get back

This is very strange. Not that I'm drawing shoes, trainers to be specific, in ballpoint pen. That's probably pretty predictable. What's strange is using somebody else's pc and somebody else's scanner. It all looks so strange. I have no idea what the quality of this scan looks like to you, but it's not looking great from where I am sitting. Which is in somebody else's chair.

Still feeling a bit blue about my scanning issues.
But shoes always seem to cheer me up. View my shoe collection HERE.

and it's you and it's me

I love it when one post inadvertently flows neatly into the next. This one is connected to my last post in a couple of ways. Not just visually, via Anah's gorgeous pink portrait. But, also I got this block of post-it notes in Bologna. In fact, Anah got it for me. She was very very good at getting all the freebies and at the Fair there were lots of freebies to be had.

I completely forgot I had these post-it notes until I stumbled across them last week. Since then I have obsessively drawn these very quick portraits of girls, until I'd finished the block. They are all ladies that I work with or from tv. Jacqueline Wilson is probably the only recognisable one. There's also a self portrait in there somewhere. Each one took about a minute or two.

It was an interesting little project and is something I am going to do more of from now. Not post-it note portraits specifically. But drawing people. When I was a kid I only ever drew people, I don't know why I stopped. So that's another of my drawing resolutions. Not just for the New Year but for life.

the light of day was on them

A photo from last year at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. The sketchbooks, and coffee cups, belong to Miguel, Anah and me. I shall try to keep making posts whilst my technical difficulties continue. These issues I'm having seem to have interrupted what I wanted to do, which was share some of my drawing aims for 2010.

One thing that I am definitely going to do this year is enter my drawings and book idea into Bologna's Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition for 2011. Last year being selected for the exhibition changed so much for me and I couldn't recommend it more for those who are interested in children's books. Plus, it's free to enter. What have you got to lose?

If you should be selected your work is featured in an annual that publishers and editors use all year round. After the fair, the work travels across the globe to be exhibited in all kinds of exotic locations. One of the most lovely things for me was getting a handwritten letter (how often do you get those, these days?) from a girl in Japan who had seen my work in the travelling exhibition. Getting selected doesn't end at the Fair, it goes on and on and on...

girl

Still trying to sort out my technical issues. Thanks for the advice which, essentially, was 'try turning it off and back on again'. I have tried that. I've even 'switched it off at the wall', but it hasn't worked. Hmmmm. I have a temporary fix so that I can make some posts over the next few days, but I think that it is just temporary.

Anyway, for now, here's a girl. On a post it note.
A post it note portrait. And here's a previous post poem (if you don't know what I'm talking about just take a look at titles to the previous posts);

Girl,
I'm walking down your street again.
Singing with my feet.

The world is turning, but I get so blown away.
I know that's who you are.

I want you, I want you so bad.
It's written in the stars.

i'm walking down your street again

You know, I'm in split minds about New Years resolutions. Yes, I do believe that possibly they are a way of setting yourself up for failure. However, last year, with the help of my very talented friend, Caryl Hart, I found out the value of writing a business plan. Huh? Well, in some ways, a business plan and New Years resolutions are pretty similar.

Anyway, I thought I'd go ahead and set out a few drawing aims for the year.

One of those aims is to go in search of my perfect Mod drawing.

The 1960s are my absolute favourite time in history. I'm always inspired by the Mod movement. My love of it started when I was a kid, watching old 60s British black and white films and grew deeper through my father's record collection. The style, the clothes, the music, the art, I love everything about it. So I want to make a special drawing that reflects that.

What does all that have to do with desert boots? Well, for those not in the know, they were part of the uniform of any self respecting young Mod.

So, that's one of my drawing resolutions for the year. I'll be setting out the rest, post by post, over the next couple of weeks.

singing with my feet

Here's the dilemma folks; to buy or not to buy. I really want these shoes. I have them here in my house. I ordered them from the catalogue. Just so that I could look at them. But, if I'm honest with myself, I cannot afford them. I am poor and I cannot afford new lovely gorgeous shoes. Shoes that I really really really really want.

If anyone would like to buy this drawing for exactly £75 that would really help me out with this dilemma. I admit it, I'm a shoe whore.

Lovely shoe in black ballpoint.

(Update: the shoes are mine!)

the world is turning

I've been looking forward to the new year for a long time. I love that feeling of starting afresh. Starting a new chapter. However, now it comes to it, I just can't get started. I can't be bothered. I sabotage myself all the time. And, I feel so nervous about drawing. I feel like I don't know what to draw or how to draw it.

Last night I finally sat down with one of my many new Moleskine products. This is my new 'all things' diary; a diary, an idea book, a reference book. Even some sketches. And, these are the pens that I've selected to use in it.

I had intended a week full of posts about new projects and drawings. I don't know if that's going to happen now. But, maybe tomorrow I'll feel different.

I hope you don't turn away.