Scheherazade in Cheltenham!

Booking opens today for this exciting opportunity for children to hear a wonderful orchestra and hear stories and see illustrations created live on stage!

SINBAD THE SAILOR and the stories of SCHEHERAZADE
with the Orchestra of the Music Makers, conducted by Chan Tze Law
Saturday July 7th 2012 at 12 noon. Cheltenham Town Hall. Tickets only £8 for all.

Click here for all the info you need!

http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/find-events/music/m19-sinbad-the-sailor-and-scheherazade

Katie in Spain

For many years, Katie has been published in both Spanish and Catalanian, with her name adjusted to Carlotta. Now a Spanish business company have commissioned an illustration for a business magazine, on the subject of museum visits, and how to benefit from them. And so, following their brief, I have just sent them this... see if you can spot Katie!

Book now for little Bookniks Festival

Come along to the Jewish Museum on February 5th 12 - 2.30

020 7284 7384

What Katie Did Next!

Earlier this year I suggested that Katie and the Starry Night was to be the last book. This seems to have caused a bit of a kerfuffle. And it seems I may have to add the sentance ... "for a while". To be fair I have always said "Never say never!". And so Katie is only hibernating after all.

To tell you the truth: I need a little break from making Katie books. I have been working on them for almost a quarter of a century!

And yet... a recent visit to the Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh reminded me of how many fantastic paintings there are: I've never done a book on portaits! That might be fun (I thought). And so a seed is sewn...


Meanwhile, Katie is doing well all around the world: apparently the Japanese were especially worried about her future: worry not! If more books are really wanted, and when the right project surfaces, it will be impossible to resist!

Good news for American readers! The rights were tied up for many years in the USA and for nearly a decade no new books could be published there. The rights are now all returned to my British publisher who will now investigate a possible new US deal.

And the really big news is that Splats Entertainment, after many months of presenting Katie theatre workshops in schools, are beginning in earnest to adapt Katie and the Mona Lisa as a stage show. I will be working on the sets myself and trying to really create an illusion of art coming alive for children. A wonderful extention of the idea that started it all in the first place.

Merry Christmas everyone, and... watch this space!

Portrait Gallery Reopens!

After a lengthy closure, the scaffolding is down, and the spectacular Venetian-style Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh is set to reopon next week. Katie visits the gallery with Nessie in Katie in Scotland, but it was very much an imaginary view, as I've never been and couldn't go during my research trips due to building work.

But that all changes on December 5th when I return to Edinburgh to launch the Art In Schools competition, supported by Tesco Bank. It's a great honour to have been invited to do this, at such a historical time in the gallery's history. And a lovely thing to support as well; after all, it was an art competition (to create a portrait of Nessie for this very gallery) that got the ball rolling with Katie in Scotland. I love any incentive that encourages children to make art, and I'm sure this will lead to some wonderful pictures...

Meanwhile, moving pictures... of another kind

While Katie hibernates, I have been busy with all sorts of different projects. Some are too new to announce. I always worry about jinxing things! But the main thing on my mind has been the two children's concerts, in Saffron Walden and Hatfield. Here are a couple of pictures of the Sinbad and Scheherazade concert at the latter. Here I am painting away to The Sea and Sinbad's Ship - the first movement of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. The pictures shift and change to the music. I guess it's another way of bringing art alive for children.

The proof pages (first practise printing) of Katie & the Starry Night are in, and everything is looking just fine, which I'm delighted about. Publication is scheduled for next summer.

Meanwhile, I am very excited to announce that I have been invited back to Edinburgh in early December to launch the Tesco Bank Art Competition for schools at the National Portrait Gallery of Scotland. The gallery is newly refurbished, after being closed for several years. It will be a spectacular sight to see, fully restored, and I'm incredibly honoured to have been asked to do this. Originally they asked Nicola Benedetti, but she was busy. I hope they know I can't play the violin!

Happy Birthday Kate!

Well, she'll probably strangle me for posting this, but the ORIGINAL Katie - my sister Kate - is FIFTY years old today. But she'll always be six and a half in my imagination!

