love is a two way street

your faves (25+), a set on Flickr.

Just thought I'd share this with you. Here is a set of pictures I made on Flickr. Damn, I bloody love Flickr - but that's not the point.

Each of the 300 drawings (and a few photos) in this set have been 'Favourited' 25+ times. Three hundred!!!

Thanks for the the Faves, comments, visits on Flickr, Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, Etsy, etc. I appreciate them more than you know.

you are perfectly reflected

Now, here's something I've been meaning to post for a long time. For a long long time. Since I had my first solo exhibition over a year ago, in fact. After the exhibition I was commissioned to create two of these 'small blue thing' drawings. This one was for Sally, a surprise gift for her husband (it's a scarab, by the way, Sally), and the other was for the Hughes family. When I delivered the Hughes' drawing I was given this poem, below. Karey had been inspired to write it after visiting my exhibition. I read it often, and have been meaning to come up with the perfect drawing to post with it. But, as yet, that drawing has not happened and as this one has remained un-posted it seemed fitting. Plus, if I continue to wait for the perfect drawing I'll never share the poem with you. And, that would not be right. It's one of the most lovely, and humbling, gifts I've received.

Thanks, Karey.

strictly ballpoint?

No, there’s pencil, ink, gel pen, crayon, marker

even tippex, in your riotous attention to detail.
Thousands of careful lines;
such small changes of pressure, shade, direction.
How much of your time
to draw all those buttons, coins, badges, tickets,

hair grips? Even tiny cat claws.

Obsessive? Compulsive?

I can’t look away.

I’m a voyeur reading your notebooks,

a kindred detective with too many clues:

mass-produced, man-made, plastic, metal

or something natural, unique?

Any object is subject.

Nothing escapes a curious eye.

You rummage in the attic of my memory

to conjour your magic; a delicate, crazy art

full of surprises

like your quirky picture-title puns

from songs in your head,

now in mine, old favourites -

Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega.

A kind of give and take

where nothing is too ordinary

or too personal

so you offer up your socks,

like fat birds on a wire,

even a black bra draped over a line,

and in “drawers”  - knickers,

blowing in a breeze!

 

Clothes in a washing machine,

half-submerged in soapy water -

you call it, “slooshy sloshy, slooshy sloshy”

Washed pots draining

and lots of shoes from all angles

and pages of doodles and travel memorabilia,

with whimsical thoughts in curly calligraphy:

“will it ever stop raining?”

“trying to keep out of the rain”.

You must be local. You make me laugh.

It takes time and close attention

to notice everything –

Like peering through a doll’s house window

and seeing my own life,

in every shiny detail:

I want to empty out my pockets!

 Karey Lucas-Hughes 2011

inspired by an exhibition of art work called “strictly ballpoint” by Andrea Joseph at  Buxton Museum and Art Gallery 2011

 

Above is a photo that I took at my show. For some really great photos check out THIS POST by Pippa, which was another lovely gift I received after the exhibition.  I really am a very lucky, ahem, 'girl'.

carry me home, carry me home you old sea spray

Posting a couple of oldies here, whilst I get my head around Photoshop and while I tackle (struggle with) my tax returns. It really is the worse job of the year. Made only worse when you leave it until the last minute.

These drawings are both on sale. And, are both on a sale (?). Excuse me for peddling my wares but yes, I'm skint again. It seems being a professional doodler isn't the most lucrative way of making a living. The original, of the drawing above, is on sale at a ridiculously cheap price. One of my gorgeous friends said that this drawing was like 'jewellery flotsam, a tide-line of trinkets' and, you know, that's exactly the effect I was going for. The price has been reduced, by a third, and you can buy it HERE.

The print of this, probably my most famous drawing, is also currently on sale. HALF PRICE! And you can get your mits on it HERE.

The day started so well. Me, and this drawing, are featured in the London Metro today. In a piece about doodling. If you'd like to read it here's THE LINK. To be honest, just being mentioned in the same article as Larry David has made my day, week, year.

Something tells me, though, that today's going to go downhill from here. Right then, *rolls up sleeves* come on you tax returns. Let's be having you.

i heard it through the telegraph pole

A little birdie told me that there may be some feathered (ish) visitors arriving at this blog very soon. Tweet tweet.

i have internet!

