i can't be left to my imagination

As mentioned in the previous couple of posts, last week we had a sketching party at Lynne's place. We were all required to take some food for the group to sketch and eat. One of the items I took was this lovely Allotment Antipasti by Alberto Arkwright. I first heard about his range of preserves and antipastos in this advertisement (above) that I saw in The Bugle. I knew I had to try them out and felt that they would be a great contribution to the sketching party. So I popped down to Doris Dishwater's Deli and purchased a couple.

To prove that I'm not making any of this up I took a some photos. Here's one.


For those, who have been waiting with bated breath (and, lets face it, who wouldn't be?) I'll share the recipe for the other treat I took (Eyeball Chutney) shortly.

like a tea tray in the sky

Last Saturday we held our monthly meeting of the Sketchcrawl North group. Well, actually Lynne held it at her house. To keep out of the Sheffield cold and rain we had a sketching tea party. A Mad Hatter's Sketching Tea Party to be precise. There were a few rules. Everyone was to
a) wear a hat
b) bring some interesting crockery
c) make some food for the party.

A great effort was made by everyone. Specifically Lynne's husband, John, who kept us in cups of tea all day. The biscuits below were made by our newest member of the group, 9 year old Josh.

I went the French route with my hat, and took my spotty and stripey tea pots. For food, well, I focused on the word 'Mad'. So, if you'd like my recipes for Eyeball Chutney and Allotment Antipasto I'll be sharing them in my next post.

For now, go check out Lynne's fabulous drawings and photos of this magical day HERE. Can you spot my spotty tea pot? It's never looked so good.

i just know that something good is gonna happen

Yesterday the Sheffield sketchcrawlers got together for it's monthly sketchathon. This time we did something a little different. Instead of going out and about (well, have you ever tried sketching outdoors in Sheffield in January?) we assembled at Lynne Chapman's gorgeous house for a Mad Hatter's tea drawing party. Much more from the fabulous day in my next post. for now here's a couple of pages from my sketchbook.

you're here in my head, like the sun coming out

I recently completed a couple of drawings for the Buxton Festival's 2012 brochure. This one is, obviously (well, at least I hope it's obvious), for a production of James and the Giant Peach.

I do believe this is the first time I've actually made a drawing from a subject that is already so famous (I could be completely wrong, I have a rotten memory). I didn't really let that bother me, I just tried to, as every 'judge' of every tv 'talent' show says every five minutes, "make it my own". Yuk.

I can't tell you how much I want to scribble 'James and the Giant Peach' in big scratchy writing in the left hand corner of this one. I suppose now it's scanned.......

when we got to the top of the hill

This, ahem, 'lovely' ashtray was a present from Rome (who'd have thought it, eh?). In fact I got a big bag of goodies from there. Including one of the more unusual souvenirs anyone has ever brought back from their travels for me; butter. Yes, I did say butter.

Here's a question, a little quiz actually; can you guess the what I used to create this drawing? Yes, obviously paper. And, of course, the trademark ballpoints were used but how many? Do you think anything else was used? Pencils? Crayons? Paint? There's a copies of How To Draw Like A Nut & Loon in for the winner, that's the person who guesses the closest (because I cannot actually believe anyone will get it spot on). Comment here, Flickr, FB, Twitter, all the usual places. And you might want to click on the drawing to get a better look.

Thank you for all taking part in this little quiz. It was hard to judge (again, I hadn't thought that through), in the end I made a little bar chart marking each item you got. The winner came up with the most correct items.

So, this is how I did it;
I used six blue ballpoints to draw in the ashtray - yeah, six! I drew around it but I went straight in with the pen instead of , as a few of you thought putting it in with pencil first.
I used two red ballpoints - actually no black, which a lot of people guessed.
The outline was made with a dark blue fine liner, as was the stippling in the centre.
Then I used two blue pencils - one was an indigo blue which can give the opaque look to the drawing.
Two red pencils.
And a touch of graphic tint pencil for the shadow.

That's it! Fourteen items in all, I believe. Yes, I know; totally obsessive. The person who got the most correct items (they guessed nine) was Maureen. Zines on their way to you.

look up and you'll see me

Clearly, I haven't thought the idea for this new book through. Because this is the space I'm left to work with on the next page.....

Now what the bloody hell do I do with that? Hmmmm.

keep falling, i'll find you

Right then. Let's get this show back on the road.

Firstly, Happy New Year to you all. Thank you for continuing to visit my blog despite the woeful lack of activity here. The truth is I ate and drunk so much over the holidays that getting out of the chair, to use the computer, became very hard work. And, even if I could have (got out the chair, that is) my fingers have got so fat that they were too much for the little keys. Something like that anyway.

But, what a great way to start my New Year posting; I've hooked up with the Pen Addict once again. This time I'm reviewing fine liner pens. This is one of the spreads from the said review, that can be found in full HERE.

Well, I have absolutely loads of new stuff to post. All that coming up in the next couple of weeks. For now Happy 2012!

waiting just to fly fly fly

Click on drawing to view... Hope your bodies are warm this Christmas.

rulers at the ready

Just a note to say that 'How to Draw Like a Loon' my new zine, and mini tutorial, is now available on Etsy. Buy your copy HERE. Plus, there's a special price for three copies HERE.

And, another little note to say that you'll need a ruler to read all the craziness on the first page. Thanks to everyone who has bought it so far.

a two way street

This was a nice little surprise in my mail box today. I sold this drawing earlier in the year. It was destined for a little girl's bedroom wall on the other side of the world to me. How great does it look all mounted and framed? I would never have considered such vibrant colours or patterned mounts ('matts' in the US?). I probably would have gone with white. These photos make me totally reconsider how I'll frame my drawings in the future. I think it looks fabulous.

Do you have any of photos of my drawings in your homes? I'd love to gather some together for a future post.

Thanks, Oli, for these lovely pics.

the lonliness of an illustrated zine maker

Thanks to everyone who has purchased a copy of 'How to Draw Like a Loon' thus far. They are still available HERE, before Christmas, to those in the UK. I'll open that up to the 'rest of the world' after the holiday.

You know, I've come across many a learning curve since opening my little Etsy shop, a couple of years back, and especially since I started making and selling zines. One of those curves, that I am currently in the process of tackling, is how to keep the personal touch whilst running an efficient small business.

You see, the postage and packing of the last couple of zines was ridiculously time consuming. I didn't make things easy for myself. In fact I seemed to make them impossibly difficult. Some of you who follow my blog, and who have purchased my zines, may recall the 'Nut' envelope decorating debacle. Plus, you may remember the hand written teeny weeny pixie letters and gift tags that came with 'About A Book' zine and caused my last nervous breakdown. I totally underestimated the time all of these little touches would take.

To say those experiences were stressful is a big fat understatement and I will not be going back there. Imagine hand decorating envelopes for over 250 zines. The scene below is just a glimpse into how that felt.

That HAD to change. Since then my friend has taken over the running of my shop and the mailing of zines. While this has meant that the orders are being sent out a day or two after they come in, the personal touch has been lost along the way. So, how do you do both? Is it possible to do both? I think so. And, have a few ideas on how to redress the balance. One is little limited edition compliment slips that change every so often, drawn especially to express my gratitude to you, like the one at the top of his post.

I hope these experiences of mine may be useful to you should you be considering zine making and opening up your own little Etsy shop.

And, finally another little plug for my new zine 'How to Draw Like a Loon'. The perfect stocking filler for anyone who loves to draw. Buy it HERE now.