Think big

This is my latest screen print for Little Carousel Gallery

I just like drawing seals and elephants.

Think big

It is a small run of 10 prints available here

http://www.littlecarouselgallery.com/#!product/prd1/1413431551/think-big-by-meg-mclaren

Penguins

Apologies for the absence but I've been in the midst of moving from the sunny south of England to the cold, cold north of Scotland.
This is perhaps why all of my work of late is ice related.

These are some penguin prints I've been working on.

Practice makes perfect

The original

Another print i've been working on…

On the ice

Printing in progress

The original sketch

These, and others, are on sale here http://www.littlecarouselgallery.com/#!meg-mclaren/cvx2 

as are many other beautiful works by other artist.

In the meantime i'm off to dig out the mittens.

Owl crazy

Like everyone else it seems I am also going owl crazy.  This is a lady I've been working on in my sketch book today.  She'll no doubt become a lovely mass of flat colour but for now she is a wonderful mess of watercolour pencil.  

This is her conductor.  

He remains nameless and is no doubt going to be replaced.  Never fear for he is not bothered 

because it is that wonderful time just as lunch approaches and he is thinking mostly about soup.

And these ruffians and are a few of my previous owl orchestra.  Aren't they wonderfully flat?  

They urge to me to ensure you their music is not.

My Templar Watch

Templar Publishing are having a fantastic illustrated paper watch auction to raise money for breast cancer.  Details can be found here http://templarpublishing.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/the-paper-watch-project_23.html

Here are a few photos of my illustrated watch.

This is my finished watch with my initial sketch.

             

A little close up

Back in the pack and ready to go.

Now I just have to post it.

Panda pick up

I've been really busy lately trying to get my panda book done.  I'm finally at the clean up stage (aka the boring computer bit) and this the one I'm currently working on.

Caught!

Some new panda work I've finally gotten round to posting.

This fellow below was posted previously but I've now had time to screen print him.

Same with these penguins.  Photoshop no more!  Look how proud they are to be hand printed.

Escapology 102

I've been busy lately screen printing at home with all the silly timing issues and things it throws up but below is one of the prints I am working on.  It has been photoshopped however as my rebellious scanner refuses to acknowledge the colour grey.

For those intolerant to it the penguin parade is now digital free.

                                               

The 2pm Penguin Parade

Having safely recaptured the pandas after their decoy I attempt 

I can now sit back and enjoy the daily 2pm penguin parade.

Nobody noticed the pandas were gone

and you can see why.  Panda decoys.

Polar pandas

This crafty little fellow is a work in progress.  

I am still sadly photoshopping them together with my sad face on but that will change soon.

Until then beware polar bears looking suspiciously like pandas.

A panda or two

 A panda I've been playing with.  I can't wait to actually screen print them properly.  These are digital dopplegangers for the moment.  I'm currently sketchbooking like a fiend and trying to work out if this will be best suited to a picturebook or a comic..  

If you hadn't already realised it he's a master of disguise.

The victor

So after the still-to-be-drawn chase and fight for chips page this happens.

Just wait 'til the seagulls find out. 

Below- The victor with his spoils.

The seagulls descend...

This is page two of the comic I was working on.  

There's a flight/chase sequence to follow but I haven't  drawn that one yet.

A wee close up of the stranger. Where's he off to?

And this is how the first two pages look together.

A Stranger page

This is the first page of the comic I am working on at the moment.  

Well, the first page of this section, it's infinite in structure at the moment.

and this is a little close up.

The stranger

This is the full print of my fold-out booklet.  There is also a grey version.

And as promised this is the stranger.  He's a tiny, chubby bird of mystery.  

I'm currently illustrating a comic book of his exploits.

Ooh and massive congratulations to the Children's Book Illustration students who took 1st, 2nd, 3rd and many highly commended places at this years Macmillan prize.

Stranger by the Sea

                      A little promotional screen print I made yesterday called 'Stranger by the Sea.'

The stranger will be revealed soon....

Seagull photo booth

A little something I printed yesterday.  Apologies for the massiveness of it but it's all the better to see it with.

Rawk!

The seagull obsession continues.  It's worrying how similar to a seagull I am in some ways.

Will circle strangers for chips?  Check!

Will steal ice cream from unsuspecting strangers?  Check!

Will parade nonchalantly down any pier whilst secretly eyeing up ice cream and chips?  Check!

To see the sea

Seeing as the sun has finally got its hat on in the south east I though it was time to take that paddle in the sea...but it seemed like a lot of effort so I just let Gully do it instead.

Book covers

Whilst I'm getting on with other things I thought I'd display

 my entries for this years Puffin and Penguin design competitions.  

elephant and croc

Apologies for my absence of late but I've been knee deep in colour seperations and so here are elephant and croc instead.  I did these as part of my portfolio and hope to find a story for them both soon.

So long

So I am returned from Bologna with two fantastic new books (the purse strings were tightened this year), a Simone Rea poster which he actually painted on and signed hence is now my most treasured possession (and which I subsequently smudged with my thumb), a cold, and a body mass of 90% pizza.

Alas I have no new work but here are some seagulls from before I went.

The gelato thief

  We're off to the Bologna book fair this week and this is pretty much how I plan to look whilst I'm there.

             Just imagine me stealing gelato from an unsuspecting passer-by.

You can also see the excellent work of the Cambridge School of Art, Children's Book Illustration students at the fair so come see us.

s is for school

This is the latest in my alphabet. Yes we had to Google the difference between school and shoal.  The rest of the alphabet is on hold whilst I draw seagulls.

Here's a little close up of the fishes.

A

a is for...avalanche and adventure.  

My s is coming along swimmingly (could that be a clue?) and should be finished this week. 

Brrrr

In view of the wintry weather that is forcing me to drink my bodyweight in tea I thought today was apt for i is for...?

L is for?

The alphabet continues.  My friend Lara ( lararobinsonillustrates.blogspot.co.uk ) has complained that L is always a bit rubbish in alphabet books so I've tried to make something particularly swish on her behalf.

L is for...?