Category Archives: good posts

Advice: drafting and reading aloud

By elise | Published: October 1, 2010

Next installment taken from email Q&As Now we all know that picture books will be read out loud to kids. So this means that it is absolutely vital for writers to read their work out loud as they draft it so we know how it sounds. However, even that is not fool-proof. Read on: We [...]

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Advice: the illustrator’s job – storyboards and roughs

By elise | Published: September 2, 2010

Here’s another response to a question relating to being provided with suggestions for the pictures or a storyboard by the writer: This sounds terrible but I’d rather not ever have suggestions from the author on the visuals. The exception being something vital that is not mentioned in the story, but is intrinsic to it (like [...]

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Advice: charging for illustrations

By elise | Published: August 25, 2010

I’ve been answering quite a few emails lately seeking advice on aspects of the industry. So I thought I’d put some tailored excerpts here in case anyone else was wondering the same things. Don’t forget, there is always the Getting Published page too which has lots more info and suggestions, especially about whether or not [...]

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Mondoodle 01-03-2010

By elise | Published: March 1, 2010

Today’s Mondoodle is one of my favourites. Although it feels like it came from nowhere… today I looked an “Bird” the artists book by Kat Macleod, I sat having a coffee at uni with papers swirling and flapping around me in a vortex of wind, I flew home fast on my bicycle in the cool [...]

Also posted in Mondoodle, shiny & new | Tagged artists book, Mondoodle, pen | 1 Comment

Mondoodle 22-02-2010

By elise | Published: February 22, 2010

Hello again. The lightbox and I have had words. Yep, I’m going to suck it up and stop complaining. And try to finish my work before sun-down… Here’s the Mondoodle. It’s a bit of a case of… here’s one I prepared earlier. Because Of COURSE I wouldn’t get distracted during a tough deadline! That’s just [...]

Also posted in Mondoodle, Quick-draw, vidoes | Tagged Mondoodle, Quick-draw, tablet, video | 4 Comments

Anatomy of a Drawing 1

By elise | Published: January 21, 2010

I thought it would be interesting to dissect a drawing, so to speak. This is one from my Moleskines collection, book two. It began with a what should I draw? kind of question, and a suggestion from Peter of a walrus. No more of an idea than that. I pulled up photos from the computer [...]

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Quick-draw Rabbit plus one

By elise | Published: December 13, 2009

I’m thinking that with these videos, while you watch the sequence of strokes, you might also watch a story unfold if I sketch it in the right order. That’s tricky for me as it requires a certain amount of planning, and I have been enjoying letting the drawing do its own thing to an extent. [...]

Also posted in Quick-draw, shiny & new, vidoes | Tagged lion, Quick-draw, rabbit, tablet, video | 2 Comments

The Exhibition

By elise | Published: December 10, 2009

I am so excited to finally be able to give you news about my exhibition! Hooray, huzzah and woot!! So here are the vital statistics… I’ll post updates and news as it happens. No-Vacancy Gallery ELISE HURST paintings & etchings Opening Night: Thursday 20th May 6 – 9pm Exhibition: 20th May until 2nd June I’ll [...]

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Mondoodle 16-11-09

By elise | Published: November 16, 2009

Does it count if you can see the drawing completed in under the ten minutes? Possibly. I felt like doing something quite different today. My first jobs in illustration were doing fantasy work for some role-playing manuals. I did a lot of dragons and creatures back then, for fun as well as for work. And [...]

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Quick-draw – crusty pirate

By elise | Published: November 9, 2009

Here’s another Quick-draw. Oh I do enjoy these and I’m starting to get used to drawing without watching the page. I’ll upgrade it to HD when I work out how – the option didn’t seem to present itself this time. Do click the HQ button though for a better view. And you can turn off [...]