a bit about perseverance

At the half time break, at life drawing this evening, I was ready to give up forever. I wanted to sneak out, go home and never pick up my pens again. My drawings were an embarrassment and why was I even at life drawing? I shouldn't be there. I didn't deserve to be there - not with what I was producing. I, obviously, was getting ideas above my station going to life drawing. But I finished my cuppa and went back in. I persevered and I'm glad I did. I pulled this one out of the bag. And now I can carry on drawing for a bit longer. 

one of the issues of working with marker pens

That is all.

Bugger.

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.

the silence of a falling star and other juicy quotes

Day Four of the post three drawings for five days challenge. Yes, it's taking longer than five days. Way longer.

Today, I chose these three drawings because they are all linked. Obviously, they are, but I thought I'd expand on how they are linked. And, how I work sometimes. So yes, of course, I've worked with the same palette here. Incidentally, blues and browns are my favourite colour combination. I just think they work so beautifully together. They also work great with the cream Moleskine paper which is the sketchbook I worked in here.

I often have a few sketchbooks on the go. Quite a few in fact. A lot are Moleskine, but not all. These days I'll draw on anything and everything. The top page is from what I call a 'spare sketchbook'. It's the kind of book that doesn't have a specific theme, it's just somewhere where I dump all of my thoughts, play around with images and compositions, practice my handwriting, file all those lovely juicy quotes and lyrics - that I happen upon - for future reference and make lists. Lots of lists. I love these kind of books. Everyone should have this sort of sketchbook. I can guarantee if I look through this book (this one is about seven years old now) I am reminded of and inspired by all sorts of things I'd forgotten.

At one time, when I was going through a drawing funk (they don't happen anymore by the way) and whining about it on my blog I was offered a piece of advice that I've never forgotten. I remember who gave me the advice too. It was Felicity Graces who some of you may know - although she doesn't draw, or at least, post her drawings anywhere near enough these days. Anyway, where as other people had been telling me to look through the work of my favourite artists or contemporaries, Felicity said definitely do not do that but look back through my own back catalogue of work. It was good advice. That's where you reconnect with what you love to do and the things you love to draw and why you love to draw.

So, that's why I recommend having a 'spare sketchbook'. You'll find so much in there too relight your fire. And, so to these drawings. Both of the two (bottom) drawings came about from developing themes I played around with in the top spread. By taking the notes and ideas and pushing and pulling them in all directions.

And, another thing, the envelope spread is what can happen when something goes wrong on a page; collage. The best way to cover all of your mistakes.

Merry Christmas....

...if that's your thing.
If it isn't, well, here's a moose.
And a pear.

i drew my friends shoe

Here's a couple of drawings that I made back in the day. When my eyes could see better.

The top one was made with a ballpoint pen and the bottom one with colour pencil.

I'm pretty proud of both of these actually.

There's a little collection of my shoe drawings (if you'd like to peruse) HERE.

the ghosts of night, the dreams of day

Had a lovely day yesterday, drawing for the love of drawing rather than for work. I always love catching up with Urban Sketchers Yorkshire, my sketchcrawling buddies, too. We spent the day at the National Emergency Vehicles Museum in Sheffield. It was right up my tree. Loved the subject matter. I could spend another day, or ten, there. And, maybe even a night; apparently there are many ghosts in this former police and fire station. If you believe in that sort of thing, of course. I don't but I'm willing to have my mind changed.

 There was a very specific colour scheme too. Reds, blacks and a little yellow were the colours of the day. I managed to not take seventeen pencils cases, which is an achievement for me, and narrowed it down to just the three sketchbooks. I always try to take some tools that I wouldn't normally draw with at home. I try and play a bit more on sketchcrawls. It feels like the right place to do that as you often encounter subject matter you wouldn't normally choose to draw. The red Bingo dabber was an inspired choice of pens.

 Here's something I've noticed during October, as I'm participating in Go Sober For October, I do a lot more with my weekends. It's much easier when you're not factoring in a 'big night' or a hangover. That's just another benefit to being sober; doing more stuff with your time. Just look at how my blogging has increased in the last month!

 The museum holds a vast range of fire service related memorabilia that had previously been sitting in attics and local fire stations all over the county and amongst the exhibits were prisoner files from the last century. I found these the most fascinating of all, and below are my drawings of some of the mugshots from around the 1940s. It's funny how just by drawing somebody, spending that time studying someone, you can feel a real connection with them. I don't just want to now more about the faces I drew, I feel an empathy, sympathy, for them. Protective towards them even, like I knew them. I guess what I'm trying to say was that I was touched by them. Maybe I do believe in ghosts.

the changing man

Here's just a little (it's all relative) something I knocked up in my sketchbook.

The story of the drawing goes a bit like this...

Sometime back in May I went to my friend, and Dr Sketchy partner, Lara Gothique's fabulous vaudeville extravaganza (I do love that word, extravaganza. In fact, I love both of those words; vaudeville and extravaganza) called Cupid Stunts. I sketched the whole show that evening. I came away with a load of drawings. Over twenty quick sketches.

