Category Archives: Design

Madame Potatoe Cookbook

It’s 32 years since I finished my film Madame Potatoe, made at the Royal College of Art 1983, whilst a student of Graphic Design.

Emma Calder standing by Royal College oOf Art wall

Emma Calder, Royal College Of Art 1983

I have been trying to collate all the materials relating to this large piece of work. Which included a film, a post modernist piece of fiction, room with wall paper, life sized Madame Potatoe sculpture, t-shirts, greetings cards and a cookery book.

 

The Madame Potatoe Cookbook was made after I finished the film. I designed it in less than a week and hated it. The printer gave me the plates and artwork back, which I binned before the show. The R.C.A only printed 100 and sadly they sold out the day of the MA show. So people had to go away disappointed.

The most popular recipe was for Poteen. (Irish potato brandy). Which was a bit worrying, as I couldn’t find any recipes to base mine on, so I just made it up!

Sad that I didn’t like it, but I am quite fond of it now, in the scheme of things.

 

More on Madame Potatoe to follow.

GraphicsRCA: Fifty Years

To celebrate the Graphics Royal College of Art 50 year Exhibition on now. This was the poster that Emma Calder, designed for the Royal College of Art show the year she graduated.

R.C.A poster by Emma Calder

Royal College of Art Poster designed by Emma Calder 1983

Each character included in the poster was a collage of different students work, from different departments in the college. Emma was quite naughty because, before checking with anyone, she found the technician who was printing up photographs of student work for the degree show catalogue, asked him for all the reject prints and also got others out of the bin, then she cut them up, drew into them, photocopied and then coloured them. When she had finished the poster she tracked down the relevant students and got their permission. More about this on Emma Calder’s Moody Days blog.

Miss Louise Goes To Berlin

As it is twenty five years today that the Berlin wall came down, I thought I would put the rough cover illustration that I did for Miss Louise Goes To Berlin that I worked on with Miss Louise goes to Paris author Carolyn Hink.

Miss Louise Goes To Beriln

Rough Cover Illustration Miss Louise Goes To Berlin

It’s very sad that no publisher was interested in 2010, perhaps there is someone more enlightened around now? It was a very good story, even better than Miss Louise goes to Paris but, slightly more serious because of the subject matter. It’s time will come.

I can’t imagine what a city must feel like that has been cut in half and put itself together again. But I think it must be an adventure to go and find out.”

As with most of my books a penciled out storyboard of the whole book exists so if a publisher was interested, It is ready to go. Contact my agent Caroline Michel at PFD if you are interested.

E-mail: cmichel@pfd.co.uk

or tdavid@pfd.co.uk

Telephone number: 020 7344 1084