Noah's Ark - the finished piece!

You might have seen a previous post about a commission for a christening gift that I've been working on over the past couple of weeks?.. Well, dadaahh! Here it is! Im super pleased with the final result and I hope it will be greatly received :)

:: New work ::

Today I've made a start on a private commission for a friend who has requested an illustration for a christening gift. Can you guess what the theme is? ....Yep, Noah's Ark! Its something completely out of my comfort zone but I'm really enjoying it! Hopefully will have the finished piece ready to show you by the end of the week.. Until then, enjoy the preview!

Secret 7" Exhibition Opens 18.04.12

If you follow my twitter or facebook... back in February you might have seen my pledge for votes to have my artwork selected for the Secret 7" Project? I entered a competition through Talenthouse.com to design a 7" vinyl sleeve interpreting Florence + The Machines 'If Only for a Night' track. I am delighted to have won a top 5 spot in the competition and now my artwork shall be exhibited. (Massive thanks to everyone that voted!)

Alongside my own work, there will be designs by an array of musicians and other artists who have created sleeves inspired by tracks from The Cure, Florence + The Machine, Bombay Bicycle Club, CSS, DJ Shadow, Noah & The Whale and Ben Howard.  

'My Own Secret Ceremonials' - © Rebecca Abell 2012

The exhibition opens next week, from Wednesday 18th April - Sunday 22nd April 2012 at the Idea Generation Gallery, Shoreditch, London. Opening times: 10am - 6pm.  My design has been printed as a 'one-off' vinyl to be sold at the exhibition, so make sure you get down there if you want to own a copy!

Image by Secret 7"

Take a peek at whats to be expected at the exhibition at Secret-7.com - all artwork has now been uploaded to site for your viewing pleasure... can you guess which design is for which track?

Secret 7" is a project which aims to rekindle some of the excitement for sleeve art in the digital era by exploring how a track would be interpreted by an array of brilliant artists.

On the 21st April – Record Store Day – through to close on Sunday the exhibition is yours to own. Each of the one-of-a-kind heavyweight 7'' records will be available to take home with you for a minimum donation to Teenage Cancer Trust of £40.

Every penny profited from the sale of these exclusive vinyl records is going to the charity.

More info on the Secret 7" Project here
Visit The Teenage Cancer Trust to find out more about the cause.

The Enquiry Desk at Pick Me Up 2012

A few weeks ago it was announced that I'd won the exciting opportunity to present my work to a panel of industry professionals at the Pick Me Up contemporary graphic art fair, Somerset House, London. Alongside leading illustrators, the panel included commissioners within advertising, fashion and publishing.

The presentation took place in the heart of the Pick Me Up exhibition space where my portfolio was projected onto a huge screen for the panel and Pick Me Up visitors to see!

After I'd nervously 'pitched' my work, the panel gave me advice on feedback, which was incredibly informative. Although it was the scariest thing I'd ever done I am so glad I plucked up the courage to do it. The Enquiry Desk team were super helpful and pulled off a fantastic day. It was really great to meet other illustrators too and it was really inspiring to see such brilliant work on show!

As my presentation wasn't until the very end of the day I had the privilege of watching everyone else present first. There really was some great work presented... check out their work:

Casper Chan
Anthony Atkinson
Sarah Dennis
Ruchi Shah

Mercedes Leon
Holly Maguire
Joanne Young
Rich Orr

Simon Cheadle
Belinda Chen
Dori Siraly

The Enquiry Desk produces events that bring professional help to creative talent. It caters for students, postgraduates and practicing graphic artists & illustrators who seek constructive professional advice specific to their work. Alongside bookable portfolio reviews, The Enquiry Desk delivers talks at academic institutions and designs larger public events on creative professional practice and relevant topics. Launched in 2012, The Enquiry Desk was founded by Josie Sullens and Zara Wood.

The Enquiry Desk is back at Somerset House next month, offering bookable confidential portfolio reviews on Saturday 14th April.

Learn more about The Enquiry Desk here

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 Images above: by The Enquiry Desk, and Pick Me Up and Rebecca Abell.

Browns Fashion Illustrated Windows S/S 2012

I have just completed this amazing project for Browns Fashion in London. I worked on designing and illustrating 7 backdrops for the Easter window displays. Centred around the theme of 'taking flight', each studied drawing and curated sketch incorporates the themes, patterns and colours of the season. To give the windows more depth I painted feathers and birds onto the glass.

Painting the windows was a challenge, not only because I was uncomfortable with the medium and scale of the work but because I was exposed to the public on the most popular high street in London! -I didnt have the privacy of my home studio with my confined a4 sheet of sketching paper and my pencil!! Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and it has proved to be a successful one.. I look forward to the next one!

More images can be viewed on my Facebook page here

A feature on TYC here

See the windows for yourself at Browns flagship store: 24-27 South Molton Street, London,  W1K 5RD. Nearest tube- Bond Street Station. Or at their Sloane Street store: 6C Sloane Street, London, SW1X 9LE. Nearest tube- Knightsbridge.