Original watercolour artwork for the Button and the Bean.
Hello everyone, and a very good weekend to you all.
I notice that my last message was posted in July. Apologies it's been so long!
Can you believe that? Almost a whole Summer away. Did you have a good one? I remember some fantastic weather back in July, and then the kids broke up from school, and then after that, the sun was fighting a bit of a withdrawal!
It wasn't all writing this Summer
I've had a very busy Summer writing, but in between there was the odd trip to the beach, swimming and dinners on the patio! As you will have probably already heard if you're on the subscriber list, or follow on social media, the new book is finally done. The Button and the Bean launches officially on the 15th October 2021, but you can buy paperbacks ahead of this date through Amazon.
How did you do it?
All in all there are 14 spreads in the book, and besides painting each one in original watercolour, I made no less than three more passes through the whole book adding further refinements as I went. Keeping the organic feel of the watercolour, but adding in little extra touches as I went. So it's as if there were 64 pictures, really!
Once that was basically done, I still had to do the front cover, and what's called the endpapers (in a hardback, this is the page at the end of the book that is actually glued to the cover - but we still use the term endpapers, even in paperbacks).
It just seems to go on and on! All in all, the first sketch for this was last September, so it really did take a whole year of my spare time to complete.
Still - I'm very pleased with the result. Hopefully, it's the best one yet that I've done, and I'm really pleased with how the pictures and story turned out. I hope you will like it and the kids like it too. I'd love to hear what you think!
JGS for FREE and other books to check out this September
I've teamed up with some other authors, again to bring you news of other books, this time they are not for free.. but still they might be the very thing you are looking for.
Check out the link here.
As it turns out - Jumbo Giant Sausages is on free download all this weekend! So you can get one of that collection of books for free at least!
Radio Show
In other good news.. I'm back to talk with Rob Pudner of Entertainingly different for his Artz4U show on the 11th October at 12:15 - so be sure to tune in then for some fun and frolics.. and some great music.
https://www.soundartradio.org.uk/
I notice that my last message was posted in July. Apologies it's been so long!
Can you believe that? Almost a whole Summer away. Did you have a good one? I remember some fantastic weather back in July, and then the kids broke up from school, and then after that, the sun was fighting a bit of a withdrawal!
It wasn't all writing this Summer
I've had a very busy Summer writing, but in between there was the odd trip to the beach, swimming and dinners on the patio! As you will have probably already heard if you're on the subscriber list, or follow on social media, the new book is finally done. The Button and the Bean launches officially on the 15th October 2021, but you can buy paperbacks ahead of this date through Amazon.
How did you do it?
All in all there are 14 spreads in the book, and besides painting each one in original watercolour, I made no less than three more passes through the whole book adding further refinements as I went. Keeping the organic feel of the watercolour, but adding in little extra touches as I went. So it's as if there were 64 pictures, really!
Once that was basically done, I still had to do the front cover, and what's called the endpapers (in a hardback, this is the page at the end of the book that is actually glued to the cover - but we still use the term endpapers, even in paperbacks).
It just seems to go on and on! All in all, the first sketch for this was last September, so it really did take a whole year of my spare time to complete.
Still - I'm very pleased with the result. Hopefully, it's the best one yet that I've done, and I'm really pleased with how the pictures and story turned out. I hope you will like it and the kids like it too. I'd love to hear what you think!
JGS for FREE and other books to check out this September
I've teamed up with some other authors, again to bring you news of other books, this time they are not for free.. but still they might be the very thing you are looking for.
Check out the link here.
As it turns out - Jumbo Giant Sausages is on free download all this weekend! So you can get one of that collection of books for free at least!
Radio Show
In other good news.. I'm back to talk with Rob Pudner of Entertainingly different for his Artz4U show on the 11th October at 12:15 - so be sure to tune in then for some fun and frolics.. and some great music.
https://www.soundartradio.org.uk/
I wish you all a very happy and productive weekend!
If you are feeling generous - we'd love an upvote on Reedsy today - and please share any of our FB and IG posts if you can to help get word of the new book around.
Lastly if you have bought the new book, please remember to give us a review on Amazon or Goodreads.. as every review really helps. Especially when you're in a children's book category with David Walliams.. and his book has about 12,000 reviews !
Julian
If you are feeling generous - we'd love an upvote on Reedsy today - and please share any of our FB and IG posts if you can to help get word of the new book around.
Lastly if you have bought the new book, please remember to give us a review on Amazon or Goodreads.. as every review really helps. Especially when you're in a children's book category with David Walliams.. and his book has about 12,000 reviews !
Julian
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