ANGEL PAVEMENT (2004)

28 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by Philip Battle in cartoons, Literature, writing

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A children’s story book

An enchanting story about a pavement artist who encounters angels; for children aged 5 to 7

By Quentin Blake; Published by Red Fox Books UK (Paperback)

ISBN: 978-0099451549

Pavement artist Sid Bunkin is down on his luck until he is befriended by two angels. With the help of their magical pencils he goes on a wonderful journey to discover the power of drawing.

Quentin Blake illustration from ANGEL PAVEMENT 2004

Corky and Loopy are two perfectly normal girls. They like chocolate biscuits, fizzy drinks, screaming at each other and drawing. But they are also a little bit special, because they are angels. One day they visit Sid, a pavement artist. Sid is sad because he wants to take part in the big drawing competition, and Corky and Loopy decide to help.

Quentin Blake illustration from ANGEL PAVEMENT 2004

The book is FULL of wonderful illustrations like the one’s above, on all things pavement arty, and I would recommend it to any parent looking for a different kind of urban tale.

Quentin Blake is best known for his illustration of books written by Roald Dahl. He has also taught, and for eight years was Head of the Illustration department at the Royal College of Art. Quentin Blake was made an OBE in 1988 and, in the words of The Guardian, was already a national institution when he was appointed the first Children’s Laureate in 1999.

Written and researched by Philip Battle

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2012 in review

31 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by Philip Battle in writing

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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 23,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 5 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

HAPPY NEW YEAR and keep checking in….lots more to come in 2013

Philip Battle.

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JACKO TURNS ARTIST (1925)

21 Wednesday Nov 2012

Posted by Philip Battle in cartoons, history, Literature, London, writing

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1925, art, artist, arts, battle, beggars, begger, beggers, blog, canvas, cartoon, chalk, chalker, chalking, chalks, childen's newspaper, england, father, history, jacko, london, news, newspaper, pavement, pavement art, paving, philip, publication, screever, screeving, social, stone, story, street, uk, urban, urbancanvas

A short Children’s Story

Despite all its sophisticated visual language, festivals and events; today’s pavement art movement is but a shadow of its former self. The history of pavement art is rich and varied, and spans hundreds of years of innovation and pioneering artistic endeavour. You can read all about it on the world’s only comprehensive on-line history of pavement art; THIS BLOG: the award nominated ALL MY OWN WORK.

It’s exactly 12 months to the day that I started this history of pavement art blog; I had only a handful of stories back then; at the time, I thought it would be spent within four weeks of writing; how wrong was I then?

OK, pavement art & history may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but if you don’t like the telly, turn it off why don’tcha!

So what have I learnt? Well; FACT is far more interesting than fiction. Don’t believe any artist or arts movement that creates a myth to justify their-own existence. Oh yes, and don’t believe everything you read, not even here…lol

OK, it’s on with the show, and here’s a short children’s story from The Children’s Newspaper 1925:

JACKO stopped one day to watch a pavement artist at work. He wasn’t a very good artist and Jacko snorted.

“I could do as well as that myself,” he said, “and, by Jove, I will! You can make a lot of money at that job,” he added thoughtfully.

He dashed home, found some Baby’s crayons, and was rushing out again when it occurred to him that it might be as well to disguise himself in case of accident. So he caught up an old hat and coat of his father’s and went off in search of a suitable pitch.

“Now what shall I draw?” he murmured, “something funny to catch the eye—I know! A picture of Dad in his smoking-cap”

Illustration from The Children’s Newspaper: Father Jacko, 1925

Father Jacko did look funny in his scarlet smoking-cap, with its waggling tassel. Jacko got to work and was just adding the finishing touches when there was a wild exclamation behind and an angry voice cried: “That’s my hat and coat! And, upon my word, if the fellow hasn’t had the insolence to draw my portrait!”

Jacko nearly fainted. “Just my luck!” he muttered. “What on earth has brought Dad round here?”

By this time a policeman had come on the scene. Father Jacko was heartedly reconstructing the crime.

“Crept in,” he was saying with a fine imagination, “while I was sitting smoking; stole my hat and coat, and now has the impudence to caricature me on the pavement—and ask for money.”

That was too much for Jacko. “Oh, I say!” he cried, wheeling round. Father Jacko nearly fainted. “Why, it’s you!” he exclaimed. “I might have known it! How dare you make a laughing-stock of me like this! I’ll—I’ll—“

Jacko looked at the policeman. “Yes, Dad; what?” he asked nervously. “You come home with me boy.” Replied Father Jacko, “and I’ll show you.”

Yep…looks like Jacko got a right “good-hiding” children!

‘JACKO’ was a popular half-monkey, half-human, cartoon character of The Children’s Newspaper in the 1920’s and 30’s, and being no connection with pop star Michael Jackson.

Published in The Children’s Weekly Newspaper (19^th October 1925)

Written & researched by Philip Battle

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TALES BEFORE BEDTIME (1924)

24 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by Philip Battle in history, writing

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The Policeman

Bedtime Story illustration from The Childrens Newspaper 1924

A moral story for children: CHLOE and Christopher were naughty children, and sending them to bed, giving them extra lessons, and making them eat bread without any jam seemed to make no difference at all.

They were just as naughty until the policeman round the corner gave them a fright.

Instead of saving up some of their pennies, Chris and Chloe spent all theirs at the sweet-shop.

Then, of course, when it was nearly time for Mother’s birthday they had nothing saved at all, and it looked as if they couldn’t give her even a tiny present.

“If we had two shillings we could get her a bottle of lavender,” sighed Chloe.

“We have got twopence, so what’s the good of talking like that?” groaned Chris.

