Baby Massage // Concept Illustrations in Line & Watercolour

Earlier this year I was asked to provide some conceptual illustrations suitable for a guide to baby massage. The style direction was influenced by simple lines and subtle touches of colour. This was a very different subject for me to work with, but I enjoyed the challenge of something new.

The first piece was quite close to my usual way of working or 'style', with most of the image having some colour as well as paint splats. In the following pieces, the colours became increasingly subtle, with most of the illustration becoming line drawing - much more suited to simple and elegant step-by-step instructions.

Following the first design, I was asked to show more detail in the baby's face, and reduce the saturation:

Artwork (C) Amy Holliday 2019

www.amyholliday.co.uk

The Little Book of Bees // Educational Book Illustrations

I am super excited to share my work for The Little Book of Bees - An Illustrated Guide to the Extraordinary Lives of Bees. Over a number of months, I worked closely with the lovely Hilary Kearney (aka Girl Next Door Honey) and a certain truly amazing editor at HarperCollins, to create altogether around 70 individual illustrations, depicting many species of bees, life cycles and behaviours, bee-friendly flowers, honey, bee keeping equipment and more. The book was published in August earlier this year. 

I am proud to have worked on such a wonderful project. The overall look and feel of the book is a style which I hope to go on to produce more of in future nature-related artwork.  

"Bees continue to fascinate and charm us all – from novice gardeners and nature-lovers to dedicated environmentalists – and today, bees need our help more than ever. Discover the story of these incredible creatures, with The Little Book of Bees.

Bees first appeared on Earth an incredible 130 million years ago. Since the time of the dinosaurs, evolution has taken our beloved bees on an incredible journey – and today, there are 20,000 species on the planet. 

The Little Book of Bees is a lovely, informative book of all things bee - from evolution and communication, to honey, beekeeping, and saving the bees - all in a beautifully illustrated gift book. Perfect for apiarists, Queen Bees, nature-lovers and bee enthusiasts everywhere."

My artwork is used to illustrate the entire book from cover to cover; something I am truly proud of. The layout designer at HarperCollins did a wonderful job placing the artwork and making everything 'fit' together perfectly.

'Bees' is available in all major bookstores across the UK and US. 

I am also selling signed copies in my Etsy shop - available here.

And a selection of fine art prints featuring artwork from the book. 

Girl Next Door Honey (C) Hilary Kearney

www.girlnextdoorhoney.com

Artwork (C) Amy Holliday 2019

www.amyholliday.co.uk

Book Cover Illustration // "Cook Healthy & Quick" by DK Publishing

This week I received a wonderful surprise in the mail from the lovely team at DK publishing. Back in August I was asked to illustrate a pair of fitting ingredients for the cover of their new book "Cook Healthy & Quick". The only request was that the paintings were soft so that they wouldn't overpower the photography. I actually finished four pea pods in varying ways so that they could choose their favourite. This was my first time working for Dorling Kindersley and they were lovely to work with. 

Seeing my work on the finished book cover is fantastic, and I'm incredibly pleased with the results!

My lemon illustration was also used in its entirety on the reverse side of the jacket.

  The book is a new release this month (January 2016) and is packed full of excellent healthy recipes.

Images and artwork (C) Amy Holliday 2016

To see more of my work visit www.amyholliday.co.uk