Readers of Ella Bella Ballerina will know that the magic begins when Ella Bella’s teacher, Madame Rosa, takes out her Magic Music Box. I was inspired by my antique gramophone (or one of them; I have several). The idea is that music creates the magic and tells the story, things I truly believe are the […]
Category: Ella Bella
This is a post category for posts about Ella Bella Ballerina and includes posts imported from the original Ella Bella Ballerina blog on Google Blogger.
Creating Ella Bella – part three
My wife’s obsession with all things vintage was a huge help with developing a way forward for Ella Bella Ballerina, and she threw herself into the retro world of printing with a passion. She loves Retro fabrics, bless her, and all things Cath Kidston… She would hate to have to admit it but she spends […]
Creating Ella Bella – part two
Sketching from life is one thing (and an extremely valuable thing!), but it doesn’t necessarily provide the visual language, the mark-making you require as an artist, to communicate your vision. In any case, one has to FIND that vision! For me, the starting point was vintage printing techniques and the superb design that went with […]
Creating Ella Bella – part one
The process of creating Ella Bella was particularly enjoyable. To begin with, my publisher, Orchard Books in London, requested a ballet themed book. They approached me because they knew I had a knowledge of ballet and classical music and a particular interest in theatrical set design, especially the Russian school of the late 19th and […]
Swan Lake
On monday I took my lovely editor, Liz Johnson, to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden to see a performance of Swan Lake, performed by the Mariinsky(Kirov) ballet from St. Petersburg. I confess I thought the sets could have been more sumptuous and the lighting more atmospheric. It was nothing like as theatrical as their […]
