dragging a dragonfly

Well, here's the thing. About a month ago I made some half arsed attempt to lay down some plans for this year. Some drawing goals. But, the main one, the burning one, the one that I've been wanting to do for the best part of a decade I never even mentioned. It just seemed like such a massive job. I didn't know where to start. But I just cannot let another year pass without giving this a shot. I just cannot. It'll drive me insane. More insane.

So, I have to make a start. Right now. I've told you about this project before. In words and in drawings. It is the children's book that has been cluttering up my head for the last decade. It's not exactly a story but a whole world I want to share with you.

I think that the way I am going to do that is by starting a new blog just dedicated to the book. There I can reveal the whole story of how I happened to find out about this world and, essentially, begin to publish the book online. Until a publisher picks it up, that is.

What do YOU think of that? Does it sound like a good idea to you? I would be really very very grateful for any feedback about the idea. If I don't start asking these questions and making these steps now I might never do it. And, then all these field notes will go to waste or just continue to clutter up my already dazed and confused head.

Thanks in advance.

tantrums and tea trays

Just a quick post. As you may know, I've recently been practicing drawing people, and, I finally plucked up the courage and went out of the house. I plucked up the courage and went out to draw people, that is. I found a quiet corner in a tearoom.

I felt quite concerned about the 'big boned' fella, above, perched on the tiny chair. I was more concerned for the chair, though.

The brat, I mean kid, below, was having a tantrum because the tearoom didn't have exactly what he wanted - despite them having more fabulous cakes than you could shake a stick at. In my day he would have got a good old clip around the ear hole.

How old am I exactly? 83 it seems.

words

So America, it's been a little while since our last little chat. But, I just have one more thing to say on the subject. Then I'll never say another word about it. Ever again. I am only telling you for your own good, but....

Seriously. It means something quite different over here. Quite different indeed. But I don't suggest anyone Googles it. Especially the faint hearted. Ok, that's it. I'm done teaching you guys now. But seriously, if you should visit these shores DON'T use that word.

Just so that you are left in no doubt, watch this EDUCATIONAL VIDEO.

it's just a booty call

Remember THIS POST? Yes? Well, they are back. And what' s more I haven't finished with them yet. Come back soon and see them in a whole new light. And, they will kick start a whole new project for me. 'Citing!

(Click on drawing to view)

ain't too proud to beg

It does not please me to keep on flogging my wares here on my blog, folks, but sometimes necessity dictates. So, I have put a sale on my prints and zines for a short time - 'til the end of the month or until I've paid my heating bill off. One or the other. I find it incredulous that I have had a huge bill and yet I've frozen my ass off all winter. I've walked around in the evenings with a hot water bottle strapped to me like some kind of hot water suicide bomber.

Anyway, as I'm artwork rich but money poor I have to try and raise some funds. So, I have knocked MONEY OFF my prints, plus I'm throwing in a FREE ZINE if you BUY NOW. So currently all this (top picture) could be yours for a very a teeny weeny price. If you've thought about buying before but not got round to it do it NOW!

And, also to make way for some new products for my shop there's also a SALE on my Molezines. Any cheaper and I'd be giving them away. So, folks, hope I haven't put you off coming back to my blog with all this slick professional sales talk (I know, I know, you're impressed). Come back soon and I promise to never mention it again. Well. Maybe.
BUY BUY BUY HERE.

the day you happened to come by

I am so addicted to drawing people at the moment. I just cannot stop. These were all drawn on a block of post it notes, which I obsessively finished within a week. There are a hundred or more mini portraits all drawn from the TV. The challenge, I find, is not just a different subject matter, but the amount of time you have to draw. My trademark drawings are highly finished highly laboured pieces, so trying to draw something - someone - in a minute or two is part of the challenge but also part of the excitement.

Old politicians:

BBC news readers:
People from daytime TV:

and a couple of national treasures:

I still haven't plucked up the courage to draw real live people in real life. I mean, that would mean going outdoors, being in the company of people and all sorts of things that are alien to me. But that's the next step. So for now I'll keep drawing folk off of the TV.

Please don't mock me. These people are my only friends.

one thing that was bothering me

(Click on drawing to view)

So America, there is a little chat I've been meaning to have with you. In fact, I've been meaning to have this chat for quite some time. I was reminded of this after seeing THIS POST by the rather fabulous Suzanne Cabrera. Listen up, apart from the very obvious 'fanny pack' (and, lets not go into that right now) I do believe that 'bangs' is the silliest word, I've ever heard, to call something. Something like your fringe. I mean really. Bangs? I want you to all stop using it immediately. Do you hear me?

IT'S A FRINGE. IT'S A BLOODY FRINGE.

sing to me

Well, I'm back. After a visit to the homeland it's back to business. And, I mean it this time, I'm just itching to draw draw draw (although saying it is usually a mistake, it means I won't draw for a month). No, no, I really am in the mood for drawing.

And it's a new me that returns. A new diet and fitness regime. I'm giving up the chocolate and the vino and am going to get my shit together (again). I'm all inspired. Seeing things with new eyes. Like this. I'd never considered drawing a cork before. But you know when an object suddenly surprises you with it's unexpected beauty and you just have to draw it? Yeah? Well, that's what happened here. I'd never noticed how lovely a cork could be before.

