Museum Week

 If you've followed my work in the past, you may know that a favourite subject matter of mine is collections. I've drawn collections of keys, badges, matchboxes, pens, buttons and souvenirs to name but a few. I've drawn souvenirs of all kinds, like in the drawing above, which comes from an entire sketchbook of collection drawings. Well, recently I've been commissioned by Greater Manchester Museum Group to create four drawings based on their collections from four of their museums.

I'm so thrilled about getting this gig. I've always wanted to draw museums' collections. I used to dream that I'd get a job cataloguing them all. It would be my perfect job, but unfortunately photography happened and then computers and so the call for museum collection illustrators and cataloguers waned. But, anyway, now I have the opportunity. My problem is how do you make just one drawing from each museum?

Well, firstly we narrowed it down by choosing the four museums from Greater Manchester's 21 venues. The first was Stockport's Hat Works Museum which is the building in the picture above. I already knew of, and love, this place. In fact we did a sketchcrawl there just a few weeks ago. It contains everything you need to know about hat making and the most amazing hats. But, not only do I get to visit the museums, but I also got the opportunity of looking through their archives and storage. This has been such a privilege, rooting through the stores, holding history (and antique top hats) in my hands.

 The second collection I'll be drawing is the Egyptology collection from Bolton Museum. They have an impressive collection of  Egyptology artefacts. Unfortunately, I didn't get the best photos from that trip but I did get a sketch of a dinosaur before I left the building!

 My third collection is from the natural History collections of Oldham Museum. I spent the best few hours with the curator, down in the cellar archives, surrounded by so many treasures of nature, whilst being educated on bugs and butterflies and birds nest. Actually, that too has been another joy and privilege of this whole experience, learning about, not just Natural History, the social history of this region and about the collectors. Learning from passionate people.

Again, I managed to sneak some sketching in before leaving the building. Well, what else do you do when waiting for the rain to stop?

 Today was my final visit and final collection. For that I went to the Museum of the Manchester Regiment to view their medal collections. I wasn't quite prepared by how touching an experience that would be. I shed a tear or two reading the heart breaking stories of the soldiers who lost their lives.

So, that's what I'm working on right now. My drawings were commissioned by the Museum Group for a new online shop they are building, which is coming soon. Very soon. Which reminds me, I don't have time to sit here blogging, I've got (a lot of) work to do.....

 

Oh, and unbeknownst to me, and quite coincidentally, this is actually Museum Week 2015. So Happy #MuseumWeek one and all. Go visit a museum because museums are great places. 

a strange dust lands on your hands

This week my class, at Sketchbook Skool, has come around again. The course is called 'Seeing' and is about, well, seeing. Really looking at your subject and perhaps seeing all those details that, if you weren't drawing, you'd never notice. I try to demonstrate this through one of my collection drawings.

Here are a couple of my drawings of one collection - my friend's collection of keys to be precise. They belonged to her father who had all sorts of collections. Most of these, I believe, were from model railways and clocks. I love keys. I love the symbolism of them and all the stories they could tell and doors the could unlock. I'm particularly happy with the drawing below. Don't know why. I just like it.

If you're interested, you can find out more about becoming a student at Sketchbook Skool HERE.

my deep shade

So, when I made the colour ballpoint pen drawing for the Pen Addicts pen review, a few days ago, I knew I hadn't finished with them. I made my first drawing of colour pens 4 and a half years ago. I'm surprised that I haven't revisited this subject since then. Yeah, I've drawn loads of pens but not the colour ballpoints. Yet, they are the most delectable of subject matter. And, I am still not finished. In this drawing, I really like the parts where two pens, and two colours, meet. I want to continue playing with that and pushing to see where it can take me. And my pens.

This drawing is for sale HERE.

my little box at the top of the stairs

If I'm honest this isn't actually my little box. I've also taken to drawing other people's souvenirs in my quest to fill my travel themed Moleskine. This box of crap, I mean beautiful collection of memorabilia, accompanied my friend Tim home from his world travels. I am a big fan of tat and have wanted to draw this for the longest time.

Actually I've probably wanted to use this blog post/drawing title for even longer than I've wanted to draw his little box, so to speak.

the way i feel from day to day

Before I signed with my agent I visited her at her home and we went through all of my drawings, so that she could get an idea of where my work was at and where it might go. When she saw the many drawings of collections, that I create, she said "These drawings look like endpapers. Beautiful endpapers, but endpapers all the same". I have to agree. They do.

You see, I absolutely love endpapers. I've bought many a book on the strength of the endpapers alone. They are often my favourite part of a book. Just Google image 'endpapers' and, if you are anything like me, you'll be drooling for hours.

It got me thinking that my most perfect job in the whole world would be an endpapers illustrator. Seriously, I couldn't think of anything better. So, if you hear of any endpaper-drawer jobs going please let me know. In the meantime here's a couple more from my travel Moleskine.

seems i've got to have a change of scene

A couple more spreads from my travel themed Moleskine. It's a tale of two drawings. A game of two halves. Or something like that. The drawing above is of some bouquet garni I bought in Lyon. Now, I know some twigs and sticks wrapped in leaves isn't going to float every bodies boat, but it does mine.

I enjoyed this drawing, loved the subject, colours and the textures and I like to think it shows.

In contrast, the sea anemones, below, turned out to be quite the opposite. Although, the subject is very beautiful I couldn't get a handle on it. It really should have been lovely - gorgeous shapes, amazing textures, patterns and colours - but I just couldn't make it work. I end up getting so frustrated when I cannot achieve on paper what I see in my head. I didn't enjoy this one, at all.

And, I think that shows too.

