The Good Ship Illustration is heading to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in April (exciting!), and afterwards my niece Holly and I are staying on for a proper Italian adventure.
This is where I need your help: where should we go?
I’ve done Bologna plenty of times, and I’ve ticked off Venice, Milan, and Cinque Terre over the years—but we’re keen to explore some new places this time around.
We’ve already booked a train to Verona because Holly wants to visit Juliet’s house. Yes, I know, Juliet wasn’t real! But there’s a museum and Holly thinks it’s funny, so I am 100% on board for the folly of it all. We’ve also sorted a few nights in Naples so we can do a day trip to Pompeii.
But what else? Where should we NOT MISS?
I hear Florence is pretty. Have you stayed there? Any hotel/ accommodation recommendations?
Let me know your favourite Italian spots: any hidden gems, must-see places, funny wee museums, that little trattoria you still dream about. We want all your tips!
We made drawings by taking a line for a walk, starting at the edge of the paper, travelling all around the still life, and ending at the opposite edge of the paper.
Then we changed pen colour and did the same again. And again. And sometimes top to bottom. The results were amazing! The drawings are semi abstract and the lines are full of energy and purpose. I am going to try this type of drawing in my sketchbook when we visit Italy. I will call them spaghetti drawings! Ha!
If you missed Art Club - here it is:
The pre-sales for Salty Dog are looking really good - and we’ve had some very exciting (but top-secret-for-now!) news that’s going to be brilliant for the book. More on that soon, I promise!
If you’ve already ordered your copy, thank you so much. And don’t forget you get the FREE Picture Book Masterclass as a wee thank-you gift.
FREE pre-order Masterclass here
Katie Chappell and I share the whole story of how we wrote Salty Dog together. All the behind-the-scenes bits about our collaboration. If you’ve ever fancied writing stories with a pal, we spill all the secrets.
Spoiler: it involves 2 laptops, 1 Google doc, and a lot of chatting and laughing.
TV I am enjoying this week:
Small Prophets - Comedy sitcom showing on BBC2
‘The magical and the mundane unfolds in a suburban shed as a lonely man stumbles into the supernatural. A weird and wonderful world from Mackenzie Crook, starring Michael Palin.’
(Look out for the bit about the buckets in episode 2)
Bye for now! Let me know the where Holly and I should visit in Italy. How’s your Sunday going?
Love Helen x
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