Another of Ruth’s collection – I promise I will get back to the restoration of covers soon. This is so nice, I was almost tempted to make this my blog entry for Christmas, but I’m sticking to plan A, and give you one of my all-time favourite covers.
Image from the collection of Ruth – Founder member 1487 – Restored S. Hassan Oct 2008
…you might want to think again! This is another image from Ruth’s collection. These wonderful one colour pictures were printed on the envelopes that contained the precious copies of Puffin Post when they landed on your doormat. It certainly left you in no doubt as to what had arrived.
As always, these were drawn by Jill McDonald. Having now seen some examples of Jill’s original work, I have begun to get an idea of how she worked. All of the beautiful line drawings that appeared in Puffin Post appear to have been drawn without guide pencil lines and drafted straight onto what looks like layout paper. Those of you with a background in old fashioned graphic art will know what that means! However she worked, I have yet to find a piece of her work that isn’t beautifully proportioned and carefully considered.
Thanks Jill!
Image from the collection of Ruth – Founder member 1487 – Restored S. Hassan Oct 2008
Dear Blog readers, I am so pleased to say that one of you has been in touch with me and very kindly sent a set of scans from her beautifully preserved collection. Ruth has kept some unbelievably rare items – I hope I will be able to share them with you after I have lavished care and attention on their digital restoration.
What a nice way to start the October posts!
Here is the cover from the 1969 Puffin Readers Diary – Thank you Ruth!
From the collection of Ruth – Founder Member 1487
Dear Blog reader, I must apologise for the lack of posting for the last week – it really has been a bit busy. What I can promise you is a Halloween special with some of my favourite Autumn covers. In the mean time, please enjoy a lovely throwaway decoration that festooned the walls and ceilings of the Commonwealth Institute at the Puffin Exhibition.
At the end of the show I saw them being pulled off the walls and stuffed into rubbish bins. This horrified me, even at a tender age, and I asked Kaye Webb if I could take one home. The pink one lived blu-tacked to my wall until it found its way to the safety of my portfolio – as far as I know it’s the only one left.
Well, I finally did it! I mentioned in my earlier blog entry that I would attempt to tun my Moleskine sketchbook into a Thinkbook – It worked! This is my old Thinkbook from 1979 with the new improved model of 2008. Now my kids are bugging me for one as well! Talk about making a rod for my own back!
Those of you keeping up with events will recognise this image – the new Puffin Post has snipped Jills artwork out of this and updated the background. I must admit I have a soft spot for decoupage, and 1968 was a very good year for it on the covers of Puffin Post.
Those of you keeping up with events will recognise this image – the new Puffin Post has snipped Jills artwork out of this and updated the background. I must admit I have a soft spot for decoupage, and 1968 was a very good year for it on the covers of Puffin Post.
Yes indeedy, it’s one of the few autographs I have bothered to get in my life – and it’s a good one! This is one of three autographs I got from Kaye Webb – The other ones are in ‘The Puffin Joke Book’ and ‘I Like this Poem’. You can see this image used again in one of my earlier postings used as the cover of the ‘The most gigantic tiny notebook in the world’ (a new version of which will be included in the new club members pack – not by Jill McDonald though!)
Yes indeedy, it’s one of the few autographs I have bothered to get in my life – and it’s a good one! This is one of three autographs I got from Kaye Webb – The other ones are in ‘The Puffin Joke Book’ and ‘I Like this Poem’. You can see this image used again in one of my earlier postings used as the cover of the ‘The most gigantic tiny notebook in the world’ (a new version of which will be included in the new club members pack – not by Jill McDonald though!)
Goodness! What’s got into me, more than one post in a week! This was a lovely rubber stamp that I vaguely remember being stamped onto the back of the hand of visitors to the 12th exhibition. I asked nicely if I could have one stamped into my Puffin Thinkbook – and I got it!
This was one of a whole set of Jill McDonald designs that appeared on button badges that were also doled out – yes, you guessed it, I’m going to post these as well.