Kate Leiper

  • Portfolio
    • Blickling Hall
    • Doghouse
  • Silkscreen
  • Books
    • The Book of the Howlat
    • An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Mythical Creatures
    • An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales
    • Ghost Soldier
    • The Book of Bedtime Stories
  • Workshops
  • Commissions
  • Profile
  • News

News

The New Website

  • The abandoned stars by Kate Leiper
in News
December 8, 2017

Finally, after sorting through lots of new images, I’m delighted to present my new, updated website.  You’ll find lots of bits and bobs, including information on the books I’ve illustrated, workshops and presentations I can offer, screen prints that are available and tons of new pictures.  Anyone who knows me will vouch that I’m a technical dinosaur therefore I couldn’t have done this without the wonderfully talented designers at Luminous Creative who gave me a guiding hand.  When you have moment, please do have a wee look – I hope that you enjoy it!

Christmas Card for the Lyceum

  • The Curtain Call by Kate Leiper
in Commission, Illustration, News
November 15, 2017

Some of you may already know that I’ve worked at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh for many years now and in many different capacities. In my opinion, it is the most beautiful theatre in Edinburgh. This year I was commissioned to supply an image for their Christmas card. Drawing inspiration from the stunning Victorian interior and the sumptuous red and gold stage curtain, I decided to go with a Vaudeville theme. The Lyceum has had many real life dogs tread its boards along with the human actors. I feel quite certain that at some point there must’ve been a little terrier like the one in “The Curtain Call”.

Cards can be purchased from The Lyceum Box Office in packs of 6, priced at £5 per pack. Hurry while stocks last!!!

Working with the National Museum of Scotland

  • Ske Boat Song by Kate Leiper
in Commission, Illustration, News
October 16, 2017

Earlier this year I was commissioned by The National Museum of Scotland to produce an illustration of “The Skye Boat Song”, to be used on a new range of merchandise. This was to coincide with their 2017 summer/autumn exhibition, “Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobites”. I found doing the research for this project fascinating and it was wonderful to finally meet the talented calligrapher, Susie Leiper, who supplied the Jacobean script for the first verse of the song. For many years I’ve heard Susie’s name as I’ve often been asked if we’re related. I can now confirm officially that we’re not but Helen, who commissioned us both, says she’s delighted to have some Leiper Leiper products in the museum shop.

To date our image has been made into a print (£6.99), card (£2.75) and tea towel (£8.99). A mug is also in the production pipelines. All are available from the National Museum of Scotland shop.

Let’s go Lahore

  • Painted truck art in Lahore, Pakistan
in Interview, News
July 10, 2016

In July 2016 I was interviewed by Faizan Hussain for The Nation newspaper, Pakistan during my trip to Lahore to participate in the Lahore Literary Festival. The original article can be found here.

Kate Leiper is an artist and children’s illustrator based in Edinburgh. Her work has a style of its own, instantly recognisable, highly desirable and having a loyal and enthusiastic following. Her work is figurative and for the most part based upon narrative. She is particularly inspired by Scottish legends, folklore and fairytales. Kate works on paper using mainly pastel, ink, acrylic paint, gold leaf and collaged materials. Great and small creatures are the focus of her immaculate mixed media works. She has been commissioned for projects by the Scottish Storytelling Centre and the Royal Lyceum Theatre. She created the stunning artwork for the critically acclaimed ‘An Illustrated Treasury of book Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales’ written by award-winning author, Theresa Breslin. Kate Leiper visited Pakistan to attend the Lahore Literary Festival 2016 and made illustrations of the stories told by Ian Stephen in the session ‘Storytelling: Oral Traditions in Scotland and Pakistan’. In an exclusive interview with Weekend magazine she talks about her career, work, inspirations and many more. Read on to know more about her!

Faizan Hussain: First of all, how was your trip to Pakistan?

Kate Leiper: Lahore was amazing! It was the first time that I’d ever visited this part of the world and being a visual person, I gorged myself on all the fantastical new sights, colours and textures. I was met with such friendliness and kind hospitality by the people there and the food I ate was just delicious. I hope that I can go back one day.

FH: Tell us a bit about yourself. How did your journey in art begin?

KL: I can’t remember a time when I didn’t draw. As a child I used to pester my dad to bring me scrap paper from his office which I would then go through at an alarming rate. Family pets were often engaged as models willingly or otherwise. My parents always encouraged me to draw and nurtured my interest in art by regularly taking me to see exhibitions and galleries. It was only when I went to secondary school that I experienced some resistance to the idea of pursuing art as a career, the suggestion being made that it would be impossible to get a “proper job”. However I was lucky enough to have some very enthusiastic art teachers who inspired me to continue with my art studies and apply for a place at art school.

