blog blog blog blog blog

obviously I am a bad person and have not blogged recently. I could post-date and fake it now and be all like, oh you have not read my blog? well it was here, full of stuff. But because I have respect for you, and myself, and because such a rouse (sp?) would require some planning to hang together, I'm not going to do that. However. stuff has happened. so prepare for epic stuff. And probably I will forget something so will have to post again anyway.

firstlymost here is a recent TheyDrawAndCook.com design I did, I am particularly proud of the fig leaves, although why I decided to include the rhino I honestly couldn't tell you. It must have been due to some tacit knowledge (that's a pedagogical theory joke, well, not really).

In February I went to visit my darling sister Hazel in Lisbon where we were blessed with optimal tourism weather. I recommend it. Here are some drawings I did of some Fado we went to see in a restaurant in the old part of the city, where these sorts of things traditionally take place. It is a cultural thing where everyone is very depressed and grumpy and moved to sing about it.

Before this, I had some London Fashion Week fun, which I wrote up in some more depth on Amelia's Magazine here. I drew pretty things and met fashiony people. Below are some of my favourite illustrations and sketches from my A/W 2011 haul. For the non-fashionistatastic among you, that means clothes what they invented last year for next year that you can't buy yet but should be the only thing you are thinking about apparently. All for Amelia's Magazine.

Bora Aksu also featured the above illustration on their facebook page

I got to see the Jasper Conran show where I sketched at lightening speed - see my write up and sketches here, my favourite works in the show were def. these sturdy jumpsuit sort of things.

I'm pleased with the atmosphere in this Clements Ribeiro piece

Live sketches of Edward Finney and Nicole Murray with their dresses.

This is Eun Jeong, elegant innit?

In Facebook Project news, I did this manga style portrait of Danni, because she just looks like an Oh My Goddess character, and everyone is all over it. Which is nice. But, not to sound whingy, I am not a manga artist. This is not my thing. Do not expect more. Unless specifically requested. They warned me about this at illustrator school. Why it's not good to be flexible. Which really begs the question why I am posting about it if I don't want people to notice. Um. well I've written it now.

A while ago I promised to draw a free commission for my 750th twitter follower. probably a little prematurely tbh, as the flurry wasn't really going to happen till I was pretty close. Although I plan to do something similar for my 1000th follower, watch the space of hereness. The lucky winner was Acronia Lyubov (not her real name, apparently) - I lucked out here as she is stunning! (see below) and wanted me to draw her in my favourite style, so this was a joyful undertaking.

In other news, my illustration will be included in the amazing memories project, an art book about the experiences of poetic cancer survivors (when I got the story to draw from through I proper cried, this will definitely be a worthwhile purchase when it comes out - chock full of beautiful art and heart rending true stories) to raise money for Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres.

Poppy Cleopatra has featured my live portrait of her in her blog banner, looking lovely.

Also, I have been dieting. Which I have a lot of complex feelings about so I might write a blog post about that when I have finished. I'm not sure how I'll know when I've finished. I might not last past Easter. Or maybe I will just stop when i am a size zero. ha.

All that intensive live drawing I did must have been sharpening up my drawing muscles as I think this is my favourite Facebook Project drawing so far! - Dan as a Zombie Groom.

Blog it up!

lots of reasons to be famous this week, featured on the ever brilliant Creaturemag, one of an awesome lineup of valentines artists being posted daily on Illustration Rally (make sure you check out the rest), also featured by the beautiful fashion blogger from Amsterdam Judith Anna yes that is a Panda Panda of Frida Where Are You?, commision on her banner design, one of my newest fav illustrators after spotting her portrait on Style Bubble in the same post as my hands.


after sketching my little heart out at the Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration launch recently, my creations have been popping up all over along with lots of other amazing work by the other contributors. You can see my full run up here. I have condenced some of them for easy viewing:
from left: Alex Cox from Don't Panic, my favourite free magazine, he asked me if I like movies.
Carrie from wishwishwish - wasn't wearing a sailor suit, the drawing just came out that way
Danielle from Poppy Cleopatra, fashion writer into 'a bit of everything' (I approve)
Ellen Grace Jones from The Real Runway sporting her own beautiful handmade jewelery
Laura Snoad from Design Week (this is my favourite drawing - her colours called to me across the crowded tearoom and I nabbed her for my paints. That sounds a bit odd. ignore that) in gorgeous Tatty Devine Necklace and dress by Darling
Sabrina from The Sceince of Style requested a velociraptor in her drawing, I tried my best.
superstar stylist Tamara Cincik and her unborn child, in a selection of Flea Market treasures.
David Alphonso who teaches at Noisy Writing stood as still as a statue, I suggested a career in life modelling.
Amisha Ghadiali of elegance rebellion, only wears ethical fashion (very impressive) again in a sboutique necklace from her own collection - stunning.
Amy of Tantrum Magazine had awesome hair and lived up to the ethos of her publication.
Beth Davis of Oh Comely Magazine (you may remember I went to their launch that one time).
and lastly but actually my firstly drawing of the night Bettina Krohn from Make Lemonade, she had this stunning fake fur collar shaped stole from the online vintage boutique itself. aces.

