Nicola Patten

Some additions to my portfolio

2012-01-18T21:31:00.004Z

On the 9th of February I will be at the launch party of the Undiscovered Voices anthology that features my viking illustration. There will be lots of agents and art directors present (as well as the illustration chair, Nick Sharratt!) so I have been very busy recently preparing my children's illustration portfolio to be shown at the event. Here are some of the recent additions!

A little sketch to reassure you I'm not dead/my hands haven't fallen off

2011-11-30T23:40:00.002Z

So the other day I went to see my favourite sea birds Guillemots at Koko in Camden, and the journey home involved an hour wait at Paddington for a train that was to take ANOTHER hour to get me back to Reading. I was, therefore, upon this occasion, the happiest I believe I have ever been to have my trusty Moleskine by my side, and this is the result of my boredom. This is Mr Dangerfield.

This Year's Christmas Cards

2011-11-13T18:00:00.004Z

I realise this pretty much spoils the surprise for anyone receiving Christmas cards from me or any of my relative that buy cards off my this year. Having said that, since I am so incurably lazy, most of you probably won't be anyway so that shouldn't be a problem.

I have been playing with felting and knitting and enjoying it so expect to see more of this soon!

You can buy a pack of all four of these cards for £6 over on my SHOP!

When I have Fears that I may Cease to Be...

2011-10-22T12:28:00.004+01:00

When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,
Before high piled books, in charact'ry,
Hold like rich garners the full ripened grain;
When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows with the magic hand of chance;

And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!

That I may never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of Unreflecting Love! - Then on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.
- Keats

Chinese Tea

2011-08-27T23:07:00.003+01:00

I have been drinking a lot of Chinese tea lately thanks to the lovely people at The Essence of Tea in Falmouth, so here is a lady sipping from a Chinese teacup. If anybody is wondering, it is oolong that she is drinking.

I will be making a print of this to sell at the Islington Contemporary Art and Design Fair that I shall be exhibiting at again this year! Also more oriental things on their way since I'm feeling that way inclined recently. Quite possibly some more screenprints in the not too distant future too!

Gee Whizz! She's integrating!

2011-08-16T01:19:00.002+01:00

It's true, I'm getting all technical and social networky! I have been talked into creating a facebook page for my illustration on several occasions by several people so just to SHUT THEM UP (and also maybe because it's a good idea), I have created a facebook page for my illustration.

It's here: Nicola Patten Illustration

Also, the homepage of my website now has shiny new (and hideously modern-looking) facebook/ twitter/ blogspot buttons, since that appears to be the done thing these days.

They shall probably follow on the other pages some time when it's not half 1 in the morning and when I've not been living in a field for four days.

Viking makes a discovery

2011-08-10T00:01:00.005+01:00

You might be seeing this guy around a fair bit now so please be welcoming. He's pretty friendly really.

Capture Cure 2011

2011-07-26T00:35:00.003+01:00

Some of you may remember this lady from the illustration I auctioned off at last year's Capture Cure auction for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Well, the time has come around again and here she is sporting a brand new headscarf from her range of eccentric headgear! Also, she's grown hands! Hurrah! Maybe next year she will have arms too.

When the time comes I shall update you with how to vote for it on facebook to appear in the auction.

Website Updates!

2011-07-14T23:05:00.003+01:00

I realise I have been neglecting you again. I can only apologise.

In my defence, I have been working really hard (at getting a tan) in Spain.

I HAVE, however, also been making some changes. My portfolio has had many things removed and added and the portfolio page of my website has since followed. I've taken away the crazy projector thing (which, although providing you visitors with hours of unending fun, was impractical; limiting the space for the actual illustrations to be shown. And I suppose, being an illustration website, the illustrations ought to come first. Sorry, I know it's boring).

I've also arranged the thumbnails into two categories - 'children's illustration' and 'older audiences', which encompasses the books market and greetings cards, along with my personal work - prints and so-forth.

I've been meaning to tidy this page up for a while so currently feel like I would imagine I would feel if I'd just given my room a big tidy (I can only speculate as to what this feels like, as I have not given my room a big tidy in quite some time).

If you spot any problems with it or can think of a better way of wording 'older audiences' please let me know!

_________

Also the 'Echoes' book IS on its way still - I'm rather busy recently so it is being somewhat delayed!

Coming Soon!

2011-06-17T19:04:00.004+01:00

A little sneak preview of my new book. I shall reveal all soon but for now this is all you're getting.

http://nicolapatten.bigcartel.com/product/echoes-signed-hand-bound-book

Artquirk

2011-05-26T18:43:00.004+01:00

Look what just arrived!

It's the cards I designed for Artquirk! They're up now on www.artquirk.co.uk along with a few familiar Falmouth faces. And one of my designs is on the homepage!

Guillemots

2011-03-05T18:22:00.001Z

I'm not quite sure why I haven't drawn these lovely people before. But I have now so it's OKAY. Always nice to draw liney people and look through my backlog of Guillemots gig photos for 'research purposes'. Who's next to be under the quill, I wonder?

