Harry Bloom's Most Memorable Projects of 2022 Dec 29 2022
Meet the agentsIt has been a magnificent year for Advocate Art and our illustrators. We have been fortunate enough to work with our illustrators on many wonderful projects from books, to games, puzzles, and even a tarot card deck. This year we were also lucky enough to work on many projects with a focus on diversity and inclusion, something we hope continues in the future. To celebrate all of these wonderful projects, we asked our agents to pick their top five. It is always very hard to pick, but here are Harry’s top projects released in 2022, and why each project is special to him.
Illustrators: Jenny Wren, Juan Calle, Max Rambaldi
Publisher: Farshore
Artists: Jenny Wren, Santiago Calle, Max Rambaldi
“An absolute chonker of a book; spectacularly illustrated by a range of illustrators, but with the lions share taken on by Advocate superstars, Jenny Wren, Juan Calle, and Max Rambaldi. Jenny actually set the style for the book, working up a particularly eye-catching and innovative sample that would guide the rest of the artists through 365 days' worth of highly rendered and beautifully designed dinosaurs. Shout out all goes to all the artists involved as there were many moving parts but the output was absolutely on point with the finished product being a total *chef's kiss*.”
2. Propa Happy- Pass the Positivity
Illustrator: Katie Abey
Publisher: Farshore
“Ant & Dec are national treasures (still 'rhumbling' as PJ & Duncan to me) so it was an absolute pleasure to help Farshore bring their first title, Propa Happy into the world. It couldn't have been on a better subject too - a fun-filled guide to feeling happy in association with the NSPCC, helping to raise vital funds for the Children's charity and 'spread the positivity'. Our spectacular Katie Abey was exactly the right person for the job. Her uplifting, tongue in cheek and positive approach to mental health was the perfect fit to help whisk the book and its ethos off the page and into Children's hearts and minds across the country.”
Illustrator: Teresa Bellon
Publisher: Usborne
“Usborne are absolute industry leaders at making non-fiction interesting, colourful, and most importantly, fun. Their Step Inside Science series helps Children delve into the details of various topics through cut-aways and flaps (all very engaging!). This one was especially pertinent given we've just bowled out the backside of a Pandemic and helps kids explore the idea of Germs in an engaging way. Teresa really set the tone on this title with some stellar artwork; her bold, graphic yet playful depictions of germs are a joy to behold. It's even meant the series has carried over and she's now 3 books deep! Watch out for Teresa's future titles: Weather and Your Body coming in 2023!”
4. Around the World in 80 Trees
Illustrator: Kaja Kajfez
Publisher: Welbeck
“Kaja is a queen of nature illustration. So it's always a pleasure to connect her with a publisher that's looking to make beautiful, tabletop, nature titles. These are the kind of books you'll buy and hold onto forever. A huge compendium of trees from around the world with pull-outs, maps, and fabulous details. The title was even shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize this year which was the icing on the cake and a real validation of all the work Kaja poured into it.”
5. All Four Quarters of the Moon
Illustrator: Sian James
Publisher: Usborne
“Representation has always been important in publishing and it's been fantastic to see the industry become much more aware, agile and sensitive to this. All Four Quarters of the Moon is written by CBCA award winner Shirley Marr and features two East Asian sisters adjusting to a new life, new schools, and a new language in Australia. As such it was heartening to see the care and attention being paid to bringing this cover to life. Sian James worked absolute magic here and has beautifully rendered both an emotional and evocative cover.”
Advocate Art illustration agency specializes in art licensing and children’s book illustrations. Based in London, Seville, New York, L.A., and Singapore, we represent leading illustrators who produce children's and decorative work to commission or license.