They were coming home from school, when suddenly he said: “I say, Chloe, do look!” A street artist was kneeling on the pavement making pictures on it with chalks. The man’s cap was on the pavement, and nearly everyone who passed tossed a penny into it.

“Oh, Chris!” said Chloe, “What a good idea! You can draw lovely windmills and cats. Let’s find a nice piece of pavement and make pictures on it, and collect pennies for Mother’s present!”

Chris thought it would be fun, and the next Saturday they brought out their chalks, found a nice clear bit of pavement, and Chris drew pictures. Chloe held out the hat and smiled, and such a lot of people crowded round that at last up came a policeman.

Bedtime Story illustration from The Childrens Newspaper 1924

“Now, then, youngsters,” he cried, “what do you mean by begging and obstructing the traffic? Come along with me!” They were dreadfully frightened, and it was terrible to be marched off by a policeman and taken home to Daddy.

Daddy was very angry. He said obstructing the traffic meant getting in people’s way, and that begging meant that they were taking some real poor person’s pennies.

The pennies all went into the hospital box, and now, when Chris and Chloe think of being naughty, they remember the policeman round the corner.

Published in the Children’s Newspaper 16^th Feb, 1924

Researched by Philip Battle

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Peter Puck wants to know! (1930-1932)

23 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by Philip Battle in cartoons, history, writing

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The Children’s Newspaper

A long-running newspaper published by the Amalgamated Press (later Fleetway Publications) aimed at pre-teenage children founded by Arthur Mee in 1919. It ran for 2,397 weekly issues before being merged with Look and Learn in 1965.

A 12-page, tabloid-sized ‘Children’s Newspaper’ which debuted on 22 March 1919, priced 1½d, which was considered quite expensive at the time.

At its peak, The Children’s Newspaper sold 500,000 copies a week. Sales began to fall after the Second World War as rival publications, notably the Eagle, Junior Mirror and Junior Express began to appear. It was not until the mid-1950s that The Children’s Newspaper began to modernise, adding features on television and sports and including interviews with popular sporting personalities.

PETER PUCK: Childrens Newspaper; published March 8th 1930

Peter Puck was an almost forgotten ‘one scene’ cartoon character who appeared every week under the heading “Peter Puck wants to know.” These usually took the form of silly, amusing questions that had no obvious answer.

Peter Pucks first appearance was on the 22^nd March, 1919, were he asked “What do the Bolsheviks Really Want?” and continued to appear every week until at least 1954.

These drawing from the 1930’s were produced by JH Dowd, a well-known children’s illustrator.

In later editions, he seemed to be drawn by various in-house artists and often appeared wearing a top hat. The individual drawings were exquisitely done and followed what appeared to be a ‘house-style.’

PETER PUCK: Childrens Newspaper; published; June 20th 1931

Other witticisms appearing under Peter Puck’s Advice included:

“Rubber pavements are coming into vogue, ought to be useful for the pavement artists.” (1926)

“There are fewer pavement artists; those there are get down to business.” (1935)

“Even pavement artists are going all patriotic, drawing on flags!” (1937)

“A pavement artist has given an exhibition in a picture gallery, because he is tired of people looking down on his work.” (1938)

“A London pavement artist will draw your portrait if you don’t mind being looked down on.” (1940)

“A Writer says he knows a pavement artist whose pictures are above the average, perhaps he only works when the road is up.” (1945)

“A pavement artist says he is proud of his work, and does not mind if people look down on it.” (1952)

PETER PUCK: Childrens Newspaper; published; Dec 31st 1932

Peter Puck’s original illustrator: James H Dowd was born in 1884. He worked as a draughtsman, etcher and painter. He was a regular contributor to “The Graphic” and in 1906 began to have his work published in “Punch Magazine”.

In 1925 he created the illustrations for a story which appeared in the London Evening News on December the 24th. The story was entitled “Winnie The Pooh” – this was later to become the first chapter of AA Milne’s book (though the illustrations in the book were not drawn by Dowd). He provided drawings for several books including “Important People” (1930) and “People and Importance” (1934).

Written & researched by Philip Battle

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BLOG OF THE NORTH AWARDS (2012)

21 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by Philip Battle in competition, writing

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All My Own Work

a history of pavement art has been shortlisted from over 430 blogs for THE BLOG NORTH AWARD (Celebrating the best of on-line writing in the north of England)

Past winners of the awards have gone on to publish books, write national newspaper columns and start successful business endeavours based on their blogs.

If nothing else, being shortlisted for this award should ensure greater exposure for this almost forgotten history of pavement art.

1919: Frank Lewis Emanuel (1865-1948) Etching “The Pavement Artist”

The Blog North awards have grown out of the Manchester Blog Awards, which were established by Kate Feld of Openstories in 2006 to promote the cause of blogging and independent writing in the North West of England. From the start the Manchester Literature Festival has supported the awards as part of its annual programme of events, in the belief that good writing can flourish outside writing schools and publishing houses. The awards are also supported by the Arts Council England & Creative Tourist.

The judges for this year’s competition are:

Stuart Maconie, author, journalist and broadcaster

Meg Pickard, head of digital engagement at Guardian News and Media

James Brown, editor of Sabotage Times and previously, loaded and GQ magazines

Claire Malcolm, chief executive of New Writing North and Durham Book Festival

Mike Pinnington, co-founder and editor of Liverpool online arts magazine The Double Negative

Zoe Margolis, author and blogger, Girl with a One Track Mind

But more importantly, there is also a public vote, and this is where you come in…..if you enjoy this blog then please vote, vote, vote for All My Own Work on the Blog North Awards website. We are listed under the BEST SPECIALIST BLOG category