Hello Spring!

Looks like hibernation is well and truley over...

...but it's still okay to rock the occasional scarf right?

xx

Step by Step

Okay so this is the most sketch I've produced in the last 2 days...it was drawn entirely from imagination just sat in the garden with a cupper tea and the dogs (not sure what it says about my state of mind). I'm going to have a go at developing it step by step into a finished piece and see how far I can push it.



At the moment anything I even think about putting colour on goes disastrously wrong, with the exception of my sister's birthday card which was done with coloured pencils so I think I'm probably going to start from there...

Papergirl Newcastle

Okay so I've just finished working on a couple of small pieces that I will be posting off to Papergirl Newcastle tomorrow morning. If you've never heard of a 'Papergirl' project, then it's basically where a group of cyclists distribute artwork on a designated date to members of the public...it was originally started in Berlin back in 2006 and Newcastle's will be launching itself next month.
But you should really check out their blog or facebook page, as they do a much better job of explaining it then I do...

	And if you've got any free time around their launch get in touch with them and lend a hand, I just might see you there!   http://papergirlnewcastle.tumblr.com/ http://www.facebook.com/#!/papergirlnewcastle?sk=wall

Happy Birthday!

xx

Doodle Swap Project

Well I recently took part in the latest round of the Doodle Swap Project, where you produce a small amount (usually no more then 10) doodles of trading card side and swap them. This time round there was no theme so I just randomly drew whatever came to mind or happened to be in front of me at the time.

Most were done just using my HB Steadlier mechanical pencil, that I can't live without (seriously lost one in Birmingham and lost all ability to draw). Really enjoying just using pencil again, maybe I should just give up on colour altogether, and concentrate on binding my work together (no two things I draw ever look like they were done by the same person).

Well hopefully I'll manage to keep this blog a little more up to date now that I'm back in the swing of things (I'm always more productive when having a rough time, sod's law really isn't it?). In the meantime I fully encourage you to go sign up for the Doodle Swap Project between August 8-15 for the next round; you can find them here http://doodleswap.blogspot.com



A Long Overdue Update (with chocolate!)

Well I've been quite quiet for a while now so I thought I'd share a little bit of what I've been upto. Firstly I've been down to the 'Life' Centre in Newcastle to see the Wallace and Gromit exhibition, which is totally genius! Well it's clearly aimed at very young children (not that it stopped me from enjoying it, or going down the slide) and sadly I am too old to play in the under 7's area (including a giant squidgey Gromit doghouse and bowl). Perhaps I'll have to visit during school hours when all the kiddies are away to make the most of it. But it was great to see a few of the models and the detail that goes into them is remarkable, and well worth a visit. Plus if you're like me, creatively/inventively minded, then all the information on copyright and patenting is an added bonus.



The other place I've been to this week is Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle to see Vivienne Westwood's shoes! It was incredible some of her designs are so unique, my favourite were the shoes made from used coke and beer cans; who said recycling can't be glamourous? Might try and make a pair later...although that would just be another thing to add to my to-do list that I'd never get done... But seriously if you have never been to Bowes then you really should go the house is beautiful and it always has fantastic exhibits, as well as the famous 'silver swan' (which only runs once a day now at 2pm should you decide to visit, which you must!).

And now for the chocolate!

Well I've been trying my hand at baking recently and have had some small successes (and huge disastors) so I thought I'd share, it's sort-of creative isn't it?

As you can see I have been baking Florentines. The first batch was a bit of a mess, they all stuck to the grease proof paper and the mixture spread out far too much; they were huge like giant cookies! But after a small stroke of genius (if only I got those whilst drawing) the second batch was a success.

Intsead of putting them onto the paper i spooned small amounts into silicone bun cases so they held their shape and just pressed them out when they had cooled...and then smothered them in chocolate!

Oh well sadly there are none left now or I'd have offered you one, how about a nice cupper tea instead?



All the Colours of the Rainbow

So here are the coloured versions of my most recent doodles; both were done with a mixture of quink, inks and pastel pencils.

 'Alice' is pretty much done but I'm not happy with the second one.

The paper I used was far too thin and wrinkled up with the application of the ink. Other than that I just feel the colours are wrong...
I might try using some watercolours or acrylics on it instead; it just seems to have lost something that it had whilst it was still line work. But how do I keep the original essence of the sketch?

Brush and Ink

Okay so I haven't just been sitting around resting on my laurels since the last post, I've been busy inking up some of my sketches. It's a pretty painstaking process for me as I can't stand using pens so I have to use a brush and a pot of black ink.

First was my 'Alice in Wonderland' sketch, it got a little muddy round the face especially the eyes and I had to correct quite a bit of it with white opaque ink as a kind of tippex. All in all it didn't turn out too bad though it's still very much just an idea.

