Up to date Update date up. Purge.

I have been going through some old work, trying to have a bit of a purge because (fingers crossed) we should be moving soon. Imminent crash sale of old prints and originals on Etsy planned. Watch the media that is social. Anyway. I just found this collage in a sketchbook from 2008/9, which I had really wanted to include in my last post all about what may or may not be called "Art"

wouldn't it have been perfect? I remembered making it but I had no idea where it was. This is why one should scan everything before putting it in boxes in the loft. 

In other news, you can read all about the Big Draw Awards ceremony at Painters Hall that June and I attended to receive our runners up award here. It was good, we got lots of people looking and drawing, and we got to see Bob and Roberta Smith and Mike Leigh give inspirational speeches. 

I was too scared to talk to those illustrious gentlemen, but I did meet lots of other brilliant and interesting people. 

I've also been doing more live portrait events, the most fun of which was this children's fancy dress picnic where I got to draw dozens of small ones in bright colours, can't think of many better ways to spend an afternoon. 

Some of these kids were really good at sitting still. Others really not so much. But that's all good, I like a challenge. 

I also did a portrait session at Blackhorse Workshop, and one at The Big Chill House in King's Cross last week, both great venues with decidedly different crowds. The woman bottom right didn't really have blue lips, but it was her request and came out awesome. 

If you have an event you're organising that you think would benefit from me drawing people at it, why not pop me an email to see if I'm free? 

I have a two page found text poetry comic in the upcoming SideKick Books Poetry Comics Anthology, Over the Line. which I am not allowed to show you. But I can show you this other one page piece I submitted that didn't get in. Boom etc. It's a sort of sketchbook collage love letter type thing. To be said in a deep voice. 

The speech bubble outlines come from the Christmas card designs I made in 2012. So that should give you an idea of the levels of hoarding instinct I am battling with this purge. But also, using offcuts and serendipitous leftovers to make new work that would never have been inspired without them is sexy and cool. Although I really should throw away some of these dozens of damaged prints of work that is not very good. 

It's a BALANCE people. 

I love popcorn though. There's been a renaissance in supermarket popcorn. If you haven't been indulging, where have you been? The economy cannot sustain this level of diversity. Try all the weird flavours now before half the companies go bust. 

I've been on lots of summertime adventures recently, I went to Harry Potter World (which for some reason, pretends it's called something else, like Warner Brothers Studio something or other)

I very recommend it, the models and the displays of the design work are amazing.

I also went to the Isle of Arran in Scotland for my friend Andrew's 30th celebration. This was my first time north of the wall and it was awesome. We walked to a cave on the beach and burnt stuff in it. And ate and drank a lot. It is beautiful there too.

I was too busy socialising to do much drawing, but I did draw this boat and three pieces of popcorn.

Also I made this birthday card while I was on the train. There was an amusing and embarrassing adventure with the train. Ask me about it sometime. 

Andrew likes Meat. Two veg to follow. 

Also I dressed up as a cowboy for another friend's 30th (Paul's). This is the year of the 30th for me. For obvious reasons. The moustache suits me a bit too well.

Remember Remember the Gallery of Movember

You (may, probably, or you know, not) know how much I love doing live portraits. As much as I love being paid for it, I'm also very happy it's come round to the 'Mo season again and I'm doing it at Movember parties for Gallery of Mo. 

I was at the London Launch Party at Koko this week and showing off my party trick of starting with the background, then adding the shading then the details last. The funny thing is people think this is impressive, but I find it way much easier as it gives me more time to absorb the important parts of their face before nailing them down (as it were), and more time for them to relax and stop pulling a bad photo face. Here are some pics.

Movember have gone all rocky this year. I love how as a charity they are so tongue in cheek and fun, yet still openly militant about making money. They told us among other things that one condition they lay out with the research they fund (and this is serious money we're talking about, Movember is a massive successful money raiser now) is that the scientists work together and share ideas, rather than have small groups in different parts of the world covering the same ground needlessly. Which I think is awesome. And the people involved are genuinely fun, even if the image is a liiiitle bit overwrought. 

NO MO, NO MERCY, isn't it? 

I hope to attend a few more parties with Gallery of Mo this year and to do some charity portraits online too - you can see my profile on the website here. (I done it last year at a pound a minute, but I found that a bit stressful, so have given myself more scope with a fixed price)

while I do spend sleepless nights regretting how little I managed to cash in on the put a bird on it trend,

(it is now, apparently too late. I still like birds tho. I liked them before it was cool)

I feel secure in my appropriate and even philanthropic handling of put a moustache on itness.

mostly I put moustaches on people. for Gallery of Mo on the internet and at 2 awesome gala parties. Live portraits are one of my all time favourite things to do, I really should investigate how you get a license to do this on the streets for tourists. Although I might have some anger management issues if anyone asks me to do a caricature. 

here are some photos, all taken by Gallery of Mo photographers, of some of my favourite moustache portraits done at the second of these parties. There was a lot of tweed and cowboy in evidence.

here's me drawing

and here's the drawing

here's the beautiful Jenmon and partner

this was my favourite drawing I did on the night

subtle skills of moustache representation were required

and not so subtle 

to my right here you can see the amazing Cliodhna Ztoical of Irish Comic Superstar fame, she was FAST

      but not as fast on the draw as I'm sure these three amigos were, after that quantity of charity beer

After many hours meeting and drawing moustachioed gentlemen, and adding moustaches for the (mostly) unmoustached ladies, I began to see moustaches everywhere and was confused by the hairless lips I saw in the street on my way home.

I feel so proud to have been a part of such a great project, (I already wrote about it some here) bringing together art, charity and comedy in such a great way and contributing to the raising of now over £11k! 

You still have a little time to get yourself a movember portrait from an array of awesome artists over on the Gallery of Mo website too.

So now all I need to do is actually cash in on the trend in a, you know, less selfless way