Work in progress...

Just wanted to share some of the bits and pieces I have been working on. I have managed to mock up some of the ideas for a story involving Badger and his new toy. This is currently just in dip pen and ink but I am going to try and experiement soon with some additional colour in either water colour or inks...or both.

I have also been producing some screen prints I haven't yet managed to finish all the different colour layers yet but here as a taste...guess what it is?

I have also been sketchbookingifying some ideas around the next 'homework' project with the lovely illustrator's group at Just Imagine (If you are local in Chelmsford and haven't been yet....GO...and take your Credit card...it is an amazing aladdin's cave...a dangerous place for Children's Book lovers!).

Jellyfish wear jumpers right?!?

....it's been too long...

...so things in life are like buses they say....so true...I have been off being creative I promise, I've just been spectacularly rubbish at posting...it's obviously turning 30...decaying brain cells?!

A photo blitz is called for....



...I turned 30 in Greece...beautiful



...handmade fused glass from Greece came home with me :)







I did some sorting in the 'studio'



..I've become addicted to doodling bikes...



...and still additcted to keys as ever....




it says "It is often the last key on the ring that open the door" lets hope there's some truth in that...



......off to Portobello with friends hopefully I'll come back with some more keys to add to my collection :)



.....found these wonderful laser cut cards in paperchase!





....found out that a bit of creativity zen and teamwork makes Hazel a very happy nut :)







...thought I couldn't possibly fall even more in love with books than I currently am....then my Penguin cover postcards arrived...I haven't stopped drooling over them since

 



.... for Dad

 

...see I haven't been wasting my time...loads more to follow I hope. Who knows what's round the corner- I can't wait to find out!

New Ideas...

Yippeee Year One MA - TICK :) fingers crossed for the results ...but there's no stopping now....

Needless to say Badger and his ears feature prominently in my new ideas and sketches.

A to Z boatimification

I finally finished my a -z of boats. After loads of research I have a full alphabetical list. I only did 2 colour screens for 2 reasons really - 1. to save time (deadlines are approaching) 2. I wanted a silhouette look for the images so the first colour is quite dark with the line on top.

After Pam's advice I used my dip pen on the screen and cringed every time it scratched across the surface but it worked really well and I got the really narrow line I needed.

I drew the boats from images - mainly google images some from photos - from the screen into my sketch book or on paper and I then re sized my drawings using the photocopier and then traced over these using a narrow drawing pen. Once I'd done that I copied them again and adjust the sizes again and stuck them all onto a A2 sheet ready for me to copy onto the screen.

All in all I'm quite pleased with the results but do now wish I'd tried a lighter colour for the first colour as well as the blue and turquoise.

I'm not quite sure what to do with it now - to leave it and submit it as is or whether to scan the images and create a little Alphabet book from it - all suggestions welcome!

Right now to write this assignment..........

For those that don't want to work it out...

a - airboat

b - barge

c - catamaran

d - dinghy

e - express cruiser

f - felucca

g - gondola

h - hovercraft

i - inflatable

j - jet ski

k - kayak

l - lugger

m - motor boat

n - narrow boat

o - outrigger

p - punt

q - q boat (James Bond - it took ages to find this!)

r - raft

s - schooner

t - tug

u - u-boat

v - v bottomed boat

w - whale boat

x - x bow boat

y - yacht

z - z track

Hearing the tide come in....

Chatting to Mum on the phone yesterday - sat in the office in the middle of what turned out to be a cheeky 13 hour day, I could hear the sea rolling in down the phone in the background.

Here are some beach huts, if you imaginifimicate deeply enough you could be there too!

Bunny vision

Bunnies bunnies everywhere...

I have been able to get some scans of my work (instead of photos) and clean them up on photoshop (mastering it slowly)

Here is some sketchbook work I have been amusing myself with..my next little story.