Some Sketches

2011-02-28T00:36:00.000Z

I have recently been sketching a bit more and this is something I intend to keep up, despite the embarrassment of being spotted drawing people on trains or in Cafes. As long as nobody asks to SEE the masterpiece portrait you've created of them with a hook nose and wonky eye, all is well with the world, no?

easiskins

2011-02-18T21:33:00.000Z

Today I went to the Apple Store and was pleasantly surprised to find easiskins iPod skins for sale bearing my instruction illustrations on the backs of the packets! And look how modern they are! Neither a top hat nor a monocle in sight!

The Haberdasher

2011-02-16T15:50:00.001Z

My Human Haberdashery
Is a truly marvelous chap-
He trims loose ends
Makes do and mends,
And all without mishap.

My human haberdashery
Is always close at hand-
Without his skill
And kind goodwill
This life I could not stand.

But then one day, disaster struck!
Whilst tying off a knot-
With awful luck
He did get stuck
And break free he could not.

You see, my friends, I had no choice
But his needle to retrieve-
And continue to sew
The poor fellow
To line the inside of my sleeve.

Some Pigeons

2011-02-15T21:30:00.001Z

I'm not sure what to do with them yet, so until I do, they live here.

In This Shirt

2011-01-31T14:02:00.000Z

You don't have to click this but your life may well be better if you do

I've gone terribly colourful with this and may have to draw lots of brown things to recover. Or maybe it's a NEW ME. Who knows.

Illustration Friday: Surrender

2011-01-28T20:59:00.000Z

So the word this week is 'surrender' and all I could think of was army scenes which really is not my thing at all. And then I thought of Alfred Eisenstaedt's photo taken in Times Square at the VJ Day celebrations. Much more me!

(Or rather Jorgensen's version, since it's public domain :P)

Illustration Friday: Chicken

2011-01-17T23:21:00.001Z

One of my new year's resolutions is to draw more, and I have decided that the best way to do this is to take part in Illustration Friday every week. This week seemed like a good time to ease myself in as 'chicken' is fairly within my comfort zone. It also means my mother can have another addition to our chicken-themed kitchen.

This particular chicken is of a somewhat nervous disposition. He visits a tailor on Saturdays but wears ill-fitting suits on account of being too embarassed to point out faults in the tailor's work. He is a hasty shopper and comes accross terribly self-conscious when he feels his decision-making is being watched. He makes a considerable amount of bad decisions as a consequence. I see a lot of myself in the chicken.

Christmas Cards

2010-11-24T18:23:00.000Z

Recently I have been doing a LOT of Christmas cards of various sorts and it looks as though they may be complete (or at least nearly there) HURRAH! I am fond of both Christmas and cards, but will be glad to do something different now and have a break from festive things until the day arrives. Having said that, it looks set to snow very soon round this neck of the woods. EXCITING!

I will introduce my new creations in reverse order, because that's how I roll.

Happy yule, y'all!

Hallmark

2010-11-05T12:13:00.000Z

I had to miss the last day of the Islington fair and send my father careering like a lost thing around London to find the gallery and take down my work, while I got the train oop narth (that's up north to us Southerners) for two weeks on a work placement on the Illustration team at Hallmark Cards. This was a good decision. While the Islington fair was good, and the journey was horrendous, this proved to be a very very enjoyable two weeks indeed. I learned many things, one being that if you want to draw Forever Friends bears you have to have curly hair, and another being that when you are plunged into an environment like this it can turn you into a trembling lost little kitten.

Anyway, I met some lovely people there and learned a lot about working to an actual brief. I EVEN found myself drawing pretty women with flowing locks and high heeled shoes. It's okay though, I have drawn plenty of awkward looking big-nosed funny-haired men since.

These are some of the cards I designed there.

Islington Contemporary Art and Design Fair

2010-11-05T11:50:00.000Z

The last few weeks have been rather busy, although that is no excuse for correspondence to have been so lacking as of late. Please accept my apologies.

I shall start with the Islington Contemporary Art and Design Fair.

This was the 8th to the 10th of October at the Candid Arts Trust gallery in Islington. I should quite possibly have told you about this while it was still on so that you could actually visit, but that is not my style.

It was very enjoyable anyway, and a nice little confidence boost having people say nice things, and even spend their hard earned money on my little creations :)

The exhibition was also the incentive I needed to finally get round to making those screen prints I was banging on about. It was SO FUN and I will definitely be doing more of these very soon.

Mademoiselle De Maupin

2010-08-21T20:56:00.000+01:00

This is the third (and final for now) of the illustrations I intend to make into screenprints. This is Mademoiselle De Maupin, Theophile Gautier's take on As You Like It, in which the title character disguises herself as Theodore in order to experience the side of men that they will only reveal to other men. She gets herself in a bit of a pickle though as she finds herself in something of a love triangle, trapped between d'Albert and Rosette who both fall completely and utterly in love with her.

Anyway, here she is at her window looking melancholy and wistfully picking at the petals of a yellow tulip. Poor dear.

