The Little Book of Bees // Book Illustration

I am super excited to share The Little Book of Bees expertly written by the absolutely lovely Hilary Kearney (aka Girl Next Door Honey) and illustrated throughout by yours truly. It will be available in all major bookstores - and of course available for pre-order now!

"Bees continue to fascinate and charm us all – from novice gardeners and nature-lovers to dedicated environmentalists – and today, bees need our help more than ever. Discover the story of these incredible creatures, with The Little Book of Bees.

Bees first appeared on Earth an incredible 130 million years ago. Since the time of the dinosaurs, evolution has taken our beloved bees on an incredible journey – and today, there are 20,000 species on the planet. 

The Little Book of Bees is a lovely, informative book of all things bee - from evolution and communication, to honey, beekeeping, and saving the bees - all in a beautifully illustrated gift book. Perfect for apiarists, Queen Bees, nature-lovers and bee enthusiasts everywhere."

UK preorder from Waterstones 

US preorder direct from Girl Next Door Honey

I have illustrated a book! About Bees!

From last October to March this year I had the pleasure of working with Harper Collins books to illustrate a wonderful little book - all about bees! The book is due to be released in the UK and US later this year. Here are some work-in-progress shots from my desk, featuring a small sneak-peek selection of paintings…

Dinosaur height chart // Talltape

Recently, I was thrilled to work with London-based company "Memories of Growing Up" who asked me to design a tall tower of 30 individual, characterful dinosaurs for their “Talltape” range.

“Talltape, the portable children’s height chart, helps you to keep an on-going record of your child’s height from birth all the way to adulthood. The perfect alternative to recording measurements on a wall or door, Talltape won’t get left behind or painted over – it just stays with you. As featured in the Daily Mail, New York Metro Parents and Baby London Magazine.“

Each dinosaur is unique and annotated by hand with his/her scientific name. I had a lot of fun designing it! I aimed to include a broad variety of dinosaur species, so that children can discover the wide spectrum of different types. They are all (approximately!) sized to scale in comparison to one another. 

The dino Talltape is available to buy in my online Etsy shop now. Find it here!

The National Trust Book of Scones

Some months ago I was approached by UK publisher Pavilion books who asked me to illustrate 6 variations on the classic scone for their upcoming "Book of Scones". 

The pocket-sized book by Sarah Clelland includes 50(!) scone recipes alongside information on many National Trust places to visit. I wasn't aware so many kinds of scones existed!  

Here are my renditions of the classic jam and cream scone, chocolate "rocky road", summer fruit, festive mince-pie scone, savoury cheese, and sweet honey. 

"History is best enjoyed with a scone, as everyone who’s visited a National Trust house knows. This book brings you the best of both. Scone obsessive Sarah Clelland has gathered 50 – yes 50 – scone recipes from National Trust experts around the country. And she’s written a quirky guide to 50 National Trust places to delight and entertain you while you bake or eat those blissful treats. Eccentric owners, strange treasures, obscure facts – it’s all here.

Whip up a Triple Chocolate scone while you read about the mechanical elephants at Waddesdon Manor. Or savour an Apple & Cinnamon scone while you absorb the dramatic love life of Henry Cecil of Hanbury Hall. Marvel at a Ightham Mote’s Grade 1 listed dog kennel while you savour a Cheese, Spring Onion and Bacon scone. 

50 of the best scones in history. And 50 of the best places to read about. You’ll never need to leave the kitchen again."

The National Trust's Book of Scones is available in shops and online now!

UK Wildlife // Red Fox Studies

I was glad to finish some paintings from one of my own personal projects this week - the first in a UK wildlife series, the red fox. I am aiming for a slightly more traditional, non-fiction approach with these but that still has my own contemporary style. What do you think?

A collection of some of the initial loose sketches: 

And then some of the more refined sketches, exploring various positions
and face styles:

Artwork (C) Amy Holliday 2016

Steeplechase

I finally finished a sketch from 2013! 

Artwork (C) Amy Holliday 2015 do not use without permission.

Happy New Year of the...Sheep! (Or Ram or Goat!)

Two very sheepish pieces I had an urge to finish last week. The first being quite realistic in its colour palatte, with the second being more experimental - possibly influenced just a smidge by old Chinese art. Either way, I had fun with both!

New year. New Site. New blog!

Hello everyone, welcome to my brand new website and blog. I hope you agree its an improvement on my previous site! Hopefully now it will be much easier for you all to navigate and have a gander at all of my up-to-date doodles. I hope you enjoy the new layout - please let me know what you think.

I'll still update at my Blogger blog too (I'm greedy like that) so anyone who follows me there won't miss out. 

From a very wet and windy Cumbria... off to make new art!