who would live in a house like this?

Well it's two months since I did my New Year goal post and I still haven't touched my book. There is some kind of avoidance issues going on. One problem is that I need to use paints for the book artwork. As I do all my drawing from my armchair, listening to the tv, it means actually moving from this location. It's just not practical trying to balance paint, ink and water on the arm of the chair. However I have decided it is time. I need to get the paints out for the exhibition picture too, so it kills two birds with one stone (I don't like that saying at all. Killing birds it's just nasty!). So expect some children's book related posts - and if you don't see any feel free to tell me off!

PS. The picture is a little taster from the book.

too bland to bear

Gosh, this picture is so bland I can just about bring myself to post it. I was going to do a bit more work on it but it was boring me too much. I actually feel sorry for the this little guy!

By the way, it's a hedgehog made from sticks and pine-coney type stuff.

calling all artists

The exhibition season is starting here in the UK. From now until late autumn there will be a series of exhibitions taking place and it's a really good opportunity to have your work shown in some wonderful galleries. The various Royal Societies hold open exhibitions every year and over the next two months they will be calling for entries to the Royal Society of British Artists, Royal Birmingham Society of Artists and the Society of Women Artists. Last year I entered two pictures, to the latter, which were both accepted - this is one of the two. The exhibition took place at the Mall Galleries, London. Her Madge has a little place just up the road. Buckingham Palace I think it's called.

If anyone would like any more information, on how to enter, get in touch with me and I'll try and point you in the right direction.

(Photo courtesy of Tim)

Griff the cat

I'm not sure if many of you (who draw) work in this way but I, more often than not, will sketch stuff in a sketchbook before I go onto re-draw it. I then, if I feel happy with the original sketches, will commit it them to 'proper' paper. One of the things I find over again, though, is that the characters or objects that I draw often lose something when they make that move from sketchbook to paper. Obviously the spontaneity is lost in the process but for some reason the character can go missing too. It's really frustrating. He just does not want to leave my sketchbook! Does anyone else have the same problem?


By the way, if you'd like to see the original photo* that inspired this drawing CLICK HERE. *Warning, this photo contains serious levels of cuteness.

homeward bound

I'm going away for a week - just back home. I won't have access to a scanner but I might get to post some old stuff. I'll sift through it to see if there's anything worth posting. Hopefully I'll get some time to catch up with all of your blogs and sites. I seems like it's ages since I did that. Catch you later.

it's a drawing of two halves

And the other half will be posted tomorrow...or, when I finish it.

(Click on image to view)

one hundred posts old

I remember, some time ago, Suzanne Buchanan celebrating her 100th post. Back then I was just a couple of months into my own blog and a hundred posts seemed like a life time away. Well, it's surprising how quickly it comes around! And, what's more, I've loved every minute of it.

I'm going to be little self indulgent now; I've decided to re-post my favourite picture from these last few months work. I have produced a lot of work in these 100 posts that I'm proud of. Work that would never have been created if I hadn't joined the Everyday Matters group and started this blog.

There are a few pieces that came to mind when thinking about my own personal favourite. But there was really only one picture that stands out for me which is this; my spotty brolly. I know that if I had seen this drawing on somebody elses blog I'd be thinking "Damn, I wish that was mine". And that feels good.

It also seems fitting that my favourite was a piece of work that I created in response to an Everyday Matter's Challenge (draw something that folds). To see the rest of my EDM set click HERE. Cheers!

Queila's cat

I have officially been addicted to Flickr for 5 months. I can get lost on there for hours. It's such a quick way to skip from gallery to gallery and see the wonderful work on show. This is a little piece of promotional work that I did for Queila, one of my Flickr contacts. You can see her work here. It's cute!

Iris

radiator

In the last few days I've been tagged twice. Lillan and Felicity both nominated me. So here goes, 6 unusual things about me;

• George is my favourite Beatle.
• Sloths are my favourite animals. I adore them. One of my ambitions is to see one (in real life) and, if possible, hold one. Aaaaw.
• For one year my job was picking roses in the desert.
• I love bad tv and films. In fact the badder the better. I'm talking really terrible; shaky sets and awful acting. I for one wish the BBC would bring back Eldorado.
• I have a phobia of horses in water or swimming horses. Eeek.
• Some years ago I was sat next to a stranger on a bus travelling from Bangkok to the islands in the south of Thailand. A couple of years later I was on a bus travelling from Israel to Egypt and was sat next to the exact same guy!

And I never even got to mention that Kermit was my ideal man - yep the frog. Well I now must pass this on to six other bloggers. So Teri, Mariana, Karen Blados, Chasing Tigers, Plain Jane and I Need Orange it's you!

little black bag

(click on image to view)

This black leather designer bag cost me a (relative) fortune when I bought it about 10 years ago. I feel the price tag was justified because I have used it regularly for the last decade. And the moral of the story is buy a classic shape and style and it'll last forever; resulting in less guilt.

helplessly hopscotching

Helplessly Hopscotching Her Headwear Hovers.....

A little dedication to my friend Tim and to many a night singing CSN&Y classics. Well, I say 'singing'...

gate post

On Fridays, which is my day off, I'm trying to get out in the countryside and do some drawing. Do something a bit different from the usual objects I seem to draw a lot of. So how come I get 'out in the sticks' and still manage to draw a man-made object? How does that happen? (It's the lock on a gate by the way).