Poetry Posters!

As mentioned in my previous blog entry, I recently completed a commission for the Poetry Society, producing two posters to be sold as part of an education pack to schools around the UK.

I’ve done a few collaborations in the past with my brother on some his poetry based projects, so creating illustrations designed to complement poems was something I’ve had moderate experience in, all be it at an amateur level.

I completed accompanying illustrations for two poems – the first was ‘The Night Crow’ by Sujata Bhatt. The second was ‘Introduction To Poetry’ by Billy Collins (whom I’m told is one of the most well known poets in America!).

‘The Night Crow’ was full of imagery that lends itself particularly well to visual mediums, so my illustration was a very literal translation of the poem. My first rough received instant approval from the client, so the transition through to final artwork was a painless process:


Leaving me with the second poem – ‘Introduction To Poetry’. Buoyed by my previous success, I felt confident I could wrap this up with my first attempt as well. Yet Poetry is a fickle beast, and my initial roughs were met with disapproval by the client. After around seven roughs and a day at a museum searching for inspiration, I finally cracked it. The final image is suppose to convey the sense of euphoria that poetry can provide - along with the rich and fertile imagination that is the driving force for the poet. Or something like that.