It's madness...

...will I never stop eating until every Mingle, Quality Street, Cadbury's Rose or Ferrero Rocher in the house is gone???

Illustration Friday - Resolve

A late entry for this week's topic. These two have managed to resolve their relationship issues.

It's gouache on old paper. The line of dialogue comes from a fantastic 1960s Mills and Boon I got from Oxfam.

I did this very hastily, to take my mind off stressful issues of my own I am trying (and failing) to resolve! I also watched the Noah & the Whale "Five Year's Time" video on YouTube...it always makes me smile. Go on - try it! (I tried to put it in here - hopefully it's worked - if not - sorry!)

Zebedee

Just trying out one of my Christmas presents (from Brad!) - a Lamy Safari pen and some Noodlers Ink.
Very nice they are to use too. Thank you Brad! The drawing is of Zebedee, my much missed pet rabbit. He was a house rabbit, and I always think of him more at Christmas, because he liked to nibble off a huge piece of the Christmas tree, hop off with it and eat it! He was lovely was Zeb, and I'd thoroughly recommend a house rabbit as a clean, quiet alternative to a cat or dog. (And they never bring in dead or dying animals or birds...)

A New Year and...

...a new studio! Here's me with the keys! It's very exciting. It's just a small room in the community centre just a ten minute walk from my house. It needs a very good clean before I can put any of my fabrics in it, but it has a sink (a very dirty one) and electricity and a window...what more do I need!? I am looking forward to being at home when I am at home and working when I am in the studio...at the moment, things overlap so much. I find I am constantly interrupted and distracted at home, but also I never actually stop work.

In other news, yesterday my friend Abbie saved my bacon (vegetarian bacon of course) by taking loads of brilliant pictures of my work...and not only that, she made the rubbish pictures I had previously taken, look brilliant. She is a digital goddess! She spent sooooo many hours on it all and I really am so grateful!! I'll be applying for the MA and funding to do the MA, in the next few days so everyone send me good vibes!!

Hope to be posting some work very soon - but tomorrow I'll be cleaning my studio.*

Happy New Year everyone.

*MY STUDIO!

Sketching Frenzy

As most of my family and friends know (and are probably heartily sick of hearing), I'm applying to do an MA in Children's Book Illustration this year. This, unfortunately, involves me showing my work to people. Pam recently looked at my "sketchbooks", which currently consist of a couple of drawings and a lot of blank pages. She said, very worriedly, "You need to do some more work". The truth is, reader, I am scared of ruining the books. Once I do a drawing in I don't like, I either tear it out, or just never use the book again. But no more! I took a small book to our exhibition and sketched the visitor (!), and yesterday, as I was working at Oxfam, I drew on the train, and the customers as I sat behind the till. The sketches literally took seconds (apart from the one on the train which was a bit longer), and were also done without really looking at the page and while trying not to look as if I was looking at the subject (if that makes sense!) I also jotted down what the people were saying - just for my own amusement really and to fix them in my mind. I actually really enjoyed it and I am going to do more now that I have lost my sketchbook inhibitions.

The French girl on the train did say more, but "oui" was all I understood. I could have made something up and impressed you with my French, but I suppose it was quite unlikely that she would say "I am, you are, he is, she is, we are, you are, they are", or just counted up to twelve.

These are the only sketches that actually showed when I scanned them. My favourite was a man saying "Come on, Sue!", and there was also one of a woman saying "They haven't got much..." (which of course was a barefaced lie), but neither of them showed at all when I scanned them. I have no control over my scanner. Things can come out huge, or the size of a stamp, or not at all. It's a crazy lottery.

I am off to my friend Sandie's house for lunch today. Whenever I see her, I come home with an acute case of house envy, and get the urge to drape muslin creatively at my window and just have one beautiful object on a polished wooden surface. But then I realise I can't be arsed.

Look!

Look what's going to be on Christmas Eve! Look!

Sad but true

Imagine this - a 40 year old woman, out Christmas shopping, enters a shop. She spots something and instantly knows she must have it for herself. It's love at first sight. Elbowing innocent shoppers out of the way she grabs it, holds it aloft, marvelling at the fabric, the design, her luck at having found it. She rushes to the till and buys it immediately, without even checking the price.