I won't trouble you with too many of my photos as already stated there were many superior cameras in cleverer hands around,
but here is Zarina (Cobaltcafe) Liew, Antonia (Makes) Parker and her boy in a spledid christmas jumper enjoying some of the evening festivity with carbon nuetral beer (!)
Here is Rachel de (precious little) Ste Croix drawing THE Suzie Bubble while being photographed by the great Sally Mumbly Croft and someone else who is probably also great in some way.
seated in the same actual chairs but from the other side, here is my sketch of Michelle Urvall Nyren and Naomi Law drawing each other. You can see the drawing Michelle was doing here, so it's all tripy and circular. and in here is the sketch Naomi did too, for like actual fractal postage.

I also did this quick painting of photographer Liz with epic leggings (not pictured) who was so busy she ran off before I added the pen, but I like it without in fact, so here it is.
Tigz gets her own line, because. She is awesome.

And finally this is Duck (of the epic Anastasia and Duck)(I'm sure he has an actual name too) because he was the opposite of Liz and just got the Pilot Hi-techpoint V7 treatment (no paints) as he said he had to leave. Although I'm pretty sure he was still there half an hour later.

Anyway it was a really ace night. bit trippy. but I'm going to stop blogging about it now. probably.

At this time of year I would usually be pimping my awesome handmade Alternative Valentines cards but I've got too much of that life stuff going on to make any this year (boooooooo)

If you are sensible though, you will get this mini zine I made of the best bits. You can use it as a valentines gift, or to cheer yourself up cos your a loser loner.

What did I learn at the Amelia's Compendium of Fasion Illustration launch?

if people with actual good cameras and photography nous/talent take photos of you, you come out looking much more hot. see below.


painty painty sketchy sketchy, the second photo is taken by Joana Faria (also a super awesome illustrator who I shared a table with in our sketchings) and i think the first one might be too but I'm not sure.

also, chunky knits in nuetral colours are still quite in. Sadly my paper white complection probably couldn't pull them off, even with a posh camera flash effect of not bleaching me whiter than white. I rock a slate pallete tho. obviously.

But enough about me, more about my drawings. Or, no, well, lets talk about the party first because I have to say it was super ace, or, amazeballs as I believe is the parlance. Of all the launch parties I have been to, and I have been to several, it was by far the best. Amelia and co really do know what they are doing with this stuff. I was cream crackered after the last week at my first PGCE placement (I had to mark a lot of sketchbooks - bless their little pencils!) but the adrenaline of doing my favouritest thing (well, you know, ONE of them) of drawing live things kept me on point till about midnight when this pumpkin caught the bus back home.

If I'd stayed a bit later I might have managed to meet more illustrators and fashion peeps which would have been even more balls of amazing, but as it was I was still joyous and enchanted to meet such geniuses as June Chanpoomidole (I love her self portrait in the book so much, she is still the network queen - i think she met everyone at the party), Zarina Liew (long legs ink wizard), Jo Cheung (birds and diamonds joy) (I met them already but it was still nice to see them) and Lesley Barnes (she is little and layers transparent things, I think I love her), Abby Wright (charming, I may have been rude to her, I forget), Natsuki Otani (you know she's a genius of colour, I want to be her when I grow up), Antonia Parker (epic hair, epic outfit, sparkleyest smile in tunny wells), Joana Faria (brilliant and beautiful, we are going to get drunk in Lisbon, maybe), Andrea Peterson (too talented to be allowed, and lovely, but i suppose she did fly a long way), Michelle Urvall Nyren (stunning, truly, i kept wanting to draw her instead of the fashionistas, and lovely brushwork), Naomi Law (I think we assembled bags together - awesome work, awesome girl), Gareth A Hopkins (taller than most of the other illustrators, due to being male, and comical), Rachel de Ste. Croix aka Precious Little. (lovely like her drawings), and also Erica Sharp (a total collage genius, sadly I only met her briefly)

I think I also met some of the other illustrators after I had had a few vodka O and ginger beers, but I wouldn't want to sweat in a court of law. Also I met Lu Flux (I was very excited) and lots of awesome fashion and arty people.

this just in, I'm not going to post any drawings now, I am going to wait till they have all been posted by the people I did them for or it's like they didn't get an exclusive. OK I might post a couple.

