BA (Hons) Illustration for Commercial Application final year students Nic Hodges and Sox Crisp are working with charity Middlesbrough 1st, an organisation that supports adults with learning difficulties, autism and neurodivergence, on two silent book publications that explore friendship and adventure through the charities book club Beyond Words!
Project Leader at the charity, Marian Dalgleish, explains:
“Our charity works to provide advocacy and enrichment opportunities for adults with learning disabilities in Middlesbrough. Over the past few years, we have started several book clubs in the town, using resources from Books Beyond Words, a charity that co-creates word-free picture stories for people with learning disabilities. Our members have really enjoyed belonging to the clubs and sharing stories together.
“We thought it would be really nice to look at co-creating a book with our book club members. We started working with a local writer and publisher, Gillie Hatton, who suggested that we could approach The Northern School of Art to see if any students would be interested in illustrating a book for us.”
Following sessions with Marian to explain the project and request pitches and portfolios, the charity and the book club reviewed work from a number of interested students, eventually selecting two artist proposals.
One of the artists working on the project, 26-year-old Nic Hodges from Bishop Auckland, explains that the brief was to create “two 15-page silent picture books conceptualised by the adults that the charity works with. We were given a story overview and some character briefs to work with to help create the pages for the book.
“Initially, during the workshops for the project, we showed thumbnails, roughs and character designs to the group and received feedback based on what they would like to see included or changed. It was fantastic getting to meet and chat with the adults in the group, and so far, the feedback for us both has been extremely positive and encouraging, with the group really looking forward to seeing the final thing.
“Since the story for the book has already been created by the members of the group, my main job in this project is to turn the written story into a visual silent picture book. Doing this has been quite a challenge. So far, it has required creative approaches to get certain concepts and themes across to the audience clearly, really testing the skills that I’ve learnt throughout the illustration course so far.”
The project has required the two illustrators to work closely together, Nic explains “ we worked together to create the characters, as they are present in both books and need to be recognisable across the two. This has been a great learning experience for both of us.”
Fellow artist working on the commission, Sox Crisp, 20, from Redcar, described the project as “very fun and interesting to work on” and also highlighted the collaborative nature of the project:
“We worked in close collaboration with the group who drafted the story. They created characters and brought up concepts they wanted to see in it. The group really enjoyed local sights and familiar places, so the story was set locally. I found the project itself quite interesting. Everyone deserves to have access to and enjoy narratives and stories, so I was super excited to share that passion.”
Speaking of the final outcome Nic said “I’m hoping to bring the vision of the members to life and have them take pride in creating a special and memorable book that they can share with similar groups and people. The best way to do this is to put my all into creating visually interesting and coherent illustrations that everyone can understand and enjoy.”
Reflecting on being selected for the project, Sox said: “It was very exciting but also nerve-wracking to be selected for this project. Hearing that the group connected with my work was great, and I want to do my best to create something they and I can be proud of.”
Nic said that working with the charity “has been nothing short of fantastic” and that being selected was “quite the shock and a privilege, as there were many other skilled and talented illustrators also applying for the project. It has given me a lot more confidence in my illustrations and artistic practices, and I hope to live up to the expectations of the charity and really try to exceed them.”
Sox agreed: “It was very exciting but also nerve-wracking to be selected for this project. Hearing that the group connected with my work was great. Both the staff and the groups that I have worked with have been lovely; they add their feedback and insight when they have it and support us however they can.”
Members of Middlesbrough 1st have reacted positively to the experience, one member Niall said, “The stories were all very good and you found a lot of information in the pictures about what was going on.”
Marian said: “We’re delighted that Sox and Nic have joined the project. We have developed two connected stories with the group over two workshops, and Sox and Nic are illustrating one 15-page book each.”
On working with the students, Marian said: “We’ve been really impressed both by the quality of the work Sox and Nic are producing, and by their attitude to working with our group and keeping to deadlines.”
Regarding working on a professional project like this, Nic said: “It has been quite a shift going from working on university or personal projects to a professional one, which has been a learning experience for sure. However, the charity has been fantastic to work with and has been clear in its direction and feedback for the picture books. I’m certainly looking forward to the final book myself, as I’m sure it will be something truly special!”
When asked about his time on the illustration course Nice said, “The illustration course has been fantastic and vital in strengthening both my professional practices within the industry. I can highly recommend the course to any aspiring illustrators out there.”
Sox said she enjoys the course, commenting: “I have a deep love for illustration, which is why I wanted to study it further. The main thing that I’ve found helpful is the support of both peers and tutors. Being able to ask those who have been or are still in the industry is a great help in understanding how things work.”
The final books are expected to be released this November. Find out more about Middlesbrough 1st here.