[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-raven-girl-fan-art":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"I'm very excited, I have a ticket to see the Royal Ballet's production of \u003Ca href=\"http://www.roh.org.uk/productions/raven-girl-by-wayne-mcgregor\">\u003Ci>Raven Girl\u003C/i>\u003C/a>, based on the illustrated book by \u003Ca href=\"http://audreyniffenegger.com/\">Audrey Niffenegger\u003C/a> (who wrote \u003Ci>The Time Traveler's Wife\u003C/i>, \u003Ci>Her Fearful Symmetry\u003C/i> and \u003Ci>The Night Bookmobile\u003C/i>, among other things). Jonathan Cape just launched the book in the UK, and I drew a bit of fan art this evening. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/raven_girl_niffenegger_zpsbff379c1-3e246d5197.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHeh heh, my drawing doesn't really reflect the mood of the book - Audrey's modern fairy tale is much darker - but drawing this made me laugh. The story's about a girl who's born to a postman and a raven, and who feels more like a raven than a girl. She goes so far as to have surgery, losing her arms so she can have wings. Here's the drawing before I started mucking around with it digitally:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ravengirl_drawing_zpsc5c88a4b-900148e197.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI can't wait to see how choreographer \u003Ca href=\"http://www.randomdance.org/\">Wayne McGregor\u003C/a> interprets it. I had dinner with Audrey last night and she says she's been to rehearsals and really likes the look of it so far. And here's my ticket! \u003Cb>There are \u003Ca href=\"http://www.roh.org.uk/productions/raven-girl-by-wayne-mcgregor\">still some tickets left\u003C/a>, so hurry and get yours before they're all gone!\u003C/b>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/audrey_tix_zps80cd3479-e1e20f69f4.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for lots more under the cut!-->\\r\nI love that we're getting more picture books for grownups in this country, it's about time. And this one's packaged so nicely, designed by Abrams designer \u003Cb>Sara Corbett\u003C/b>. See how the red cover peeks out beneath the slipcover? Besides complementing the cover etching, it feels like the book has a life of its own, like if you'd cut it, it might bleed. And it also reminds me of those little \u003Ca href=\"http://www.russianlegacy.com/catalog/popup_extra_images.php?peiID=753&osCsid=261b20e6121bf8ec495401cf5e258833\">lacquered wooden boxes\u003C/a> you get from Russia with the red interiors; you know you're meant to put treasure in them. And the book's soft grey endpapers contrast with the hard metallic silver on the page edges. Nice.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/raven_girl_book_zps84ecc0c7-8b3377c731.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAudrey's achieved beautiful textures and muted colours with her etchings. Here's the nest where Raven Girl is born. There's also another great picture of a nest she builds in her university dorm room, which convinces her party-girl roommate that she's a right weirdo. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/raven_girl_book_nest_zps3386eaaf-aa28cea6f3.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAudrey e-mailed me a photo of this page awhile ago and the lovely nest pattern inspired me to do this drawing:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/506300.html\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/raven_head2-775b853318.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nIt's so fun making interpretations of Audrey's work, hers is so different than mine. My work tends to be rather big and robust (like me, I guess), and both the characters in Audrey's work and her pictures tend to be delicate, fragile, cautious and, well, bird-like. The bird theme pops up loads of places in her work, and the ending of this story isn't so different to the end of \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/301205.html\">\u003Ci>Her Fearful Symmetry\u003C/i>\u003C/a>, but she arrives at it by a very different route.\\r\n\\r\nYou can read an indepth interview with Audrey about the \u003Ci>Raven Girl\u003C/i> book and ballet adaptation by \u003Ca href=\"http://hayleycampbell.com/\">Hayley Campbell\u003C/a> over on \u003Ci>The New Statesman\u003C/i>. \u003Ca href=\"http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2013/04/how-audrey-niffenegger-ended-writing-ballet\">Go on, have a read!