What do you think she found? A Chanel bag? A pair of Manolos? Or, being 40, something by Cath Kidston (sorry Pam)? No, reader, none of those things. Because that 40-year old is me, and this is what I bought...
A pair of Moomin knickers! That's knickers, with Moomins on, for adults. They were in Top Shop, by the way - so clearly not aimed at quite this type of customer - but who cares? I haven't moved on culturally since the age of 9. Deal with it!

In other news, I completed my final day of stewarding the exhibition yesterday, and managed to stumble down the steps of the Crypt and twist my ankle. It's a fetching shade of green today. I was just pulling my tights down to inspect the damage, snivelling, when a woman came in to enquire about children's workshops.

What dramatic and embarrassing way will I injure my left foot next week? I can hardly wait to find out!

I've been spending far too long on my own. I just asked the cat if he knew where the remote control was. And waited for him to answer.

Illustration Friday - Rambunctious

Like this funky lady, I am in favour of a bit of rambunctiousness. As Dr Seuss said "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter."

Misheard Lyrics - No. 2

Another long and lonely day at the gallery meant I had plenty of time to sew some more doll parts, and also do a new Misheard Lyric drawing. This is a favourite of mine, mistakenly sung by a friend called Len, and now always sung by me!

"Though I try to hide it, it's clear..."

Song: I Try (Macy Gray)
Real Line: My world crumbles when you are not near.

Watch out for a Joni Mitchell classic soon!

And another thing...

Here is a doll I didn't manage to photograph until it was on the gallery wall!



It's Boudica, who changed ner name from Bodicea around the same time Marathons became Snickers and Opal Fruits became Starburst (and haven't been as nice since). She is going to the home of a lovely friend, Jo.

Today we held children's workshops at the gallery. You can see pictures on our group blog, here. If you do visit, click on the last photo and check out Iron Man peeping worriedly over a woman's shoulder...

Citizens Advice Bureau

Hello everyone. As many of you will know it's still our exhibition at the moment. The gallery is not as busy as Thebes in Lewes (where we exhibited last year) and stewarding days can be long. Yesterday I stuffed two thighs and two lower legs, and did some sketching too. (The body parts were a doll's you understand - I haven't suddenly transformed into some sort of carnivorous Nigella.)

Most visitors seem to think we are the Citizens Advice Bureau, or have come to find out where it is. One person was clearly very lonely and talked to me for an hour...I don't know if she ever knew it was an exhibition! But those that have come for the exhibition seem to enjoy it. These two loved Kitty's work. Another pair of old ladies laughed so much they needed tissues.

Most popular line upon entering exhibition: "Oh, my glasses have steamed up."
Second most popular line upon entering exhibition: "Is this the Citizens Advice Bureau?"

Goodbye Oliver Postgate

Just heard on the radio that Oliver Postgate, the creator of Bagpuss, the Clangers, The Pogles and Ivor the Engine has died. He's always been one of my heroes. A sad start to the day!

Last night we put our Christmas tree up, so I thought I would decorate my blog too. If you fancy decorating yours, there is an icon on here somewhere (top left possibly?) to do it free.

Other news - yesterday I signed an agreement to rent a studio at the Hillcrest Centre in Newhaven! I move in on 1st January! I am VERY excited indeed. I am also excited about going to see the Saul Steinberg exhibition in Dulwich. At least I will be excited when I know exactly when I'm going!

Oops - I can hear the recycling men...I'll have to give them the fortnightly shock of seeing me charge outside in my Snoopy dressing gown!

Illustration Friday - Similar

Well, our exhibition is up and open! Our private view is tomorrow night, but tonight we opened up as it was late night shopping in Seaford. It was freezing in the gallery (I suppose medieval Crypts weren't really built to be cosy) and Pam and I sat alone for most of the evening. A grand total of 14 people came, and we sold a whopping 3 postcards! We are all ill...mostly through exhaustion but colds and viruses are felling us one by one.

Anyway I am sure it will be busier tomorrow....

To cheer myself up when I got home I did this little non-exhibition related drawing for IF - just pencil and watercolour. Now I'm going to crack open a Lemsip. I'm so rock and roll.

Phew!

I finished all my mounting! And now I look like this...

I noticed that Charlie was messing around with this website while I was working, and you can make South Park characters of yourself - look! It's really fun! We had to make one of Brad, too:

Those are his drumsticks he's holding - he has just bought himself an electronic drum kit. Charlie didn't save his picture but it really does look like him - I'll post it at a later date!

