This is my entry for the Cheltenham Illustration Awards 2016, for the theme of Nonsense literature with a modern twist. I was thinking about lies we tell to explain things it’s hard to understand, with explaining where babies come from to children being a classic example. In my image I’ve included some of the things adults tell children, but also some of the stories children tell to themselves to explain where they come from. I think my favourite one was that they parachute out of an aeroplane and their dad’s catch them on the hospital roof!

Down the rabbit hole with Essex libraries

I was commissioned to create some illustrations for Essex Libraries (funded by Arts Council England). My illustrations were put on display across libraries in Essex to make a Wonderland trail as part of their Down the rabbit hole event to celebrate the 150yr anniversary of Alice in Wonderland.

You can see all the illustrations on my website www.helendodsworth.carbonmade.com but I thought I'd post a few here too.

Workshop for Down the Rabbit Hole event at Essex libraries

As part of this project I ran a workshop at Chelmsford library, to consult with a group of young people about what parts of the story they would like me to illustrate, and to think about character design.
The work shown here is by Katie, Rebecca, Eloise, Sarah, Jessica, Gabriella and Ella.
A big thank you to you all for joining in, it was great to work with you all.

 

This is a close up of the quick thumbnail sketches I drew for each scene, under direction from the group, during the workshop. Although the exact composition was tweaked and added to when I worked on the final illustrations, I kept these in mind whilst drawing, with a few extra details added here and there.

 

 

I thought I’d post a photo of my work space. Whilst I was working on the illustrations I had copies of the drawings from the workshop stuck on the wall next to me, along with the written descriptions for the characters that the group gave me, and layout ideas for each scene.

 

Here are some drawings from the workshop for the scene where Alice meets the Cheshire cat. In the story the cat is up the tree with Alice stood below looking up, but I loved the groups idea of having Alice and the cat in the tree together instead, it just seemed more fun that way. I love Alice’s expression in this drawing and the way she is leaning towards the cat, they look deep in conversation!

 

 

Wonderland trail images for Down the Rabbit Hole at Essex libraries

 

This is my final illustration for this scene, which I think is pretty close to the original idea. I couldn’t resist adding the blue caterpillar to the branch below though (as Alice meeting the caterpillar wasn’t a scene chosen by the group I thought it would be nice if he still made a guest appearance somewhere!)

 

This is one of my favourite scenes. I have made this one a little more chaotic, I thought it would be fun to have the accused thief the knave of hearts sneaking away and one of the animals stealing a tart, both taking advantage of the queen being distracted by Alice.

This is a design created by one of the group at the workshop, showing how the cards running to capture Alice could start turning into leaves as she wakes up on the river bank.

Alice waking up. I couldn’t resist adding the blue caterpillar again hiding in her apron pocket. I liked the idea of a bit of wonderland still being with her after she had woken up.

Mummy and Me Bake (DK Books)

I was very happy to get my copy of this book, it’s my first book for DK Books that I have been the sole illustrator for which was exciting!

 

For this commission I worked with another great senior designer, Hannah Moore. Hannah would give me a brief for the illustrations she wanted and then she added the photos and the text. I really like the way she added the photos of the veg underneath on this one.

 

 

I really enjoyed drawing the little bouncy olives

 

 

I think the veg pages were my favourites!

 

 

Keeping the illustrations very simple, with any people drawn in a childlike style, was key for this project. It was also good practice for me in drawing in a freer, doodling way.

 

 

I loved how playful and inventive Hannah was in adding the photos, the broccoli trees are brilliant (I do love broccoli though so I might be slightly biased)

 

 

As well as all the great recipes it also has some good educational sections

 

 

The teddy bear crops up a few times throughout the book. I love the cheerfulness of this page design, think I might make that cake myself too!

 

 

Here he is in a few of the other pages

 

 

I also enjoyed adding a few little bees and bugs to a page on making 'blossom biscuits'

 

 

 

I like the idea of a building made out of blocks of brownies, would be a bit too hard to resist though I think!

 

 

This book was great fun to work on, doodling over the top of these pasties to turn them into chickens didn't feel like work at all!

This was another private commission, to create a picture to be framed and hung in a baby's bedroom. She was 6 months old when I made this for her, and her mum told me she would point at the different animals and laugh, which to me is a massive compliment.

'Sharks, Dolphins and other Sea Creatures' latest children's educational activity book for DK Books

I recently received my copy of the activity book 'Sharks, Dolphins and other Sea Creatures' by DK Books, which also includes stickers! (mine are the killer whale and beluga whale illustrations).

I had no idea how cute Beluga whales were until I was asked to draw one, I would love to be able to see one now, they really do blow bubble rings, how ace is that?

This is a little illustration for a grid based game. The brilliant senior designer Sadie Thomas would give me a brief to work to, then she would take my illustration and add the photos and text to turn it into the completed activity page. The killer whale stickers are to add to this page too.

 

This spread included large stickers to stick in place, then the whole page could be coloured in. I originally drew the walrus waving, but was told to alter it as it is an educational book so should be more realistic, (which is completely fine but secretly I like to believe that if you met a walrus in real life he might wave at you)

Just finished work on a mural for a children's bedroom

Pages from 'Fluffy Nonsense' a Collection of Animal Nonsense Poems for Children: My MA Illustration final project.

Pages from my chapter in 'Amelia's Anthology of Illustration'