7 May 2013
A New Screenprint
22 Apr 2013
19 Apr 2013
Junior Magazine Best Picture Books of 2013
'Jo-Jo the Melon Donkey' (out in August) is on the Junior Magazine Best Picture Books list of 2013, and in good company too.
http://www.juniormagazine.co.uk/books/the-best-picturebooks-of-2013/15538-8.html
http://www.juniormagazine.co.uk/books/the-best-picturebooks-of-2013/15538-8.html
Lion Award shortlists
How exciting, How to Hide a Lion has been shortlisted for the Rotherham Children's Book Awards and the Stockport Schools' Book Award 2013. This on top of being longlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Hoorah!
16 Apr 2013
The Swiss Alps Drawing Trip
I am about to illustrate a new Michael Morpurgo text set in the Engadine region of the Swiss Alps. So I booked a trip to do some research. It just so happened that my partner, Gerry Turley, is illustrating a book set in snowy mountains and pine forests, so it worked out well as drawing trip for him too.
Apart from the beauty of the place, the thing that struck us most was the silence. We were in a tiny village in the Engadine Valley, surrounded by snow and wooden houses, with very few cars. It was incredibly quiet. When we stepped out of the hotel onto the village square we would speak in whispers, so that we didn't disturb the piece.
Apart from the beauty of the place, the thing that struck us most was the silence. We were in a tiny village in the Engadine Valley, surrounded by snow and wooden houses, with very few cars. It was incredibly quiet. When we stepped out of the hotel onto the village square we would speak in whispers, so that we didn't disturb the piece.
30 Jan 2013
How did 'How to Hide a Lion' happen?
I thought you might like to know a little bit about how 'How to Hide a Lion' came about.
All of my books start with some sort of drawing from life. I draw in sketchbooks all the time, sometimes the drawings lead to a new book idea straight away, sometimes they sit in the sketchbook for months or years, sometimes they don't lead to a new picture book idea at all, but that's OK too.
Anyway, one day I was pondering what my next book would be. I looked around where I live to see what I might like to draw, a beautiful windswept market town with a beach, a lighthouse and an old town hall... and dismissed that. I couldn't stop thinking 'LION'!
My nearest lion is at Edinburgh Zoo. So I packed a bag with a few pens and a sketchbook, and off I set. When I got to the zoo it was snowing heavily. I walked up the steep hill to the lion enclosure. There was a sign; 'Lion enclosure closed'. I was so disappointed. But then I saw there was a tiny gap where I could see the lion sleeping. I sat on the frozen ground for about an hour but the lion didn't move. I did a couple of very bad drawings of a sleeping lion (below). Then I gave up and filled in the day drawing other animals.
A few weeks later I tried again. This time one entrance to the enclosure was closed, but another was open. I spotted a sleeping lion way in the distance. I tried to draw it but it was too far away to get any detail. So I decided to console myself with a hot bowl of soup in the cafe. Feeling revived and full of optimism, I climbed the hill back to the lion enclosure, only to find them still sleeping, just out of sight. A zoo keeper told me that they feed the lions before the zoo opens, and then they sleep all day. I gave up and went home.
Feeling very disgruntled I thought, if I can't draw a lion from life I might need to give up on this whole Lion book idea.
It was a few weeks before I realised that that WAS the story. A hiding, sleeping lion. And that's where the idea started... This is one of the first sketches I did of a lion hiding (this idea didn't make the book in the end. This often happens for me, a drawing can inspire a whole book, then not make it to the final cut.)
Sometimes bad things turn into good things, you just have to know how to look at them!
In the end I did use my surroundings; the old town hall, the market town as a backdrop to the book. The old grey stone houses of Berwick-upon-Tweed make a good contrast to the yellow lion.
All of my books start with some sort of drawing from life. I draw in sketchbooks all the time, sometimes the drawings lead to a new book idea straight away, sometimes they sit in the sketchbook for months or years, sometimes they don't lead to a new picture book idea at all, but that's OK too.
Anyway, one day I was pondering what my next book would be. I looked around where I live to see what I might like to draw, a beautiful windswept market town with a beach, a lighthouse and an old town hall... and dismissed that. I couldn't stop thinking 'LION'!
My nearest lion is at Edinburgh Zoo. So I packed a bag with a few pens and a sketchbook, and off I set. When I got to the zoo it was snowing heavily. I walked up the steep hill to the lion enclosure. There was a sign; 'Lion enclosure closed'. I was so disappointed. But then I saw there was a tiny gap where I could see the lion sleeping. I sat on the frozen ground for about an hour but the lion didn't move. I did a couple of very bad drawings of a sleeping lion (below). Then I gave up and filled in the day drawing other animals.
