OFFICIAL WEBSITE LAUNCH AND COMPETITION

YES I am officially launching my revamped and moved website. 

FANFARE AND PARADE

(Literally: Ooooh I should draw a quick sketch of a bird parade here that would be fun! But the physiology of birds marching and playing brass instruments is just fundamentally inaccurate. Which I cannot refrain from pointing out. That would be irresponsible.)

SO, THE NEW WEBSITE

Not the most flashy upgrade in the world, but it does have a lot of my work on it, organised into nice posts and pages where you can see it nice and clearly.

Work like this:

It has, like, an about section, and a press section, and 6 separate portfolios of my work plus a bonus sketchbook section. AND different banner designs and a feed of this blog, so you can go back and forth between the two all day if you like. 

Coincidentally, I noticed that this very blog has almost reached the exciting milestone of 25,000 views! Sadly there doesn't seem to be a way for me to see who exactly my 25,000th viewer will be/has been or I could give them a prize. So instead I will have another competition to help you lovely people celebrate these two lovely milestones with me, and to give you the exciting opportunity to share them with your friends.

WHAT CAN I WIN?

To keep this simples, I'm offering 2 people a straight up commission of my drawing time up to 3 hours. I will draw something of your choice for you, and post you the original and the digital versions. This can be a portrait of you or of someone or something dear to you, or something a bit more inventive like a scene you'd like to see, a dream you had or a celebrity in a compromising position. The winners will also get a selection of my promotional bumf including stickers and zines.

I may send out some runners up envelopes of bumf if I get a large response to this.

(These celebrities are all talking about this epic competition.)

HOW CAN I WIN?

One winner will be the thing that I most want to draw.
The second will be chosen using a random number generator.

1. Make sure you like my facbook project page and/or follow me on twitter, and/or instagram or follow this blog.

2. Add a comment to this post, or send me an email at jennyrobins[at]gmail.com saying what you would like me to draw for you if you win.

3. Share this blog post on as many platforms as you like using the #jennyrobinsillustration - the more times you share the more likely you are to win, although if you have high privacy settings on facebook please note I may not see your shares so let me know you have sent them.

This competition will run until the 1st of March.

Good luck n'est pas?

And don't forget to visit my improved and new site of web.

SUPER EXCITING VALENTINES VOTE COMPETITION

HELLO

So I've been making alternative collage valentines on and off since moving to London 5 years ago (wow, really? 5 years?)

After a few years of this I compiled my favourites into a mini-zine which I have been selling online and at various real life venues ever since. I also did a limited edition entirely pink version of this to use up the excess ink in my broken printer, as something special for you guys. 

I've made 7 new designs this week, but I want to step up this little corner of my 'practice' you know. As well as offering the originals for sale and making a second issue of the Love mini-zine, I want to print 100 Valentines cards to sell using some of the best designs from all 5 years, and sell them at a much cheaper price point (£1.70). I want to send these to print this Sunday in order to have a few weeks of optimal Valentines selling time, 

but this is where I NEED YOUR HELP.

I'm not sure which designs are the best to print. 

So I thought I'd ask for some help, and throw in a cheeky little competition to make it worth your while. I'll run this here and facebook too, to make it super easy. 

WHAT YOU COULD WIN:

one randomly selected entrant will win: a copy of both old and new Love zines, and a printed Valentines card of their choice. And a two finger KitKat. 

Two additional entrants will win their chosen printed Valentine card. 

WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO:

In order to be in with a chance of winning, please tell me which designs (up to 6) you think I should print, 

be sure to say which design you would want to be sent to you if you win. 

you can do this in a comment on this blog post, or on the corresponding facebook photo album. 

Deadline is Saturday 18th January

HERE ARE THE CARDS

I've narrowed it down to the 23 designs below - go click through them and see what you think

I advise you to make sure you read all of the words on the card before deciding you like it, because some of them have a bit of a kick in the tail. If that's the expression that makes sense. 

So I have spent quite a lot of my time recently running and promoting the New Year's Eve postcard set we did at StoryHands for the start of 2013. 

We each did a postcard design on the new year's theme. this was mine.

