Tuesday 30 December 2014

Racing Pigs, Rescue Dogs, Chameleons and so much more! - 'End of the Year' Blog Post by Izzy bean Illustrations!


2014 has come to a close, and what a fantastic year it has been!

I've been lucky enough to work with some incredible people on such fantastic projects - every time I get an email from a potential client I can't wait to see what adventures I might be getting up to next! 2014 did not fail to deliver, so let's see what it brought...

Racing Pigs!


The year started off with a new Fairy Tale Trail book from a long time client Evergreen Creations LLC. Adding to an impressive line of books I've illustrated for this super company, including 'Beauty and the Bees' and 'Ciderella', The 'Three Racing Pigs' was a great way to start the year!


The Fairy Tale Trail is a great series of modern twists on old classics - all in the name of promoting agriculture education! Check out these pictures of children following the stories through corn mazes and farms across the US.





Doesn't it look like fun?!

You can find out more about the Fairy Tale Trail by visiting their website;


And you can purchase the books through Amazon;



The Three Racing Pigs set the standard for 2014 and the rest of the year whizzed by! 





I couldn't possibly talk about all of them, in fact I couldn't even pick out my favourite as they are all so fun! Here are a few random highlights that I'd like to share with you. 


The Sea Creatures are back!


Do you remember the loveable Sea Creatures battling the tide in Grandma PaintPot's beautiful book? Well they make a second appearance in Book Two - Leonard Limpet Makes A Splash!




Grandma PaintPot doesn't disappoint, this book is packed full of action, adventure and daring acts! 

You can buy this, and the first book in the series, through Amazon

Featuring the letter L...


2014 saw a lot of repeat custom, with Elinor Hamilton bringing me another book from her delightful range of 'speech therapy' sing-a-long nursery rhymes. This one is a favourite I'm sure you will all know, go on, have a little sing!



You can visit the official website here;


A Promise and A Pledge...


I had heard of '1000 Books Before Kindergarten' before being contacted for this project. However when I started to find out more, I really appreciated just how great it really is.

"The concept is simple, the rewards are priceless. Read a book (any book, including this one) to your newborn, infant, and/or toddler. The goal is to have read 1,000 books (yes you can repeat books) before your precious one starts kindergarten. Does it sound hard? Not really if you think about it. If you read just 1 book a night, you will have read about 365 books in a year. That is 730 books in two years and 1,095 books in three years. If you consider that most children start kindergarten at around 5 years of age, you have more time than you think."


You can find out more about the project on their official website, which features articles, advice, reviews and tips!


They even have an iTunes app!

Candy Chameleon...


In all my years of illustrating, I get to draw all manner of things. However, I had yet to draw a chameleon. So when Roxanne Dial contacted me about her book, I couldn't wait to get started! 

Candy Chameleon is the story of a lizard who has to find a way of standing out when she naturally blends in. I loved the premise and I loved using all the colours to bring Candy to life. This was a project I really enjoyed! 






You can buy the book right here!


The Missing Cakes


Last, but most definitely not least, is Policeman Paul by Chris Cader. A well written story about missing cakes - with loveable characters and a great plot twist! I'm not giving the game away, you'll have to read it for yourself!






So that's it for 2014. It's been a fun ride, thanks to everybody who shared it with me! My diary for 2015 is already starting to fill up fast, so I'll be sure to share some updates with you very soon!

I'd like to say and extra special thank you to all my clients - thank you for bringing me such fun and interesting projects to illustrate - you're the reason I love my job!

In the meantime, if you have a project you need illustrating, you can email me at izzybean@izzybean.co.uk

I hope you all had a year as good as I did, and I hope you have an even better 2015!

Izzy Bean







Wednesday 17 September 2014

Do You Poop?

Do You Poop? and other great stories!




Wow, has it really been almost 5 months since my last post? It seems like 5 minutes! 

I have been working hard and putting all of my time and devotion into some really great new projects. Sometimes I feel so privileged to get such great stories to illustrate! Often I get sent some copies of books once they’ve been printed, so I thought what better way to kick off this blog then with some photos of those great books I mentioned!




Do You Poop?


I loved the premise for this book as soon as Kerri contacted me. It was not only fun to illustrate, but it was great fun to read too! Take a look;







Do You Poop is a great book if you have young kids whether they are potty training or not. Check out Kerri's website for more information, or buy the book on Amazon!





The Selfish Shellfish


You might remember I blogged about Grandma Paint Pot and her loveable sea creatures in the past. Well here are some (overdue) pictures of this brilliant book about the cute creatures and their crazy antics. The writing is superb, the characters are fantastic - and it’s set in Cornwall too! So what’s not to love?!





I highly recommend a visit to Grandma Paint Pot's website to find out more information and great pictures of REAL Leonard limpets and Pheobe periwinkles!


You can buy this book in paperback;



And stay tuned for book two! I'm not giving anything away, except that it will be worth the wait to see some familiar faces!



TESCO’s GO CREATE colouring pad


I was a little surprised (and a lot pleased) to see my illustrations had made it into Tesco’s colouring books. At only £2.50 for 64 illustrations for your little ones to scribble in - you know that’s a bargain! 





