MB PENCIL

Hello and thank you for coming to have a look at my website.

I am an illustrator and writer. Creator of children’s television programmes.

Drawing since I was three years old.

I am the Daughter of the late, great Douglas Bonicos. Film and Television News Editor, Entrepreneur & Superhero

My Dad and his Mum, (my Yiayia-Granny) arrived in London from Greece just before the end of World War 2.

Varon Bonicos, Film Director, Writer and Photographer is my Brother.

Natural born Londoner and very proud of my Greek Ancestry too. Idyllic childhood in Newcastle Upon Tyne. Summers in Greece and North Wales. Family returned to London when I was 11 years old.

Every Saturday morning, from the age of 11 to 16 I went to Clay Modelling Classes at The Chelsea Pottery in Radnor Walk, SW3. I loved going to my Clay Classes at The Chelsea Pottery!

I attended a Foundation and a Degree course at Chelsea School of Art. Mentored by Sir Hugh Casson.

Worked hard on my Foundation and Degree courses at college. So happy and proud the day I graduated, gaining a BA Honours Degree in Illustration and Graphic Design.

Just prior to Graduating, I found a tiny studio in Lots Road beside the River Thames and started trading straight away as a Commercial Artist.

I acquired all of my Clients from scratch. I was setting up my business years before the internet, so I travelled all around London with my bulky portfolio by bus, tube and foot to show prospective new Clients examples of my drawings and designs. This was an exhausting but very exciting time, because at long last, I was seeing my dream that I had had since I was a little girl of becoming a professional illustrator become a reality.

As the years progressed, and my drawing and graphic design business was becoming established. I was very happy that I was being introduced to new customers by word of mouth recommendations from my existing satisfied clients.

My First Ever Magazine Illustration Commission

was a small black & white line drawing for OPTIONS MAGAZINE

My FIRST EVERCOMMISSIONED MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATION! Published in Options Magazine 16TH APRIL 1982!

NEW TV SERIES on the way!

RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL Happy and proud to say that Elliot Grove, the Founder of Raindance Film Festival considers me to be one of the Early Raindancers https://www.raindance.org/7-ways-you-can-help-raindance/

PREVIOUS CLIENTS INCLUDE:

Admirable Crichton

Aim Publications

Alphabet Set

American Express

Asim & Co

Athena Publications

Autumn Publishing

BBC Jackanory

BBC Publications

BBC Worldwide

Ben de Lisi

Billy Zane

Blue Arrow

Blue Swan Films Ltd

Bob Godfrey Films

Bodley Head Children’s Books

British Telecom

Broadway Cars

Buttons Comic

Campaign Paintball Sport

Cassell Publishers Ltd

Central Independent TV

Channel 4

Channel 5 Broadcasting Ltd

Chas and Dave

Chelsea Football Club

Chelsea Physic Garden

Citigate Publishing

Company Magazine

Condé Nast

Cosgrove Hall Films

CRS Records

Docklands Guide

Duggie Fields

Ebury Wine Bars PLC

EMI

Endemol

Equities International

European Event Organisation

Factory

Filmfair

Fred’s

FX Functions

Gallery Five Greeting Card Company

Garrick Media

GD Design & Print

General Electric Company plc

George Michael

Goldman Sachs

Grand Metropolitan Retail

Gruner & Jahr

Guildhouse

Hana Watches

Hassanal Bolkiah

Hit Entertainment

Hot off the Press Printers

IFR Publishing

IPC Magazines

ICA Cafe

Inter Research

Joe’s Brasserie

Kallkwik Printers

London Academy of Performing Arts

LBC Radio

London Club Awards

London Electricity

London Illustrated News

London Restaurant Awards

Marquees over London

Media Lab

Midland Bank

Million Dollar Clothing Co

Minet / Cigna Insurance Company

Montpelier Travel

Moore Park Deli

Moves

Music Collection International

NAEA

National Magazine Company

Options Magazine

Oracle Teletext

Orchard Publishing

Oxberry Publishing

051 Productions

Pamplemouse Publishing

Paperlink Greeting Card Company

Passport Publishing

Patrizia Wigan

Pearl Assurance

Pippin Comic

Planet Productions

Prima Magazine

Prisma Press. A subsidiary of Gruner + Jahr

Procter & Procter

Procter’s Restaurant

Queens Park Rangers Football Club

Quitting Hollywood Greeting Card Company

Quo Vadis London

QVC UK Television Shopping Channel

Random House Publishing

RBKC Royal Borough Kensington & Chelsea

Reed Publishing

Road Runner Roller Blades

Royal Academy of Music

Royal Tournament

Sackville Printing

Saint Mary the Boltons Church

Scribbler Stationery Company

Shell Film and Video Unit

Selectcard

Simply Red

Sloane Stanley

Southern Star Distribution

Strongberg Entertainment / The Gallery

Sunday Telegraph

Tamara Beckwith

Tempus House of Publishing

Tessa Dahl

The Big Strawberry

The Phone Book

The Savoy Hotel London

Thomas Dolby

Thomson Local Phone Directory

Tony Cuthbert Films

Touchbase Communications

Viacom CBS

Video Collection International

Vogue

Wellington Barracks

West London Shooting Grounds

Woman Magazine

Womans Own Magazine

Womans Weekly Magazine

Woolwich Property Services

Wren Press Bespoke Printers & Stationers

Yellow Pages

Young Lions Publishers

SELECTION OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS I HAVE ILLUSTRATED

MinnieRainstorm Minnie Hoppa A LITTLE bus on a BIG Adventure! Written by John Carr Illustrated by me

Where does the Queen go on holiday?* Written by Guy Ker Illustrated by me. *This book was especially written to Celebrate The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

EXHIBITIONS

2022-2027: RBKC Platinum Jubilee Collection. To Celebrate Queen Elizabeth II 70 years on the Throne. View by Appointment only.

The Civic Gallery. Kensington Town Hall. Hornton Street. London W8.

https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/explore-kensington-and-chelsea/malou-bonicos

Institute of Contemporary Arts. The Mall. London SW1.

(Group Competition Exhibition when I was 15 years old)

BAYSWATER ROAD W2

Bayswater Road Sunday Art Exhibition. Every Sunday. London W2

Camden Arts Centre. London NW3

PORTOBELLO ROAD W11

Under The Canopy/Flyover. Every Saturday. Portobello Road Market. London W11

Kings Road SW3

Chenil Galleries. London SW3

LAMBS CONDUIT STREET WC1

Mel Calman’s Cartoon Gallery. London WC1

and last, but by no means least

Mum and Dad’s House

Yiayia’s House!

ANIMATED CHILDREN’S TELEVISION PROGRAMMES

The Beeps ‘Peas and Bees’ episode

https://www.channel5.com/show/the-beeps/season-1/peas-and-bees

The Beeps. All Rights Owned by Malou Bonicos.

MY ORIGINAL MAP OF THE WOT-A-LOTS WOODS

I soaked the paper I drew the Map on in tea to create an antique parchment effect

WOT-A-LOT OF BEEPS IN THE SNOW!

Bossy-Beeps describing her amazing disappearing Cardigan to Mr & Mrs Crab of Sunny Shores Beach!

WOT-AN ODYSSEY!

I created, developed, secured broadcaster, funding and executive produced the pre-school series The Beeps, (originally I named them The Wot-a-Lots.)

If you would like to know more about my epic twelve year odyssey of creation and subsequent quest to transport my Wot-a-Lots from my drawing pad on to television screens to entertain, educate and inspire children all around the world, then please have a look in “The Beeps Animated TV Show” section of this site.

All Rights to The Beeps are owned by Malou Bonicos.

BEEPSKI

x67 11 minute CGI Episodes were made for Channel 5 Milkshake!