Danielle Brown of Poppy Cleopatra

Laura Snoad from Design Week

quick sketch of Amelia being interviewed by Alex Cox from Don't Panic (I drew him properly looking less round headed also - watch the space that is here.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration

So, Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration (featuring the very best in ethical fashion design).
I has a copy, you should get one too.


It is a very special book, not least because the concept behind it is so exciting and unique - showcasing illustrative talent and also at the the same time showcasing ethical fashion designers.

This is important. We need more people to know that the alternative is out there and sweatshops are not the only answer. As well as the wealth of pictures there's also interviews with all those included which adds a whole other dimension. I can't comment much on these not having yet had time to read them but I've heard good things.

I made these pictures of SOME (note - really, only some, there are loads more) of the best bits.

A lot of the work is stunning, it's a treasure trove of illustrative and design talent.
In places, a part of me (the minimalist junkie part) feels less would have been more, but the overwhelming feel is one of brimming with content - like opening a jewelery box full of beautiful bling, and the effect is gorgeous, more than worth the price tag.

I remember when I was what? 16? when Fashion Illustration Now came out and there was a copy in our local library. between myself and my friend Ellie Cryer (the genius illustrator), we must have had it out in shifts all year. Now there's a lot of fashion illustration books available, there may have been then, I don't know. Small village, 16 year old lack of knowledge. Believe me, I teach them now, don't see the nose on their face ;). But I never find them as exciting as that book was back then, it seemed like a window of possibility, the sheer variety of approaches (and I don't say I liked them all) and freshness of the work was like a revelation to me at the time.

more highlights.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration is like that. It is full of possibility and promise and hope. I love it. But enough of words, I'm sure you want to see some pictures. Trying to choose my favourites is impossible - we'd be here all night as theres so much awesomeness. But here are some of the pictures what are in it.
haha, this one is by me.
This one is by Jennifer Costello

this one is by Lesley Barnes


This one is by Yelena Bryksenkova
This one is by Zarina Liew

OK no I am going to stop now, although I am already feeling about how much stuff I am not including, talking about how much I love Junesees' self portrait in the book - it's so her, and Lisa Stannard's creepy eyes and all Erica Sharp's beautiful collages, and Jo Cheung's printy patterns and Natsuki Otani's colours (always), Bex Glover's amazing natural poses, Katie Harnett's smouldering elegant charecters and Emma Block's super charming painted papercuts. I could go on.

nothing for it kids, you just have to check out the book yourself.

(I am in it too, did I mention that)

This post is brought to you by the letter C, and the number 59.

fall off a log kids! it's the end of the Cs in my project of drawing all of my facebook friends in alphabetical order.

last time this happened I did a little meaningless stats round up so lets do that again.

Claire

so so far, I have drawn 59 people out of a potential total of 341.
It may not have felt like it when I was drawing 8 people called Chris, but the girls have it with 34 to 25.

Friends from Sunny Sussex (by the sea), land of my birth and youth, are just in the lead with 22 friends, narrowly beating friends I met in Southampton at 19. In the last 2+ years i've lived in the shining capital of grande brittainia (London) I've made 9 friends beginning with the letters A-C. Not bad going I think you'll agree. I have also drawn so far 4 friends I met whilst traveling the world and also 4 friends (6.8%) who I have classified as OTHER. Make of that what you will.
Craig

8 friends were drawn primarily in pencil, 11 in pen, 13 in paint or ink and 10 were coloured on the computer.

17 friends will be entered into the category of MIXED MEDIA. like all the best things.

13 friends so far could be categorized in their drawing as being in fancy dress. (22%)
Cynthia.

These stats may not actually add up, i'm not counting again tho! like i don't have better things to avoid doing.

Maybe when I've finished the Ds I'll be so desperate to procrastinate that I'll do some cool info-graphics. That would be sweet.

Maybe I could make more interesting stats if I actually knew more information about my friends, can't do a graph about guessed sexuality or forgotten ethnic origin and career status. I am a bad person (at small talk, and remembering things). Or, actually, I am an awesome person who does not judge people by such things and so does not think to find them out by devious gossiping and boring conversation. Yes.


Hooray for Friends.


For extra joy, here is a collage I made out of things I did during the Holiday Season as
an example for one of my Year 8 classes who are doing collage.

It is supposed to tell the story of my holiday so you can see that I had beer, and a cold, and chocolate and got some pyjamas. Also there are some goodies on there from the Super Christmas Market at Somerset House, which I have to say was a fairly mental event.

HAPPY NEW EAR!

hello. i wanted to do a new years post last night and still havn't so here is a quick one.

fireworks and irish jigs and joy to you all in 2011.

here is a nice gingerbread picture i did for the excellent they draw and cook.

i like drawing. and cooking.

my new years resolutions are, um, to be better. at stuff. like being more productive. and more organised.