are you looking at me?

I have another meeting with Gracie this weekend, to go over the Morse character and to work out the layout of the book. Gracie has given me photographs to work with (Morse was an actual, real cat!) and this is one of my first, very rough, sketches. Just trying to work out how he will look. I'm quite taken with the 'surly child' expression!

off the shelf

I think I've already said, but I'm super excited to be designing the beer labels for new, upcoming Stonehaven tipple, the Green Lady. I'm a regular visitor to the fabulous Dunnottar Wines, who will be brewing the brew, and not just because no.1 son is the manager! This time though, it was for genuine beer label research (although I did pick up a hitherto untried 2011 Malbec while I was there...).

So, I'm currently swotting up on all things label design (bliss!), and also managed to use the drawing of ghostly, elfin type creatures as an excuse to purchase a mini copy of Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book, which I have coveted for years (nay, decades!). It doesn't get much better!

sea salt

A tentative dipping of the toes back in the (blogging) water... Mucho happening here but, as a lot of it in 2014 is illustration related, I thought I'd check back in. I've just finished the illustrations for the spring issue of Juno, and met with Gracie Summers (author of the Morse book I'm illustrating for Acair) last Saturday. The layout is well underway - roughs to follow...

Ooh, and I also have a beer label to design, which I'm very excited about! (And I say that as someone who collects illustrated wine labels, believe me, I'm super excited!!!).

Oh, and happy new year! I've missed this!

zombie

Nope, not a description of my current state... The Walking Dead are shambling across our tv screens once again and have reignited my obsession with all things zombie. With the excuse of Halloween looming, a small 'walker' in my kitchen... I'm particularly taken with the exposed ribcage! (And despite some misgivings, vermillion hue doesn't appear to have had any adverse affects on skin!).

imposter

This summer feels like the ones when I was a child - it just goes on and on. Fabulous. Another glorious, sunshiny day yesterday so we hit the beach... But, feeding the ducks, we noticed this cunning little seagull... I honestly think he thought no one would notice!

good things, small packages

Some tiny, exquisite little quails eggs courtesy of my cousin Louise at Edenwater Eggs. I can't quite capture it in a photograph, but they are gorgeous and look far too good to eat - I really don't want to break them! I wish I had the time to make at least a tiny watercolour of them, they are just fab. Anyway (unfortunately) they will be forming part of my Monday lunch, so the yellow-tinted pic above will have to suffice!

And I am back in the blogging world because I have illustration news! I will be illustrating a new book by Gracie Summers (I have worked with Gracie before, so I'm really flattered that she suggested me for this one). It's about a cat called Morse, and contracts are being finalised as I type... More soon.

*update* a better pic in daylight before I ate them (they were tasty!)

doodling composition

 

 This is brilliant. It's one of J's and I love it! He rattles hundreds of these off a week. I try to store them all but it's hard to keep up with him sometimes. I love watching him draw, he's never intimidated by a blank sheet the way I am, just grabs a pen and off he goes. This is one of my favourites though, think I like the use of space as much as the drawing itself. And the detail is amazing. Definitely one for a frame...