A few weeks later I tried again. This time one entrance to the enclosure was closed, but another was open. I spotted a sleeping lion way in the distance. I tried to draw it but it was too far away to get any detail. So I decided to console myself with a hot bowl of soup in the cafe. Feeling revived and full of optimism, I climbed the hill back to the lion enclosure, only to find them still sleeping, just out of sight. A zoo keeper told me that they feed the lions before the zoo opens, and then they sleep all day. I gave up and went home.
Feeling very disgruntled I thought, if I can't draw a lion from life I might need to give up on this whole Lion book idea.
It was a few weeks before I realised that that WAS the story. A hiding, sleeping lion. And that's where the idea started... This is one of the first sketches I did of a lion hiding (this idea didn't make the book in the end. This often happens for me, a drawing can inspire a whole book, then not make it to the final cut.)
Sometimes bad things turn into good things, you just have to know how to look at them!
In the end I did use my surroundings; the old town hall, the market town as a backdrop to the book. The old grey stone houses of Berwick-upon-Tweed make a good contrast to the yellow lion.
21 Jan 2013
6 Nov 2012
Kate Greenaway Longlist
How to Hide a Lion has made it to the Kate Greenaway longlist. How exciting! There are lots of good books on there, so it is wonderful to see Lion on there too!
8 Oct 2012
A lovely review
A lovely review from Pam Norfolk at the St Helen's Reporter: Take one rib-tickling lion, a very cute little girl and a big, big secret ... and what do you have? Helen Stephens’ quirky new picture book packed with laughter, lovely pictures and a lovable lion.
So how does a very small girl hide a very large lion? It’s not easy, but Iris has to do her best because mums and dads can be funny about having a lion in the house. Luckily, there are lots of good places to hide a lion – behind the shower curtain, in your bed and even up a tree. But can Iris hide her lion forever?
Stephens, creator of Fleabag and The Night Iceberg, has her hand well and truly on the pulse of children’s humour and this heart-warming story about a very special friendship will win her new fans from the older generation.
She provides a simple text and an easy-to-understand story, ideal for pre-school children with a short attention span. The adorable big yellow lion, a cast of brilliant characters and off-beat illustrations have a distinctly nostalgic feel in their style and presentation, providing all the right ingredients for a firm family favourite.
So how does a very small girl hide a very large lion? It’s not easy, but Iris has to do her best because mums and dads can be funny about having a lion in the house. Luckily, there are lots of good places to hide a lion – behind the shower curtain, in your bed and even up a tree. But can Iris hide her lion forever?
Stephens, creator of Fleabag and The Night Iceberg, has her hand well and truly on the pulse of children’s humour and this heart-warming story about a very special friendship will win her new fans from the older generation.
She provides a simple text and an easy-to-understand story, ideal for pre-school children with a short attention span. The adorable big yellow lion, a cast of brilliant characters and off-beat illustrations have a distinctly nostalgic feel in their style and presentation, providing all the right ingredients for a firm family favourite.
2 Oct 2012
'How to Hide a Lion' Launch Party
My new book, 'How To Hide A Lion' is set in a town that is based on my new home town of Berwick-upon-Tweed. So when I thought about having a launch party, Berwick Town Hall seemed like the perfect place.
In the run up to the launch, I visited 3 local schools, Spittal First School, Tweedmouth West First School, and Scremerston First School. I worked with over 350 children, each one making something to contribute towards making a model town of Berwick. The work they did was wonderful, what amazed me most was the variety of the work. When I asked them to make fishing boats, each one was completely different. There are some genuinely beautiful things, I think we have some very talented children and inspiring teachers in Berwick.
But at this stage I still had no idea how all of the models would work together, would they be too small in such a large hall? Would anybody even come to see it?
But my fears were unfounded. The night before the launch we had access to the town hall, and as we set up the model Berwick, we began to see how wonderful it was going to be.
I went to sleep that night feeling quietly confident that model Berwick looked great, and that we'd have lots of happy visitors.
The next day was a sunny day. We put up the banner and the big lion sign, and opened the doors. Within minutes the hall was full of people, which was wonderful to see. I recognised lots of faces from the schools I'd visited, and they were so excited to their work.
This is one of the activity tables. The children drew some fantastic lions and Berwick houses.
This is my little girl, Frieda, she is Iris in the book.
By the end of the day we had sold out of everything! Alison ran around to a few local shops scooping up their stock. It is always hard to judge how many books you will need.
Thank you so much to all the teachers and children I met when I visited the schools, and thanks to everyone who came along to support us. Thanks to my friend and fellow illustrator Vanessa Cabban for taking lots of these photos for me.
