Sunday 29 May 2011

Totnes Open Studios

http://www.totnesopenstudios.co.uk/Totnes opens its Studio doors (and there are quite a few of them!) every year at the end of May. It's a popular event and a great way of snooping round other people's studio space without looking too nosey.I picked up these postcards by Paula Cloonan and Janet Mitchell.

Tuesday 24 May 2011

remember post?

When I started out as an illustrator, many years ago, I was a friend of the Post Office. I could often be seen elbowing old ladies out of the way as I legged it down the road at three minutes to five, desperate to catch the last post so as not to miss a deadline.
These days I seem to do everything by email. Which is why I have spent the day sitting in front of my computer screen waiting for apparently huge, yet invisible tiff files to disperse onto the airwaves, only to magically reappear on the other side of the world several hours later (like I said, BIG files).
I know, it's brilliant. And the old ladies are safer. But it's not quite as much fun.

Thursday 19 May 2011

Tigers and bears, oh my!

looks like busy few days illustration destined for South Africa. Today, I have mainly been drawing fury things.

Tuesday 17 May 2011

a very hungry caterpillar..

Dear Hungry Caterpillar, I love you, make no mistake. You were an icon for a generation and your profound influence can be seen to this day in children's books everywhere. But right now I have just one thing to say to you.......STAY AWAY FROM MY STRAWBERRIES!!

Thursday 12 May 2011

gone fishing

This is a little character who's been in my head for a while now, and she's all over the studio as well at the moment, along with a few friends.
So I thought, as a blog is all about sharing, I'd better put her on.
The lack of fishing line is deliberate by the way. There is a surprise in store for this unsuspecting angler, just as soon as I get round to painting it.....

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Hurrah for Carl Larsson and Ikea!

This morning I received a post card from a dear friend with one of those "saw this and thought of you" messages. She knows me well because it was a reproduction of the work of Carl Larsson, one of my all time favorite artist/illustrators.
I first came across Carl Larsson when I was a child, my parents had a collection of  books of watercolour illustrations inspired by his family life. I was mesmerised by the attention to detail, gestures minutely observed and executed with breath taking skill. I could almost imagine I was there.
http://www.clg.se/encarl.aspx I spent hours pouring over these books and they were a huge influence. They helped instill a life long love of drawing, especially people, and an affection for all things Scandinavian, hurrah for Ikea!

Spotty Doris

Spotty Doris was inspired by a painting I did for a lady in Germany. The photograph I took it from, of her and her sister dressed for a party and not looking entirely happy about it, made me smile and Spotty Doris was born. I was happy to hear that the painting made the lady who commissioned it smile too, I hope it always will.