Hello folks. Wow, that was some break. It is without any shadow of  doubt the longest I've spent away from blogging. I used to fret if I hadn't blogged for a week! And, why did I fall off the face of the earth? Well, a combination of two things; the longest of drawing funks which coincided with my old trusted computer dying. I really never could have imagined how hard having no internet access (apart from very limited on my phone) would possibly be. Seriously, try it. You'll be tearing your hair out within a couple of days.

So, now I'm desperately trying to work out how to use this new old laptop. I am a pathetic creature. I do have lots of drawings to share and I look forward to doing that - when I've worked out how to make my old ancient scanner work on this laptop.

Thanks for continuing to visit and I promise to reward you with much new artwork. Now, back to the drawing board...

you've come a long way baby

When I began my first travel themed journal I filled it with the souvenirs I'd brought from my trips. Because back then I would never draw in front of people, and so I could draw the souvenirs from the privacy of my own home. In fact, when I made my second little zine I wrote inside "I am a reluctant public sketcher. Actually, that is a big fat understatement. The thought of drawing in public fills me with horror". That was about three years ago.

 And, here I am today. drawing on planes, and in airports, cafes, parks and streets. I made the sketches, above, on the way back from France. I was sat with a really nice French guy who watched me draw through the whole flight. He commented on my sketches and even suggested the passengers who I should draw. The guy who is asleep in the middle of the page was looking over my shoulder at what I was doing (when he'd woken up, obviously!) and the flight attendant came over to take a look. I didn't mind. At all.

 I don't know what has changed in a relatively short space of time. I'm certain it's not one thing. Sure, my confidence has grown and I worry less that people will think my work is rubbish. When I reflect on how far I've come it inspires me to keep on going. And, to keep pushing myself in directions that I never thought I'd go. Roads I never thought I'd travel down. Learning as much as I can to become the best illustrator that I can be. 'Cos, I love drawing. It's as simple as that really; I just love drawing.

after the rush when you come back down

It's taken a little time, after the Clermont Ferrand exhibition, to start getting back to normal. There's so much to process. So many exciting potential opportunities. That's the thing about an event like that (actually, there are not many events like that), it's not just the taking part and the sharing of you work whilst you are there. It's also all the little acorns you plant in people's minds and memories.

These are the things I have been pondering as I've done three loads of laundry today.

Oh, and if you are interested, there's a lovely little review about the Clermont exhibition, by my new sketching friend Omar Jaramillo, on the Urban Sketchers website HERE.

have you got a pen?

 For those who have asked, over the course of last weekend, I do indeed sell greetings cards with my drawings on. Well, I personally don't but Moo.com do. And, there's 30% off until next Monday. With an offer like that I'm getting some myself!

They sell a range called 'have you got a pen?' which include these drawings amongst others. Here are the links; greetings cards, postcards and mini Moos.

And don't forget these limited edition Andrea Joseph bracelets are also available at Wristpix.

 

Excuse me for peddling my wares. But, I haven't done it for sometime. You'll forgive me, won't you? Cheers.

well let me tell you 'bout the way she looked, the way she'd act, the colour of her hair

The evening after I got back from France I went to a Dr. Sketchy event in Sheffield. It was called 'Drawn of the Dead' and  had a very spooky zombie theme.

After the high of the exhibition in Clermont Ferrand, and the way I've been feeling recently, it was EXACTLY what I needed.

 Not only did I get to play with my pens but also got to catch up with my sketching buddies, which was long overdue.

Really, really, enjoyed the evening. But, then, I always enjoy Dr. Sketchy. Music, wine, friends, drawing and zombies. What's not to like?

it was raining outside but my love still shined

Hello folks. Once again, I am apologising for the lack of recent activity on my blog. I'm not blaming my drawing funk this time, but I do have a good excuse. I have been in France exhibiting my work at the wonderful Rendez-Vous du Carnet de Voyage exhibition. A big HELLO to all the lovely people I met there and a big THANKS for showing such an overwhelming interest in my work. There is nothing better than being able to share my sketchbooks with people 'in the flesh', so to speak. Nothing.

Anyway, more on that shortly. I need to unpack and catch up with my mail and all that stuff that goes on when you are in another world and another country. For now, here's a drawing I made on the plane back home.

out of the sinking

Here's a piece that I have made for an upcoming exhibition organised by Cardboard Shelter (a charity that raises money and awareness about homelessness). They can explain, what they do, better than I can, so, if you are interested, check out their website HERE. Plus, there's some lovely artwork to look at.