Here's a photo of our first trip to London - at the zoo - back in the 1960s. Happy faraway days. Who'd have thought that cheeky little girl would inspire a million-selling series of books from her kid brother eh?

Time's winged chariot flies so fast these days. You can't spend your life looking back. But today, I think I might be allowed to think of the games we played in our big Bramley apple tree; the earwig ridden treehouse; the "lapin" family; Dolly Darlings; playing "Shazzan" in the hammock; trips to Frida's sweetshop; the legendary railway-messenger-service between our rooms... and for a million other memories and a lifetime of stories: thanks Kate! And here's a song, just for you:
MY SISTER KATE (Click Here!)

Cover up

The cover is approved and here is a glimpse of how it Katie & The Starry Night will look. I'm also posting the final endpapers, created by my son (in the style of Katie of course) with help from a few friends (and his Dad!). I think they are my favourite thing in the book, and it's a shame they will be missing from the paperback.

Now the proofs will be made ready for the Frankfurt Book Fair in October... although with European economics as they are, I don't have any particular expectations.

Katie in Scotland makes some new friends!

Here are a pair of Ella Bella fans, who travelled all the way from Glasgow to Hatfield for last year's Ella Bella concert, and who popped up in Edinburgh in August to say hello and discover Katie at the National Gallery of Scotland.

Madison and Charlotte seemed to like Katie too, thank goodness, and it was lovely to catch up with the delightful Davidson family. They sent the stunning Crystal Champagne glasses a while back, created by Glencairn Crystal and engraved with Katie and Ella Bella. I wrote about them on my other blog (see HERE).





Now that Katie is properly finished, perhaps tonight's the night to get out my Katie glass and have a tipple to celebrate. Do you think it would matter if I used Whisky instead of Champagne...?

Star gazing...

Here it is then. Subject to approval, this is the cover of the last Katie book, scheduled to be published in August 2012. Also, you can see the endpapers created together with my son and inspired by a sketch in ink that Vincent van Gogh did, of the Starry Night composition.

And next? Well I have a thousand and one ideas... but immediately I 'll be working on the two concerts I have scheduled this autumn, Peter & The Wolf and Scheherazade (see events panel to the right). And then it will be full steam ahead on the new Ella Bella book. But there are other plans as well... some involving Katie. So I'll keep you posted regularly!

Sourcing Scheherazade's Stories...

I've a feeling November will be here faster than I think, so I'm busy researching and learning stories from the Arabian Nights for this exciting concert with my regular collaborators, the de Havilland Philharmonic. I adore this music and I think it will be a really special, magical afternoon. As usual with my children's concerts, I'll be illustrating the tales live on stage as the orchestra plays. Expect swashbuckling stories about Sinbad and magical tales of geniis, princesses and monsters!

The concert, in Hatfield (just outside North London) will be my fifth with this orchestra and Robin Browning. I hope some of you can come along and join in the fun... and hear some fabulous music... and some amazing stories. You'll even have a chance to WIN one of the pictures I'll be creating during the concert!

Booking opens on Tuesday August 30th.

Box office: 01707 281127


CLICK HERE FOR THE THEATRE WEBSITE

Katie celebrations in Edinburgh

It was such a joy to be back in my favourite city in the world, and a rainbow filled the sky to welcome me. Naturally Katie In Scotland was the main focus, and my first event was at the Book Festival, involving all sorts of monsters, Loch Ness or otherwise. It was a very funny event, with children coming closer and closer to the stage until it became almost a siege of ideas for monsters and lots of laughter. It felt like a slightly crazy but very funny and happy hour.

That evening, the wonderful Sarah Bennett from Orchard Books had organised a lovely dinner with guests from the Scottish Book Trust, the Book Festival commitee, reviewers from The Scotsman and Carousel (Val Bierman who established the Children's Book Festival), and of course my dear friends from the National Galleries of Scotland: Linda and Colin. Spectacular views of the Castle (complete with fireworks) formed an ideal backdrop for a tremendous celebration of Katie.

