I was delighted to be asked by Penguin Random House to create new cover artwork for a special hardback gift edition of The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. The dauntless young witch Tiffany Aching is one of my favourite Discworld characters so it was a real joy to revisit this story.
I have also illustrated exclusive new endpages for this book and a new rendition of Nac Mac Feegle Rob Anybody for the back cover, in addition to my original chapter headings.
Publication Date: 27.4.2017
The Salisbury Museum, The Estate of Sir Terry Pratchett & myself, Paul Kidby, are proud to be bringing this unique exhibition to the Museum in September 2017. Follow the extraordinary life of Terry Pratchett and his journey to becoming one of our best loved writers.
The exhibition will include some of Terry’s own drawings and possessions and over forty of my original Discworld original illustrations.
September 16th 2017 – January 13th 2018.
http://www.salisburymuseum.org.uk
Back in 2015 a campaign was launched for the creation of a Terry Pratchett Memorial Statue and I was honoured to be put forward as the sculptor of choice to create it. Following a meeting at the Guildhall, Salisbury Council approved the proposal for the statue to be sited within the city, (exact location as yet undecided).
A hiatus from this project followed whilst I produced the line art for The Discworld Colouring Book but by August my deadlines were met and I was ready to get my sculpting tools out.
To create a large scale piece of public art is a great responsibility. To do Terry justice I must finely balance his public persona and private self by ensuring that I honour him not only as an extraordinary writer whose books delighted readers around the world but also on a more personal level to those who knew him as a friend, beloved husband and father.
My first step in this process has been to create a head and shoulders bust, 40 cm high. This has enabled me to focus primarily on facial features and expression to capture a bearing that I feel best represents him as we all remember. Only when I was happy with his physical appearance did I turn my attention to making his glasses (four or five days of fiddling and swearing) and trademark hat. It was a great help to have both of these precious objects, and his well worn leather jacket, to use as direct reference, thank you to Rob Wilkins and Lyn Pratchett for lending them to me.
I am now in the final stages of creating this sculpture and will be carefully driving it to the foundry for bronze casting very soon. The bust will be available as a limited edition of twelve for dedicated collectors but most importantly it will be a valuable model and working maquette for the full sized statue and a vital first step in the creative process of this very important commission.
I have recently been interviewed by Alison Flood from the Guardian. We chatted about my early career and how I came to illustrate for Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. You can read it here:
To celebrate the publication of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Colouring Book, publishers Gollancz have launched a colouring competition.
The prize is to win a page from the book hand coloured by Mr Paul Kidby, (yours truly).
Closing date September 12th.
All the details can be found here:
http://www.gollancz.co.uk/2016/08/terry-pratchetts-discworld-colouring-book-competition
Good luck!
Publishers Gollancz have announced the publication of the Artist’s Edition of the Discworld Colouring book which has my new cover artwork.
Gollancz say:
We’re hugely excited about the imminent publication of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Colouring Book! We’ve got copies in the office and it looks fantastic – sure to be a hit with Discworld fans keen to add a touch of their own creativity to Paul Kidby’s wonderful art. It’s that art that sets this colouring book apart from the rest – what other colouring book is full of drawings by an artist world-renowned for illustrating the subject at hand?
Those of you who are fans of Paul’s art will also know that he’s a perfectionist, and as such, he was keen to introduce more of the artistic experience to these drawings. So, when he suggested we produce an Artist’s Edition to enable selected drawings to be coloured, detached and framed, we jumped at the chance.
As Paul says in his introduction to the book:
I had a wonderful time preparing the artwork for Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Colouring Book. Now, in this special Artist’s Edition I have selected some of my favourite pieces: witches, wizards, dragons and Feegles – all carefully re-drafted as line art for colouring, on thicker artist’s board, and specially bound so as to be detachable for framing or putting on your wall.
Have fun with your pens, pencils and brushes – I hope a little splash of Octarine, Terry’s colour of magic and the pigment of the imagination, glows from your finished pages.
The Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Colouring Book Artist’s Edition will be published on 3rdNovember – so you’ve plenty of time to stock up on pens, paints and pencils!
A magical exhibition of work by an internationally-celebrated group of Dartmoor mythic artists.
Walking ‘widdershins’ (counter-clockwise) is a traditional path into the Faerie Realm. Visit Green Hill Arts this summer and let them show you the way…
This exhibition features work by mythic artists who live on Dartmoor, (or further afield in the case of myself), but whose paintings, sculptures, books, and films are known far beyond – including Alan Lee (Lord of the Rings) and Brian & Wendy Froud (Labyrinth) and fellow illustrator David Wyatt. I am delighted to include my bronzes and Charmed Realm artworks in the line up.
The art in this show explores local legends, world myth, folklore, and faery tales in diverse, surprising ways – ranging from earthy to ethereal, from sensual to spiritual, from frightening to whimsical…shaped into paintings, sculptures, assemblages, magical clocks, handbound books and more.
If you are in the Devon area do take the time to visit this eclectic show.
Greenhill Arts, Moretonhampstead, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ13 8LL.
Show runs until Saturday August 27th.
Photographs of Twigg & Celeste (c) David Wyatt 2016.
On the 14th of April the family, friends and fans of Sir Terry Pratchett came together at the Barbican Centre, London, to celebrate the life and works of the prolific and much loved author who sadly passed away in March 2015.
It was a heartwarming occasion, both poignant and laughter-filled, it was a pleasure to remember him in the company of so many who miss him and to listen to the wonderful spoken and musical tributes.
I was honoured to be one of the twelve ‘Order of the Honeybee’ to be presented, at Terry’s request, with a very special gold bee pin; as a group we are entrusted to ensure the safe future of Terry’s creation. I will endeavour to always give my artistic best to Discworld and hope that Terry would feel that the future illustrations for his wonderful world are in safe hands.
My thanks to Rob Wilkins who hosted and organised this special evening.
I am currently busy creating new line work drawings of some of my favourite Discworld illustrations including Vimes, Granny Weatherwax, the Nac Mac Feegles and DEATH for the Discworld Colouring Book which will be published on August 11th 2016.
You can read the Gollancz press release here:
I am delighted that Salisbury City Council has given the thumbs up to the proposal of a bronze statue of Sir Terry Pratchett for the city. Designs and plans can now progress to the next stage. I am proud to be the chosen artist to create this piece and very much look forward to sculpting Terry. I hope the end result will be an unsentimental and a happy depiction of the author, which celebrates his achievements both literary and philanthropic and brings pride to the people of Salisbury.
Thanks to Emily Brand for getting the campaign up and running and to all the 9000+ (and counting) people who signed the petition calling for the sculpture to be made. If you haven’t yet signed and would like to back the project here’s the link:
