I first considered writing a book in 2001.
In 2005, I realised I had to tell the story in pictures.
In 2009, I started drawing.
Five hundred and seven pages later, it is done.
Lighter Than My Shadow will be published by Jonathan Cape on October 3rd.
Thanks to everyone who's faithfully been following me here. In a couple of weeks I'll be removing all content and closing this blog completely, moving on to pastures new. Please do follow along on my new blog and website at www.katiegreen.co.uk/blog
I wanted to make a quick post to share my final order dates for Christmas. If you'd like to purchase a gift from my Etsy shop, please place your order before the appropriate date to make sure I can get it in the post on time:
If you live outside the EU, Saturday December 1st
If you live in the EU but outside the UK, Friday December 5th
If you live in the UK, Saturday December 15th
These dates apply to all items in my Etsy shop with the exception of the custom rubber stamp, which needs an extra five days to turn around on time. Thanks for understanding!
As it's that time of year, I've decided to offer a 10% discount on all sales from now until Saturday December 1st, just use the code noel 2012
And finally, due to my hefty schedule working on Lighter Than My Shadow, this year's final issue of The Green Bean will sadly not make it out in time for Christmas. So I've decided to offer a discount on the five issues from this year so far, bundled together as a set ideal for gift giving. I'm sorry it's not a full volume, but I hope it's better than nothing.
I'm so excited to finally be able to share more details about The Crystal Mirror and Other Stories. The book is written by my dear friend Tim Malnick, and will be illustrated by me.
This wil be a beautiful, full colour 96 page collection of 5 unique stories for all ages (think folk tales and fables that appeal to children and adults alike), and will be published by Vala in November next year.
Please visit the website, watch our videos to find out more about the project and consider becoming a supporter. We'll be sharing every stage of the creative process from the drawing board to the printing press, and offering other exclusive rewards including limited edition books, prints and even original paintings. The money raised will go directly to supporting me over the 9 months I'll be working full-time on the illustrations.
This is a unique opportunity to see behind the scenes on the creation of a book, and an ideal gift for any book lover or curious child. Even if your budget won't stretch to becoming a supporter, I'd really appreciate any help spreading the word, sharing the link and video with anyone you think might be interested. Thank you so so much!
It's been a long wait as everything in my life has been coming second to work on Lighter Than My Shadow, but I'm very excited to announce that at last there are not one but TWO new issues of The Green Bean available.
This post was prompted by Joanna leaving a comment on my last one, which even I was shocked to discover was as far back as August! It's high time I explained what I've been up to, and what's going on....
First and foremost, I am up to my ears in drawing Lighter Than My Shadow. I've just finished 380 pages, of approximately 500 in total, so I'm definitely on the home straight now. However, that is what I'm doing for 90% of my waking hours, and it doesn't leave much room for anything else!
Secondly, in the remaining 10% of my waking hours, I've been doing some first sketches for the story book I'll be illustrating next year, The Crystal Mirror and Other Stories. We're getting ready to launch a very special chance to support the project, and see every stage from thumbnail sketch to the printing press. More on that very soon, but in the meantime here's our teaser video and a sketch of The Cuddliest Monster in the World. You can also follow the book's page on Facebook for more regular updates.
In my tea-breaks and weekends, I'm drawing pages of The Green Bean here and there, whenever I can. The two delayed issues - Maps, and drawings from my holiday in Greece - should be finally ready to print in the next week or so. I want to thank everyone for being so patient with my highly elastic production schedule this year - I'm so so grateful for your understanding.
And finally, you might notice things looking a little different around here. It had been so long since I blogged, all of Blogger's settings had changed and I managed to delete all my settings rather than update them, much to my annoyance. In truth, I've grown increasingly frustrated with Blogger as a platform, and am in the process of building a new website that will incorporate a blog as well. So, things will continue to wind down here rather than gather momentum again. But, eventually, it will be replaced rather than removed completely, and I'm looking forward to having a blog that I feel happy posting on again.
In the meantime, I am managing to update my Facebook Page and Twitter, including the occasional peek at Lighter Than My Shadow. I'm enjoying the sociability very much while I'm working such long, solitary hours, so please do say hi there.
I can't quite believe it's been two years since I started making zines. And I also can't believe that after two years the Green Bean is still going strong. Here (at last!) is the 17th issue, celebrating all of my favourite things I've discovered and learned in two years making zines.