Anyway, enough moaning. You can see the rest of my travel moleskine HERE.

all the weaving of my dreams

Finally a new post on my children's book blog. If you want to know more about this mad drawing (and, quite frankly, why wouldn't you?) then head on over HERE.

all the pictures on the wall

So we've known each other for some time now, right? Well, I thought it might be proper for me to now introduce you to some of my relatives.

on a quiet street corner

I've been living with this drawing for so long I can't even be bothered explaining it. Suffice to say it was a grower. It grew and grew and grew. Stick your nose in and have a look around. And if you don't know by now, you can do that by clicking on the drawing and then on the green arrows in the bottom right hand corner. Fill your boots.

it's written in the stars

This is an oldie, yes. But it's not on my blog, no. Until now.

I did post it, for about five minutes, about a year back, when I'd drawn it. But I couldn't bear looking at it. I don't why I disliked it so much back then. Well, apart from the composition - which I still feel is a bit contrived. I remember posting it and then deleting it later the same day.

Today, while I was looking through the Moleskine drawings that I'd saved to a pen drive, I came across it again. And, with a year or so between us I feel that maybe I was being a bit harsh back then. It's not too bad. It's not great. Not my best. But it ain't awful or owt.

So, especially as I have nothing else to post, I thought I'd give it another outing. Better owt than nowt. As they say up North.

open up your door

This didn't really go to plan. I had something quite different in my head. And, the perspective is all over the shop. However, considering this is actually a drawing of a pixie's bunch of keys I think that bad perspective is the least of my worries, don't you?

Yes, I live alone.

waiting for the moment

A few days ago I was toying with the idea of drawing everyday for a month. But I'm okay now.

I think it was because I'm not drawing much at the moment. I was trying to force myself to draw. But that never works. Anyway, I don't really worry about that too much anymore.

I used to really panic about it. Maybe that's because I didn't draw for years. I used to think if I stopped drawing, even for a few days, then I might never start again. But now I know that's not true.

Because what usually happens is that a future drawing will start niggling away at me. Keeping me awake at night. Pecking at my head. Sitting in the backseat of my mind saying saying "are we nearly there yet", repeatedly.

Until I give in and get the pens and paper out. So, you see, I don't have much choice in the matter.

And we are nearly there. I am nearly ready to dive right into a huge bucket of obsessive drawingness.

looking for the new world

I don't know what's going on with me, but I almost like the work I've been making recently. This, I think, is my all time favourite drawing. By me. Moi. AJ. That's it really. Hope you like it too.

so may i introduce to you

Ok, I'm pretty excited about this. It is, I have to say, my most favouritest piece of work I've ever come up with. And, there's hardly a drawing in sight! But, if I tell you I am a mad Peter Blake fan it might just explain why I love it SO much.

The response I got to the call for stamps has already stunned me, and they keep on coming in. Originally, I only needed them to fill up this - the inner cover of my travel Moleskine. But I'm loving them so much that I've already started another big mad drawing collage incorporating them. To those who have sent me stamps, if you can't see yours in this one, keep tuned in. Because this could be just the start of a new stamp based obsession.

Thanks for helping me out guys. I knew I could rely on you.

hanging without a cloud

This drawing was never really going anywhere. So, as I have nothing else to show, I'm posting it half finished. I could have worked on it some more, but I know that it would be a pointless task. I think this is probably the best it's ever going to look. Which ain't great. But, there we go. Win some lose some. It does have one moment that I particularly like, though. The finished key on the left. Hmmm. I kinda like that.

take a pinch of keyhole

(Click on drawing to view)

This drawing had all the ingredients to be great. A beautiful subject matter courtesy of my friend Annette. Stunning colours. Heaps of nostalgia. And hours of time to simmer. Somehow, for me, it falls short of being an extremely tasty dish.

Everyday Matters #37, draw some keys.

for a minute i lost myself

What can I say? More Moleskine madness.

don't look back in anger

The sun is out here, in the UK, this weekend, which means one thing. Actually, it means a few things. Across the country people are wiping down the white plastic garden furniture. Back gardens are filled with the smell of burning sausages on disposable BBQs. People dressed completely inappropriately for the time of year and temperature. Oasis tunes blasting from kitchen windows. And, of course, copious amounts of alcohol being consumed.

Me? I'm drawing pixie shoes. It's a worry.

Actually, I'm going to put this drawing away for a little while. You're probably getting as bored with it as I am. I promise I'm going to draw something a little more normal next. I was thinking of that sugar sachet collection. It's all relative, right?

all the things that you've seen will slowly fade away

As I slip into another of those mega drawings it seems like a good time to, once again, do a step by step post.

This drawing has been in my mind for some time. So, let me take you to a place where I go.

I'm not exactly sure where it's heading, but it's where nobody knows if it's night or day.

So stick with me, but, please, don't put your life in my hands.

I'll just throw it all away.

Take that look from off your face. No, I haven't been smoking crack, again.

It's just THIS SONG has been playing in my head ALL day long.

climb onto your seahorse

Click on image to view.

The obsessional part of me knows no bounds. I first did a drawing like this for the MoleyX project. Those little Japanese Moleskines are so tiny, I knew I wanted to revisit this subject because I needed more room to put the notes in. I felt I needed to explain where granny had gotten her jewellery from. So, revisit I did, both in a brand new Moley and on an A4 sketchbook. I abandoned the sketchbook halfway through and kept going with this. I now realise what this drawing actually needs. And, that's an A3 page. So, yeah, one day, in the future, I'll be revisiting it again. On A3!

I hope you can read the notes, they are very tiny. It's almost like a mouse has written them.