The Worm and The Bird was shortlisted for the World Illustration Awards in the Book category. To say I am proud is an understatement. Thank you for AOI for doing so much to support illustrators around the world. The work they do is invaluable to creatives at any stage of their career. Do go and have a look all the award winning work, it is stunning and inspirational. Congratulations to everyone who made the shortlist! The AOI website is here!
Tea and Tattle Podcast with Miranda
Happy Saturday!
A few weeks ago I talked with the lovely Miranda for her podcast called Tea and Tattle. We talked about inspiration, creativity and books. It was such a pleasure, Miranda was a generous and attentive interviewer. Go check out her lovely lifestyle Blog and Podcast. Find Miranda on instagram at @mirandasnotebook and @mirandasbookcase. And the Tea and Tattle website is here!
Miranda has interviewed many fascinating people including the author Pen Vogler who wrote Dinner With Dickens and with whom I worked on the Penguin Great Food Series. Which ties in rather nicely as I had my first ever taste of syllabub last night (I learnt about this from the book called Everlasting Syllabub and the Art of Carving by Hannah Glasse) at a wonderful super club at @eastdulwichchef run by the incredible Suzanne James. I confess I had some dessert for breakfast that I could not leave behind and that with picture of a rainbow of classics has cheered up this grey old Saturday.
New Worm Prints!
New The Worm and the Bird print now available from London Print Studio!
A3, two colour, edition of 100, Screen printed. Please click here to find out more!
BBC Countryfile Winter Special
If you tune in to BBC1 for Countryfile on Sunday the 4th Feb at 6.30, you might just see me reading a bit of The Fox and the Star to some lovely pupils at Lingfield College. It was an amazing day filming and I made friends with the sound Boom. Check us out having our picture taken together.
Worm's a Winner!
YESSSSS!!! The Worm and the Bird has been selected as one of the Communication Arts Magazine 59th Annual Illustration Competition Winners!
Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft and Elizabeth Freidlander
I had been reading a really interesting article in Art Quarterly about the graphic designer Elizabeth Friedlander. I did not know that she was responsible for the beautiful patterns on the Penguin scores. There is an exhibition of her work at the Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft until the 29th April 2018. Click here for more information!
And on the 8th of March I am in conversation with Penguin Art Director John Hamilton. We will be giving a unique insight into the craft of designing a book cover. If you are interested in joining us click here for more information!
2018 Prix Sorcières!
Le renard et l'étoile was shortlisted for the Prix Sorcières!! Fox was published in France by Gallimard last year and has been getting a lot of love. I was so honoured to be shortlisted for this award. Go Fox!
The Order of Time
I designed a new cover for Carlo Rovelli's latest book, The Order of Time.
Due to be released later this year.
Stamp Garden
Stamp Garden is going to be released on March 20 this year!
I worked with the super Princeton Architectural Press to create a series of rubber stamps.
Grow your own garden with this charming box of twenty-five wood-backed stamps and two coloured stamps.
Click here to find more!
Photography by Tom Lehman
The Worm and the Bird
I have been busy writing a new book that is due out on August the 31st, 2018. This time I have been deep underground learning about earthworms and high in the sky learning about birds. This is a fable about being in the moment and how the smallest encounters in the day are often the most beautiful. I can be guilty of ignoring these tiny beautiful slices of time because I am too busy getting on with the next task. And like the worm in the story I need to remember to stop, look and cherish these moments before it is too late. This book is a timely reminder to myself and hopefully others to enjoy the wonders of the world around us.
Find the hardback here!
Fox is in the William Morris Gallery
9 November 2016 to 29 January 2017
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am - 5pm; free
I Am Acrylic Jewllery
I Am Acrylic made a new range exclusively for the William Morris Gallery's Fox exhibition. The designs are based on the illustrations in my book The Fox and the Star. There are more Fox goodies available from book marks to note books.
William Morris Gallery Fox exhibition
This exhibition will tell the fascinating story of how The Fox and The Star was conceived and produced, with original illustrations and rarely seen proofs. Taking inspiration from William Morris’s Kelmscott Press, every physical detail of this modern classic, from the cloth binding to the carefully chosen paper has a ‘definite claim to beauty’.
The exhibition will appeal to all ages, from serious book lovers to families who will be able take part in hands-on activities. William Morris’s Kelmscott Press edition of Reynard the Fox, one of Coralie’s key inspirations, will also be on display.
Kindly supported by Fullers Builders, Walthamstow
Autumnal Fox Photoshoot
Photography by Tom Lehman
Autumnal Fox Photoshoot - Blooper Reel
"This book is nuts"
Urban Fox
Fox Goes Global
BAMB 8th October
Books Are My Bag Bookshop day!
I got to design a limited edition tote bag to celebrate the campaign for 2016. Support your local high street bookshop. This is a campaign I am more than happy get designing for. If I see one roaming around in the wild I might come up and say hello. I love my iconic orange BAMB tote, its become a bit of design classic for book lovers. Check out the other bags that are available this year too.
Honey for Fortnum & Mason
I was delighted to be asked to work on some packaging design with Design Bridge for Fortnum & Mason. There are still many more designs to filter through to the store but you can click here to see what is already out.