FH: What is your preferred medium of painting/illustration?

KL: I work mainly with chalk pastel on paper. The paper is often prepared beforehand with ink or watercolour and any gold detailing is done in acrylic paint or ink.

FH: How do you choose the subject of your painting?

KL: Through my artwork I aim to create a visual narrative and am particularly drawn to stories which portray some aspect of life experience common to us all. I use animals as my main subject matter as they provide an immediate connection to a preconceived set of characteristics (similar to the animals in Aesop’s Fables). Throughout time and all over the world people have projected human qualities onto animals. Of course, these characteristics may vary from culture to culture, but the concept of anthropomorphism is a universal one. Through the pose of my main animal subject and use of symbolic objects and imagery related to the story, I aim to catch the viewer’s attention and draw them in to study the image more closely. It doesn’t matter to me if the viewer sees a story which is different to the one I’m trying to tell. I’m much more fascinated by how people relate to the imagery and seek out their own tale.

FH: Whatever you draw, how much it comes from imagination and how much from research?

KL: Ooooh, this is impossible to quantify. Research can allow you to dig deeper into your imagination and yet through the imagination you are directed to new lines of research.

FH: When you illustrate a children’s book, how much freedom do you get from a publisher?

KL: This depends on the brief from the publisher. Some publishers give you a lot of freedom while others have a more set idea of what they are looking for.

FH: Where do you take inspiration for storytelling pictures?

KL: I find inspiring stories in all sorts of places. There are oral stories, printed stories, stories in ballads, poems and song lyrics, stories I’ve overheard and those I’ve collected word-of-mouth but the best are stories that are gifted to me, told because the teller believes that it will touch my soul in some way.

FH: How do you feel when you look at the finished book?

KL: A bit weird! It’s pleasing to see the final outcome after months of work but it’s also strange to see the illustrations in book form. The printed versions of my artwork have a different quality to them (slightly different colours, texture and scale), plus they are in the 3-dimensional form of a book. It just takes me a little time to get used to and reacquaint myself with the work in its new appearance.

FH: Tell us something about your needle work and patch work.

KL: I don’t like having idle hands so I find that needlework, patchwork and knitting are great activities to relax my mind yet still give my hands something to do. It’s also a good excuse to make presents for my friends and family.

FH: Do you have a daily routine that gets you ready for being creative?

KL: A mug of strong coffee first thing in the morning!

FH: When you have a creative block is there anything you do to remedy it?

KL: I usually only get creative blocks when I’m tired and I think that the worst thing you can do in this situation is to sit in front of a blank piece of paper, so I take myself away from my desk by going for a walk, having a coffee with a friend or dancing.

FH: Do you work under pressure or you believe that pressure kills creativity?

KL: For me, pressure, ie. a bracing deadline, is a double edged sword. It can provide the motivation and the means of creating a timetable in order to complete a project, however the danger comes when there is too much and it causes me to freeze. This is a horrible feeling which I can only describe as a tsunami about to crash down on my head and wash me away.

FH: How has your style changed over the years?

KL: I’m sure that it probably has, although it’s always hard to plot the changes in your own work. I probably spend a lot more time at the planning stages which may mean that I consider composition more intently. I think that my work has also possibly become more intricate and detailed as I’ve become more experienced in handling the drawing materials.

FH: Since your trip, is there anything regarding Pakistan that you’d like to find out more about?

KL: Yes I want to know more about the book illustration scene in Pakistan and about traditional miniature painting.

FH: What is your dream project?

KL: An illustration project with no bracing deadlines!…..ahhh, but would I finish it?…

FH: Do you have any favourite thing to draw?

KL: Seals. I love the way that they are so cumbersome and ungainly on land and yet transform into the most graceful of dancers underwater.

FH: Any advice for younger artists?

KL: Keep observing and keep drawing.

Recent Posts

  • The New Website
  • Christmas Card for the Lyceum
  • Working with the National Museum of Scotland
  • Let’s go Lahore

Categories

  • Commission
  • Illustration
  • Interview
  • News

Contact

To contact Kate, please email kateleiper [at] hotmail.com

Limited edition silkscreen prints

Colin Rawlings
The Red Dot Gallery
www.thereddotgallery.com

Illustration Agent

Kathryn Ross
Fraser Ross Associates
www.fraserross.co.uk

Archives

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  • October 2017
  • July 2016

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