Tam O' Shanter: new artists book

I am finally able to share images from a recently completed book art project that was started long before the pandemic, a wordless paper-cut leporello book of Robert Burns' epic poem Tam O' Shanter -

The poem follows the misadventures of farmer Tam on his way home from another night in the pub and a chance encounter with a coven of witches and warlocks along the way...  

I felt that the supernatural subject matter of the poem lent itself very well to being re-told in this format, especially the chase scene, and the artwork focuses almost exclusively on the journey home from the tavern...

 

 

 

 

During the first lockdown in March 2020, I began working in a much slower way: instead of working with a combination of hand-drawn line images and Photoshop, I took the time to hand paint the entire piece.  The end result of this way of working meant that there was much more of a connection between the original ink artwork and the final cut-out piece.

 

This version of Tam O' Shanter is in an open edition, however each copy will have its own unique number.  It's my intention to create a limited edition version next year.
 

Tam O' Shanter will be available to purchase from my online shop from 
5pm on Sunday 21st November 2021

You can visit the online shop at
https://joannarobsonillustration.bigcartel.com/

 

 

 

 

Thank you for looking!

New book art coming soon...

More information and images coming soon!

Wedding anniversary lasercut

This was a recent private commission for a first wedding anniversary.  The lasercut had to depict the wedding location - Prestonfield House stables in Edinburgh - as well as moments from the day itself.

Scroll down to see some of the finished images below!

Short video of Nylmah

Many photos of my lasercut book Nylmah have been shared on this blog and across other social media platforms, but a few days ago I decided to make and upload a short video of it too.  Designing this book marked a departure from the work I'd done prior to this, as you can see below in the video below - enjoy!

If this video doesn't play in your browser or isn't working for any other reason, then you can find it on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPUVK2tO66Y.

Work in progress: something wicked this way comes...

Here is some work in progress of a new laser-cut artists' book, which won't be finished for a little while yet. Perhaps some of you can already tell which story this is based on by the clues in this photograph...

Once the edits have been finished I'll begin making an edition, with copies available to purchase this Autumn.  

If you would like to be among the first to see new artwork from me (including the final images of this new piece), then do add your email address to my mailing list at https://bigcartel.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=e89fc5b3e135c7a4021010835&id=4b3010f94b

Thanks for reading!  

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...

A walk through A Midsummer Night's Dream

For those who didn't get to see the largest concertina book I've ever created at McNaughtan's Bookshop and Gallery in Edinburgh last summer, here's a short one minute video of it from beginning to end:

A higher resolution of this video is available at https://vimeo.com/202385480.

Only seven copies of this book will be made (eight including the display copy featured in this video).

Each copy in the edition is priced at £1,950.

There are just five copies are currently available.  If you are interested in purchasing one of them, or would like to ask any questions about it, please contact me through http://joannarobsonillustration.bigcartel.com/contact

I hope you enjoy this short video and thank you for looking!

The Six Swans - pt 2

Hooray! This side project is finally finished and copies are now available.  Here are some of the great new promo photos taken last weekend - 

The Six Swans is a laser-cut paper sculpture, made from a single sheet of folded black paper.  It's inspired by a Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the same name (and a story that scared me as a kid).  The fairy tale tells of the plight of six princes, who are turned in to swans by their wicked stepmother.  Their only hope for the curse being lifted is if their sister can produce six shirts for them sewn from nettles.  She must also keep a vow of silence for seven years, or else her brothers must remain swans forever.

This piece of work is a bit of a departure from the laser cut work that I usually do, but it was great to try out this idea.  I wanted to create more of a 3D effect with the cut-outs, so the action is less confined and can jump out of the folds, but still wanted to continue using only one single sheet of paper as the basis for the work.

The Six Swans are in an edition of fifty and are available to purchase online now at http://joannarobsonillustration.bigcartel.com/

The Six Swans

Here's the prototype of a new laser cut piece I've been working on recently:

height - 28cm; width - approx. 25cm

Even as I was designing it, I knew that there were going to be problems ahead with the structure, and it took many revisions on the laser cutter before finally it looked like it was strong enough to be folded up and to stand by itself.

There's only the packaging to finish, and then a small edition of them will be available to purchase very soon!

Watch this space....