But, the gist of it is that a bunch of artists contribute a piece of work, to be sold at the exhibition. No themes and just one rule; the artwork must be on cardboard. 'The idea of the cardboard canvas is a nod towards the material which provides shelter to many homeless'. I pinched that quote from their site. See, I told you they could explain it better.

For this piece, I reworked one of the sketches I'd made at a Dr. Sketchy event, of the lovely Hell's Belle, on a piece of cardboard from an old, used, sketchbook (what else?). I knew that I kept those old pieces of cardboard for a reason.

Making this got me thinking; I hardly ever draw on coloured paper. I don't know why. I must do it more often. I like the effect and the tones I got from blending the graphite pencil into the grey board. But, don't hold your breath, I was saying something similar when I contributed to this good cause some time ago. Check THIS out.

why i went missing

I've been banging on about this drawing funk for some time. Now, I'm not saying that this is the only factor, but it is certainly a BIG one. Recently, I've had to make some adjustments to my lifestyle. A couple of health scares, or warnings, have made me realise that things could not go on as they were and that I needed to make changes.

I've had to change my sleep patterns and go to bed at a more civilised time - rather than staying up all hours, drawing through the night. And, I've had to get up off my arse. My ever increasing arse. Since I started drawing I've just drawn obsessively. I couldn't tear myself away from my sketchbooks. But, I've done absolutely no exercise in these last few years. Really. Nothing.

So, finally, I've decided (well, my body did) that it was time to get up out of the chair and to start moving. It's funny, people often commented about how my drawings had such a stillness to them. It makes sense really, I was sat still, very still, whilst making them.

It feels good to be moving about and I hope that in time this view, the one I've been looking at for so long, will get slimmer. However, there has been one BIG side effect; the blank page. The dreaded blank page.

for the roses

I can always tell when a new term has started from the amount of mail I get from students who have decided to study my work (I never fail to be astounded by that). If you are one of those students, I am very sorry but I just do not have the time to answer all of your questions. But, just for you, here's a little post that may make your research a little easier.

Here are a couple of previous posts on how I might go about creating one of my drawings, in this case a shoe;
How to draw the Adidas Gazelle (as seen above) HERE
How to draw a Converse boot HERE.

Here's a few interviews too. One for the excellent Empty Kingdom, Funky 44 and you can find a three-parter by searching the charming Make Do and Mend.

If that's not enough you could always purchase my zines. They contain a whole load of info (how I create the stuff I do, pen reviews, etc, etc). I hope that helps. Plus, of course, this is a whole blog that'll tell you everything you need to know (and everything that I want people to know). Go, do your research!

You can also follow me on Twitter, for all updates of new drawings and blog posts, HERE. Cheers, my dears.

we're in for more rain

Well, another couple of weeks have passed and I am still finding it difficult to pick up a pen and draw. I made this little one some time back, in my mini Moleskine sketchbook, at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Tomorrow my sketch crawl group return to the park, for lots of sketching goodness, but I'll be working the day job so I won't even have a sketchcrawl to kick start some drawing. It's okay though. As frustrating as these periods are, I know it will pass. It will, it will, it WILL pass.

Huge thanks for all your kind and supportive messages in response to my last couple of posts. I'll have some drawings to share soon.

you can still hear sweet mysteries calling you

You know, I do this every single year; I think 'hmmm, I'm sure it's my blog's birthday soon' and then find out it was last week some time. Yep, six years of blogging. It's been an amazing six years for me. I've got nothing but love my blog but I often wonder whether blogging is still relevant. Do you know what I mean? With the rise and rise of social networking, and so many places to post ones work, I sometimes wonder whether blogging is a thing of the past. Anyway, while people still continue to visit, I'll keep on going.

I also always intend to do some birthday related drawing but that never happens either. Here is a new drawing, though. Like the last post, this one is also from my graphic novel idea. I'm really getting into (obsessing over) this idea, and story, again. It's hard to give time to these projects, with everything else going on, so I long for the day that a publisher agrees that this book needs to go to print and I get to give it the time it really deserves.

If you'd like to read the letter to Edward then click on the drawing.

And, if you'd like to see the rest of the book (so far) click HERE.

Finally, Happy belated sixth Birthday to my blog. I loves ya.