BBC Primary History WW1

As part of the commemoration of one hundred years from the start of World War One, I recently completed a lot  illustrations for the BBC Primary History website. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be posting a selection of them on my blog - starting off with some famous characters from the period. The work can be seen on the BBC website HERE



 

Edith Cavell Before The War.

Edith Cavell During The War.

Sgt Stubby Before The War

Stg Stubby After The War

Walter Tull Before The War

Walter Tull During The War

Woman's Weekly

Three Images for Woman's Weekly Magazine, for a story set on the Derbyshire moorlands.

Big Giant, Little Bear

It has taken a while to post this work - I think I completed it at the end of 2012. I was waiting for the book to be published, but I believe it is out there now.  Big Giant, Little Bear - two folk tales from the Arctic retold by Rosalind Kerven. This was a particularly enjoyable job, the client wanted a very limited colour palette which is unusual for a children's book.

CD Artwork.

I have designed the artwork and contributed a track to the the 3rd 'Music and Migration' compilation on Second Language records, all profits will go to BirdLife International.

It can be bought from HERE

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Way back in 2010, Second Language released a compilation album called Music and Migration, which proffered exclusive sonic wares by artists including Vashti Bunyan, Xela, Hauschka, Leyland Kirby and Peter Broderick. Themed around issues of avian migration, and the many man-made threats to international ‘flyways’ as highlighted by the nature conservation organization, BirdLife International’s Born to Travel campaign, the album proved to be both an artistic and critical ‘hit’, selling out its limited edition almost immediately.

Encouraged by its success, Second Language went on to release a second volume in 2011, the aptly-titled, Music and Migration II, this time in support of BirdLife Malta and their efforts to secure avian migratory routes across the islands. Artists included Marissa Nadler, Piano Magic, Sophie Hutchings and James Brewster.
The third and final instalment in the Music & Migration series Music & Migration III congratulates BirdLife International on their 20th Anniversary and particularly celebrates their important global work for migratory birds. M&MIII has a no less stellar cast, including as it does, exclusive contributions from eminent field recordist Chris Watson, Mark Fry, Colleen, Morr Music label mates ISAN and Pascal Pinon, Lisa Knapp, Memory Drawings, Frances Castle, Oliver Cherer (Dollboy), Gareth Dickson, acid-folk doyenne Sharron Kraus, Directorsound and Glen Johnson (Piano Magic).
'Music & Migration III' comes packaged as a 6 panel concertina sleeve beautifully illustrated by Frances Castle of Clay Pipe Records/The Hardy Tree.

Included with M&MIII is a free bonus disc, Mizieb EP, by The Home Current featuring remixes of Theme From Mizieb (originally released on M&MII) by the likes of The Boats, Opiate, Chronomad, El Búho and Blood On The Snare (Jerome Tcherneyan of Piano Magic). Two original tracks complete the set - Fiddien Torchlight Procession (feat. Anna Rose Carter) and A Case Of Domestic Violins (feat. Sarah Kemp of brave timbers/Lanterns On The Lake).
Even when the music stops, migratory birds will still face threats along their routes of travel. Find out how you can help here: www.birdlife.org
Tracklisting :

1. ISAN - Kirkeskov
2. Colleen - Bird Score
3. Frances Castle - Flight Of The Swans
4. Oliver Cherer - Croham Hurst
5. Directorsound - Is That The Heron?
6. Mark Fry - In Times Like These
7. Memory Drawings - Wheatfields
8. Glen Johnson - L'abandon
9. Pascal Pinon - Fuglar
10. Sharron Kraus - Birds Of The Air
11. Gareth Dickson - Amber Sky
12. Lisa Knapp - Fine Horseman
13. Chris Watson - Namaqua Moves

Shapwick Owl Prints

I now have some Risograph prints based on the owl on the back of Jon Brooks Shapwick LP available. These were printed at Dalstons Ditto Press and are limited to 50 copies, on 300mg A3 Munchen off white paper, numbered and signed by myself. You can buy them from the Clay Pipe Music Shop.

£20 + P&P BUY

Jon Brooks 'Shapwick'

I started my CD label, Clay Pipe Music a couple of years ago as a way to experiment with my illustration and try out some printing. (I have handmade most of the releases).  Since then interest in the label has really grown, with support from Jarvis Cocker and Stuart Maconie on radio 6, reviews in the music press, and general all round enthusiasm for the label - with CDs often selling out within hours. On Monday my first release on vinyl 'Shapwick' by Jon Brooks will be available to pre-order. from the Clay Pipe Music website.

New Website New Work

I have a brand new website at www.francescastle.com I'm hoping the new simplified design will make it much easier for me to update. The old address at www.smallmoonvalley.com still works so no need to change your bookmarks.

