Got a nest to Build

Danielle — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:08:46 +0000

I’ve been drawing nests for an illustration I’m working on which is to be part of a collaborative book. I realised that although I draw quite a few birds, I’d never really drawn the nest. Nests are fascinating! There are lots of different sorts, and my favourite kinds are the ones that hang from branches. It is amazing how these creatures are ‘hardwired’ to build like this. So I had all these pencil sketches, and I wanted to use them for something. This piece is an exercise of composition – I tried many different arrangements of the nests but couldn’t get away from the idea of them being in a circle (sigh, circles again). I’m not sure I can live with the asymmetrical text, but I’m giving it a go. The text is from a beautiful song by Feist called ‘Get it wrong get it right’. It is a happy coincidence that it ended up in my work, but I was listening to it whilst making this and these lyrics jumped out…
‘Come to the hill,
Got a nest to build,
String and grass,
String and grass,
String and grass’
Here is a really lovely version of Feist performing the song

All images copyright to Danielle Jane Callaghan 2012 ©

Honey Bee

Danielle — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:46:30 +0000

This semester, my self directed work is focusing around bees. Bees are really cool! Honey bee numbers are also in decline all over the world, which is very worrying, so perhaps my work can draw awareness to that too. I’m working on a few things to do with bees at the moment, including ‘bee ancestry’, the way bees replicate to the Fibonacci sequence. This post, however, is based on a song by Zee Avi, called Honey Bee. I think its quite an optimistic song. If you want to listen to the song… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R_DUOEP3u0
Eventually, or in the near future, I hope to tie my bee themed work together in a zine or hand made book, with an emphasis on symmetry, a subtle colour scheme and of course, bees (birds and butterflies may also appear!)
Thank you for reading

All images copyright to Danielle Jane Callaghan 2012 ©
Lyrics belong to Zee Avi

Superfrog saves Tokyo

Danielle — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:07:31 +0000

More Murakami inspired work! This is based on a brief set by another illustrator at ECA -my task was to illustrate Superfrog saves Tokyo from After the Quake by Murakami. It is an amazing novel, a collection of short stories describing people’s lives after the Kobe earthquake and before a potential Tokyo earthquake. This chapter is particularly intriguing, it explores the imagined vs. reality, and draws parallels between the potential of an earthquake and the lurking malevolence within human beings. All text is by and copyrighted to Murakami.

All images copyright to Danielle Jane Callaghan 2012 ©

Hey there little lady

Danielle — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:51:57 +0000

3rd piece in the fiction state set.. Again from Norwegian Wood, but a lighter mood, as this was supposed to convey ‘Joy’. This snippet is from one of the most lovely quotes in the whole novel:-

“You’re walking through a field all by yourself one day in spring, and this sweet little bear cub with velvet fur and shiny little eyes comes walking along. And he says to you, “Hey, there, little lady. Want to tumble with me?’ So you and the bear cub spend the whole day in each other’s arms, tumbling down this clover-covered hill. Nice, huh?”
“Yeah. Really nice.”
“That’s how much I like you.”

All images copyright to Danielle Jane Callaghan 2011 ©

Danielle — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 15:11:29 +0000

2/4 final pieces for Fiction State project which finished on Friday. Based on Huraki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood, these illustrate some of my favourite quotes from the novel. Hand lettering, gouache, fineliner and digital manipulation.

All images copyright to Danielle Jane Callaghan 2011 ©

Innerleithen

Danielle — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:53:10 +0000

This is just an update of 3 images I previously posted for the Innerleithen/calender project, I have now finalised them and here they are! Perhaps they are totally unsuitable for this project, which was supposed to illustrate the landscape, a letterpress letter and the interior of Smail’s, but I’m happy with the abstraction of the subject. I guess the landscape (middle) is not at all a landscape in the classical sense and would be more suited to being a textiles print or a Christmas card, but I’m pleased with the fine lines.

All images copyright to Danielle Jane Callaghan 2011 ©

Bear stuff

Danielle — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:26:11 +0000

I’ve been drawing a lot of polar bears recently for our ‘Fiction State’ project at college. I have ended up with quite a lot of reject bears and rather than leave them abandoned and forgotten I made this. Its an experiment with layers and its about bear love. That’s all :)
All images copyright to Danielle Jane Callaghan 2011 ©

Papilionidae

Danielle — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:06:36 +0000

This week I was lucky enough to receive an encyclopedia of butterflies from my Grannie. The book is very beautiful and very inspiring, so this week’s drawing surgery is all about butterflies. It is drawn to be playful with the shape of the butterfly wing, and to evoke an old fashioned feeling, with a twist.

Train Journey

Danielle — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:37:17 +0000

Inspired by fat drunken old men I was lucky enough to get sat by on the way back from Newcastle. They reminded me of elephant seals, in a bad way. I felt kind of awkward, like the penguins on Frozen Planet who have to stand about whilst the elephant seals wrestle and snarl and make a scene. I think this sums up my journey pretty well.. I’m definitely going to draw these again, and penguins.

Where are you going?

Danielle — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:43:29 +0000

A very good question, where am I going? This is a giraffe character I’m developing, thought I’d use this week’s Drawing Surgery to draw him up with a bit of colour… He is a very distinguished and kind giraffe, he lives in Edinburgh, or maybe he is just visiting. I plan to draw him stepping out of a George Street Hotel with a suitcase in hand. He looks as though he is trying to catch a bus or a taxi, hence the question.