Post Graduate Plus

The aims for producing this blog have been as follows:

• To produce and maintain a blog that discovers illustrated gems

I wanted to re-engage with the practice of illustrating but not through a typical process of trawling through current illustrators or illustrators agents web sites. I wanted to discover illustration on the merits of the visual impact that a physical illustrated object possess. I set myself the task of visiting charity shops and second hand book shops as a starting point but mainly to keep my eyes peeled and not to dismiss looking at and in places I would not normally visit. The other part of the self set task was to scan in all the images myself so as not fall into the trap of copy and pasting from other peoples discoveries from the Internet.

I have amassed a great deal of illustrated work very quickly and at little personal cost, some of the discoveries have directly influenced work that I have produced for my final work for my Masters stage of my studies.

As a direct result I have built up excellent "blog relationships" with other collectors around the world and discussions will soon be taking place to exhibit our found work.

• To utilise the feedback generated from the viewers of the blog

As the blog progressed I started getting very positive and personal reminiscence feedback about the illustrated work being posted, I utilised this feedback to assist me in generating concepts for my Chicken Out campaign work for my Masters work.

• To generate an audience for the blog

I developed a strategy for advertising the blog and through researching other blogs I decided to attempt to entice two influential blogs to pick up on the discoveries that I was posting about.
The two blogs that I pursued were:

Design Sponge and Drawn

I was incredibly shocked as to the response from being featured on these two blogs and in a period of one week I had over 17,000 visitors to my blog from visitors to the two previously mentioned blogs and a steady stream of visitors since being featured on each blog.

• To gather information about who is viewing the blog

I have collected data from Google Analytics as evidence of where my blog has been featured and who is viewing it and what they are viewing and for how long and how often. These will be presented as printouts for submission so as to protect peoples personal data details.

I have learnt how to produce, maintain, collect marketing data and advertise a blog.

It is now my intention to utilise this experience to support the Chicken Out on-line campaign.

The Puffins are really beginning to freak me now!

I have decided that fate is taking over now!

Another Puffin book found me today as if by magic.

It is the Puffin book of magic by Norman Hunter and illustrated by the brilliant Jill McDonald.

I now have three Puffin books to blog so I have decided to dedicate this weekend to showing them all to you, they are possibly too exciting to show!

The Story of Margarine

Published by unilever in 1960.

Designed by Peter Gauld, F.S.I.A.

I have drawn a blank so far with attempting to find any useful information about Peter Gauld but it looks like he produced a great deal of public information literature.

This publication contains everything that I need to know to become an expert about margarine, go on ask me anything!

Stamp competition winner

Thank you to all that entered the give away for the brilliant Ian Pollock stamps.

The winner is Greg who said Vomitous?

Well done Greg, I am meeting up with Ian next week to sign the stamps and if he agrees I will photograph him signing them for you, it is nice to have these special events recorded.

I am sure than Ian will do something with the word Vomitous for you, would you please forward your details to me so that I can arrange for them to be sent to you as soon as Ian has signed them.

Thanks once again to you all and a special thanks to Ian.

I think the Puffins are following me!

Something strange is happening!

Today another Puffin annual found me and it's just as good as the other, it contains a page of poems by the brilliant Ivor Cutler and if that's not enough they have been illustrated by the goddess of illustration Sara Midda.

I am in Puffin heaven and you will be soon.

Ferry to Adventure

Published in 1944 by Peter Lunn. I found this first edition in a tiny book shop in Holmfirth "Last of the Summer Wine country".

This book has been illustrated by R.A.Bartlett.

You feel as though you are experiencing the sense of being a spy and actually participating in the war time adventure due to the brilliant use of view point that the illustrator has utilized.

Found a Puffin today

I found number one Puffin Annual today published in 1974, it contains stories, puzzles and poems etc.....

Importantly if plays host to some of my favourite children's illustrators including Tove Jansson.

I will need a full weekend of scanning to do this justice, it is worth the wait thought the cover has to be seen to be believed.