The show premiered in 2007. Initially broadcast daily in the United Kingdom on the Channel 5 Milkshake! Subsequently sold to over sixty seven countries worldwide by Southern Star Distribution and Endemol Worldwide Distribution.

Youtube clip of the Singing Sockroaches singing and travelling on High Hill!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghEOyrnXZrg

My original watercolour and ink drawing of the Six Singing Sockroaches “Doray” “Mee” “Fahsoh” “Lah” “Tee” “Doh”

37sockcroaches

CGI interpretation of my Singing Sockroaches drawing

mb original smell a lot and -his-even-smellier-socks.jpeg

My original pen and watercolour drawing of Laugh-a-Lot and Chirp-A-Lot discussing lovely fresh clean socks with Smell-a-Lot!

Beep-Beep, Teeny-Beep and Brainy-Beep discussing the weather!

CGI interpretation of Beep-Beep, Teeny-Beep having a discussion with Brainy-Beep about the weather.

MY ORIGINAL DRAWING OF WOT-A-WELL

269D9A13-0416-4F4A-8653-1467889C2D26

CGI interpretation of Wot-a-Well

THE BEEPS ACTIVITY PAGES

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BEEPS-AROUND-THE-WORLD!

The Beeps® were originally broadcast daily in the United Kingdom on Channel 5 Milkshake! Subsequently distributed internationally by Southern Star Distribution and Endemol Worldwide Distribution.

Here are some of the countries my lovely Citizens of the World, my Wot-Beeps have visited:

🇩🇿 Algeria

🇦🇴 Angola

🇧🇯 Benin

🇧🇼 Botswana

🇧🇫 Burkina Faso

🇧🇮 Burundi

🇨🇲 Cameroon

🇨🇻 Cape Verde Islands

🇨🇫 Central African Republic

🇹🇩 Chad

🇰🇲 Comoros

🇨🇬 Congo

🇩🇯 Djibouti

🇪🇬 Egypt

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

🇪🇷 Eritrea

🇪🇺 Europe (Hotbird footprint)

🇬🇦 Gabon

🇬🇲 Gambia

🇬🇭 Ghana

🇬🇼 Guinea Bissau

🇮🇳 India

🇮🇷 Iran

🇮🇪 Ireland

Israel

🇨🇮 Ivory Coast

🇰🇪 Kenya

🇱🇸 Lesotho

🇱🇷 Liberia

🇱🇾 Libya

🇲🇬 Madagascar

🇲🇱 Mali

🇲🇼 Malawi

🇲🇷 Mauritania

🇲🇺 Mauritius

🇾🇹 Mayotte

Middle East (Arabsat/Nilesat)

🇲🇦 Morocco

🇲🇿 Mozambique

🇳🇦 Namibia

🇳🇿 New Zealand

🇳🇪 Niger

🇳🇬 Nigeria

🇳🇴 Norway

🇷🇪 Reunion

🇷🇼 Rwanda

🇸🇿 Swaziland

🇸🇭 Saint Helena

🇸🇹 Sao Tome & Principe

🇸🇳 Senegal

🇸🇨 Seychelles

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇰🇷 South Korea

🇸🇴 Somalia

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🇸🇩 Sudan

🇹🇿 Tanzania

🇹🇬 Togo

🇹🇳 Tunisia

🇺🇬 Uganda

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇪🇭 Western Sahara

🇿🇲 Zambia

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

Inventor-Beep new invention translating Bouncy-Beeps language

Angels of Jarm Titles

Angels! Angels! Angels of Jarm!

Angels of Jarm ‘The Chicken’ episode

https://www.channel5.com/show/angels-of-jarm/season-1/the-chicken

In the Spring of 2007 the Controller of Channel 5 Children’s Programmes asked if I would like to create design a whole new world, all characters, backgrounds and accessories for an exciting new preschool animated show called The Angels of Jarm. I eagerly accepted and started creating straight away!

x55 7 minute 2D Animated Episodes made for Channel 5 Milkshake!