under the sea shells for illustration friday

ink and marker pens on craft paper, 29.4.06

under the sea too for illustration friday

the cat dreams of life under the sea, ink and marker pens with conte crayon on craft paper, 29.4.06

Under the sea for Illustration Friday

This is also from my St Ives Journal (see posts below). Browsing in one of the bookshops I found a children's book called Underwater Farmyard by Carol Ann Duffy & Joel Stewart. I loved it so much I copied one of the drawings into my journal and coloured it in with my cheapo kiddie watercolour paint set bought from the Woolworth's on the seafront. This was the result.

from my st ives journal: quick cartoon

an image formed in my mind over a breakfast of free range scrambled eggs (it was before my vegan days)











Free range eggs..."we won't be sat on any longer!"

from my st ives journal: drawings in response to art exhibitions

David Nash at Tate St Ives


Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden

more from my st ives journal

playing with light and colour

From my St Ives Journal

I came across the art journal I kept when I visited St Ives (Cornwall, Southwestern Coast of England) in September 2004. It was a special holiday, the weather was glorious, we had a week of solid sunshine and warmth, the light was beautiful, I'd found the space to be perfectly free and perfectly creative. It was a time of beginnings and promise, (I'd recently left an oppressive relationship and had just met Paul, I was also deepening new friendships and getting back my sense of self) and as I look back over the drawings and paintings I made then, I am surprised and pleased to see how good some of these are, at a time when I wasn't trying to draw well or drawing for a course or any sort of project or deadline, at a time when it all came from a place of pure freedom and spontaneity and joy.












The postcards pasted into my journal pages above are of artworks entitled dragonfly & legs by Ben Hartley (top) and space & matter by Sandra Blow (below). I found these at the Tate Gallery in St Ives.

Cos sometimes, I can't leave things alone

marker pens added to charcoal drawing, 27.4.06

portrait in mixed media, ink and marker pens 27.4.06

love in the time of pixels: robot(ic) for illustration friday

In case you were wondering, this is a mobile phone, my mobile (or cell) phone to be precise. I decided to draw it as I was wondering how robotic we've become about the way we communicate with each other. I've seen and experienced so many relationships being lived out almost entirely through email or text messages, right from the first flushes of infatuation, through to dumping or being dumped. Has the digital age really brought us closer together, or is it pseudo real? Maybe it's just created more distance between people. Have you made your cellphone into an extension of yourself, a robotic limb or organ? Do you send or receive more text messages or emails than you do real live hugs and caresses? Just something I was thinking about as I drew this and pondered this week's topic. Quick sketch using ink pen and markers on craft paper 26.4.06

this light: art in the everyday for inspire me thursday

More than anything, I think I am inspired by light. I watch it's progress as it falls and moves in patterns and shadows along my walls and the surfaces of my every day life. I couldn't think of anything better to capture for this challenge than light. And how better than in a photograph, a drawing of light.

some more signs of spring

A few last shots of some beautiful moments here before we move house...at least we aren't going far! In two weeks time, Paul, Caesar and I will be moving up the road, to another lovely house with a garden, though there won't be a pear tree to gaze at as it marks the change in the seasons. In the meantime, I have been and will be busy with shiatsu practice and the business of moving, but I will endeavour to do as much drawing as I can. Thanks to everyone who's been visiting and commenting!

Two studies of a cat in repose

Or a couple of quick charcoal sketches of Caesar on Sunday night after a tiring but inspiring weekend learning shiatsu, and this is all the time I had for drawing.

add your mugshot for a good cause

Hi everyone,

Amnesty International, IANSA and Oxfam have teamed up to run a campaign called Control Arms. The campaign is asking governments to toughen up controls on the arms trade, and they are trying to get a million people to sign their visual petition which will be taken to the United Nations. You do so by adding a mugshot or drawing a picture of yourself online. If you're interested, have a look at their website:

http://www.controlarms.org/index.htm

Thanks for reading.

free art!

Hi everyone, I've got some postcards of some of my artwork to give away, or if you fancy it, to swap for whatever you want to give in return, within reason. That means no slugs, unwanted furniture, recycled pet hair, toenail clippings, belly button lint, naked pictures of yourself or items of this nature. Preferably it would be something desirable which will make me smile and small enough to fit into an envelope that can be mailed with just a few stamps.

So, if you're interested in receiving a postcard of any of the pictures below, then leave me a comment with your email address, or email me and I'll arrange to have the said item(s) snail mailed to you. If there's anything you would like a postcard of that you don't see here, let me know and I'll see what I can do.

I'll also post photos of any items received in a swap on this blog. Should be interesting....!

Golden for Photo Friday

To me there is nothing more golden than light.

the dark hole of despair is spotted in its dismal hiding place

The rather badly drawn cartoon reads, "Have you seen the dark hole of despair? I seem to have misplaced it and it's making me unacceptably chirpy. Look, my trousers are turning a ghastly bright colour."

A voice from beyond says, "I think the cat's got it."

And indeed, the cat has spotted it in its dismal hiding place. Whereupon the dark hole of despair says, "Oh just leave me alone."

more adventures in ink

I'm loving the ink pen on craft paper thing. Coloured in with markers.
Drawn from a photo.
Long weekends = LOTS of drawing = yippeee!!!!

blind contour drawings

Finally I get around to doing some blind contour drawings. The Blind Contour Friday topic for April is out your window. I admit to peeking once or twice.

And here it is coloured in. I did look for the colouring in.











And here's a blind contour self-portrait (from a photo). I'll also admit to peeking once or twice for this. But only briefly! I coloured this one in too but prefer the original drawing. All drawings done in ink pen (with my beloved rotring art pen) on craft paper.

Pear tree in bud for Inspire Me Thursday

The sky is in pieces and the pear tree is in bud...

I've been staring wistfully at the beautiful pear tree in bud outside my study window over the last week, thinking how much I'd like to draw it. This week's Inspire Me Thursday challenge gave me the perfect chance. The line above the drawing is what was going through my head as I was colouring it in. The picture above is the first quick sketch I did in ink pen which I then coloured in with marker pens. I then tried to do something a little more elaborate (see below) on squares of coloured paper.
I think I prefer my first sketch.

Well spotted! Again for Illustration Friday

Several hours later, Banjo (see below to find out his story) had organised a game of hide and seek to everyone's delight. He may be little, but he's not shy. About twenty minutes into the game, everyone had been found except Frank. He'd been clever and tried to hide himself on the bookshelf amongst the other penguins! But Banjo found him. "Well spotted Banjo!" I cried, and of course he couldn't help falling over and shrieking with laughter. It was such a joyful moment, I had to capture it for posterity.

Pencil and marker pens in my green lamp sketchbook, 14.4.06

Spotted for Illustration Friday

When I asked Paul if I could have something a little more exotic for breakfast, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind. "Hello," the little fella said, introducing himself. "I'm Banjo, and as you can see, I'm a spotted hippopotamus and I caught a lift out of my war-torn country on this banana. If you don't eat me and allow me to live, I will grace your life with laughter and song forevermore," he said.

I reassured Banjo that he would be quite safe in OUR house, and there you have it! Another addition to the family. He got even more excited when I explained about Illustration Friday and insisted on posing for me.

Pencil and marker pens. 14.4.06

Start of a new sketchbook

The green lamp sketchbook, an experiment with ink drawings on craft paper. 14.4.06