I'm making some screenprints

2010-08-16T14:25:00.000+01:00

I have a few exhibitions coming up and it has occurred to me that since my parents run a screen printing business, I ought really to try my hand at the art and produce some nice limited edition prints to sell.

Since I have recently become rather enamoured with Victorian French literature, I thought a good place to start would be to make some screen-print-friendly illustrations for the novels I have been reading.

And so here they are! Starting with Huysmans' A Rebours and Zola's Therese Raquin. These are just photoshop mockups and I will post the screenprints when they're done, if they are worth posting!

Capture Cure

2010-07-19T15:05:00.000+01:00

I have created this image for Capture Cure, an art auction in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer. This is a cause that is very close indeed to my heart and it means a lot to me to be able to do something to help that involves Illustration, so please spare a moment to become a fan and click 'like' under my image to give it a chance of appearing in the auction. All the proceeds from the auction go to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VOTE

The King in Yellow

2010-07-15T22:11:00.000+01:00

Wow, it's been a while.

Well anyway, I'm all graduated now, and have been thrust with quite some considerable vigour into the wide world of adulthood.

As a nice little bit of easing into the real world I have reworked my King in Yellow illustration for a concept album my uncle is doing. I think I prefer it to the original image and it's made me realise how nice it is to be able to do something that won't end up being judged!

Quote Illustration

2010-04-02T23:30:00.000+01:00

This is my page for the Quotes and Sayings book that the University College Falmouth Illustration course publishes every year :D

It is a quote from The Picture of Dorian Gray, "noiselessly, and with silver feet, the shadows crept in from the garden". At this point he has just found out that Sibyl Vane has killed herself because of him, and he is contemplating his actions for so long that darkness creeps in without him realising. I haven't seen the film yet and wasn't sure if I wanted to but I think I may do now if only to see if their treatment of this scene is anything like mine! I know for one thing that they have given him straight dark hair when Oscar Wilde specifically stated the opposite.

Also, Illustrators, don't worry I've only put them text there for show :P

I have quite enjoyed doing this and am thinking it might be quite fun to doing something else Dorian Gray related...

NEW WEBSITE!

2010-03-21T00:37:00.000Z

www.nicolapatten.com

HOW EXCITING!!

Conclusion: Dreamweaver is the most ridiculously complicated software I have ever encountered. I think it would actually have been simpler to learn html!

Anyway, hope you enjoy it :D

PROJECT X

2010-03-13T10:32:00.000Z

It's Project X Time! My mission was to complete an illustration for Captain Cuthbert's Travelling Flea Circus that would be used on the side of their van and could be adapted for a letterhead. They're not really a flea circus but I like to imagine they are and I like to imagine they look like this.

The King in Yellow

2010-02-18T20:46:00.000Z

A book cover for The King in Yellow, an 1890s collection of short gothic fiction stories by Robert W Chambers.

Type 1 Diabetes for Children

2010-02-16T20:52:00.000Z

My latest project, a 6cm x 10cm booklet for children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. This booklet would be sold on the Diabetes UK website to parents looking for a simple and interesting explanation of the illness for their children.

Bad Mood Moose

2010-02-16T20:45:00.001Z

Long overdue, photos of the finished Bad Mood Moose! Complete with the third final double page spread that I didn't upload before.

The Bad Mood Moose

2009-12-05T21:31:00.000Z

Two finals down, one to go!

2009-11-28T00:26:00.000Z

Business card for an Italian restaurant in Tuscany

This is the wallpaper that the Bad Mood Moose has in his studio. It even repeats like REAL WALLPAPER.

The Bad Mood Moose

2009-11-20T23:53:00.001Z

This is the Bad Mood Moose after waking up on the ceiling and realising the world is maybe not quite so bad after all. Of course it is probably just the confusion, and probably because he hadn't had his moose muesli that morning, and probably because one never really gets a proper night's sleep on the ceiling...

12/11/09

2009-11-12T18:03:00.000Z

Concept artwork for children's book 'The Bad Mood Moose'

Poster for a lecture on South American music

Book cover for book about the freudian psychology behind fairytales

27.04.09

2009-04-27T20:01:00.000+01:00

Flowers and tall grass mark the place I remember he spilled his coppers...

Engraved eyelids lift at last, on side-road streetlight eyes...

Souper Sneaks Exhibition

2008-12-14T23:44:00.001Z

I painted these shoes for the 'Souper Sneaks' show in The Soup Gallery in Truro, which is running until the beginning of January.

06.12.08

2008-12-06T21:27:00.000Z

Character designs

"Imagination is the highest kite one can fly"

Forest

2008-09-25T15:15:00.000+01:00

Flowers and tall grass mark the place I remember he spilt his coppers.

25.09.08

2008-09-25T14:56:00.000+01:00

So there was this pigeon at Paddington Station and he looked a lot like this, or at least he would have if he had the money to spend in the right shops.

I stare at the ceiling and watch you in my peripheral vision, you move like an extra on a film set.

So many times I want to say this is the best day of my life but I can count twenty six better days at least.

A British Summer.

All it takes is a seahorse :D