The Supreme Court: a guide for bears

This is a picture book for people who like bears and litigation.







One day I bought a Supreme Court pen and pencil and used them to draw a souvenir bear which was on display.

I then bought a bear and drew some putti around the view from the public seats of Robert Howe QC.

Some people are a bit snooty about the fact that the Supreme Court stocks bears, along with Christmas tree baubles, baseball hats, bone china mugs and other goods. As a tax-payer I'm happy if they can make a few bob and, more importantly, good-quality souvenirs help to spread information and goodwill.

I occasionally draw real life scenes from the public seats, with the Court's permission, but I did most of the bear drawings at the kitchen table - a home from home for the bears, because the table had been made by Luke Hughes's company, which was involved in the design and layout of the refurbished court.




This project didn't make the front burner for a while. One delay was caused by doing rough drawings for a children's book written by someone else about the snail in the bottle case. She is seeking a publisher. Lawyers will guess rightly that this is the Stevenson tartan.

The final unpredictable interruption was a new magazine, Rowan Pelling's The Amorist, for which I wrote and illustrated a couple of articles.

The horror of self-publishing at least meant that I had control, even if I agonised over the choices. What size should the book be? Too late, I now know the answer: whatever fits into the pillar box near your home, so you don't have to go to the post office.

The choice of typeface was easy: Perpetua, as used by Faber in its poetry books. The bears' utterance on the back cover is in Gill Sans - they don't see the world in terms of serifs.

I left the front cover until last. I sat on the wall of a shrubbery on Parliament Square to sketch the building.

 

Not ready for its close-up

Then I took approximate layouts and the drawings to Dick Makin Imaging for imaging and book design.

Ready for its close-up

It was printed, very quickly and without drama, by Biddles. 

The Supreme Court: a guide for bears is available from the Supreme Court, Avizandum, Blackwell's (Oxford), Daunt Books (Chelsea, Holland Park and Marylebone), Foyle's (Charing Cross Rd), Heffers, Heywood Hill, John Sandoe, Wildy & Sons, Amazon, eBay and me http://www.isobelwilliams.org.uk for £6.95 plus relevant postage.  

Paperback, 32pp, 8” x 10”, illustrated in colour, ISBN 978-1-9997146-2-8    

“Isobel Williams’s drawings capture the essence of these inquisitive and endearing characters – and her words help bring to life some of the things they get up to when the Justices and staff aren’t looking.” – Lord Neuberger, President of the Supreme Court 

“Clever, funny, informative.” – Ann McAllister, Judge

"A charming guide for children and adults alike. Who knew there were so many bears at the UK Supreme Court?" – Joshua Rozenberg

The Supreme Court: on tour in Edinburgh

'This fetch is looking good.'

'A bit of a zigzag here but they're on line most of the time.'

'I think that's one of the best drive turns we've seen.'

'If they do well over the rest of the course they should qualify for the Supreme‎…'

‘Three hundred and thirty-eight points scored - he's through to the Supreme!’

Yes, I’ve been watching sheepdog trials on BBC Alba (in Gaelic with subtitles), reflecting that Lord Neuberger's 'Yup' could sound a bit like a Highland shepherd’s call.

Setting up

The Supreme Court is playing to a full house in Edinburgh’s City Chambers, equipped with a sparkly new Instagram account and its travelling livery. The thistle in the court’s emblem seems more secure since the general election but the blue flax flower of Northern Ireland looks pale.

The home of Edinburgh City Council, City Chambers is an eighteenth century building with Victorian-Gothic/Celtic-twilight décor incorporating earnest cod-mediaeval scenes of Scottish history. The unavoidable Scott Monument looms outside.

There are a trio of local cases. Sadovska and another v Secretary of State for the Home Department considers where the burden of proof lies in an alleged marriage of convenience.

Aberdeen City and Shire Strategic Development Planning Authority v Elsick Development Company Limited is an intricate examination of planning obligations, compliance and jurisdiction.

Brown v The Scottish Ministers and others asks if recalled extended sentence prisoners should benefit from the duty under the European Convention on Human Rights to facilitate rehabilitation and release. Counsel cites Lord Atkin’s question, "Who then, in law, is my neighbour?", a pillar of Donoghue v Stevenson known to all law students, even the drop-outs. 

We are close to the cradle of this litigation with its trail of known unknowns - e.g. what was the gender of May Donoghue’s friend? Was there actually a snail in the ginger beer bottle? The first hearing took place in the Court of Session just over the road in 1929.  

Moko jumbie family workshop

Moko jumbie is dancing on stilts. I drew an outdoor workshop at the Yaa Centre in London by Touch D Sky, featuring Adrian Young from Trinidad (starry sweatshirt) and Alan Vaughan. It was organised by Carnival Village Trust and Elimu.

I didn't draw Adrian's demonstrations - I just wanted to watch - but you can see clips on YouTube. He moved to the beat from his headphones, his mobile phone in one hand.

Performers from the 2015 Carnival