![The Orphaned Spaces front cover, illustration and design by Ella Johnston (c) Dunlin Press](https://ellasplace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/TheOrphanedSpacesCover-722x1024.jpg)
Last month, Dunlin Press launched its new book, The Orphaned Spaces; a collaboration with featuring illustration from myself and words from poet MW Bewick
![The Orphaned Spaces, illustration and design by Ella Johnston (c) Dunlin Press](https://ellasplace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/OS_spread_0015LR-1024x682.jpg)
The Orphaned Spaces is a rumination on life and loss through the prism of liminal spaces – derelict land, brownfield sites, edgelands – caught between moments of dilapidation and regeneration.
![](https://ellasplace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/OS_spread_009-1024x693.jpg)
The Orphaned Spaces project was meant to be a small artistic endeavour. Our original idea for The Orphaned Spaces was to have a brown paper bag containing fragments of writing, the odd drawing and some landscape photography, all loosely themed around ‘waste ground’. About a month in however, it had already started to take on a life of its own. As is the way of things, it escalated into something bigger, encompassing a 148-page book and handmade book box set.
![The Orphaned Spaces, photography, illustration and design by Ella Johnston (c) Dunlin Press](https://ellasplace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/OS_spread_008_LR-1024x624.jpg)
The Orphaned Spaces features exquisite words and visceral landscape imagery from MW Bewick and my quick brush sketches that I spoke about in this previous post. Both the book and the box set also include fine line botanical and insect studies in black and white (see below), ikebana-inspired still life plant photography plus wild flower pressings, all created by me.
![Green Malachite Beetle, black and white fine line insect illustration. Ella Johnston](https://ellasplace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GreenMalachiteBeetleMalachiusVulneratusLR.jpg)
![Rosebay Willlowherb, black and white fine line botanical illustration. Ella Johnston](https://ellasplace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/RBWH_FireweedLR.jpg)
![Scarce Emerald Damselfly, black and white fine line insect illustration. Ella Johnston](https://ellasplace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/ScarceEmeraldDamselFlyLR.jpg)
![Rosebay Willlowherb, black and white fine line botanical illustration. Ella Johnston](https://ellasplace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Yarrow1_LR.jpg)
The black and white studies were created with fineliner pigment ink pens.
![Ikebana-inspired botanical photography, (c) Ella Johnston/Dunlin press](https://ellasplace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/YellowSnappyFlowers3forweb-766x1024.jpg)
I’m really pleased with the botanical photography aspect of the book – you can read more about it here
![Wild flower pressings, The Orphaned Spaces. Dunlin Press](https://ellasplace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wg_0-11_lr.jpg)
I’m also delighted with the way my wildflower pressings came out. I used to press wild flowers and plants with my mum when I was kid, so I wanted this aspect to be in the book as I felt it needed a child-like, playful aspect to it. Actually as it turned out I think in some ways these illustrative elements are the most plaintive and poignant images of the publication – they are particularly effective as the archival prints featured in the box set but that’s worthy of another post.
![Wild flower pressings, The Orphaned Spaces. Dunlin Press](https://ellasplace.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wg_0-15_lr-1024x616.jpg)