shelve it

I'm plotting another giveaway as I have fifty fabulous followers (ooh, now fifty-one!) and I said I would, and I have something new and owlie I'm working on so I think I will combine... details soon...

Meantime, check this out. All the fabulous picture books I buy for Jack (ahem, ok, and me), this is so obvious howcome I didn't think of it before? So much better than sticking them in the bookshelf and hiding all those wonderful covers. It's artwork and books combined, what could be better? (I found it and lots of other good stuff over here).

historical

A blast from the past, really and truly, found amongst my old sketches during a blitz this afternoon. It's Dunnottar Castle, just outside my hometown and famous for all sorts of worthy historical reasons, but also as the setting for Mel Gibson's Hamlet - my sister served Franco Zeffirelli at a local restaurant during filming. I can remember doing this one as part of a project in eeek! - 1995! I can't decide if I like it or not. There's something slightly unnerving about looking at your work years later, as if it might possibly have been done by someone else entirely. Which in a way I guess it was. I remember doing another version of the castle too, in watercolour only... I must try and rake it out.

8th Feb Update: Ahem, as proof I am absolutely NOT the best judge of my own work - I just sold my first print on Etsy (whoop!) and it was this one!

year of the rabbit (or dog, cat... or iguana!)

Having taken some time out (gosh, a whole year! Time flies, I had no idea it had been that long!) to concentrate on my illustration projects for a while, I am tentatively updating the pet portrait site. The last time it got kinda too successful for it's own good, which meant I ended up having no time at all for my personal work. I have learned my lesson though and this time round I plan to only take on a few at a time. What I'd really like is some weird pets to draw though! Maybe some ducks, or a rabbit, or a goat... or an iguana would be cool!

(ooh, I'm now on twitter! And facebook! How much technology can I handle? Only time will tell... Link on the right hand side of this blog...)

I want to draw!

But instead I'm taking photos, and editing descriptions and adding new items and creating discounts (and forgetting to have lunch while I do it! The tummy-rumbling is getting out of hand!). Sometimes doing this for a living feels like no fun at all! Tonight I am promising myself at least an hour at the drawing board as a reward.

telling stories - a bookish giveaway

Oh dear, I'm afraid it's true, I have to confess I have an Etsy addiction. Under the thin guise of setting up my shop I've also been connecting with some super talented people and having mucho fun in the process. It's completely, totally, utterly addictive! Aside from the ongoing tinkering with my own bits and pieces, there's the compulsion to search out all the cool stuff available (and there's lots of it!). To prove my point, there's an ongoing bookish giveaway here, but even if you don't fancy winning a print (an A4 giclee of the Slugs and Snails drawing) or perhaps don't consider yourself a rampant reader, it's still totally worth popping over just to check out the some of the fab items my fellow Etsians have up for sale (I myself definitely have an eye on the fantastic [Mr] fox cushion cover).

perilous tightrope II

For the spring issue of Juno.

a totally bats giveaway

In November I promised to give away a mounted bat print, and I can now absolutely, definitely, without question, announce that the winner is *drum roll please* ....err, primula monkey.... which should come as no surprise as you were the only respondent! Congrats, a little mounted Echo the bat print is winging its way to you!