Before I tell you about Wonder by Beatrice Blue, let me tell you a little story about how I ended up with a copy ❤️
Sooo…on Saturday we had Abigail’s birthday celebrations with her friends. There were 16 of us (gasp!). Fortunately, Lillie was there to run the team games that Abs had requested and Nik was there to keep me company. I love Nik. We have been close friends for donkey’s years. I find her very grounding. We could not be more opposite. I am a huge introvert whilst she is a huge extrovert. I am quirky and a little odd, she is incredibly organised and predictable (I mean that in a positive way…of course…I adore her just as she is!). We are opposites is my point. And we enjoy our differences.
Over the years she has rubbed off on me a bit. For example, I never forget her birthday and she is the ONLY person outside of the family that I remember. Of course, I don’t actually know the date, just that it comes some time after mine and she never forgets mine so if I have my present for her ready when she gives me mine we can call that remembered. Fortunately, she loves me exactly the way I am too. Although I think there are times she probably despairs of me! She’s very like my mum, and my mum definitely despairs of me!
On Saturday we took a moment together away from the hoards and caught up a little on each others’ lives. She asked me what I wanted for my birthday so she could order it then and send it to my house. Oooh, thought I, what a wonderful idea! So I ordered Wonder by Beatrice Blue for me whilst she ordered a mug which said ‘hot stuff’ for her. It tickled her somewhat to have something which could be perceived as being a bit naughty on her cup whilst at the same time being completely factually true. Maybe she does surprise me sometimes!
Anyway, Wonder by Beatrice Blue came today. Oh. My. Goodness. It is a super aesthetically pleasing book. A hardcover, it details the artistic process of children’s book illustrator Beatrice Blue. According to my soon to be illustrator daughter, she is the bees’ knees and much talked about in the art world. Well, I don’t know anything about that. Her art just really appealed to me. And a book about an artist’s process is rare indeed. I knew I would enjoy it.
Wonder covers Beatrice Blue’s education, inspiration, the transformation of that inspiration to the treasure which eventually become stories. Woven within is her art studio, her routines, the media she enjoys playing around with and an in depth look into her creative process, including colour, composition and design development.
I can not wait to read through the whole book, and I know I will be keeping her book near to me in my studio to use as a reference. I may even have to buy a copy for Lillie. This should surely be compulsory reading for art students all over the world!
Obviously, with a degree in nursing and choosing to study for a masters in children and young people, I am unable to study art seriously. But that does not mean I can not study it independently, for my own enjoyment. And this book is an excellent start to my soon to be extensive collection of art books…