And then a couple of days later a whole day of events at the National gallery of Scotland were wonderfully well attended, superbly organised by Linda (the dedicatee of Katie in Scotland!) and felt like the icing on the cake. In fact cake is exactly how Sarah and I rounded things off, in the gallery cafe (jolly good hot chocolate and carrot cake!). I just love this gallery, and the openess with which they embrace events for children which is utterly unique. No other gallery does it as well in my experience.



Outside flame-throwers dazzled... while inside, one of my favourite places in the gallery is a stair case with dozens of busts, reminding me of Cocteau's 1946 film "La Belle et La Bete".


The biggest thrill of the day at the gallery was to meet so many children who had entered the Loch Ness Monster competition, and to see their work exhibited in the gallery. From idea to conclusion, this project has taken a long time and a lot of work from many people, especially those at Orchard Books and the gallery. It was lovely, then, that so many children came to meet me at the public storytellings and join in a celeberation that was their triumph as much as Katie's. Imagine being a nine year old girl and having your work published and exhibited (with 19 other runners up) in the NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART in Edinburgh!!!





That girl was Piper and it was a particular pleasure to meet her and her lovely family, who very thoughtfully gave a parcel containing various souvenirs (I was especially pleased with the tartan hip-flask; I've always wanted one!).






All the runners-up got a copy of Katie In Scotland, donated by Orchard Books. I think they all felt very special. I was also thrilled to meet, again, my friends from Glasgow, the Davidsons. They are the family who came from Scotland to Hatfield for last year's Ella Bella concert, and Maddie and Charlotte have now discovered Katie as well! It was also a joy to meet the Mayfields and Anji Spangle, virtual friends made real at last.


It's always strange to return home and get back to work after a week of (lovely) distractions and a very different kind of work. But I do so with warm memories of happy children and enduring friendships.

Farewell Starry Night Skies... and to Katie.

Apart from a cover design, the 12th Katie book is finished and safely delivered to Orchard Books. They seemed to like it. I'm pretty pleased and think it has something a bit special about it, I must admit. A dream like quality that I'm a tiny bit excited about.

As always when a book is finished, I feel a bit bereft. Nevertheless this feels like a good moment to pause, and so I told my editor yesterday that I have decided that Katie will take a break for a while now. Indeed, it feels like this could be a fitting end to this series.

Katie will not quite disappear from my radar as I will be involved with the Splats Entertainment theatre show of Katie over the next year. And who knows what the future will bring...?

So it may not be farewell, only au revoir...

But after a quarter century of Katie, it feels just a bit like the end of an era.

Nearly there!

Come on James! You can do it! Step AWAY from the computer and pick up that brush! There's light at the end of the tunnel. One more big push and you'll be there. Think of it... No more early starts and late nights. No more blues and yellows swirling before your eyes. No more thinking about cutting off your own ear. That HAS to be a good thing. So... Go, go, go!

Chromatism in Cromer

A family holiday in Cromer in the middle of a book isn't ideal, but I duely packed up the illustrations for Katie and the Starry Night to continue "colouring in" the drawings. The flat was booked months ago and the clash was unavoidable. Had the weather been fair it could have been rather a relaxing thing to be painting by the sea. The flat is on the very edge of the land, overlooking the pier, a spectacular view, and it's a place we've rented for several years. But apart from one day, the weather was disappointing, cold, dull and uniformly grey. Disappointing to the family, who were stuck in the flat with me unable to give lifts to places. Me disappointed, as the light was so dreary it was very hard to keep colours pure and consistant.




At least we caught up with our friends, the Salisburys (Martin Salisbury runs the MA in Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge Art School; our respective boys get along famously) and David Hughes, and his wife and Dog Dexter. David is as mad as the day is long, a bit like his brilliant and fearless illustrations, which makes him great company. and it was lovely to meet Dexter in real life...




