roads

Recently, on Facebook, I asked the question "does anyone use Flickr anymore?" I asked because I was, kind of, toying with the idea of deleting my old Flickr account. I hadn't used it in about a year. It felt like a chore to post on there, or I'd just forget - Flickr seems so isolated from those other platforms. I've also had a lot of my work stolen from Flickr (my own fault, in the old days I had no idea about resizing my images for the web). Plus, I thought it was about time I started a Facebook Page as I hear that's a great marketing/promotion tool. I just felt I was spreading myself too thin. So, I asked the question.

The response was huge.

It seems that I'm not the only one who's been posting less on Flickr these days, if at all. But there are still some people hanging out there. Some folk said they didn't like the new (not so new, now) Flickr layout. Some said that it was still the best platform to view and host visual work. A lot of people felt that these days they used Facebook and Instagram more. There were lots of pros and cons. I was swayed, back and fore, by each point made in each comment.

So I went on Flickr to have a look around again. To remind myself of why I loved it SO much back in the day. To reminisce. And, then I started posting again. I downloaded the app to my new phone, which makes it easier to post and view other people's work. But, since then I haven't blogged! Now, I've had an invite to Ello, am still setting up my Facebook Page and have, almost, been convinced to start a Pinterest account.

I'm not sure what the moral of the story is.

Outside of the online world and my online life, I've been spreading myself too thin too. I've been doing all sorts of Art Fairs and Artisan's Markets in this run up to Christmas. Getting out and sharing my sketchbooks, meeting people and promoting my work. Exactly, what I do online then.

I'm still not sure what the moral of this story is.

And, quite frankly, I'm way too tired to work it out. Up early in the morning for a weekend of Christmas markets. As I've recently noticed that my scanner is playing up, and that my scans seem very odd colours, so there's something else I need to replace, alongside my car and my washing machine. So, yeah, keep on going, keep on working, keep the wolf from the door and keep trying to eke out a living out of this art business. Maybe I just need to accept that I'll be spreading myself thin for the foreseeable future. Perhaps that's it.

The drawing at the top of the page is a local art/craft fair that I've taken part in on a few occasions. The guy above is a local character who stopped by to look at our sketchbooks and buy my book. He is in the top drawing too, can you spot him?

i wanna say, i wanna tell you

 On Saturday I got to be part of a lovely event in Covent Garden, which was brought about by Moleskine in collaboration with Urban Sketchers. I was absolutely stoked to be asked to contribute, to the event, in way of presenting a 'learning session' to anyone interested in Urban Sketching. I was surprised, to be asked, too, as I'm not normally recognised for that kind of sketching - although I am an active member of Urban Sketchers Yorkshire - I suspect I was invited because I am a prolific Moleskine user and fan.

And so, I found myself up at an ungodly hour and on the six o'clock train down to London.
Which is, of course, when I started drawing.

 My first stop, on arrival in the city, was a Timberyard café in Covent Garden, where I met the Moleskine team and the other three sketchers, Adebanji Alade, James Hobbs and Olha Pryymak, taking part in the event. This, too, was a privilege as I have admired these guys work, from afar, for years. Then we were joined by members of the press and bloggers to discuss all things Urban Sketching, before moving on to our venues.

James and I were based at the wonderful London Graphic Centre for the day. I'd never visited before, but it really is a must for pen/stationery/notebook geeks (you know who you are). If you're in London, and you are such a geek, don't miss this place. Three or four stories of awesomeness, I have no idea how I didn't spend a fortune. Well, I do; I was kept busy, drawing the day.

In the afternoon it was time for my Learning Session, in which I talked about my journey from being a secret private drawer to taking that leap, joining an Urban Sketchers group, and drawing outdoors and in public. I also discussed some of my coping strategies for making that move, how it has changed my drawing and how it's changed how I view the world (now EVERYTHING is a drawing opportunity). Then we took to the streets for some more sketching.

It was a perfect way to spend an afternoon. And, again, it is another reason I love 'sketchcrawling' - just getting in that zone with a bunch of people who are passionate about drawing, talking, not talking, but always sketching. There were sketchers of all ages, too. Above are a couple of my sketches of the youngest sketchers.

Now, I know what you're thinking, and, no, there aren't that many moose roaming the streets of London. This one was on the wall of a flower shop - the one that Emily is drawing above. I know it's not what you might expect of Urban Sketching, but that was part of my class; there are no rules when it comes to creating. Just get out and draw.

If you feel intimidated by the big picture, by drawing a whole scene or street or building, then start by drawing little bits of it. Just draw the signs, or the bins, or the windows, or the people. The rest will come. You can add the rest of the scene in later. If you want. But, if you are curious about drawing outside, stop putting things in your way. I speak from experience. I came up with so many excuses for not doing what I wanted to do, but finally letting go of that was the best thing.