\u003C/a> \\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2013/04/how-audrey-niffenegger-ended-writing-ballet\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/hayley_ravengirlinterview_zps29dc0e18-2e16a9e378.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nAnd here's Hayley herself, with Audrey and Hayley's boyfriend, Joel. You can't follow Audrey on Twitter, but Hayley's \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/hayleycampbelly\">@hayleycampbelly\u003C/a> and Joel is \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/joelgolby\">@joelgolby\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/audrey_hayley_joel_zps7cbdc5f8-d193f13ea0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nSpeaking of publisher Jonathan Cape, a big congrats to \u003Ca href=\"http://www.stephencollinsillustration.com/\">Stephen Collins\u003C/a>, who had his book with them, \u003Ci>\u003Cb>The Gigantic Beard that Was Evil\u003C/i>\u003C/b>, launch this week! You can get some great previews \u003Ca href=\"http://rhwidget.randomhouse.co.uk/flash-widget/widget_lg.do?mode=1&menu=0&cf=FFFFFF&cb=000000&isbn=9780224096287\">here on the website\u003C/a>. I absolutely love his comics work, they're my favourite thing about \u003Ci>The Guardian\u003C/i>. And you can get a special bookplate edition at \u003Ca href=\"http://www.goshlondon.com/2013/04/the-gigantic-beard-that-was-evil-launch-party/\">Gosh! Comics\u003C/a> in Soho, but I really shouldn't be telling you this because I don't have mine yet. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://rhwidget.randomhouse.co.uk/flash-widget/widget_lg.do?mode=1&menu=0&cf=FFFFFF&cb=000000&isbn=9780224096287\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/stephen_collins_beard_zps12858d59-5802d2dc5c.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nAnd while we're talking graphic novels, I'm doing a talk next week (Wed, 22 May, 7pm) at the first-ever meeting of \u003Cb>Laydeez Do Comics in Dublin\u003C/b>, so if you're around, do come along! \u003Ca href=\"http://ldcdublin.wordpress.com/\">Details here\u003C/a>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://ldcdublin.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/inaugural-meeting/\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/laydeez_zps4f129c58-5ccdb305fa.gif\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nI'm talking with \u003Ca href=\"http://alannolan.ie/\">Alan Nolan\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.maeveclancy.com/\">Maeve Clancy\u003C/a>, and I haven't met Alan yet (although we're also speaking together at the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.childrensbooksireland.ie/conference-and-events/\">Children's Books Ireland Conference\u003C/a>), but I'm a big fan of Maeve's work. Have you seen her music videos with Lisa Hannigan? They're ace: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"2378\"/> \u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"http://vimeo.com/2814124\">Lisa Hannigan - Lille\u003C/a> from \u003Ca href=\"http://vimeo.com/user1005122\">ATO Records\u003C/a> on \u003Ca href=\"http://vimeo.com\">Vimeo\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"2379\"/> \u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"http://vimeo.com/3823991\">I Don't Know\u003C/a> from \u003Ca href=\"http://vimeo.com/user1005122\">ATO Records\u003C/a> on \u003Ca href=\"http://vimeo.com\">Vimeo\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\\r\nAnd one more thing: \u003Ca href=\"http://www.moohara.co.uk/\">Mo O'Hara\u003C/a> is speaking at a \u003Cb>Museums at Night event at London's Cartoon Museum on Sat, 18 May, 6:30pm.\u003C/b> Come here her talk about her funny book \u003Ci>\u003Cb>My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish\u003C/i>\u003C/b>! Mo also does standup comedy (as Maureen Oakley); I went to see her perform at the Edinburgh Festival and she had me in stitches. \u003Ca href=\"http://www.cartoonmuseumshop.org/museums-at-night-event-mo-ohara.ir?cName=museum-events-museum-evening-talks-museums-at-night\">Book your £3 tickets here!\u003C/a> You can follow Mo on Twitter at \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Mo_OHara\">@Mo_OHara\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.cartoonmuseumshop.org/museums-at-night-event-mo-ohara.ir?cName=museum-events-museum-evening-talks-museums-at-night\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/mo_ohara_zombie_zps1602e638-75bb22a9fb.jpg\">\u003C/a>","2013-05-12T22:11:00.000Z","raven-girl-fan-art",[],"raven girl fan art",1776628725129]