True Story – Kate Hazell’s Collection of Autobiographical Strips is Witty, Touching and Highly Recommended
https://www.brokenfrontier.com/true-story-hazell/
I was chuffed to bits with Andy Oliver of Broken Frontier’s review of True Story. I’ll try to shorten the gaps between my outputs next time!
In July, @libertylondon launched their Beauty Advent Calendar Illustration open call. This is my unsuccessful submission!
It was an outrageously ambitious amount of work to achieve in a short space of time (design the front, back, sides and roof of the iconic London store to be used on next year’s advent calendar) but I decided to give it a bash.
There were lots of comments on their Instagram post about whether big brands should be looking for creatives in this way. Free pitches etc. I was on the fence! But then I couldn’t see how it was any different from spending ages on tailoring any other job application form/ interviews etc. and it’s a fun project to try out.
Also, the chosen artist will get £15,000 so I thought worth throwing my hat in the ring.
I’ve seen lots of people posting their great, if unsuccessful designs so I thought- yes why not, show what I made anyway!
Inevitably I wasn’t able to get as far with my design as I’d have liked so here’s my ink drawing.
I drew the famously black and white building with lots of narrative detail and nods to the history of the place. A celestial seascape sky/ roof and twinkly lights was my plan as it’s the lights that make it quintessentially Christmassy for me.
It was fun making a large scale drawing, dividing it onto sections so it fitted over my light box for inking.
I enjoyed hiding detail and had I more time, would have done loads more characterful narratives around the whole piece. I never draw buildings so that was new for me.
I’m very pleased with myself as I have had printed a 52 page book of my diary comics to date. It’s available in my online shop for £10 FREE POSTAGE
'True Story' is a 52 page collection of diary comics. Full of relatable ponderings and observations on family life, arty life and reflections on things I've done that will hopefully make you snorty laugh.
Some pages are lifted straight from my sketchbook and some are more illustrated narratives.
Contents:
1. Jobs I've had on my journey to becoming a rich and famous artist*
2. Things I've eaten and feel bad about now
3. Spa Day
4. Floatation
5. Praeter Rerum Serium
6. Date Night
7. How I start my day
8. Survival Skills
9. Birds
10. Woe Betide my Yuletide (part 1)
11. Woe Betide my Yuletide (part 2)
12. How Raymond Briggs saved my Christmas
Looking forward to opening the doors to my studio for the annual BV studio open weekend. Over 100 creatives work out of BV so a great opportunity for inspiration and having a good old nosy around.
Chuffed to bits that my illustration was used for the Gaol Ferry Bridge banner too!
17th - 19th April:
Friday 6pm-9pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am-5pm
37 Philip St, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4EA
(opposite the entrance to Windmill Hill City Farm)
Spoiler alert- I’m still not rich or famous
Another instalment of ‘True Stories from the life of Kate Hazell’
This is not actually a comprehensive list of jobs, because some things are best left unsaid (like the time I worked at All Bar One and got a rash on my boobs from hiding my own tips in my bra. Karma.)
What’s the moral of the story here? I suppose it’s work hard and persevere! What’s the best/worst job you’ve ever had?
To coincide with Bristol Harbour Festival 2025 I decided to create an illustrated A-Z of the city I call home, Bristol!
A homage and celebration of some of the best known elements of the city, as well as shining some light on a few of the lesser known places on the map.
I live in Knowle, South Bristol so the alphabet features a few extra places from that neck of the woods.
The artwork is all hand drawn and digitally coloured to create a colourful, humorous eye catching design.
Next Saturday 19th is Marina Market where myself and fellow Dockyard Studio pals will be touting our wares. I’ve made a new A-Z of Bristol print and H is for HARBOUR FESTIVAL which is conveniently the same weekend.
There will be all sorts on offer including
@lucaslovesthis
@coffeeclubbristol
@screwy.art
@limbo_tapes
@talkclubcharity
And more!
Come and find us at Bristol Marina, Hanover Place, BS1 6UH
Saturday 19th July
11-4pm
Toot toot!
This is an excerpt from a sketchbook diary page about when we went to see Devotchka at Thekla in March. It was a really great gig and I meant to finish and post it the next day but here we are!
We first went to see them in London TWELVE YEARS AGO and I have no idea where that time has gone but my respect for the sousaphone player has only deepened. That’s one big old bit of brass and thanks to Ed I now have a way of remembering how to pronounce it!! 🎶
I had the pleasure of creating the wintery wedding stationary for Becca & Josh who got married in December 2024. Their table names were all after their favourite pubs. What a lovely job!
A weekend where the tonsillitis took hold.
Here’s what we got up to!
I created a bundle of self promotional goodies to send out to clients. It shows the breadth of my portfolio.
I started writing down some of the conversations I have with my children on the way to school, and this is one example. Talking about survival skills while trying to survive the school run.
A little diary comic about going to see Poor Things…!
Diary comic of a different time!
