Dawn Cooper Illustration

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Insect Emporium #NIW2016

Posted on: June 21st, 2016 by Dawn

 
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It’s National Insect Week 2016, which gives me the perfect opportunity (excuse) to share some bits and pieces from my upcoming book with Egmont. Insect Emporium publishes in September 2016, and is bursting with insects of all shapes, sizes and origins, each with their own stories and curious behaviours. (Pictured above is a crop from my original artwork for the cover. The final approved version can be found here.)

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This Mediterranean fruit fly is one of the many colourful creatures I had the pleasure of illustrating for this book. Below is a crop from the pull-out print which accompanies the book.

‘Insects are nature’s great survivors, found almost everywhere on our planet. They creep through undergrowth, lurk in cracks, dart underwater and soar through the sky. From the aerobatics of a dragonfly to the mighty construction of a termites’ nest, this book explores their secrets. Prepare to discover a spellbinding world within the Insect Emporium.’
– Susie Brooks

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Egmont have just released a beautiful little animated teaser trailer for the book, in which some of the insects come to life! You can take a look at it here.

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Puffin Classics

Posted on: March 11th, 2016 by Dawn

 
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I recently had the pleasure and privilege of designing the cover for the new Puffin Classics edition of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, which was an absolute dream! I worked with the wonderful Anna Morrison, who tweeted the lovely picture above. You can see more from the stunning new series here.

I have also been avidly listening to Radio 4’s adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic, Jane Eyre, which I heartily recommend to any fans (or might-be-fans).
 

Happy new (reading) year!

Posted on: January 12th, 2015 by Dawn

 
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Happy New Year!

2014 was a terrific year in many ways, and I can’t wait to get stuck in to 2015. One of my new year’s resolutions, as always, is to read more books, and I feel even more compelled to do so after working with the lovely people at Penguin Books on their Penguinspiration initiative.

If you haven’t stumbled across it, you can fill out a short survey here, where you’ll choose whether to read 12 books, 30 books, 50 books or a whopping 80 books in 2015, and you’ll get a few recommendations before signing up for the challenge. Penguin Books will be sending out periodic emails to point out some titles you might like, and share with you some tips to help you complete your goal.

I’ve had a tremendous amount of fun designing these graphics, and have pledged to read a meager 12 books this year (last year I managed one book…but in my defence, it was a busy year and a very big book).

Happy reading!
 

New website from The Artworks

Posted on: December 15th, 2014 by Dawn

 

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The Artworks has just unveiled their sumptuous new website, which not only looks the business, but is jam-packed with really beautiful illustration work.

This also means that I have a new profile, which I’m absolutely thrilled with! There are a few new bits of work on there, so do take a look here.

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Artist of the Month: Bristol Listings

Posted on: March 11th, 2014 by Dawn

 
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This month I was invited to be Bristol Listings magazine’s artist of the month, which gave me the opportunity to plug my new show at the Grain Barge, show off some new work (and a new haircut, no less) and talk a little bit about what I do. Lovely!
 

Now Showing: Over Land & Sea

Posted on: March 11th, 2014 by Dawn

 
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{Download the full flyer here}

Just over a week ago, Lucy Davey and I spent a gloriously sunny morning on The Grain Barge (calmly) wrestling with cable ties and propping up images for our exhibition, Over Land & Sea, a medley of mythical landscapes and things from the sea.

I am a big fan of Lucy’s work, in particular her bold and brightly coloured screenprints, so I was thrilled to be sharing some wallspace with her on one of my favourite Bristol vessels (their puddings come highly recommended).

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The exhibition is up until Sunday 30 March, so there’s plenty of time to take a look. I have prepared three new pieces for the show, including this quote from American philosopher, William James.

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For more details about the show, hop over to the Grain Barge’s website here.

Festive fayre

Posted on: January 9th, 2014 by Dawn

 
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In my haste to hand-make gifts, and all the excitement of Christmas, I forgot to photograph the things I’d made, so I’ve mocked up some of the notebook covers onto some similar backgrounds.

These super motivational quotes were screen-printed onto recycled card, and lovingly bound with eye-catching end papers (recycled wrapping paper from nineteenseventythree).

I also screen-printed a bright red festive apron design (intended to look like the foliage is spilling out of the pocket). What do you think? I should probably have made one for myself, to contend with the amount of mess I made panic-baking these mini bakewell tarts on Christmas Eve. Yum!

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Home and Garden 2014

Posted on: December 6th, 2013 by Dawn

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It’s been a long journey, and boy do we know it, but Katy Christianson and I have made a calendar!  Home & Garden 2014, celebrates   all things homely and wholesome, with twelve multi-layered, individually hand-pulled screenprints of original illustrations.

Perfect for house-cats, home lovers and green-fingered gardeners, we hope that you will welcome this mighty A3 calendar into your home to see in the new year!

I have illustrated a quote by Jane Austen, to reflect the homely sentiment of the calendar, along with a cat on a mat, some butterflies, some garden vegetables, a lonely girl and a house and a pile of enticing books.  Katy has illustrated all sorts of beautiful houses, intricate circles, birds and delicate line drawings.

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The calendar is available from my shop and Katy’s shop, or at Spittalfields Market in London in the run-up until Christmas if you’d like a closer look!

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Stocking up with stocking fillers

Posted on: November 16th, 2013 by Dawn

 

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I seem to have developed something of a bug for screen-printing in the last month or so, preparing exciting new products for the festive season in line with the launch of Volume 4 (the Christmassy one) of The Print Shop.

If you head over to the shop in Quakers Friars, you’ll find a festive window display with big 3D wooden trees, adorned with handmade decorations, screen-printed snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, above wooden tables garnished with hand-crafted books, hand-printed bags, and a huge amount of Christmas cards!

If you’re not local, I’ve done a big re-stock of my Etsy shop, which you can find here, where you’ll be able to find these things (below)!


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