Minor acclaim for typical laydeez, OR if one label is problematic, all labels are problematic.

Look guys it's the working cover for my in progress comic book! 

Who's this pensive sparrow? I will tell you later, but first abstract ramblings. If you're just here to see all the Drink and Draw drawings, feel free to scroll down. 

One of my favourite artworks whose title creates 99% of the genius and meaning, is Wolfgang Tillmans' 2003 exhibition and book of the same name 

If one thing matters, everything matters. 

Ok,  the content and quality of the photography was also super important I'm sure. But the meaning of the whole thing together would have such different, probably diminished power without that great title. I think so anyway. 

Why is this relevant? I'm not sure. 

Because it put a phrase in my head that feels like a sort of summary of how I feel about a lot of the discourse I encounter on the webverse recently. Around labels and problems. I have had some instances of minor acclaim recently (which will be explained shortly) but I haven't found myself in the firing line, I haven't been viciously attacked for my stance on or ownership of labels, but a lot of people have. You could say I have been lucky in this, blessed, or privileged. In the sea of hysteria I have a foot in within my bubble these things are hard to measure with any confidence, but yeah definitely I am all of those things. And since this is KIND OF the area that my book, Biscuits (assorted) is based around, not really, but if it makes people buy them let's say it is, it's an interesting area to talk about. 

Wait, what am I talking about? 

There are two kinds of people in the world, those that believe there are two types of people in the world and those who don't. 

That's another phrase (not the title of an exhibition to my knowledge, or not YET anyway) that I heard a long time ago and have literally just googled and learned that it can be attributed to Robert Benchley. 

If you put both of those phrases together you come close to my outlook on people: you can categorise and label people endlessly and a lot of the time they will fit snugly into those boxes, but also they will never fit into all of the boxes you want them to. Everyone is stupid and ignorant about some things, everyone is wise and smart about some other things. Everyone fits some stereotypes and smashes blindy through others. Everyone matters. All labels are problematic. 

Also, I hate all generalisations. 

So anyway, the first piece of news if you missed it on the twitterverse is that Biscuits (assorted) made the long list, and then got a "Judges Mention" in the Laydeez Do Comics Prize. 

It's a brand new prize for female identifying individuals working on in progress graphic novels, this was it's first year and hopefully it may have many more. The winner was announced amongst other festivities at the Laydeez Day Festival at the Free Word Centre in Farringdon. This was quite close to my flat so I volunteered to help out on the day. It was a great event and an honour to be a part of. I hung out with a lot of cool comic people and got to meet some of my heroes I hadn't previously met like Simone Lia and now one of my new heroes is the winner, the wonderful Emma Burleigh who is working on a lush watercolour autobiographical comic which will be very deservingly hurried along by her prize money I hope. 

This is the sign we made in the window. 

So that was great. Andy wrote it all up more eloquently here. 

The other thing that happened is I got to be a guest artist at Gosh Comics and Broken Frontier Drink and Draw last week, which was great. It was on the last day of term and I had run a big stressful trip the day before so I was a bit delirious. 

Here is me and the other awesome guests Elizabeth Querstret and Michelle Mildenburg holding our wares. Which incidentally you can go and buy my wares at Gosh Comics where they were stocked for the event. Get them while they are there. 

There was a great turnout (because we are so famous, and it was just after payday) so much so that quite a lot of us sat on the floor. You can see me there, cunningly sharpening a pencil into a crisp packet. 

If you live in or near London or are passing through and you like drawing and friendly geeks I do recommend this event as it's always fun, even when I 'm not the guest artist. You get three drawing challenges of about 20 minutes and you can win stuff. I have been going on and off for a few years and in that time, the instance of drawings of penises has massively dwindled to the point where you hardly see any any more. We all chose quite introspective challenges, Elizabeth asked us all to draw our ideal birthday, Michelle asked for how we saw our future 20 years from now. 

For my challenge I really wanted to channel the Biscuits (assorted) message of label introspection, so I asked all the assembled drawers to draw the way(s) in which they fit the stereotype about themselves, and the way(s) in which they didn't. Everyone moaned. That's really hard they said. Then later everyone thanked me ("everyone" is a gross overstatement in both cases) because we like to introspect and be challenged really right?