One of the fabulous artistes that night was a Victorian strong man called Sir Leopold Aleksander. I got a good handful of sketches of him. They were pretty much all as below - simple line drawings.

Over the last couple of weeks, as I have been living a life of sobriety, I seem to have a bit more time on my hands in the evenings. Time to do the things I've wanted to do for ages but not got around to because wine got in the way. Time to go back through my sketchbooks and rework some of those quick sketches that needed a bit of the AJ treatment. So that's what I did with the, now, tattooed gentleman above, and, at some point, will do with the sketch below. Sure, they don't exactly look like the Victorian gent, but that's what happens when you a) sketch in the dark and b) complete the illustration using only your memory and a lot of imagination. And, that's what I love about drawing.

Thanks to Sir Leopold for the use of his body(?!)

Thanks to Lara for her fabulous show.

And thanks to Go Sober For October for giving me the headspace to draw instead of drink wine! 

If you can spare a bob or two please donate to my sobriety challenge. I am raising money for MacMillan Cancer Support. The most worthiest of causes. You can do that HERE.

And if you'd like to see a vaudeville extravaganza, and are in Sheffield next weekend (a long shot, perhaps), Lara is putting on another. Check it out HERE. Take your sketchbook!

and i say, it's alright

I always think that as long as I come away from a day trip or sketchcrawl or Dr Sketchy or any sort of drawing event or opportunity with one 'good' drawing, or, at least, one drawing that I like, then I'm happy with that. That's all I ask for. Just a memento of the day.

 By the time I was leaving London last week I still had nothing, apart from a few prosaic, pretty average drawings of people on the train there, and it was getting dark. I'd gone to the city with a drawing in mind. There's a sculpture I wanted to see and I'd packed the yellow and orange pens especially for it. But, our time there went so quickly that I didn't even get to see or draw it. But, that's okay, that's another trip

 .I didn't want to leave though, not without something, a souvenir, to take home. So, just before I caught my train back, I dived into a café on the corner of Tottenham Court Road for a cuppa and a draw.

 I missed my next train home. So, I had an extra hour to spend drawing the souvenir shop on the opposite corner. I got another cuppa.

 Is it a 'good' drawing? Do I like it? Not really. It's alright. Ish. But, I feel like that about a lot of my work. I need to close the book and put it away for a while. I almost always feel differently with time between it. Who knows, I might even like my souvenir from London in a few months time. Right now I doubt it, but you never know.

 And here's a couple of prosaic, pretty average sketches of people on the train...

i am still right here

For everyone feeling like shit today.
A new range of products, lotions and potions that I may, or may not, be bringing out in the future.

Probably not coming to my Etsy shop very soon.

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?

penanarama

Here's a piece  made for one of my favourite sites; Cult Pens. I'm often asked to do link swaps or advertise or review products or sites but never do it. It's not my thing. I only ever mention a product or business if I feel passionate about them. And, Cult Pens I do. They, to me, are the best place to buy pens in the UK. Huge stock of millions of pens. Every pen you could need. Plus, the service is excellent. Pens delivered to your door the next day. Fab.

Anyway, the reason I did this drawing was for the banner of their newsletter and because I'm 'Artist of the Month'. So, there are drawings, an interview and, erm, photo HERE.

Plus, this original drawing is for sale HERE.

i get my back into my living

A huge thanks for all of the comments and support, in my last post, for my new book. I am very touched. It'll be a whole load of new excitement, as will going to France to publicise it. In all honesty, I'm totally exhausted just thinking about it. But in a good way.

 I seem to be working non stop these days. Burning myself out, not getting enough sleep. But, I don't think there's any other way if I want to make a living and career out of this illustration lark. And, I do. I do everything I do for the love of illustration.

 And, here's another of those things I am doing for the love of it. I've recently taken over the running of Dr Sketchy Sheffield - along with my business partner Hell's Belle (yes, just having a business partner called Hell's Belle is a dream come true). I became a Dr Sketchy addict from the first event I attended, so when the opportunity came up to co-run the gig I couldn't say no.

Again though it's turned out to be more work than I'd anticipated because as soon as one event is over we're planning and promoting the next.

So, that said, if you are in the Sheffield area why not come along to our next event (above) and draw with us? It really is a lot of fun. I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't.

Or check out our Facebook page, to see what we get up to, HERE. You see, never stop working.

could be in a dream

Here's another sketchbook that I've just about finished. I'm not sure of the brand, I bought it because I wanted a different page shape and size from the Moleskine and this had nice thick paper too. I've really enjoyed working on a more panoramic (?) page and will need to replace it with something similar if I can't find another of these.

I made the top drawing at a field day that had all sorts of events going on. I'm really happy with some of the lines I achieved in this drawing. I used a fine liner and a calligraphy pen to get them. And, the one below is from one of our Dr Sketchy events.

The rest of the drawings from this book can be viewed HERE.

four drawings, three places, one sketchbook

Four drawings, three places in one sketchbook.

And, a shedload of different pens and pencils.

Edale

Red marker pen, two red ballpoints and two red pencils.

Various green pencils.

Sheffield

Blue fine liner and blue brush pen.