A lot of Fox
So much has happened since The Fox and The Star Published in 2015. Below is some of the news and reviews. I have been all over, from Toronto to New york, from Reading to Oswestry, and many places in between to talk about the book. I have lots of stories and have met many incredible people that have loved Fox. As well as Waterstones creating some of the most lovely window displays I ever saw, we made one for our local Bookshop Rye Books, it even grew leaves in spring. So here's a few snippits:
To be published in German, Italian, Korean, Turkish, Chinese Complex and Chinese Simplified.
Awards and Commedations:
Waterstones Book of the Year 2015
The Academy Of British Book Design, winner, childrens, 2016
D&AD 2016, Graphite Pencil
3x3 Magazine of Contemporary Illustration, Best In Show Picture Book Awards, 2016
3x3 Magazine of Contemporary Illustration, Gold in Professional Awards, 2016
The World Illustration Awards 2016, shortlisted
V&A Illustration Awards 2016, shortlisted
Oscar's Book Prize 2016, shortlisted
Selected in Time Out’s 100 best children’s books
Reviews:
“Brilliant . . . a delight." - Philip Pullman
"It's great ... Individual, elegantly and impeccably designed, and with a touching story;
and it's technically and graphically intriguing." - David Gentleman
“A beautiful piece of design coupled with thoughtful prose…[a] masterpiece.” - Newsweek
"Intricate, exquisite... An outstanding gift for five-plus readers" - Amanda Craig, ‘Picture Book of the Year' New Statesman
"[A] brief, beautiful book about overcoming grief . . . If ever there was a reason to down the Kindle and go back to paper, this is it . . . An object of sheer gorgeousness . . . Every page is visually stunning, bringing her fable to life . . . It would, I think, act as a wonderful salve to anyone of any age who has experienced love and loss” - Alex O’Connell The Times
"The Fox and the Star is not a Christmas book, but it does have a Christmas feel and, with its decorative clothbound cover, makes a perfect gift. The design and drawing are so beautifully considered that I would like to frame each page”
- Lauren Child, Guardian ‘Books of the Year’
“Colourful, substantial and something to keep forever" - Stylist
"[The Fox and the Star] has the mood of a classic fable" - Telegraph
"[This] beautifully illustrated picture book contains a moving message about love, loss and learning to accept change"
- Marie Claire
“The most physically beautiful book I had the pleasure of holding in my hands in 2015…Really, The Fox and the Star is an art book, a chance for the abundantly talented Bickford-Smith—best-known for designing the crave-worthy Penguin hardcover classics—to create an entire book from scratch. The simple story of a young fox who loses his best friend only to discover a whole new world makes a sweet premise, but the main attraction is Bickford-Smith’s masterful exercise of the book designer’s craft.” - Salon.com
“What keeps the pages turning is the remarkable illustrations, which shift from spread to spread…
It’s a spectacular show of friendship’s power to change and fill lives.” - Boston Globe
“A delightful surprise for fairy tale lovers of all ages.” - Parade
“Book designer Coralie Bickford-Smith has created a volume that's as close to a work of art as anything mass-produced can be…It's a quiet allegory made perfect by exquisite, pattern-based illustrations printed on heavy paper. While older children will be mesmerized, ‘The Fox and the Star’ is for readers of any age who appreciate sophisticated visuals. Grade: A+” - Cleveland Plain Dealer
“One of the most beautiful kids books in recent memory.” - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“An unusual, pleasantly old-fashioned… gorgeous production value and moving illustrations.” - Booklist
The Enchanted Page - Friends
PRINT AVAILABLE from London Print Studios - click here
The Fox and The Star has been included in an exhibition at the London Print Studios. Fox is very happy to be hanging out in North London for a while, sharing his ideas about friendship with some other great characters from books. Below is some more information about the show from the press release. I send a big thank you to them for including Fox! He is all packed and ready to go.
Exhibition runs from the 29th January - 24th March 2016
Admission Free
Tuesday - Saturday 10.30am - 5.30pm
www.londonprintstudio.org.uk
This exhibition for children creates a magical space for children exploring the theme of friends. Working with prize winning contemporary children's book illustrators, this is an interactive show with illustrations and cut outs including work by 2015 Waterstones prize winning author / illustrator Coralie Bickford-Smith. The exhibition is filled with enchanting images and characters. Curated and designed by John Phillips and Nadia Yahiaoui at londonprintstudio, the show is inspired by beautiful book illustrations from a selection of acclaimed artists. The exhibition is suitable for all children up to the age of 11, and for anyone interested in contemporary illustration.
The show features work by the following illustrators: Beatrice Alemagna, Lesley Barnes, David Barrow, Coralie Bickford-Smith, Rob Biddulph, Serge Bloch, Max Dalton and Peter Ackerman, Jo Empson, Nicholas John Frith, Chris Haughton and Emily Rand.
Hot On The Press - NOW SOLD OUT
A limited edition screen print of Fox is being made by Garudio Studiage.
More information to follow, but for now check him out:
Fox O'Clock
Its Launch day the Fox is out. I have the flu so I am celebrating in my mind. But I did manage to see a copy of The Fox and The Star in the Waterstones near Trafalgar Square before heading back to bed. I also got an amazing gift of Foxes from super talent David Mackintosh, who's book, What's Up MuMu? also shares the 27th launch date. Check it out here. David rocks! I am going to make a pencil case and a glasses case out of my new Fox material.
P.S. Fox remembered the orange thread.