The image below is a mock up of a book cover I have recently finished for publishers Simon & Schuster. The book by C J Flood is about the summer that changed one girl's life, it due out in Febuary and can be ordered here

Prints

Risograph prints based on the artwork I did for Darren Haymans Lido. These prints were on display in Rough Trade East. They were made in small editions of between 7 to 10 copies of each print, signed and numbered. I also have one framed copy available of each print - these have been professionally framed in oak frames.

Unframed £20 / Framed £75 

Available in the Clay Pipe Music SHOP 

Edinburgh Book Festival

I was recently commissioned by 999 Design for Guardian Books to create illuminated letters for the Edinburgh International Book Festival I had to come up for a concept for each genre, using an illustrated quote by a famous author; Alexander McCall Smith for crime, Mark Haddon for children’s, Hilary Mantel for historical fiction and Jasper Fforde for fantasy. The finished images  appeared on deckchairs, canvas bags, stickers, beer mats and book plates.

Photos by Caroline Thomson, Arena Illustration.

The images and quotes on deck chairs at the Edinburgh Book Festival.

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 Here are two more CDs released on my little CD label Clay Pipe Music, the first one by GP Hall came out earlier this month. The second 'Lido' by Darren Hayman will be out on the 3rd September. There will also be a small exhibition of the artwork at Rough Trade East, Dray Walk, Old Truman Brewery, London E1 6QU (off Brick Lane) The album has 14 tracks each dedicated to a Lido (outdoor swimming pool) in the UK. The CD comes with a booklet, in which Darren has drawn a picture of each Lido on the CD and I designed,  illustrated and Gocco printed  the cover. Work from both of us will be on display.

The exhibition runs from 3rd-13th Sept 2012 with a special in store  performance from Darren Hayman on 3rd September from 7pm.

Space Saver

Last year I worked on this book called Space Saver by Kate Agnew. It is a story about a little boy who goes into space to bring back a stranded space buggy. It is published by Egmont, and is available buy now.

Tyneham House

Tyneham House the next CD on my little label 'Claypipe Music' is now available. This was a joint project with another label 'Second Language' and the CD can be ordered from their website rather than mine.

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The small village of Tyneham, on the beautiful Isle of Purbeck, in Dorset, was once a thriving little community – that is until the British Government requisitioned it for training manoeuvres and other ‘strategic purposes’ in the run up to WWII. This was supposed to be a temporary measure, but the area remained in military possession long after hostilities had ceased, causing distress among former inhabitants, many of whom were farmed out to prefabs in nearby Wareham and Swanage.

Tyneham was characterised by its red telephone box, a tiny parade of shops – Post Office Row – and a grand country pile which stood about half a mile away from the village: Tyneham House. The army removed the building’s oak panelling and ornate decorative details and promptly set about using it for target practice. So great was the shame expressed locally about the damage inflicted upon one of Dorset’s grandest houses that the powers that be decided to grow a copse around the remains of the structure to give the impression that it was no longer there. Despite this, a substantial part of the structure remains intact, including its Saxon hall.

Land access around Tyneham was opened up in the 1970s, but admission to the house remains strictly verboten. Those who’ve been found around the premises, especially anyone wielding a camera, have felt the full weight of military trespass law. Tyneham today is regarded as a nature reserve by some – as a national embarrassment by others. It’s still a political hot potato, in Dorset at least.

The pastoral, wistful yet ineffably disquieting music of Tyneham House is made by artists who have previously graced Second Language releases, but who wish to remain anonymous here, save for their eponymous title. The musicians are happy, however, to let it be known that these recordings have been around for some years (many of them compiled from old cassettes) and that they take inspiration from the 1960s/’70s/’80s work of the Children’s Film Foundation – a body who really ought to have made a film about this mysterious West Country curio. At least now we have its endlessly poignant soundtrack.

'Tyneham House' is a joint release between the London-based independent labels, Second Language and Clay Pipe Music. This 14 track CD album comes packaged in a Gocco-printed card box with booklet and cassette tape of bonus material (18+ minutes) - all beautifully illustrated throughout by award winning artist Frances Castle of Clay Pipe Music.

This is SL015/Pipe003. Limited to 300 copies only.

Tracklisting (CD) :

• A Chalk Horse
• Rookery Wood
• Coppice Walk
• Binoculars
• Bletchingley
• Post Office Row
• The Crows Circle
• Winter Carriage
• The Ragged Cat
• I Shall Not Cross The Sleeping Hill
• The Porch Room
• Saxon Chapel
• Last Village Before The Sea
• Lit Room At Midnight

Tracklisting (Cassette) :

A: A School Holiday, 1977
B: May Day, 1981

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas ! I promise to post more updates next year - its been a busy year for me and my blog has suffered.

Multiplied at Christies

I have some of my Gocco prints and Clay Pipe CDs on display at Multiplied at Christies, over this weekend. My friend Christina Lamb of Printed Wonders has brought together four artists who use Print Gocco , also included in the show are Karoline Rerrie and John Dilnot.