Steph’s thoughts on collaboration, design, and capturing the essence of Grumpy Cat:
(more…)
The Storm Whale In Winter: A Look Behind The Book with Benji Davies…
THIS WEEK author and illustrator, Benji Davies, creator of The Storm Whale and Grandad’s Island, launched his highly anticipated picture book, The Storm Whale in Winter. Benji describes the book as being like the journey home; just asStorm Whale takes us out to sea, the sequel carries us back, as we find that Noi’s kind deed to the little whale was never forgotten.
Nostalgic and gentle, this book is beautifully crafted, with filmic, sometimes panoramic illustrations and a plot line that will give the reader goosebumps (in a good way) — so strong is the message and sense of there being a true friendship between boy and whale.
So after a wonderful book launch, hosted by our brilliant colleagues at Simon and Schuster, and in anticipation of our cosy Christmas story time, where Benji will be reading us his heart-warming story, I wanted to find out a little bit more about the man behind the books… LM
How Joshua Heinsz Finds Power in the Color Pink
Raised on fairytales and cartoons, Joshua has a love for bright and whimsical imagery, his work combines a flair for the fantastical and an air of nostalgia. He received his BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design where he was the two-term president of a social sorority. He then went on to receive his MFA in Illustration Practice at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Currently residing in Chicago, IL, Joshua spends his time between illustrating, daylighting as a college professor and a fitness instructor, and avoiding the cold. He joined Bright earlier in 2016 and has been honing his portfolio since.