spotty brolly

EDM challenge #40 Draw something with folds. I couldn't decide which one to post so I posted both.


In the UK you have to carry an umbrella with you at all times. It is the law.

kitchen table

Another one from the archives. I just needed a bit of colour.

a couple of quickies.

Just a couple of quick sketchbook page drawings. They haven't scanned very well - a little washed out. Still I've finally managed to get two pictures in one post. Of course, they are not quite where I wanted them to be, but still, one step at a time....

Onions in pen and watercolour.

EDM#37 Draw a key or a keyring.

I have four keys (and key rings) and yet I still manage to lock myself out of the house on a regular basis.

I got this one from Animal Kingdom, Disneyland. So as it's a souvenir I cannot possibly throw it away, even though it's broken into pieces. I am planning on putting it all together one day, soon. For now they are all safely filed on the kitchen table. Beads, links and giraffe. And yes, he does only have three legs.

some oldies

Between college, work, essays, commissions; no time. So I dug these out of the archives. Excuse the state of the paper - it's old.

forever in blue jeans

Some lighter ones. These drawings are twenty years old. Now that makes me old.

Blue biro both. Both blue biro.

EDM#87 Draw your lunch.

Chips - aaah chips. Good old British fare. Not fries or frites but chunky chip shop chips. Nowhere in the world makes chips quite like we make them here in the UK. I don't mean that as a compliment or an insult - but somewhere in between. When they are good they are very very good and when they are bad they are horrid. The smell of chips, to me, is the best thing since sliced bread - which, incidentally, is the ONLY bread to make a chip buttie with. Sliced, white bread.

(Translation; UK 'chips' = USA 'fries'. USA 'chips' = UK 'crisps'.)

a melody in your name

Today I decided to draw something completely different. Something that I'd never attempted to draw before. I have taken some creative license with these. I found some insect shapes, played around with them and added some bright colours with ink. I think they look quite jewel-like. The names were also made up. Actually, they were not so much made up but totally robbed from, erm, Joni Mitchell. Don't tell her though. I hear she has quite a temper.

another quickie

Four mussels in biro...I mean ballpoint.

woman on bus

So this is my first attempt at drawing in public. I found it quite intimidating as it was on a packed bus. I have always hated life drawing classes. I just find there's a real pressure from having people around you; watching you, judging you. So the idea of drawing in public, to me, was very scary. However, there was a lady sat in front of me with her hair tied in a big knot. I was wondering how it stayed there -with no visible pins or clips. I found myself thinking "that would be interesting to draw". So finally I got a notebook out of my bag and this was the result. From now on I'll carry a sketchbook.

more fungi

Here's a photo taken by my friend Tim. It's a painting I made a couple of years back. I used brown and indigo inks for this one, but I can't quite remember how I got that effect. I like this one.

saggy old cloth cat

EDM#6 - Draw a favourite well loved object or a childhood toy. I'm going to post this before I change my mind. This is Bagpuss. Not sure if you are familiar with Bagpuss outside of the UK, but this is what he looks like...sort of.

he's a real fungi

I really like drawing fungi (yes, I worry about myself sometimes). You can really take liberties when drawing toadstools and fungi. The thing about fungi is they come in so many weird shapes and colours, that no matter how much you exaggerate the image it still is plausible. In the world of fungi anything goes.

It doesn't just stop at its appearance either, the names are pretty mad too; Fairy Ring Champignon, Wood Hedgehog, Weeping Bolete, Death Cap, Destroying Angel, Satan's Bolete to name but a few. And, I'm betting the guys who named them were partial to a few of the Magic variety.

Ink is one of my favourite mediums and it just seems to work so perfectly with this subject - and I believe that some inks are actually fungi based. I am certainly no expert on fungi, I just like to make up my own. I have named this one Old Jack's Cap.

today's quickie

This little elephant is actually an incense holder. You stick the joss stick in one of the little holes in his head. It's a bit like elephant acupuncture.

I'm not sure about this....

I haven't yet posted a sketchbook page and am not sure that I'm too comfortable about doing it. I am a perfectionist. I like everything to be clean and tidy and shown to in it's best light, and so showing a page out of my sketchbook actually makes me feel quite vulnerable. I think it's a good thing though. Being a perfectionist is a pain in the arse. You can spend a lot of time and energy chasing something that doesn't exist.

I'll call this EDM#4 'Draw a cup or a mug, and write something about it'. I've noticed that there is another challenge which goes something like - 'Draw a previous challenge in a different medium than you usually use'. Every time I look at this picture (it's a cup, by the way!) it makes me want to get the watercolours out - I'll perfect it then.