Paweł Pawlak V

Paweł Pawlak's vampire ghost.

Witches spells

 

I made a couple of small books trying to illustrate a witch's spell. The first one had some glitches so I made a second version, both have their good points and bad but I wanted to show how I overcame the problems on the first one and then tried afresh on the second version. This is why creativity is important because it leads to invention and problem-solving.  Both were great fun to make. 

Katia Shumkova VIII

Katia Shumkova's Batty gym, to give you ideas on how to limber up for Halloween.

Flying bats 2

A different type of flying bat for you to try.

Hamid Reza Akram II

Hamid Reza Akram illustrations for a story 'Essi' by Azra Jozdani a skeleton coming to life, walking into town and into a school where he saw another skeleton.

Manu Montoya

El Animero “A Lord’s Prayer for the holy souls in the Purgatoryyy” by Manu Montoya 

El Animero takes the souls out of the cemetery and walks with them through the town asking for prayers.

Flying towards Halloween

 

I have over the course of this, odd, year been making activities for adults and kids to make at home. Halloween is going to be quite different for children this year because of Covid restrictions so maybe it's time for getting back to homemade fun, and these are fun little flying bats. 

Below is a simple template that you can alter as you like; change the ears, make larger wings, add fangs whatever you want. and then a video of how to make it.

 

Yelena Bryksenkova II

 

A night of shooting stars, image by Russian illustrator, Yelena Bryksenkova.

Violeta Dabija

 

It is the week leading up to Halloween so I am sharing tiny witches and big witches by Violeta Dabija sparkly and delightful.

Brian Kershisnik III

 

It has come to the time when we look to the stars and moon for light, wintertime in the northern hemisphere, as I write this it is August and I worry what this winter will bring, but I can be sure of moon shadows and stars. 

These paintings are by American painter Brian Kershisnik, a storyteller in paint.

R J Lloyd I

Yesterday at work I was shown this wonderful monochrome children's book of poems by Ted Hughs illustrated by Reginald James Lloyd.

My first post about Reginald James Lloyd who was born in Hereford in 1926 and died in March 2020, he was primarily a painter but also worked in print, ceramics and stained glass. 

'What is the Truth?' was a collection of poems by Ted Hughes a friend of Reginald James Lloyd. The book was illustrated and designed by R. J Lloyd and was published by Faber in 1984. It was marketed as a children’s book and won the Guardian’s Children’s Fiction Award. Lloyd and Hughes also self published 'The Cat and the Cuckoo' 

R. J Lloyd has work is included in collections of the Tate Britain, Victoria and Albert Museum, and the National Maritime Museum London, and many other municipal and private collections. It amazes me that an artist and man of so much influence has passed without obituary. Reg also collected ceramics throughout his life and his collection was bought with national lottery funds for £300,000 in 2008 and held in Burton Art Gallery and Museum, Bideford.

 

Rob Sayegh JR

 

Rob Sayegh JR like many artists has been very creative in lockdown. Here are some examples of his 'Draw the Curtains' window drawings to uplift and entertain using a mix of paint and collaged cardboard and paper. I have made windows for Christmas and Halloween and I highly recommend it, as a cheap, fun way to engage with your neighbours, have some fun and hopefully share some joy. 

Katie Holden

 

Katie Holden has spent the last 4 years creating an Irish Tree alphabet that is magical and timely. 

"I wanted to create a living alphabet – something we could plant – to literally make words matter." Katie Holden

"Words Matter. Truth Matters. Science Matters. Facts Matter. Black Lives Matter. Democracy Matters. It all matters. We are all matter. But what is matter, we may ask? The word itself is suggestive of what’s at stake. The etymological roots expose a tension. The Latin materia suggests “timber” while mãter means “mother” or “source”. So, matter is a hybrid, a woody, fleshy fusion of living tissue with a semiotic heart. The heartwood, if you will." Katie Holden

It is autumn and a mast year, gather tree seeds, Acorns, Conkers, Ash keys, Beech nuts, Larch cones, pop them in a bag or big pot of compost and plant on in the spring, plant for birthdays, for funerals, for weddings, for love. Plant in holey hedges, plant in community woodlands seek out great places to secure our future in the roots of a tree.

Hajime Emoto

 

I found the incredible work of Japanese artist Hajime Emoto last week. He creates 'museum specimens' from paper and bamboo, here are some of his fish and sea creatures. Initially, Hajime worked with print as his medium Lithography and etching until in 1999 his attention turned to creating a bestiary.