I don't have all the drawings that I made, to share, here, as at the end of the day we tore them out of our books and hung them at the London Graphic Centre and the Moleskine shop. We didn't just tear up our sketchbooks though. No siree, we'd been drawing in Moleskine's new square Sketch Album which has perforated pages. Another great idea from Moleskine. Above are a couple of drawings by James and myself.

And, finally our day was finished. It was exhausting but exhilarating. There is nothing I enjoy more than talking about and sharing my love for drawing. I wish I could do this every day of the week. I guess I, kind of, do that online - which is great and all well and good - but, there is something about doing it with real live actual people!

As Adebanji finished his last sketch of the day, James and I went for a final coffee before I got my train home. But, as always with obsessive sketchers, a view from the window of Stanfords bookshop café proved to be too tempting. So, I squeezed one last drawing in before departing.

A big thanks to Moleskine and to Urban Sketchers for letting me be a part of this Moleskine Story, to the other artists and everyone who came along to sketch on the day. I enjoyed it immensely. Thanks y'all.

 Did, I say that was my last sketch of the day? I was lying. What else do you do on a train journey?

One observation I will have; if you are on the same train, in the same carriage, as a VERY drunk man then it's very comforting to be sat at the same table as a huge tattooed body builder. Even if he is wearing pink.

guess i'll have another round

I seem to have been spending a lot of time sketching in pubs over the last few weeks. It's kind of become one of those unintentional themes. An enjoyable one. What could make a better subject matter than a lovely old pub? And, I've been visiting quite a few. On Sunday evening I attended Pubscrawl in Sheffield; ten pubs turned into art galleries, or exhibition spaces, for the evening, hosting ten different artists. Such a great idea. Great to view art in these great British institutions.

The drawing below is from a Pubcrawl Sketchcrawl that myself and a friend hosted, here, in the High Peak. That day we took in seven or eight different pubs, drawing inside and outside of them. I drew this in the beer garden of our final stop.

So yeah, there's a definite theme going on. One that I'm quite happy to continue.

it's a dogs life

Here's a little sketchbook drawing - the likes of which I rarely get the time to make these days.

Sometimes I long for those days when I was just drawing and blogging for fun. But then I remember that I'm making a living (just about) (ish) at it these days and what could be better than that?

some things what I did in December

November was a (creative) whirlwind of a month. December has been calmer, but has still had it's moments. I've managed to find opportunities to be creative or share my creativity with others. At the beginning of December I did a local event, a kind of craft fair, I guess. I would never have thought that would have been my thing, but you know, in the future I'll be more open minded. It was a lovely day spent with local creative people (including one of my drawing buddies, Paul Gent), I sold lots of stuff (you can't knock that), I got to make a drawing (above) and there was even a pop-up Swedish café. To be honest, that's what sold it to me. Damn, I've never tasted mushrooms that good. I intend to do more of this kind of thing in 2014.

It was back home to Wales for Christmas. One afternoon my nephew and I went over to Mumbles. The aim was to get ice cream at Verdi's café and ice cream parlour - mid winter is always a good time for ice cream, I find. I've made the same trip the last three times I've been back home and every time it's been closed. It was closed. So we ended up in the arcade on Mumbles Pier where, despite his blatant cheating, I whooped  his ass at table hockey and shooting aliens.

 Later that evening we did some drawing and created a monster.

Today was probably the first day in the whole of December that I've not had anything pressing to do. Well, there's a whole list of things that need doing (sorting my poor broken car out, tax returns, cleaning, etc) but nothing that couldn't wait another day. So, I spent it doing exactly what I wanted to; nothing much. I didn't put any make up on, talk to anyone, go out of the house, hell, I didn't even get out of my pyjamas. Bliss. But I did do some drawing - well, colouring in. Oh, and blogging. Today, I finally blogged some new drawings. Hope you like them.

i know the sadness

I don't know what it is about shops at the moment, but they seem to have unintentionally become a theme.

 I ADORE this place; Patricia's. It's in New Mills, our 'local' town. I've been driving and walking past it in awe for some years. And, always, thinking 'I have GOT TO draw it'. I was saying as much when I drove past, a couple of weeks ago, with some friends. They said 'do it, do it now! Or otherwise you'll drive past one day and it'll be gone, boarded up, renovated'. I know it's true. There was another old hair salon in another local town (the town where I drew the flower shop in the last post), very similar to this, called Cynthia's. It had net curtains and polystyrene mannequins wearing bonnets and baskets full of dried flowers and Easter chicks (not, real ones). I almost came to a stop every time I drove past it  - which always pleased everyone else on the roads. Anyway, I drove past one day and it was gone. It had become a shiny new beauticians. I was sad. Very sad.

