The Licensing Elevator

"The Licensing Elevator - An Agent for all seasons"

We hope you have all enjoyed Laura McKendry's guest blog posts in 2015. For Laura's final post, we asked Laura to share an insight into her first year working with Yellow House as a professional illustrator. Her beautiful, expressive, original artwork in a diversity of looks display a natural sense of narrative and distinctive, playful style. Laura's bespoke commissions and licensing portfolio all pay tribute to the role of our furry, feathered, scaly friends.

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"Lift slides up to second floor, reflection of small pair of eyes in buggy blink in mirror wall. No need to visit department store level 2, other than a cursory sweep through the Christmas section. Cello-packed, shelved with a price tag. These are my cards. My designs made last autumn, now on the shelves.

 

The past year has been an exciting one. Cards and gift wrap appearing in the shops, commissions for major greeting card publishers, canvases, mug, book cover, portraits. Christmas, Valentines, Spring Seasons, tropical, dogs, serious and lighthearted, garden birds, woodland creatures, blackberries, birthday parties, typography. Twelve months have covered every season, many species. 

Spring, Summer. Cadiz interlude, a moment to experiment. Inspired by the new, exotic. Intense colours of tropical summer painted on cold tiled floor, sun pounding pavements outside shutters. Layers of watercolour, colour pencil added to feathered wings on paper taped to veneer wardrobe.

 

All too soon, back to London for Autumn harvest of hedgerow inspiration, birds, berries, brambles, scritchy-scratchy. Pavement walks, daily routine. Clear skies, airplanes peaceful soar.

A full year with Yellow House. Jehane and Sue. Emails ping, phones call chats, trains to Brighton. Their direction, support, advice; my meandering, pondering emails. ‘I’ve been working on something…’. What would you think if…?’.

It’s been eye-opening. Designing with a market in mind, working to the parameters of a brief. Quick response to new requests, bedtime working, juggling, erratic patterns. Wednesday: ‘Deadline is the end of this week’. Here and there, snatched minutes, stretched hours. Image scanning, computer crashing, Hightail sending. 

Still seasons’ clock ticks. A mild December spots those woolly knits on arctic animals, as tree goes up, lights adorn, another year draws to close.

This one’s been full, its fruits sweet. Already, pencil poised for the next"

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from all at Yellow House! Keep up to date with Laura's own blog Bird and Beast

Watch this space for news of our new guest blogger for 2016! 

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