Again the white ink had to be used as a band aid on this sketch, but once it was photographed and uploaded it is pretty hard to spot so it isn't so bad. Just have to wonder how well other colours/types of ink will cover it. I would try colouring it on the computer but sadly all my free trials have expired, going to have to start saving some pennies I think!





New Notebooks

Books, books, books...I have serious addiction to books! Thought I'd share these two little beauties that I picked up the other day from TK Maxx. I absolutely love that store for interesting little sketchbooks; I just now have too many to fill! Both have lined paper in them (not that that will stop me from doodling all over them). And both are smaller than A5 (perfect handbag size).

One of my other huge loves in life other than art and books is fashion. So I wanted to share my excitement for an exhibition of 200 of Vivienne Westwood's shoes that is going to the Bowes Museum in County Durham. It's going to be the only place in the UK that the exhibition is showing at before going on to Japan and America. The Bowes Museum is beautiful place and always has fantastic exhibitions on as well as it's own collections, and is well worth a visit should you be in the north east of England any time soon. As a child I always remember being amazed at the clockwork silver swan that magically appeared to eat the fish. It use to run on the hour every hour but to save it from wear and tear I believe it only runs twice a day now, so if you do visit be sure to time it with the swan's performance.

London Sketches

So i went to London a couple of months ago now, and have finally found the time to upload some of the sketches that i made whilst there. The first two show my nail varnish (i had barry m's specail effects on) and a figure that i sketched from a photo in a magazine after having been to the Design Museum (see ticket and flyer below). It was the 'Drawing Fashion' exhibition that impressed me the most particually the hand drawn, inked and painted old covers of magazines such as Vogue, if only they still made them like that!

I also took the time to visit the Tate Modern, it wasn't the first time i'd been and had seen much of it's collection already.

I always favoured the surrealists when i was younger and a piece by Roberto Matta Echaurren was my favourite this time, once home i tried to create some of the textures of the paint with gouache. This is the first time i've used paint in a long time (usually sticking to pencils and ink) and it's encouraged me to use it more in my work.

And finally a small sketch of the delicious cupcakes we ate whilst there!

Sketchbook Work

Well massive fail on my part, due to the lack of updating...but i have been working honest! Just some small A4 sketchbook stuff, mostly pencil. I feel my figure drawing is gradually beginning to improve but the two pages below still took me almost 4hours to do which is far too long! Still it's something i guess...

I also drew the contents of my bag the other day while fighting a small creative brick wall i'd hit (repeatedly or so it felt); lipgloss, one used tissue, mobile phone, purse and my small 'santoro gorjuss' journel all things i can't live without! Unfortunately i did forget to draw the pencil i took with me, but seeing as i had it to hand at the time i hope you'll let me off!

Oh and i have a confession to make...i haven't done anything with the portrait from my last post yet, but it is next on my to do list along with a tiger/pheasant sortof creature. But knowing me i'll just put it off, and put it off, and put it off like everything else in my life!

x

Update!

Well it's official I'm utterly rubbish at blogging! I think I've had this blog over a year now and only updated it half a dozen times...well all my school reports did say 'could do better'. The gap between posts is far too big now to update on everything that's past so I'm just going to concentrate on what's happening now...and hopefully do that more frequently!

Above is my most recent piece of work (unfinished as always with anything i do). She was meant to be wearing a motorcycle helmet but something about it says more 'army' to me then anything else...Might have a go and seeing what different colour palettes do to it before making up my mind.

That's it I'm afraid short and sweet, going to tidy up my desk, have a cup of tea (raspberry & white) and continue sketching for a bit and leave the colouring till tomorrow seeing as i have the whole day off work, instead of trying to cram it in tonight.

So with any luck another little update will be appearing here soon, but just in case don't hold your breath!

Autumn Days

Well i haven't blogged in forever so i decided it's time to get my lazy arse into gear! I always seem to get more productive when the nights get darker, I'm never sure why that is. Probably cause I'm practically nocturnal anyway.

So I've been doing some small amounts of drawing, nothing major and it just seems that i haven't gotten any further forward with my portfolio at all. Which isn't what i was hoping for by this time of the year. One thing i have been doing some work on is designing my own book cover for Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland'.

Not sure how i feel about it yet, but colour is definitely one of things i struggle with most so we'll have to wait and see how it turns out. A lot of my crazy ideas never get beyond the pencil, I've always found applying colour painful to do.

Since I'm being honest one of the other things i struggle with is time; I draw painfully slow (as anybody whose ever watched me draw will no doubt have noticed). A friend of mine recently turned me onto http://www.posemaniacs.com/ which has a brilliant 30 second drawing tool, which I'm finding a big help on that front. When i eventually get round to blogging again perhaps I'll share some of the vaguely human squiggles that result from it. But for now i have a desk to tidy before i can take anything any further, and that looks like it may take some time!

