One thing we always love to show where we can is all the work our artists can go to get to the final illustration stage and we have some truly lovely roughs and character development to share with you today.

Welcome to Nowhere is based on real-life stories from the Syrian Crisis. We're biased, but we think Lucy's gorgeous, emotive paintings capture the sensitivity of the novel perfectly. Scroll down to see three of the final spreads come together. 

Below we show the development work from our personal favourite artwork in the book, including character sketches, rough layout designs and finishing on the final artwork itself:

Happy New Year! To kick-start 2017 we thought we'd introduce our latest signing to the portfolio,
Lo Cole. Lo has been working as a printmaker and illustrator for many years (you may know his 
controversial 'Pleasuredome' album sleeve artwork for Frankie Goes to Hollywood dating back to
1984!). However, recently he's turned his hand to children's books and we already have some
exciting projects in the pipeline and needless to say we are very excited to welcome another
talented illustrator to the portfolio. To view more of Lo's work, please click here. 

Our annual Christmas Wrapping Paper is in the post on its way to publishers and agencies everywhere and we are starting to wind down for the year. With another four fantastic designs we thought it was only right to share them with you here on the blog! Now all that's left to say is a big thank you to our wonderful artists and clients for a great year and see you all in January 2017!  Merry Christmas!

​I’m very excited to write this, my first, blog post for Pickled ink and to let you all know that I’m open to text submissions.
 
Yup, you heard that right I AM OPEN TO SUBMISSIONS! 
*Sits back and watches inbox explode*
 
My wish list?
I’d like to be able to say I’ll have one of those and two of those, but it doesn’t work like that. I won’t know until a story and voice leaps off the page that it’s the one I will walk over coals for. That it’s one that the market and reader has been waiting for, or that it’s the one that publishers didn’t know they wanted, until they read it. That’s the alchemy of reading; it’s unpredictable and always surprising.
 
So my submission list is wide open, without any restrictions on age, subject or genre. But I warn you; I’m very, very picky.
 
I’d love to find some clever, inventive middle grade. It’ll need to have original characters with quirk, a setting that’s as real and rich as our world, whether that’s with or without magic. It can be present, past or future as long as it’s believable.
 
As a child I devoured animal themed books like Where the Red Fern Grows and The Incredible Journey and would love to find a manuscript with an unbreakable child and animal friendship.
 
Marvel me with your YA fantasy world-building. Take me to worlds I never knew existed but once discovered won’t be able to live without.
 
Make me become Team Darcy/Edward/Neville with your characters. Make my heart quicken with an aspirational romance.
 
Shock and surprise me with a terrifying ghost story that keeps me up at night and scared to turn off the light.

​Remind me what it feels like to be six and clever as clever.

Make me hear your voice in my head, even when the story is finished.
 
Make me chuckle and snort on public transport.
 
In short, make me miss my stop.
 
Yours in anticipation…
 
Helen
 
Send your first three chapters, a synopsis, and little bit about yourself to
textsubmissions@pickledink.com

 
A little about me and Pickled ink
I’ve worked in children’s publishing for over sixteen years. I’ve worked as an editor, publisher, reviewer, consultant, publicist and foreign literary scout. So you could say I’ve seen our wonderful industry from most sides of the fence. Perhaps though, all roads have been leading to agenting, and now I’m delighted and excited to find myself at Pickled ink.
 
Pickled ink is a relative new kid on the agency block. But in a short period they have grown a stunning list of illustrators. And now it’s time to look to the literary side, and that’s where I come in.
 
My aim is to curate a small stable of authors; a list that reflects the values and quality inherent in the illustration side of the agency. We are agents who edit, agents who advise, agents who manage and negotiate, but also agents who can act as creative sparks to ignite a new idea, or beacons to light a way ahead if the road gets dark.
 
I have an inkling there are some undiscovered Pickled inksters out there, so get in touch.

Daron Parton recently completed this rather lovely illustrated cover for Chicken House books. Unfortunately, we have a while to wait before seeing it in print - 'Bigfoot, Tobin and Me' by Melissa Savage hits the bookshelves May next year. 

We have a visually stunning treat for you on the blog today. The Liszts, a rather gorgeous and unique picture book written by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Júlia Sardà, is published by Andersen Press today (originally published in the US by Tundra Books). Quirky and off-beat, The Liszts introduces us to a family of obsessive list-makers. Mama makes lists of 'ghastly illnesses and the greatest football players of all time', while Papa lists 'dreaded chores', along with 'small winged insects'. Edward's days are full of lists (except on Sundays - which are listless), even the cat makes lists (of his enemies, naturally), until one day a stranger comes calling....

Júlia's illustrations work beautifully alongside the text, bringing another layer to the story. The artwork has truly been allowed to shine here with an embossed cover, bronze foiling and the decision not to disrupt the design with any sort of  blurb on the back of the cover. 

We thought we'd share some of Júlia's rough work with you, showing the progression from sketches through to final colour... 

For an interesting post by author Kyo Maclear on a prevalent theme within the book and her own writing influences, do head over to her website. Júlia Sardà has also talked a bit about her creative process for The Liszts in an interview on the blog  Let's Talk Picture Books.

Recently Lucy was asked to illustrate a special Waitrose tote bag, designed in collaboration with fashion designer Savannah Miller, for Breast Cancer Haven. Not only does have they create a lovely bag, but Lucy's beautiful artwork will also help the cause, with 10% of every sale going towards the charity. 

November 3rd sees the release of Big Bob, Little Bob, a lovely little picture book published by Candlewick Press that's all about being true to yourself and forging friendships despite your differences. This is one project that has been a long time in the making, so to celebrate its publication we thought we'd share some early designs by illustrator Laura Ellen Anderson.

Way back in 2013, Laura created this sample piece for Candlewick for an upcoming text by James Howe. Interestingly, the characters changed very little from their original design, as you can see from one of these early spreads below: 

One spread that sadly didn't make the cut. Little Bob's mother was eventually taken out completely, with the decision to focus purely on the children characters. Both dads were also lost fairly early on as well! 

We finish with a spread that nicely shows the progression from initial sketches to final colour artwork...

As a former Falmouth student it's always nice to get a visit from the latest crop of third years. It's a pleasure to put the kettle on, take a look through the portfolios of emerging talent, and (hopefully!) impart some advice about working in the industry.

It was on one such visit that we were introduced to Katie's work and immediately felt she would fit right in at Pickled ink. We fell in love with her gorgeous colour palette, atmospheric images and exciting narrative ideas. Her work  ranges from beautifully sparse, bleak landscapes to intricately detailed interior scenes. To view more of her portfolio please click here and watch this space! 

Ya-Ling Huang has been experimenting with different media lately and these vibrant scenes are some of her most recent results. We love how bold and colourful these are and are excited about sharing Ya-Ling's progress with you as she continues to explore with this way of working. Keep an eye on the blog for more!