Whaley Bridge

 (above)

Black fine liner, 3B pencil and various colour pencils

(below)

Blue, pink and yellow fine liners.

Blue, pink and yellow pencils.

All made in the small Moleskine sketchbook. I was never that interested in using such a small sketchbook before I got this. It took a few years of drawing before I bought it and I still wasn't convinced. It sat on my shelf for another year or so. Now I'm coming close to finishing this sketchbook - just a few pages left. I really must get a new one in because it's become one of my favourites. A sketchbook I wouldn't be without.

up the Gherkin

Recently I've been organising the scans of all of the drawings I've made over the past few years and put them into folders and onto memory sticks etc. It's amazing the things you find to do when you have no internet. I came across a  bunch of drawings that I did for a job a few years back. It was for the launch of a new Cross pen (yes, THAT Cross pens). It was a great job. I was approached by Cross to make a series of drawings and to attend their launch night, at the top of the Gherkin (yes, THAT Gherkin). I had to draw a series of iconic buildings and I drew them in the only way I knew how - back then - in the form of souvenirs.

I remember it was a real quick turn around job and that I went right down to the wire with the deadline. Hell, I was still drawing them on the train down to London! So, unfortunately I didn't get to scan all the drawings. I'm particularly annoyed that I didn't scan the New York Museum of Modern Art in a snow globe. Still, it was one of those gigs that was a joy to do (and, let's be honest, it's not often you get to say that). Plus I got to watch the sunset at the top of the Gherkin and to see all the lights go on over London town. 

have you ever had it blue?

This is Foster's flower shop in the town of Chapel-en-le-Frith. It's another of those places I drive past often and think 'one day I'm going to stop and draw this'. Finally, I did.

Sometimes, actually most of the time, when I see a place like this, I imagine the drawing in my head. It's very brief, it's like I take a mental photograph of it, which I then store until I get around to making the drawing. When I take that 'mental photograph' I can see the colours, I know exactly which pens and what paper I should use.

This flower shop, well, I always saw it in bright primary colours. Just red, blue and yellow. But as I sat, in my car, drawing it I couldn't bring myself to add any other colour. Maybe it was just fear. Or maybe, it was just meant to be blue. Although, I would still like to splatter a load of red and yellow paint over it. Maybe I will. Or maybe I'll just leave it as it is. Or, maybe, perhaps, I'll just go back and draw it again. Who knows?

i heard his whisper in the summer breeze

 Above is a brand new drawing. It's actually the second stage (step?) in another of my projects (no, don't roll your eyes) called Little Acorns. I made the first post, about this project, a couple of weeks back but didn't explain it then. I wanted it to start with a whisper. So perhaps I should explain now...

Do you remember the one red paper clip project from a few years back? It was the brainchild of a Canadian dude (note to self, Google him) and basically he started with a red paper clip and traded up and up until he eventually got himself a house. Well, don't worry, I'm not going for a house - unless anyone has a spare one knocking around, that is. Nope, I just really loved that idea and have always wanted to adapt it, so, I came up with my own idea.

 I began with this little drawing of this little acorn, above, and, I put it on Ebay, at a starting price of a penny. Then my aim was (is) to invest every penny I make into the next 'thing'. I assumed it would make a fiver, a tenner at the most, and I'd buy, maybe, a new pen or something. Now, a new pen probably doesn't sound that exciting but times are tough, and I haven't bought any new pens in at least a year. Which is okay, I have LOADS of pens that I can use (pencil cases full of ballpoints etc) but the pens that I use most, the building blocks of my drawings, the black and brown fine liners, had all run dry. And, I just know, that in this Little Acorn project the brown pen is going to feature strongly - as you can see from the new drawing.

Anyway, to cut a long story short (ish), my first Little Acorn drawing made a surprising £24 (plus p&p of 3.50)! So, I had made £27.50. And, this is how it was spent;

Postage £3.00
Envelope £0.40
Ebay fees £2.76

Leaving me with £21.34 to invest. I asked via my blog, and Twitter, for recommendations of brown water and light resistant pens and bought one of each of those recommendations.

Pens £21.28.

I cannot even tell you have good it felt to have that money to spend on gorgeous brown pens (and a couple of other bits). I now have all the pens I need for wherever this project will take me. I will do a brown pen review to tell you what exactly I bought and which I'd recommend in the near future.

But, in the meantime, the drawing at the top of this page, my new acorn drawing, is currently for sale HERE. I hope you'll join me on this journey. Where will it go? Now, that excites me.

Oh, and the Canadian dude is Kyle MacDonald.
Oh, oh, and obviously I used the pens to make this drawing. That was obvious right?!

and it gleamed in the distance and it shone like the sun

A new one here. When I started this it was going to be one of my trademark pen drawings. Just a bunch of pens on a page. I don't know at what point it became London Bridge. That's even if it is London bridge and not, in fact, Tower Bridge.

Can you read the text on this one? Cos, I seriously have NO idea what I'm doing when it comes to resizing these days. It's pot luck.

Anyway, this one drawing is not just new to my blog, but it's new to my shop too. I've put a few originals up for sale over the last few days. Have a gander 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.