Wednesday, 31 December 2025

Chalet School centenary 1925-2025

So when I was a teenager I was obsessed with the Chalet School series by Elinor M Brent-Dyer.

I was in a fan club, and in 1994 I entered a competition for a new magazine cover (didn't win). I recently came across it, and thought that, as 2025 was the centenary of the first book, I might have a go at redoing it. I realise I'm cutting it a little fine...

My 1994 cover:

A magazine cover in black & white ink with grey shading. There is a giant open book with a distant scene of mountains. In front of it are 4 girls. On the right a 1920s girl with a pleated gym-tunic and bobbed black hair. In the middle, a 1940s girl with a simple gymn-tunic, tie and sash.She hasa hair ribbon and glasses and is holding a music book. She has a gas-mask box over her shoulder. Sitting on the grass at the front, a 1950s girl with a gymn-tunic and striped tie. She has short curly hair with a hairband. On the left, a 1960s girl wearing a dress with smocking at the shoulders, wrists and waist. At the bottom are eidelweiss, and a banner reading 'Onwards and Upwards'. At the top is a logo, and the title 'Friends of the chalet School'
This was Before Computers, so I used film with a dotty pattern for the shading!

Actually, I preferred my initial idea, which back then I had discounted as 'not working', so  based my new idea on that one. 

A line drawing of a giant closed book with 4 girls surrounding it. In the middle I have written 'This idea wasn't working, so I started again.' For fuller description, see picture below (although I have swapped the 1940s and 1950s girls,)

And because it's not going to be photocopied, I decided to use colour. But, to give myself a challenge, used a limited palette: black, white, uniform colours of brown & flame, gentian blue & crimson, a pale straw colour, and green. I got variety by using paler versions of the colours - no colour mixing.

A giant green closed book with 'The Chalet School ' written on it. There are 4 girls surrounding it. On the left, holding up the book, a 1920s girl with a brown pleated gym-tunic, white blouse, black stockings and bobbed black hair. Sitting on the grass at the front, a 1940s girl with a brown gymn-tunic, white shirt, flame coloured tie and sash, and light brown stockings. She has blonde hair with a brown ribbon, and glasses. Leaning on top of the book is a 1950s girl with a gentian blue gymn-tunic, cream shirt, and blue, crimson & white striped tie. She has short brown curly hair with a crimson hairband. On the right, a 1960s girl with a gentian blue dress. It has crimson smocking at the shoulders, wrists and waist. In the background is a distant alpine scene with a mountain and lake. At the bottom are eidelweiss, and a banner reading Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. At the top it says 1925 2025.
The uniforms are: left -1920s, bottom - 1930s/40s, top - 1950s, when the school split and we follow the new branch with a new colour scheme, and right - 1960s.

I quite like it. There's a lot of stuff that could be improved (not least the faces), but since it was just for fun and I'm running out of time this year, I won't!

Posted by at
Labels: , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)