The Astrologer Kings

Above and below is some artwork I have recently finished and would like to share here.  These images have been in the pipeline for a while now and after some thought and a bit of experimentation, I have decided to reproduce them as limited edition risograph prints.

Scroll down to see the collection!

All of these images have been inspired by reading The Errant Astrologers by Felipe Benitez Reyes.  They are illustrations that I have been working on intermittently and have only recently got round to making risograph prints out of many of them.  

The play is rich with nonsensical imagery: three astrologer monarchs from different kingdoms find themselves lost together in a desert at night, while trying to follow the same star.  It's a text with themes in it that I find myself returning to a lot in my artwork.  

All featured prints are available through my online store at the link below:

https://joannarobsonillustration.bigcartel.com

Thank you for reading!  
You can see more regular updates of my work over on my Instagram account at instagram.com/joannakrobson.

The Misadventures of John Nicholson

Over the past couple of months I've been working on a set of illustrations for Typewronger Books for a republication of one of Robert Louis Stevenson's short stories, The Misadventures of John Nicholson.  Set in Victorian Edinburgh, it tells the story of the ill-fated John Nicholson, a son of a well-to-do family in Edinburgh's New Town.  From Typewronger's event page on Facebook: 

This was originally published as part of a collection of Stevenson's work after his death and we think it deserves more notice!  The Misadventures involves embezzlement, a mugging on Calton hill, an illegal drinking establishment, a murder & a comedy cabby... Our edition includes an introduction by Jeremy Hodges and five new illustrations by Joanna Robson.

Out anti-hero is on his own after dark on Edinburgh's Calton Hill, unaware of the immediate dangers...

For more information visit Typewronger Books page at www.typewronger.com or find them on Instagram at instagram.com/typewronger.

And if you find yourself in Edinburgh, then you can always call in at the shop at 4a Haddington Place!  It's at the top of Leith Walk on the right as you walk towards the city centre.

Typewronger Books, Edinburgh

Typewronger Books commission

This was a commission for Typewronger Books, a new bookshop that opened in Edinburgh yesterday and is currently operating out of the police box on Leith Walk (Croall Place).  I was asked to produce two illustrations for a double-sided bookmark, which will also work as a business card for the shop.

Even though I was given barely any time to create the image and the design, I'm happy with the way that it turned out.  Here are a couple of pictures of the finished piece and also a picture from the opening yesterday too -

Typewronger Books is open every Sunday on Leith Walk in Edinburgh from 11 until 6pm!  

For more information on Typewronger Books please visit their website at www.typewronger.com or their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/typewronger

Inktober 2017

Last month I took part in Inktober, an annual challenge where participants must produce one ink drawing a day and share it on social media with the hashtag #inktober.  Unfortunately I couldn't upload new work every day of the month, but it was a great exercise to try.  I'd definitely recommend it to anyone with a project in the wings that you need an incentive to work on.  

I used the challenge to develop some thumbnails I'd already been producing for a project which has been in the pipeline for a long time.  Below and above are some examples of this - hopefully I'll have time in the new year to work on these and develop them more!

More images can be found on my Instagram account at www.instagram.com/joannakrobson

Work in progress

This is a current work in progress which was on my table at Edinburgh Fruitmarket's Artists book market earlier on this year.

It's still unfinished, as I've been busy editioning lots of other work recently.  Either the etching plate may get aquatinted to give it more depth, or the whole thing will need to get re-designed.  While I'm trying to decide what would be best for this piece, I thought I'd share a few photos of it here for now...

New greetings cards

A georgian hen night

In light of the surprise success of these cards, replacements have been ordered and will be available to purchase online soon.  The original Valentine's Day inspired illustrations have been given a bit of colour and another design has been added too - 

inside: '...costly and unmanageable.'

New work on the way...

This tiny sketch is a little taster of a big project I'm doing for next year.  It makes for a welcome change from all the black, laser-cut gothic stories I've done previously, however this time the challenge is even more massive...  More photos and images later on will reveal why.

February Fourteenth

Two of the four cartoon cards about to go to print in time for Valentine's Day next weekend...  Message me if you are interested in having one - 

new logo

Meanwhile...

...away from all the book art and laser cutting, here are some other things I've been working on over the last little while.  Apart from a couple of images, they're all sketchbook drawings, drawn either from life or from memory.

Souper Saturday postcard auction

departure lounge

departing loungers