Gillian McClure Visits Seven Stories

Last week saw a visit to the Seven Stories Collections Department from author / illustrator Gillian McClure.

Gillian McClure at the Seven Stories Collections Department

Over the years Gillian has donated finished and preliminary artwork for many of her titles to the Seven Stories Collection, giving a comprehensive insight into her creative process, from first ideas through to finished artwork.

Her archive also displays a wonderful mastery of different media, including watercolour, acrylic and coloured glazes.

Gillian was visiting to be interviewed as part of the Picturebook in Progress project, with her insights to be used as part of a digital learning resource currently in development for aspiring illustrators.

One of the main topics of discussion was Gillian’s illustrations for Tog the Ribber, a uniquely scary and innovative picturebook written by her father Paul Coltman.

While discussing the origins of the book, Gillian surprised us all by revealing her early artwork for the first draft of the book which stands in complete contrast to the version which hit the shelves in 1985.

Artwork from the first draft of Tog the Ribber

The black and white crosshatching and colour wash give the first draft a completely different texture to the published artwork, while Gillian went onto explain that the final version’s wonderful depth came from constant experimentation with masking fluid and acrylic paint.

Most interestingly of all, the first draft lacks the outright nightmarish quality of the final artwork, Gillian herself admitting that she felt too protective towards the main character in this early version. A combination of allowing the skeletal character of Tog more prominence in the story and the introduction of page borders dividing safety and peril give the finished book a genuinely haunting quality.

Artwork from the first draft of Tog the Ribber

Final artwork for Tog the Ribber

Gillian has kindly donated the artwork for the first draft of Tog the Ribber to the Seven Stories Collection where it will sit alongside the final artwork, providing a deeper insight into an endlessly interesting book.

Learn more about Gillian McClure by visiting her website http://www.gillianmcclure.com and blog http://gillianmcclure.blogspot.co.uk

To book a visit to Seven Stories Collection department or learn more about the forthcoming Picturebook in Progress Digital Learning Resource, please contact collections@sevenstories.org.uk

Limited Copies of Tog the Ribber signed by Gillian McClure are available to buy in the Seven Stories Bookshop. Please email bookshop@sevenstories.org.uk or call 0191 261 2000 to order.

David Almond and Polly Dunbar talk about My Dad's a Birdman

One of the most interesting aspects of making an illustrated book is the collaboration between the various creative forces.

The Seven Stories Collection includes numerous archives showing the interplay between author and illustrator. An excellent example of this can be found in the material relating to the book My Dad’s a Birdman, by David Almond and Polly Dunbar.

My Dad's a Birdman © Walker Books

In the summer of 2008, author David Almond donated his original manuscript and notes for the book to Seven Stories. Later that year illustrator Polly Dunbar donated all of her work from the book, from initial character sketches through to the finished artwork.

The material gives a unique insight into the creative mind of the author, as well as an interesting take on how an illustrator responds to a text and brings their own interpretation to it.

Last week, Seven Stories was pleased to host an event in conjunction with Newcastle University that marked the first time David and Polly have ever spoken together about the process of creating the book.

Polly and David at the event

As well as busting some myths about what it is like to collaborate on a book (the two never met until after the book was released), they both spoke of their desire to make a book with such strong and adult themes accessible to a young audience. Here's a preview clip of the talk:

A fascinating insight for aspiring authors and illustrators alike, the talk will be available to view at the Seven Stories collection, where the original material from the book is also open to public access. The full video will also soon be available via the Newcastle University, Children's Literature Unit website.


David Wright (Learning Co-ordinator: Picturebook in Progress Project)

Picturebook in Progress

Last weekend, the first exhibition in the newly renovated Storylab gallery opened at the Seven Stories visitor centre. The Picturebook in Progress exhibition is one of the outcomes of a collaborative project between the Collections and Learning and Participation teams which has been running since July 2013.

The project has the aim of using the Seven Stories collection to inspire and empower the picturebook illustrators of the future by working closely with students from illustration courses across Britain.

Over the course of the project, students from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, Edinburgh College of Art, Sunderland University, as well as sixth form students from St. Cuthbert’s Catholic High School, Newcastle have been introduced to the Seven Stories collection and allowed to explore its rich illustration holdings.

Students from St Cuthbert's Catholic High School in the Seven Stories archive

Each group has investigated material relating to the creative process of illustrators, seeing how plots and characters develop and how these ideas become the finished books we see on the shelves. Using correspondence between authors, illustrators and publishers from the Seven Stories Collection, the students have also seen how ideas can be shaped by the pressures of the professional world of illustration, a vital understanding to have for anyone serious about pursuing a career in children’s books.

Illustration and Design Students from Sunderland University, investigating Seven Stories artwork collections

The exhibition allows visitors to Seven Stories to go on the same journey as the participating students, following a picturebook from from the very first ideas, be they rough scribbles or short notes, through every stage of development until reaching the fantastic finished artwork submitted to publishers.

As well as showcasing many of the collection items that the students viewed, the exhibition also features five artworks created by students from Sunderland and St. Cuthbert’s in response to their visit to the archive.

The Picturebook in Progress exhibition is open until April 2014.

(David Wright, Learning Co-ordinator: Picturebook in Progress project)

Our BRAND NEW Storylab Gallery: Behind the Scenes

Seven Stories, as we all know, has seven floors! The sixth floor has been undergoing refurbishment for the past three weeks, and has now opened its doors to the public.

The floor now boasts a small dedicated gallery space - designed to host small scale exhibitions for 3-4 months - as well as the 'Storylab Studio', which is a new room to accommodate larger groups for all different kinds of booked workshops and training sessions. 

Here are a few images of the transformation of the room to the calming gallery space we now have. This new gallery will allow us to display our Collection - especially newly acquired archives - much more quickly, and also allow for external exhibitions to be brought in.

During the transformation the lighting tracks were altered to gallery style lighting, and the windows were blocked to protect the delicate artworks from harmful light levels. We also removed the original graphics, and added two new walls. We kept the two display cases that have been in here for some time, to continue to display 3D items.

Storylab BEFORE 

Storylab BEFORE

Storylab mid-transformation 

Storylab mid-transformation

Storylab mid-transformation

Storylab mid-transformation

Storylab mid-transformation

Gallery FINISHED

Gallery FINISHED

Gallery FINISHED

Gallery FINISHED

Gallery FINISHED 

Gallery FINISHED

The current display is 'Picturebooks in Progress', which uses our Collection to show how a picturebook is created - from early ideas to final artwork.

This exhibition is one of the outcomes of a large scale learning project, funded by the Arts Council. For the past year, members of our Learning Team have been working with higher education and further education students around the country, using the Seven Stories Collection as inspiration for their illustration work. The material that was used to inspire them is now on display, alongside a film of the project. Find out more about the project in an upcoming blog post!

Find out more about the gallery here.

Alison (the Curator)