Progress was made on the book but mixing family and work time really doesn't work for me. I don't think people realise the responsibility the illustrator has, taking care of the final stages of a book, and therefore always squashed for time if scehedules have slipped. It can be tough. Unfortunately a lot of deadlines fall in the summer, because books need to be prepared for the Frankfurt Book Fair in October. So illustrators rarely get a summer holiday of any length. Same at Christmas: January deadlines for the Spring Bologna Bookfair often impact that holiday too. These days one has to be grateful for the work. And I love my job. But right now I sure could use a holiday!

Work in progress: Starry Night

Lots of distractions - lovely ones - have interrupted the flow with Katie and the Starry Night: The Ella Bella event in Cheltenham was swiftly followed by a giant pop up book at the Pop Up Festival. (Click on the words to find out about them!). But here are a couple of glimpses of how it's coming along. Van Gogh is surprisingly hard to pastiche. There is real rythmn and order to those swirling marks, and following his forms and yet trying to be spontaneous is pretty tricky. No wonder he cut off his ear!

More to follow as my August deadline approches!

Dreaming of wolves

I should be working on Katie and the Starry Night. But I couldn't resist creating this little poster for a performance this autumn of Peter & The Wolf.

Not only will I be narrating the story, I will also be illustrating it LIVE on stage! Crazy? yes! Fun? you bet!

It takes place in Saffron Walden, a jewel of a town, at 3pm on October 16th.

Wishing on a star...

Here are a few sketches for the new Katie book. These have been sent to Orchard Books and I'm waiting for their reaction. It's an exciting, creative time, as already some problems in the story have come to light and now I have the task of adjusting my own story to fit the images I want to make. I love having the two work together in this way, hand in glove. That's the real beauty of picture books, where one plays with the delicate balance between word and image, to give the child the best way of following a story, which is as memorable for it's pictures as it's prose. That's certainly my wish!

Starry sketches

I've almost completed the roughs for "Katie and the Starry Night". As always, the challanges have been to make the gallery interesting and not too predicatable. Not easy when the paintings have to be viewed "face on". That limits interesting perspective somewhat. I'm also not sure where to fit type onto the Starry Night scene. And several pages are being rewritten because now I've started making pictures, the words no longer work. But that's normal! More sketches will follow...

Meet Our Authors (and illustrators)

Yesterday I was very honoured to be the first illustrator to be invited to participate in the Authors Live events with the Scottish Book Trust. It was the perfect way to launch Katie In Scotland and I had a great time telling legends of pirates that inspired Robert Louis Stevenson and demonstrating how I created my vision of Nessie.

You can watch it HERE on the SCOTTISH BOOK TRUST website.

Thrilling, terrifying, exhausting and I wouldn't have missed it for all the world!

Starry thumbs

So begins the next book: Katie and the Starry Night. I have mapped out most of it in little thumbnail sketches, and when I've tidied them up I'll send them to Orchard Books. It won't be this week though, as I'm getting ready to go to Glasgow tomorrow for the Authors Live event on Thursday. It's come around so fast! I'm very excited and a bit nervous about being broadcast to thousands of children... Oh well, what's the worst that can happen? (please don't answer that!). There is still time to register if you haven't already. There are also useful teachers' resources on the Scottish Book Trust website. Take a look HERE!

Other Katie news: The theatre show is scheduled to open in North London at Easter 2012. Soon I'll be meeting with a designer to plan how the story can be brought to life on stage in a way that allows the production to move to all kinds of venues on tour. I can't wait!

Katie around the World!

With only two weeks to go before the AUTHORS LIVE event in Scotland, I'm busy planning exactly what to take, tell and draw. But my thoughts have been interrupted by two exciting things. Firstly, my editor Liz Johnson sent me a message from Florence where she was on holiday. In the Uffizi she saw copies of Katie books. I was thrilled but puzzled, for the books have never been translated into Italian. It turns out they stock the English editions in their gift shop. This is a practise that many international galleries seem to do, as English is the most universal language for their multi-lingual customers.

