Lights On/Lights Off

After a busy month of work and moving house I have escaped for a wee break, over the border and down by the sea. Flybe and their terrifying hand baggage regulations have meant that for the first time in months I am without laptop, scanner and wacom tablet - eep! This has turned out to be a good thing. I think...

I am drawing for fun. No brief, no theme, just doodlin'. Yesterday we went to Salisbury. There is a big cathedral. We arrived to find a candlelit advent procession kicking off, the first half of which was very nice. Pretty candles, nice singing, I was warm. Then I have to admit things got a bit...drawn out. Let's just say I was strongly empathising with the fidgeting, whimpering kid in the row in front. To avoid looking like an overgrown child finding it hard to behave in the adult world I whipped out my sketchbook to draw. You may have realised by now that I love a good building, and this cathedral really is something to see. And therein lies my problem, as not long after I started the whole place was plunged into darkness (this was planned, don't panic). So I was unwillingly forced to try out a new drawing exercise:

1 - draw with the lights on

2 - draw the same thing with the lights off

Here is the result:

Guess which was which? I have to say that the lines on the left are going to be fun to colour in. A new pattern perhaps. My favourite bit is the man to the left who looks like his eyes are popping out. Maybe he was as shocked as me when they turned the lights out! Anyway,  it was good to be drawing again and at the very least  it stopped me throwing a tantrum and demanding sweets.

Printingprintingprinting

The lino printing adventure continues! Learning a lot as I go...mainly to do with how sharp lino tools are. I'm planning to use this as a book jacket for my Fairy Tale Activity Book. Next I plan to use a different colour other than blue, green and bluey-green. Off the chain.

Today I met the lovely Louise Power from Walker Books. A brilliant opportunity to have an expert look over my work and give me advice. She was very helpful, honest and encouraging. We also talked about bins full of ladybirds... I feel very inspired and full of ideas, hopefully the Picture Hooks conference tomorrow will only add to this! And there's sandwiches provided. WIN.

Louise liked my house illustrations - here are a couple. I'm thinking of a whole street. I'm focussing on developing this decorative style by drawing more houses and objects, but also building up a folio of characters. I'm drawn to geese...watch this space!

This is my entry for the Puffin Awards 2012 - the brief was to design a cover for Grimm's Fairy Tales. The tree and feather are inspired by 'The Golden Bird', the tower and hair 'Rapunzel' and the wee apple alludes to a number of the fairy tales - including 'Snow White'.

I've decided to enter more illustration competitions - there are some great briefs out there and by entering them I'm developing my work, learning new techniques and adding to my folio. Not to mention feeling very pleased that I've met another deadline without anyone telling me to...it makes me feel like a real grown-up.

Ah Tetris... so many hours lost to that game on rainy holidays in Wales... And now it has inspired a recent illustration! The brief was to create an A5 illustration for the title 'How To Build a Wall' - and my mind went straight to Tetris (via a brief stop at lego). The image will be featured in a book of DIY tasks to raise money for the Lake Victoria Disability Centre in Tanzania. The book will be on sale in April in various lovely little shops around Edinburgh. More info to follow on this one, but for now I'm off to find my Gameboy. Wow.

my doll's house doodles

I've been all about the doll's houses this week. Busy painting my own one with my sister, and doodling many a mini version. I'm working on some illustrations for The Borrowers, but am getting totally obsessed with the one tiny section of the story that involves the doll's house. What is it that makes tiny rooms so appealing?! (Also concentrating this week on putting my developing Photoshop and tablet skills to the test!) 

I'm busy uploading images of houses I have illustrated for people, I was one busy bee before Christmas! Here are the most recent. There's a facebook page explaining what I do and prices etc. I like drawing pretty houses :-)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.261768843834818.74282.261766417168394&type=1

A little street of wonky houses. This wee doodle came out of a wintery trip to York last month with my Bob. The Shambles was wonky and I liked it.