Drawing Lines

This year got off to a very busy start and for some reason I have let my blogging habit slide. So here is a long overdue post which may go some way to explaining my silence. 

I made another colouring book! 

(Actually, I've now made 5 colouring/activity books and contributed to 4 others, but I can't talk about them all yet...)

For now I give you The Colouring Book of Edinburgh, the second in my series of colouring books published by Birlinn. I had to whittle it down to 23 locations, so there are some notable absences but the book features most of my favourite places in my favourite city in the world. You can buy it online or in Waterstones, Blackwells and many independent shops.

I'm just finishing up the third and final book, and feeling quite sad at the prospect of the project being over. There's a lot of love in the little lines. Luckily I have some new commissions on the go and will be running some fun workshops over the next few months. I'm also finding time to get started on some personal projects. I'm off to the Botanic Gardens with my sketchbook and a coffee. It's research, ok?!

Art Adventures

About a year ago I met up with the lovely people at the National Galleries of Scotland and we chatted about making a book. The idea was to create a colouring and drawing book that visitors of all ages could take with them around the galleries. As if by magic (but really thought lots of meetings and drawing and printing) there are now copies of this actual physical book available for sale online and in shops!

Here are some pictures to prove it:

Keep an eye on their blog for a wee post about the book. There is also a brilliant exhibition on right now at the National Gallery showcasing the work of some incredible illustrators, and I'm lucky enough to have my sketchbooks from this project on show alongside it. Go check it out!

Back To School

I just can't seem to keep away from Edinburgh College of Art. Luckily, they are okay with this and have even gone so far as to get me in to do a spot of teaching. So far so good. SO good. I've been blogging about our first project on the ECA Illustration blog, have a read!

It has been so inspiring to get out drawing with the students and work with them back in the studio. Seeing their work and the way they approach the briefs has motivated me to dust off the sketchbook (ok, buy a lovely new sketchbook) and get drawing for the sake of it. No client, no target audience, just making images in response to things.

Life drawing and doodles from the Botanic Gardens

As a lovely balance I am still working on some great freelance projects. Watch this space for a range of cards designed for Archerfield Walled Garden, a freshly updated website, as well as some new prints for sale. 

Perhaps most exciting (so much so that it will get it's own blog spotlight very soon) is that a colouring book I wrote and illustrated is now available for pre-order online...fancy An Art Adventure anyone?

Colour me happy

If I had to pick a way to spend a Sunday, I'd probably just do loads of colouring in.

So today I was at Edinburgh International Book Festival doing just that. With the help of A LOT of lovely people, we transformed this:

(my doodles of Edinburgh city centre)

Into this:

(a riotous colourful map full of new doodles and characters)

We did this over two and a half hours, which involved much chatting and singing and laughing. I heard a cracking joke about a cow from a three year old, but I don't think it should be repeated in public. 

The turn out was better than I could have hoped and the crowd ranged from tiny tots to grandparents. Everyone did a great job and seemed to get really absorbed in the activity, confirming in my mind my long held belief that colouring in is brill. It's therapy!

Every time I look at the maps I find another wee detail or character:

(The famous monkey of Usher Hall)

(Some tiny superheroes and a bird hanging out in Princes Street Gardens)

And to top it all off, many of the artists signed my 'guestbook' with self-portraits! This is now hanging proudly on my studio wall.

Good effort team. And thank you Book Festival! See you next year :-)