Check out my two nephew’s handiwork too! Not bad, hey? We’ll make an illustrator of him yet!



What else?


Well it’s been a busy summer, and there’s lots of beautiful books and projects I have yet to share with you! Here’s a small selection of some of the latest - and there's more to come soon! 











I’ve even included some sneaky sketches of projects I’m working on right now! Can you guess what they'll turn into?





I actually do a much better job of updating my website then I do my blog! So if you’d like to see my most current work, or ask for a quote for your book, please visit www.izzybean.co.uk or email me at izzybean@izzybean.co.uk

Thanks!


Tuesday 22 April 2014

Busy zoos, magical hot air balloons and the deep, blue sea! - A catch up with Izzy Bean!

Where on Earth is Izzy Bean?


I'm still here! This last few months I have been so busy, I haven't had time to update my blog! I've been scribbling, doodling, drawing, colouring, editing and designing... and it's been GREAT! 

Would you like to see what I have been up to?

INDIVIDUALISED BABY BOOKS by Marc Gawley

I had a lot of fun illustrating these personalised hard-back books for the Individualized baby books company. 



Each book features your child's name, both on the cover and throughout the story - creating not just a fun bedtime book but also a keepsake for years to come!

These books make your child the star of the story! 

Here are my beautiful nephews enjoying theirs - they loved to see their names in print!



Marc Gawley has done an excellent job in writing this lively, interactive book.

Your child will see his or her name in the story interacting with the zoo animals on four of the pages, plus twice in pictures with the mother, though the way the book is illustrated the face is obscured, so your child can recognize themselves regardless of skin/hair color etc. 

This book has bright colors and lots of opportunities for interaction, and has been especially written with the help of a language expert. 
Learning activities incorporated into the book include: 
* Animal identification and naming - can you see a monkey? 
* Mimicking of animal sounds - what noise does an owl make? 
* Counting - how many lions can you see? 
* Letting your child 'lead' the reading - what can you see on this page? 

A portion of the profits from this book are donated to the Honeypot Children's Charity. Since 1996 Honeypot has been working to enhance the lives of vulnerable children and young carers aged 5-12 years by providing respite breaks and on-going outreach support.





You can buy one of these books now with Amazon


And you can like the official page on Facebook too;



THE ADVENTURES OF ALEX by Roughy Toys

You may remember, but some time ago I shared a project I was working on for the Roughy Toys company. Well it's not only finished and launched, but it's a huge success! Check it out!




The Adventures of Alex is a story about two friends, Alex & Alex, who travel in a magical balloon around the world to help others and bring fun to children. 

The book is available in Kindle, as a free PDF through their website and as a great hardback too!


When you buy an Alex toy, one is donated to a child in need somewhere in the world. This amazing concept of using fun to help others makes these toys more meaningful.



Head on over to their website now to find out more, and watch a cool video starring Alex and Alex!


And don't forget to give them a like on Facebook too - you can see Alex having fun with children all over the world, and send in pictures of your own too!


LITTLE RED OVERALLS by Evergreen Creations LLC

I've been illustrating for Aaron at Evergreen Creations for some time now, their products in one word are; FANTASTIC!

The newest addition to their FairyTale Trail series is the cute and gutsy LITTLE RED OVERALLS - a unique twist on the traditional story.




I'm not giving anything away... you'll have to go and have a read for yourself!


You can see all the other great stories too, including;

Jack and the Cornstalk
Ciderella and the Glass Sipper
Beauty and the Bees

...and if you keep your eye out, you may also see a new book appearing sometime soon! 
(I told you I'd been busy!)


"Evergreen Creations, with support from a network of family farmers and early childhood educators, publishes The Fairy Tale Trail, a series of timeless fairy tales adapted to the agriculture industry to help teach children about farming in a fun (and healthy!) manner.  Each story along the Fairy Tale Trail can be presented as a magical and educational walk-through reading experience at the farm.  The tales are ideal for incorporating into corn mazes, pick-your-own fields, and other kid-friendly areas on the farm, and can easily be integrated into field trip programs that meet local educational requirements.  They are also fun for parents and teachers to share with their children." 


You can buy Little Red Overalls, and the other stories from The FairyTale Trail right here;




THE SELFISH SHELLFISH by Grandma Paintpot

I love illustrating books, but I love it all that bit more when the characters are loveable too - and that's exactly what Grandma Paintpot has done with her debut book - The Selfish Shellfish. Even the name has a ring to it!


For the first book in a series, this is a sure-fire winner! It tells the story of a group of sea creatures battling the tide in Falmouth, Cornwall.


You can find out more about this book by visiting the blog, or Facebook - and there are even some colouring sheets for the little ones hiding there!



And you can purchase the book on Amazon - a small percentage of the sales will be donated to the Special Olympics Cornwall.


I'm currently working on Book 2 of the series, and I can tell you now that it's already lined up to be as good as the first! You haven't heard the last of Crusty and his friends...




But wait, there's more

I am currently working on some great books which I'll share with you all when the time comes, but for now, I'll leave you with a few more peeks at what has been keeping me busy.

Thanks for reading!









If you have a book, or any other project and you'd like me to illustrate it for you
 - you can email me at;


or visit my website to see more illustrations!