Anyway, yesterday, I finally stopped outside Patricia's, parked up and got my pens out. There's such a melancholy about these old places. As I was drawing I could hear the ghosts of yesteryear filling the place with chatter and gossip, as it would have been it's heyday. Damn, I'd LOVE to have a look inside.

Since I posted the, above, sketch on Facebook I've been informed that "it  (Patricia's) belonged to the beautiful Patricia Pott, she sadly died in the 80's and her husband, who recently died left it exactly how it was. How romantic is that? Pat was a lifelong member of New Mills Amateur Operatic Society and a lovely lady". That's exactly how I'd imagined Patricia (thanks for confirming it Alison).

A couple of other things about the drawing. People often ask, when looking through my sketchbooks, "what do you do if you go wrong?" Well, two answers; collage or, as in this one, draw over it! You maybe be able to see the ghost of another drawing under Patricia's. Somehow that felt fitting. Also, whilst making this drawing I decided that I was going to buy Patricia's and keep the facade exactly how it is. Behind it I'd have a modern swanky studio and gallery, but up front nothing changes. 'Cos we really need these old places on our High Streets.

Oh, OH! And, when I finished drawing I went to adjust my car seat and saw this piece of paper on the floor. I don't remember writing it, but it is my writing. I am a sucker for a great quote and have to write them down where and whenever I hear one. I'm guessing this was something I heard on the radio. It was just one of those moments though. You know? Just one of those moments.

Plus, it was a ready made title for a blog post.

feels like it's raining all over the world

 Made this drawing yesterday as I waited for a friend to turn up. We are both taking part in the Derbyshire Open Arts exhibition that is happening on the bank holiday weekend, at the end of May. It's where artists throughout the county open their homes and studios to the public. I did it last year and it was a brilliant experience, so it's nice to be doing it again. This year we will be exhibiting at the lovely Pear Tree cafe, in Whaley Bridge, where, yesterday, we met up to discuss it. Amazingly, for once, the first time ever, I wasn't the one who was late.

 If you're in Derbyshire (a long shot?) at the end of May please come along to Pear Tree for a coffee, cake and a rifle through my sketchbooks. Details HERE.

try an' find myself again

Last night I found myself wasting too much time on Twitter, for no apparent reason - well, apart from the fact that I just cannot go to bed. I was jumping from one profile to the next, as you do. It wasn't one of those totally aimless bits of time wasting (although, late at night, I can be found doing that too), I was looking at graphic novel bok publishers and the like.

On my late night Twitter stroll, the profile Scriveners Books was thrown up, so to speak. In a strange twist of fate - well, not really, we all know there's nothing coincidental about social networking - it turns out that Scriveners is not a small publishing house but a second hand book shop in my local town.

I recognised the photo. I've driven past it a thousand times or more, but in over a decade of living here, I've never been inside. I've never even stopped or taken any interest. That's rubbish isn't it? So today, I was in Buxton and put it top of my things to do list.

And, am I glad that I did? Wow. It's amazing. I can't believe this gem has been under my nose for so long and I didn't even know. Four storeys full of books. Gorgeous, gorgeous, old books. Old armchairs dotted around the place so you can sit and immerse yourself in their pages. Or, where you can sit and sketch.

I'll be back. And, if you live in or around Buxton, and have never paid it a visit, you should go too.

there's a cat in the kitchen

I spent Easter Sunday drawing my kitchen shelves. But then didn't we all? Didn't we? Oh. OH, right.

I'm really happy with this drawing. Really very happy. There's a couple of reasons for that. Firstly, because this page in my sketchbook had been annoying, frustrating, depressing me for probably six months. I'd committed to drawing the shelves by putting an outline of them, and their contents, down on the page in back ink. You probably can't even see it now but it is there. And, that's as far as I got. But it was a horrible drawing; bland and contrived. I didn't know where to go with it.

So, I'd just let it sit on the back burner ever since. Sometimes that's all you can do with a drawing. There are times, actually, when this approach, of just leaving a drawing brew and going back to it some time later, has produced some of my favourite sketchbook spreads. That's what happened here.

Sunday I decided to tackle the shelves. I used blind contour technique to put the details in with coloured fine liners. Then I added some colour pencil  for the background and chilli lights. Then I put in some shadows with a green brush pen. Then I put in some other thicker lines with other pens (which it really didn't need, but then I never know when to stop). Finally, and for no apparent reason, I blind contoured the cat and added the phrase 'le chat est dans la cuisine'.

So, there we go. The story of a drawing.