Not half as lovely as a nice Claret though.

get back

This is very strange. Not that I'm drawing shoes, trainers to be specific, in ballpoint pen. That's probably pretty predictable. What's strange is using somebody else's pc and somebody else's scanner. It all looks so strange. I have no idea what the quality of this scan looks like to you, but it's not looking great from where I am sitting. Which is in somebody else's chair.

Still feeling a bit blue about my scanning issues.
But shoes always seem to cheer me up. View my shoe collection HERE.

and it's you and it's me

I love it when one post inadvertently flows neatly into the next. This one is connected to my last post in a couple of ways. Not just visually, via Anah's gorgeous pink portrait. But, also I got this block of post-it notes in Bologna. In fact, Anah got it for me. She was very very good at getting all the freebies and at the Fair there were lots of freebies to be had.

I completely forgot I had these post-it notes until I stumbled across them last week. Since then I have obsessively drawn these very quick portraits of girls, until I'd finished the block. They are all ladies that I work with or from tv. Jacqueline Wilson is probably the only recognisable one. There's also a self portrait in there somewhere. Each one took about a minute or two.

It was an interesting little project and is something I am going to do more of from now. Not post-it note portraits specifically. But drawing people. When I was a kid I only ever drew people, I don't know why I stopped. So that's another of my drawing resolutions. Not just for the New Year but for life.

the light of day was on them

A photo from last year at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. The sketchbooks, and coffee cups, belong to Miguel, Anah and me. I shall try to keep making posts whilst my technical difficulties continue. These issues I'm having seem to have interrupted what I wanted to do, which was share some of my drawing aims for 2010.

One thing that I am definitely going to do this year is enter my drawings and book idea into Bologna's Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition for 2011. Last year being selected for the exhibition changed so much for me and I couldn't recommend it more for those who are interested in children's books. Plus, it's free to enter. What have you got to lose?

If you should be selected your work is featured in an annual that publishers and editors use all year round. After the fair, the work travels across the globe to be exhibited in all kinds of exotic locations. One of the most lovely things for me was getting a handwritten letter (how often do you get those, these days?) from a girl in Japan who had seen my work in the travelling exhibition. Getting selected doesn't end at the Fair, it goes on and on and on...

girl

Still trying to sort out my technical issues. Thanks for the advice which, essentially, was 'try turning it off and back on again'. I have tried that. I've even 'switched it off at the wall', but it hasn't worked. Hmmmm. I have a temporary fix so that I can make some posts over the next few days, but I think that it is just temporary.

Anyway, for now, here's a girl. On a post it note.
A post it note portrait. And here's a previous post poem (if you don't know what I'm talking about just take a look at titles to the previous posts);

Girl,
I'm walking down your street again.
Singing with my feet.

The world is turning, but I get so blown away.
I know that's who you are.

I want you, I want you so bad.
It's written in the stars.

i'm walking down your street again

You know, I'm in split minds about New Years resolutions. Yes, I do believe that possibly they are a way of setting yourself up for failure. However, last year, with the help of my very talented friend, Caryl Hart, I found out the value of writing a business plan. Huh? Well, in some ways, a business plan and New Years resolutions are pretty similar.

Anyway, I thought I'd go ahead and set out a few drawing aims for the year.

One of those aims is to go in search of my perfect Mod drawing.

The 1960s are my absolute favourite time in history. I'm always inspired by the Mod movement. My love of it started when I was a kid, watching old 60s British black and white films and grew deeper through my father's record collection. The style, the clothes, the music, the art, I love everything about it. So I want to make a special drawing that reflects that.

What does all that have to do with desert boots? Well, for those not in the know, they were part of the uniform of any self respecting young Mod.

So, that's one of my drawing resolutions for the year. I'll be setting out the rest, post by post, over the next couple of weeks.

singing with my feet

Here's the dilemma folks; to buy or not to buy. I really want these shoes. I have them here in my house. I ordered them from the catalogue. Just so that I could look at them. But, if I'm honest with myself, I cannot afford them. I am poor and I cannot afford new lovely gorgeous shoes. Shoes that I really really really really want.

If anyone would like to buy this drawing for exactly £75 that would really help me out with this dilemma. I admit it, I'm a shoe whore.

Lovely shoe in black ballpoint.

(Update: the shoes are mine!)

the world is turning

I've been looking forward to the new year for a long time. I love that feeling of starting afresh. Starting a new chapter. However, now it comes to it, I just can't get started. I can't be bothered. I sabotage myself all the time. And, I feel so nervous about drawing. I feel like I don't know what to draw or how to draw it.

Last night I finally sat down with one of my many new Moleskine products. This is my new 'all things' diary; a diary, an idea book, a reference book. Even some sketches. And, these are the pens that I've selected to use in it.

I had intended a week full of posts about new projects and drawings. I don't know if that's going to happen now. But, maybe tomorrow I'll feel different.

I hope you don't turn away.