But in the same week I received advance copies of the new Japanese editions of the Katie books - which got me wondering why some countries translate the stories and some import them in English... But I have no conclusion to reach except that Asian countries are more inclined to translate that European ones.

The very first book, Katie's Picture Show was translated into French as "Drole de Tableaux". But none of the other books followed (I believe the same happened in Holland). Yet in Spain (where Katie becomes "Carlotta") almost all the books are translated into both Spanish and Catalan, while in Brazil and Portugese translation is available and Katie become "Erica". No other European countries have translated them - they all take the English edition.






In the Far East there are now Korean, Chinese Mandarin and Japanese editions. And it has taken 20 years for the latest rights to be sold. Interesting, then, that an old established series continues to have new life; I never expected new territories to be sold at this stage of the game.

Finally, a trick picture. "Katie's Sunday Afternoon" is not a new or forgotten title. It has, however, incurred the wrath of Amazon reviewers because it has been purchased along with "Katie and the Bathers". It is, in fact, the same book. Unfortunately, the American publisher insisted on a new title and cover as "bathing" in America apparently refers specifically to bath-time pursuits, not swimming in a river. So despite the established title of Seurat's painting, "The Bathers at Asniers", I had to bow down to Scholastic in New York and an internal illustration has been used to create "Katie's Sunday Afternoon".

Scholastic have not taken any further titles in the series since that book (2004) and the books are not routinely imported either, so I think they are pretty hard to purchase in stores in the U.S.




They can, of course, be sourced on the internet... should you have any gaps in your collection!

Katie in Scotland - rush released!

To coincide with the Authors Live event on May 12th, Katie in Scotland will now be published on May 5th! Originally the book was going to be published to dovetail with the Edinburgh Festival in August (and there will still be lots of events and celebrations as planned). It's quite rare for a schedule to move like this and it makes all these events seem even more exciting! I'm already practising for the Scottish Book Trust Meet our Author's programme. Can you guess what I'm going to paint live on camera?

For more information, click here: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/authors-live-with-james-mayhew

Just Imagine...

It's been quite a few weeks with school visits here there and everywhere in celebration of World Book Day. There's more to come, but I wanted to write a little something about one or two in particular.

At St Nicholas School, Norton (Letchworth) I had a particularly fulfilling two days, where the events were so well organised, with brilliant plans for follow up work and imaginative use of my time, it reminded me of why I visit schools and how, if everyone pulls together, there can be real benefits for the children. A model example of an author visit!

This week, despite a nasty cold, I've been to the Oundle Festival, near to where I was born (Stamford) where a large audience is always guaranteed along with a warm welcome. It's a small (and beautiful) town with a top notch festival.

And then today, stifling my cough, I was in Chelmsford where I got to catch up with the truly magnificent Nikki Gamble, who has opened a wonderful bookshop and events venue for children. She's an expert in her field and it shows, because the place itself is brilliantly laid out and my events were expertly organised. I have a feeling this place - called "JUST IMAGINE" will grow and grow in reputation to become an important part of the children's literature, art and education world. I certainly hope so and I would recommend it to anyone who can get to it - just 30 mins from Liverpool St. Station in London.

Amongst the delights is the extraordinary ABC, with illustrated letters by some of the greatest names in book illustration: Alex Scheffler, Chris Mould, my dear friend Clara Vulliamy, Tony Ross... and I'm honoured to be included too - with "E for Easel".

One of the other highlights of today, though, was catching up with an old school friend, Deb, who I have not seen for 30 years! Where does time go? The past, and it's hazy memories are so important in my work, so it was lovely to be reminded of younger and more innocent times. And Deb hasn't changed a bit (while I, meanwhile, have lost all my hair...). the events were part of another festival called JIBBER JABBER, And it seems to have been a great success!

The final highlight was cake, custard and chocolate as a gift from Nikki. Which I will shortly be devouring! Thank you!

Thanks to everyone I've worked with this month. Monday sees the start of a week long residency in another Letchworth School. It's going to be a busy few days!