Anyway I photographed everyone's drawings that they said I could so here they all are. Everyone interpreted it differently cos we're an awesome community of creative people. I did my best with the shop of photo, but some are a little hard to see the detail sorry. 

  

  

I had to choose a winner which was hard, but I chose this one. It's by Olivia Sualdea.

I'm a sucker for a high quality deadpan. That face is so good. 

Obviously I relate, being on the shorter side of stature myself, but strangely this label didn't occur to me when I was making this illustration of myself and my labels which I plan to put at the back of the comic when it's printed. Identity is weird like that. Since I opened up with some mild personal stuff in the Hourly Comic Day, here is some other stuff about me. 

But just so we're clear, I'm also short. 

Because I was on holiday the next day I also went for an additional drinks at a theatre bar. There was a really good drag act of Disney medleys and then everyone sang bohemian rhapsody. So that was pretty perfect. 

For these two events which I have just told you about, I decided to print a zine version of all (most) of the #3point52billion drawings which I had been kind of being indecisive (classic bisexual) about printing or not for ages. But when you are minorly acclaimed you gotta have something to sell that looks like you are moving forward with your projects. 

I am you know. 

Moving forward with my projects.

So that's a thing and you can buy them now here

yay!

What Birds are REALLY Thinking...... 2!

Although I am trying to buy a flat in London with my husband and am therefore filled with a constant gut tearing terror and dispair, there are good and exciting things happening which are good and exciting. 

Mostly I am happy and excited that I have finished the second edition of What Birds Are Really Thinking. Here exclusively and for the first time I will show you some pictures. 

This has been in the pipeline for a while, moving between back and front burners to make way for aforementioned housing angst and other exciting projects such as those detailed in my last post.

The first edition of What Birds Are Really Thinking, including spoonbills thinking about Britney Spears and starlings thinking about soft furnishings is my all time bestselling thing that I have made (apart from the Magpies print). In addition to being one of the very first things I made after moving to London to seek my fortune as an illustrator back in 2008.

 And this edition is soooooooo much better.

 I decided to revisit the topic in 2015 as an excuse to make some multimedia work and draw birds (my favourite things) and as a promotional follow up to the launch of my new website (jennyrobins.com). Much as I have a fondness for the original zine, this second issue really does show how far I've come in terms of skill and design. I will be sending these out as a mailer in the next month with a few postcards I also have in the pipeworks. 

 If you fancy owning your own copy, they are available here, or pop me an email if you can think of a good reason why I should send you one for free.  

In other good news, the event June and I organised for the Big Draw back in October/November 2014 has won a runners up award in the Drawing Inspiration Awards. That's good eh? We are going to the awards ceremony and will probably wear nice dresses, definitely do some live drawing and possibly make a speech (appropriatness of speech not yet confirmed.) I've announced the news officially on the Storyhands site here. 

This is me taking a short break from running the Sketchbook Scavenger Hunt in my F(Art)S T-shirt. This is what it looks like to be AWARD WINNING. 

It's the time of the season for loving

So yesterday I was at the Jumble and Pearls Valantines Fayre at the Book Club.

As well as selling cards and prints and bits and pieces I did some live portraits and I thought you might like to see them so here they are.

Every portrait event I do is different and like any fair or market there's always an element of unpredictability. Last time I did a vintage event almost everyone wanted watercolour, and this time everyone opted for a pen portrait - these are quicker and cheaper so it may tell you something about the denizens of Shoreditch over those of Islington. Live drawing is also always bringing me new surprises and experiences - at this fayre I drew 6 beautiful french girls at once - a record - and was also asked to do a portrait of a bicycle. 

Exciting times.

 This is the lovely and talented Q of Maiden Found - you should def. check out her hats. 

 A portrait of a bicycle - a BRAKE bicycle to be specific 

I didn't even notice the great expression Rachel of BRAKE bikes is pulling in the background here - makes the picture all kinds of awesome on top of les belle dames

 Also guys - do not be forgetting to order your Valentines cards and zines from the shop by the end of the day on Monday - the cutest cards you'll see anywhere with a sting in their tale. And the new zine compilation with the best of the last 2 years designs.