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.

some moments that i've had

Another image that just appeared in my head a couple of days ago. I'm not sure that I've executed it as well as I could have, but it's a part of this whole graphic novel idea which is currently growing and taking over my life. I feel, when I get like this, that I have to draw as much of it as I possibly can. So that I don' forget. So that I always remember the feeling of it. I don't know if that makes any sense. Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. It might come to something one day. Or it might just pass. But, right now, I'm living and breathing it.

makes me feel i'm from another world

Not content with just drawing on air mail envelopes I've actually take to drawing the little buggers too. I was going to take this opportunity to have a right old rant about the Royal Mail. I am seriously fecked off with them right now. There's been a much higher percentage of people not getting their mail from me this time round. Specifically the stuff I posted before Christmas. I'm not sure how they can justify this. Or how they expect small businesses, in a difficult time, to soak up the extra costs of resending orders. Plus, when I think of all the time I've put into getting this stuff out it just makes me furious. And, that's not the half of it. It's, perhaps, not so bad when you actually have the stuff to resend but when an original drawing goes missing then that really hurts. To anyone who has not yet received their order (if you ordered over a couple of weeks ago that is) then please get in touch and I'll put it right. Big apologies, once again. So, I'll save that rant for another time. I still haven't started the tax returns.

rapping on the windows, whistling down the chimney pot

There's a new little post over on my children's book blog. Find out everything you need to know about the owner of this keyring HERE.

A new drawing on this blog will magically appear tomorrow. I think it's magic, anyway. Clicking on some magic buttons and then my drawings are whooshed all around the world (that's how the internet works in my mind). Now that's magic.

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.

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.

where'er you go

Click on drawings to view.

These are a couple of pages from one of the themed Moleskine sketchbooks I have on the go at the moment. This one is a kinda sorta travelly themed Moley. Sorta. Kinda.

You'd have thought I'd had enough of keys after the last drawing. But, it seems not. My friend, who'd heard about my thing for drawing keys, came into work with the most gorgeous old tin of the tiniest keys you could imagine. I cannot wait to get stuck into drawing them. So, more keys at a later date.

It's funny how these things happen, though, isn't it? Last night, I only popped out to the pub for half an hour and ended up coming home with a huge Tupperware box full of sea anemones, conchs, pebbles, lava, snail shells. And, a seahorse. Yes, a seahorse!! Cannot tell you how excited I am about drawing the contents of the Tupperware. But, more of that later, too.

Can't chat now, I have way too much to draw. Cheerio, my ducks.

for a minute i lost myself

What can I say? More Moleskine madness.

in my life

I always feel like I am looking for the key.

Literally and metaphorically.

driving nowhere, come along for the ride?

I had no idea where this picture was going. It started as an inventory of my keys. So, I put all those down on the paper. However it looked really quite dull. I liked the individual drawings of the keys, but it just wasn't working as a whole. There was just too much white space. I considered putting text in but then came up with the idea of framing the keys. I like the result.

I'm going away for a few days. I just wanted to say thanks to everybody who has visited my blog. Thank You! To all those who have left comments (new and old) I really appreciate it and will get around to paying you all a visit when I get back. Cheers folks.

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.