Although saying YES more is a valid and appropriate new year's resolution, I'm not really sure it's mine. Sometimes I feel like it should be to say YES less. Blah blah how do you balance workload, should you work for free, do you believe in life after love etc. Saying yes does tend to lead to more interesting things than saying no tho, obviously. see my feeling blessed post. 

We did a big Epic Giveaway competition for people to win some, as well as some other awesome stuff 

If you missed it i apologise, but i was going on about it A LOT. Although not, i realise, here, sorry. 

People posted some really good new year's resolutions which are more valid and awesome than say yes more. My faves were:

stop secretly believing that texts from unknown numbers are actually from ghosts (from Becky), visit Seattle (from Fran), hold a barn owl (from Ali - she won!), get more tattoos (from Clare). 

lots were on the theme of have more adventures and do more illustration (it's like our friends have stuff in common with us or something), i also particularly liked that Hazel's was to become domestically competent, but Angela's was to hire a cleaner. Maybe she could hire Hazel, after the competence materialises. 

I done drew the winners out of a metaphorical internet hat and wrote about it here.

Also it's kind of cool that Ali won, (i genuinly did do the random number thing) as the first ever postcard set i did was for her exhibition. 

competition winner and more gift ideas

To select the winner of the christmas card competition I used the entirely non-scientific method of alocating the enterers numbers and asking my boyfriend to pick one of them.

the winner is Abby Wright! she does drawings to, check them out.

congratulations.

I very enjoyed the answers everyone gave, mostly concerning lovingly handmade personalised gifts, and much big up of the hand-made in general. What this says about my er, online networking demographic, is that they are awesome obviously. but also arty. And there were some purchasing suggestions for the less endowed with craftiness or time.

this man shaped sleeping bag snug item is a joyfull pick, altho on the pricey lovers and very close relitives side of the spectrum.

Clare Bear cannily suggested her own handmade jewelery which is of course allways to be encouraged. The amount of awesome handmade accessories now available on the net ought to be able to fulfil any rellies tastes.
Illustrated calendars is another brilliant way to support your creatives in a christmas gift mode, this example is a delight suggested by it's maker Obara
I also wanted to post this although it is not for sale which Alice used as her example of personal handmade gift, it is a papercut based on a postcard i think, super beautiful. she should really be encouraged to make more things given how speedily her lovely fox purses sold.

OK yes.
stuff and things.

scroll to the bottom of entry for competition

Once again you may purchase my beautific text based christmas cards from last year, i have plenty left, they are in packs of 8 on etsy but feel free to make a specific order of quantity and type and i will quote you happy.


I wanted to write a big ranty blog about how i hate christmas gift recommendation emails but i can't really be bothered. They annoy me in magazines and stuff too although they are usually a bit better. It's just ugh, you know, no, if i had someone in my life who wanted a digital camera or a newly released dvd, or an insulated jacket for christmas, i'm sure i would already be aware. Or for that matter a £500 teapot. no.

wait did i say i was not going to rant?

anyway my point was more that i am a big believer in supporting small businesses and charities and creatives with your christmas spends. (not just like me i mean). Rather than getting something mass produced that looks kind of unique and quirky but actually isn't.

So here are a few of my suggestions for christmas gifts that i think you should buy for other people.
for friend who enjoys hot drinks and is not a raging bull; fetching mug, helps MAG disarm unexploded ordinances. and is red.
for friend who is or is not able to speak, you can get a speach bubble felt broach by Ellie Cryer.


For any friends that like science, or have a sense of humour get Martyn Warren's new book about weird fish.
For friends who enjoy to have pretty things in front of their eyes. or who may have a passing interest in beautiful garments and where they come from, i recomend Amelia's compendium of fashion illustration. Because i am in it. obviously. but also. because you should get it. because horay for fashion illustration. And there is a pre-order offer.
for all of your friends and aquaintances you should also get a copy of Tokyo Godfathers, the greatest christmas movie ever made. It is cheap. I GUARANTEEEEEE it will give you oodles of christmas cheer.

other products are available.

actually, you know what? i'm going to have a little competition.

please post your alternative or just generally awesome christmas gift ideas bellow for a chance to win a pack of my 8 beautiful illustrated christmas cards.

you can also be entered by tweeting a link to this blog and making your gift suggestion,
use #robinsgiftcomp so i can find your entry

you have until the end of Sunday 5th December midnight GMT