Irene Silvino

A short video about how I made Razi & Sebastian, enjoy :)

This is how I turn my plasticine illustrations into paper!

When the artwork is ready, with the help of a light-box, professional natural light bulbs and my digital camera I take photos at very high resolution.

I then digitally process the pictures and create the layout for the book.

I look forward to the London Book Fair 2012 at Earls Court 16-18 April.

I am attending the event all days and I'll take Razi & Sebastian with me!

My work with plasticine is going on.

My little friends Razi & Sebastian are playing hide-and-seek jumping from one page to another. I'm chasing them, I'm too curious to listen to their stories and adventures!

I hope you'll be too :)

My plasticine artworks featuring my new characters Razi & Sebastian.

I've done it, it's been fun :)

I'm going to use it in my next books and very very soon you'll see it on my web site too.

I hope you'll like it!

Today I'm working on typography.

I've just created my very own font! It's fascinating, it has always interested me.

As Wiki says it is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible.

And I'd like to add it really does add emotion to communication. Even a single word can tell the mood of the writer and stand up on is own if it uses the right typography.

There are two interesting web sites about typography: Ilovetypography.com and welovetypography.com. The first one is a typography and fonts blog with typographic inspiration, typeface reviews, interviews, free fonts, and graphic design. The second one is an image, video and text ‘bookmarking’ site that is wholly dedicated to type-related content.

It's worth checking them if you are interested about this issue!

Talking with my cook snail we were arguing about his membership as Slow Food International supporter.

He saw my Slow Food UK membership and he flew into a fury "I want it!", "I want it!", "I want it too!"

…He's so stubborn and he came up with the idea that he would love to be part of The Taste of Adventure.

I said to my little cook that he really can't: he's just an illustration.

But nothing. Words thrown to the wind.

He googled Slow Food International and when he read that it's a non profit, eco-gastronomic, member supporter organisation, founded to counteract fast food and fast life, he said that as a snail he is entitled to be part of it.

And then he continued, literally pronouncing every single word:

Slow Food's philosophy stand at the crossroads of ecology and gastronomy, ethics and pleasure and bla bla bla…

That the association believes in the recognition of the strong connections between plate, planet, people and culture and bla, bla, bla…

It opposes the standardisation of taste and culture, and the unrestrained power of the food industry multinationals and industrial agriculture and bla, bla, bla…

"I deserve it!" he said.

"Please, please, go and have a chat with them".

Ok, I'll do it, I said.

"Hey, look, they have over 100,000 members in 150 countries around the world! And a network of 2,000 food communities who practice small-scale and sustainable production of quality foods!"

He was so excited that he called the guys at the restaurant to spread the word. And because they are all snails - and proud of their slowness and conviviality - the all have "run" here and now they are queuing holding signs in their hands "All snails members of Slow Food!" "Yes to the Taste of Adventure!".

What's the Taste of Adventure I asked.

"You really don't know?!" he laughed at me. "Slow Food UK launched it at the Children’s Food Festival 3 years ago."

Ah, ok I said but what is it all about?

"It's for children" he said. "the event is aimed at educating them on the use of the five senses when they eat and enjoy good food."

Sounds interesting I thought.

And he pointed the blackboard on his left: "a series of ‘zones’ are set up to stimulate the children’s senses through ‘touchy’, ‘smelly’, ‘noisy’, ‘tasty’ and ‘seeing’ areas, where children are encouraged to squish, spy and sniff food in its natural form, isn't it amazing?!"

Yes, I think it is and I'd love to be part of it soon too.

For those still hungry of information and that would love to know all aspects of food, from field to fork, here it's Slow Food Education and its manifesto!

Very inspirational and worth watching really. The video has Italian subtitle.

I truly believe it - and this is the message that I'm trying to spread too through my website and my little inky book: life is too precious to be lived in a rush.

"Be slower" for me doesn't mean just seat and do nothing. It means first of all think, think about your dream, be brave and persevere. And take the time to properly enjoy every single step and little thing of your life.

Children's Book Week 2011 will take place from 3-9 October. There will be events in schools, libraries and venues all over the UK. There will be also the annual tour of children’s authors and illustrators from the UK and abroad. 

I think it's a wonderful occasion to get inspired, meet people and have fun with kids. I'll be out and about with my little one for sure!