Tyneside Metro Station

Got a camera film back today from Boots, and it had these photos from the metro station at Tyneside in it. I remember visiting there way back before last summer whilst still at university, i was totally captured by the decay and rust; the colours in these photographs are beautiful. I wonder if it's still there, a lot of the station was bordered off when i went, they were busy getting ready to redo it which would be a shame because i love it just the way it is.

I think at some point i'm going to have do some work from these photos, either developing a colour palette for another piece, or drawing and sketching...or maybe something abstract (which i never do) just trying to get down on paper the feeling of the place.

You'll Never Take Me Alive!

Ta-daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
i've been drawwwwwwinnngggggggggggggggggggggggggg!
And it made me really happeee! Like 2yr old on a giant orange space hopper happeee, like i wanna take all my crayons and stick em up me nose happeee, like i drank far to much tizer than should be humanly allowed happeee!
And i currently have nothing else to proclaim other than that :) xx

A Moment on the Lips...

...a lifetime on the hips, isn't that what they say?

For xmas i got a chocolate making set, and this is my first attempts at one of the recipes; chocolate truffles. I'm planning on doing a different recipe every week, it's quite challenging as the extent of my cooking abilities is cheese and toast thanks to my days as a student. Seeing as all the recipes involve chocolate in some form i can see it being very rewarding! The only downside is sitting down drawing all the time and eating lots of chocolate aren't a good combo, and being more active is supposed to boost your concentration isn't it? Which would benefit my drawings, no? So i need to find some activity i actually like doing, besides walking the dog or having the dog take me for a walk.



I had a go at drawing my daily portrait earlier but it went squiffy...so i attempted to save it with some coloured pencils, so it's not exactly a portrait in the traditional sense, but thankfully it's not a total disaster either. It needs working into a bit further, fill more of the white space, might try some other mediums in there...shake it up a bit...

Is it Supposed to be a Cartoon?

...those were the exact words that came out of my little sister's mouth while peeping over my shoulder at my work, and no the intention was not to draw a 'cartoon' as she so aptly put it. Sometimes i just have no control over what or how i draw, and this was the result. Not quite a cartoon (not in my eyes anyway) but really that realisitc either, kinda reminds me of a caricature only not exaggerated enough.

Well i may have to get the lightbox out tomorrow and try inking up a few, to see what they look like.

Maybe I'll Be Done By Easter...

Okay, well i have been drawing (honest!) just i dislike most of it muchly, so i thought i'd share this with you instead. This is a rabbit that i was supposed to finish about a year and a half ago as part of a print making module i took at university. On it are screenprinted photos of my family and our various childhoods, underneath that is some monoprinting on the cloth (a old set of pjs i cut up). And while i was banging my head against a brickwall trying to draw something half way decent the purple box file it's been living in all this time caught my eye. So i'm thinking when i need to take a step away from working on some drawing/painting/piece finishing this rabbit would help me destress a bit. So that is what i'm gonna do...

Alice in Wonderland

Okay, had quite a busy day today, got up late this morning and had to leg it to work, came home went into town, then to the library, then for fish and chips and now i'm currently curled up in my room next to the radiator in an attempt to defrost my toes. I bought this beautiful necklace in town and just had to share it (in the photographic sense only i'm afraid), it totally reminds me of 'Alice in Wonderland' it was just to whimsical too pass up.

And i suppose this could be classed as 'wonderland', this is my room, my little space where i do the vast majority of my drawing, painting etc. Just thought it might be of interest...

My good friend 'billy joe' keeps me company, he's a cute furry rodent that sadly was far to sleepy to be in this photo. Sandwiched in the middle is my trusty lightbox should i screw up (and i frequently do), with my cds and cd player on the other side, and a lamp (i love lamp!) for extra light. There's also a random assortment of junk, pencils, books and action figures sprinkled quite liberally over the area.

Finally, this is where my battered make do drawing board rests (currently with my much battered sketchbook) and where i sit is just in front of it, which is where i'm off to now. I still have a portrait and life drawing to do today and zero excuses not to do it, now that i offically have two 'snow days' friday and saturday so...watch this space!

Snow White

Well i've done something creative today, even if i haven't managed one life drawing and one portrait, but i am definately going to be starting that up tomorrow or should that be today (seeing as it's 2o'clock in the morning).

I did do these scribbles though, they were based on some ghd adverts that i came across whilst mutiliating old magazines for collage material. If you missed the advertising campaign, they were basically subverted fairytales...hence snow white. I have no idea who the other figure is she just fell out of my head (like so many of them do) in response to the adverts in general.

Kinda like it but messed up with the ink when i started out (far top right) so i went back to trusty coloured pencil.