Oh, and the other reason I really like it is, well, just 'cos I find it aesthetically pleasing. That's okay, isn't it?

i guess i'll call it sickness gone

Here's another sketchbook spread that, until now, had remained unposted. I made this some time last summer at my friend, and drawing companion, Lynne Chapman's house. Lynne was planning a workshop that she was giving at last year's Urban Sketcher's Symposium and used some of our Sketchcrawl group as guinea pigs.

I've made no secret that I've been finding it difficult to get into drawing for some time. Jeez, I've been banging on about it for months. It's funny though, it's only when I am out drawing with other people that it's not an issue. I actually enjoy that more than when I'm sat at home drawing, doing my own thing. Perhaps it's because I'm stretching myself. I dunno. But, I do know this; the little drawing of a typewriter, and the bike actually, have pleased me more than anything else I've drawn in quite some time. They were drawn in a totally alien way to how I would normally draw (water colour pencil was put on the page before I drew the shapes in) and that's exciting.

Maybe it's time for a change.

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.

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.

a nice cup of tea and a sit down

Last Saturday our sketch crawling group met at Sheaf Valley park in Sheffield. The event was an open day to celebrate how this piece of wasteland has been developed into a park with amphitheatre. Our sketchcrawl group had a stall/stand at the open day so that we could share the drawings that we have made of the city over the last couple of years. We were also pomoting sketchcrawling and signing up new members. I made the drawing above, of the said amphitheatre, whilst taking my turn in manning the stall.

An open day is brilliant for sketch crawling with all sorts of different events going on; live music, dancing, dog show, etc. There was an a amazing traditional Mexican dance group, Son de America, who brought colour, sunshine and big smiles to the day. They were a little reminder of all the fabulous and diverse things that people are doing througout our cities to bring some joy into our own and other people's lives. A bit like sketchcrawling, really.

Just across from our stall was a vintage 1950s tea and cake stand which was a gift for us sketchers. I could have spent the whole day just drawing that alone; lovely ladies and girls serving proper tea in china cups from proper tea pots whilst looking gorgeous. Oh, and homemade cakes. I didn't really make the most of that drawing opportunity because I got so distracted by everything else going on. I did however, at the end of the day, as things were winding down, make this little drawing of one of the girls sitting down for a well deserved cuppa.

Another great day with my sketchcrawling buddies.

a shaggy dog's tale

click on drawing to view

On Saturday our sketchcrawl group attended an open day for a park in Sheffield. It was an afternoon choc full of all sorts of drawing opportunitiess. There was music, dancing, food all the kind of stuff you'd expect to find at such an event. I managed to make a few drawings which I'll post shortly, but for now, here's a drawing from my favourite part of the day; the dog show. And, specifically, the 'waggiest tail' round.

Now, I don't know if you've ever tried to draw the waggiest tail round of a dog show? Well, if not, I can tell you, it's not easy. There's a whole lot of wagging going on.

just singing a song

 Jeez, I haven't blogged for ages. In fact, it's taken me over a month to post these drawings. I made them on July the 14th which was International Sketchcrawl day, or Worldwide Sketchcrawl day, or something like that. Our drawing group, Sketchcrawl North, were in the gorgeous village of Tideswell for the day. For some absurd reason I was to organise the day and the weather was not looking good. So, before everyone else arrived I went to the church (or Cathedral of the Peak) to check that it would be okay to sketch in there - should the sun not come out.

When I got there I found a group of musicians practicing for a rehearsal they were giving, as part of Buxton Festival, later that day. They said that as long as we were quiet we could sit in on the rehearsal. Well, there's nowt quieter than sketchers.

The musicians were called The Frolick, a Baroque band, and they were amazing. I must say that I've never really heard this kind of music, and to be honest would never have chosen to listen to it (well, you know, I'm a Neil Young kind of gal) but it was an absolute privilege. And it was a lesson to me to not dismiss things before giving them a go first.

Needless to say we didn't move from the church the whole afternoon.

Some quick sketches of members of the band;

I absolutely love drawing to music. I always have but there's something about live music that is so exciting to draw to. I love the way the music becomes part of the drawing to the point, sometimes, when you lose yourself in it, the subject no longer matters. I dn't know how to explain it. I'm not so good with words, that's why I draw.

A big thanks to The Frolick for letting me, and my drawing friends, experience that.

time passes

For one reason or another I have found myself spending quite some time in various cafes and tea rooms over the last couple of weeks. It, of course, is no hardship. I am not complaining. In fact, it's passion of mine. I love food. Good quality food, that is. I just don't usually get enough of an opportunity to eat out being a poor artist.

I like to think I have high standards when it comes to these types of eateries. For me a good cafe, or tea room, must have good homemade fare, locally sourced ingredients (wherever possible), good coffee and a laid back vibe. These drawings are from a couple of the local cafes I've been hanging out in recently. As you can see, for one reason or another, some experiences have been better than others.