In the run up to the launch, I visited 3 local schools, Spittal First School, Tweedmouth West First School, and Scremerston First School. I worked with over 350 children, each one making something to contribute towards making a model town of Berwick. The work they did was wonderful, what amazed me most was the variety of the work. When I asked them to make fishing boats, each one was completely different. There are some genuinely beautiful things, I think we have some very talented children and inspiring teachers in Berwick.
But at this stage I still had no idea how all of the models would work together, would they be too small in such a large hall? Would anybody even come to see it?
The next day was a sunny day. We put up the banner and the big lion sign, and opened the doors. Within minutes the hall was full of people, which was wonderful to see. I recognised lots of faces from the schools I'd visited, and they were so excited to their work.
This is one of the activity tables. The children drew some fantastic lions and Berwick houses.
By the end of the day we had sold out of everything! Alison ran around to a few local shops scooping up their stock. It is always hard to judge how many books you will need.
Thank you so much to all the teachers and children I met when I visited the schools, and thanks to everyone who came along to support us. Thanks to my friend and fellow illustrator Vanessa Cabban for taking lots of these photos for me.
13 Sep 2012
A sneaky-peek at what I'm working on today
12 Sep 2012
A lovely review of How to Hide a Lion
It is always gratifying to read a good review of one of my books, but this one is extra special. Thanks bookbag!
Oh, and another lovely write up here from my fantastic art director- come graphic designer- come agony aunt -come knitting advisor- come all round good egg, at Alison Green Books, Zoe Tucker.
And booktrust have chosen it in their list of 'Books we Like' Aug 2012.
Oh, and another lovely write up here from my fantastic art director- come graphic designer- come agony aunt -come knitting advisor- come all round good egg, at Alison Green Books, Zoe Tucker.
And booktrust have chosen it in their list of 'Books we Like' Aug 2012.
11 Sep 2012
My first screenprint
After watching Gerry visiting Edinburgh Print over the last couple of years, and making the most amazing prints, I decided to have a go too. It was a weekend course, so when my sister asked what I'd like for my birthday, I asked for two nights in a nearby hotel, which was great.
Anyway... Day 1
I decided I'd print something from my sketchbook. It's a drawing of some figurines in a museum cabinet. First I made acetate colour separations. Because we had limited time it was suggested we just use 3 colours and black, so I decided to use yellow, blue and red, and overlap them to make green, purple and brown too. So 6 colours out of 3.
We cleaned our screens, then coated them with light sensitive emulsion. Then lay the acetate sheets onto the screen and exposed it in a light box. This means the emulsion sets hard everywhere except for the places masked by the drawing.
Then we used a high pressure washer to rinse away the unexposed emulsion on the drawn areas.
Next we fitted the screen to the printing table and printed our first layer. Hey presto! It worked, not that I doubted it, but it's a thrill to actually see the image there, printed! So here is the print after the first two layers, blue and red.
Day 2
We washed the screens and prepared the next two layers. Then when the screens were dry we printed our final colours. It was amazing! My 3 colours really did make 6, and I am really pleased with the results. I tried to keep my print nice and loose, similar to my drawing, and I think I've done that. But next time I might tighten up slightly, just to that I can line the layers up more accurately. I'm quite pleased though, and I can't wait to go back, I think this is going to be my new obsession!
Anyway... Day 1
I decided I'd print something from my sketchbook. It's a drawing of some figurines in a museum cabinet. First I made acetate colour separations. Because we had limited time it was suggested we just use 3 colours and black, so I decided to use yellow, blue and red, and overlap them to make green, purple and brown too. So 6 colours out of 3.
We cleaned our screens, then coated them with light sensitive emulsion. Then lay the acetate sheets onto the screen and exposed it in a light box. This means the emulsion sets hard everywhere except for the places masked by the drawing.
Then we used a high pressure washer to rinse away the unexposed emulsion on the drawn areas.
Next we fitted the screen to the printing table and printed our first layer. Hey presto! It worked, not that I doubted it, but it's a thrill to actually see the image there, printed! So here is the print after the first two layers, blue and red.
Day 2
We washed the screens and prepared the next two layers. Then when the screens were dry we printed our final colours. It was amazing! My 3 colours really did make 6, and I am really pleased with the results. I tried to keep my print nice and loose, similar to my drawing, and I think I've done that. But next time I might tighten up slightly, just to that I can line the layers up more accurately. I'm quite pleased though, and I can't wait to go back, I think this is going to be my new obsession!
4 Sep 2012
Harbour sketchbook
I'm just back from a few days holiday further up the coast in Scotland. We swam in the harbour, and I drew every day, heaven!
Here are some of the drawings. This one was done at about 9.30pm, as the sun set behind the fishing cottages.
23 Aug 2012
Helen Stephens - How to Hide a Lion
Asda are stocking' How to Hide a Lion'.
Also, my local bookshop, Berrydin Books, stock signed copies with little drawings in too.
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