I'm hoping that now all I have left to do is labels and blurbs, and finish a miniature Merlin house, that I will get some sleep tonight...I have been having nightmares lately and what with those and my toe I have had very little sleep. Yawn!

Mounting Chaos

This is my lovely, relaxing dining area, where I like to serve my loving family delicious yet nutritious meals.

Inviting, isn't it! And I actually tidied it a bit to take this picture. I had to, because I couldn't get to the camera otherwise. Yes, I'm busy mounting stuff for the forthcoming Inky Crows exhibition. I HATE MOUNTING! It's my least favourite job. A job I should be doing now instead of updating my blog....

Waiting Room

Here are a few sketches I did in the hospital waiting room. I only had a blue ballpoint pen with me!

Ouch!

Look what I've done! Broken my toe! It was all so quick I don't even know exactly what happened - but it involved me getting tangled in a bath towel, screaming, blood and general drama and agony. I thought I had just ripped the nail at the base, which is where all the blood came from, but an x-ray showed I've broken the bone too. I don't have time to have a broken toe. Luckily I haven't got to be in plaster or anything but it's really painful, and so annoying hobbling everywhere. And as for my dancing classes, well I can forget it for a few weeks. Now I'll never learn the Pussycat Dolls routine!

Anyway hopefully it won't take long to get back to normal - I mean Wayne Rooney got over it quite quickly didn't he? Although he did have Sun readers sending him healing vibes, and the World Cup as an incentive. I can't say I wish I had either of those...

PS - So this picture it will enlarge! Now I am paranoid. The computer clearly hates my artwork and is glad I've broken my toe.

Pre-Exhibition Stress

It's amazing how just trying to take a few simple photos can make it look as though your house has been ransacked by burglars (who then decided to go somewhere cleaner and with things worth stealing).

Anyway, thanks to Brad's brother Tony (to whom I am truly, truly grateful) I now have some photos of my work so far, some of which I hope may end up as postcards to be sold at the exhibition. (Which is at the Crypt Gallery in Seaford, 6th - 20th December, by the way!). Above is Mossycoat & Mother again. Here's Rosalind, made in homage to Rosalind Franklin, scientist and discoverer of the DNA double helix (as embroidered on her skirt!)

And here's Mossycoat who you've probably seen before...

And here are a couple of Superheroes I made the other day when sick of failing at everything else. Hope you like 'em.

Tony, Val and their gorgeous baby daughter Rebecca have been here in Newhaven for the week. Singing the "Iggle Piggle" song with someone so bloomin' lovely, squidgy and cuddly is enough to cheer anyone up, even me. I highly recommend it!

Once again the pictures won't enlarge when I click on them. Why? Why do computers hate me?

Dogs and a Hunchback

Yesterday I finished a doll, and in the evening, determined to tick every item off my checklist, I made ten peg dolls. Now I sport an attractive hunched back. I couldn't look up at the ceiling if you paid me. I'll post pics of the dolls in due course.

I've had dogs on my mind today. I really want one - I had promised myself one for my 40th (a pug) but I resisted temptation. I'm not going to get one, because I don't know what my work situation will be in the new year so I wouldn't want to leave one alone for hours on end. (Believe me I know what it's like to be in this house alone for hours on end!)

When I did an illustration course with Pam, I was developing a book for young children about dogs (Thin dog, fat dog, hiding-from-the-cat dog...etc...). But darn that Emily Gravett! She went and did one! (And very nice it is too.) Serves me right for being so slow...not that it would have been published anyway, but, you know. Anyway here are a couple of sketchbook pages from said non-project.

At the bottom next to the pug is Scruffy, who my friends and family might remember as my former parents-in-laws' dog. He was so kind and gentle and still features in a lot of my drawings, even though he died over ten years ago.

I've had trouble getting the pics to enlarge when you click on them. I don't understand why and my hunchback hurts too much to try again. If anyone knows the answer to this mystery, do let me know.

Halloween Fun

Well I managed to get over my pumpkin envy, and did a spooky window display...



The beautiful Corpse Bride dolls were a birthday present from Pam...aren't they wonderful? Joe carved the butternut squash and I think it, and the mini pumpkin, ended up looking just as good.

It was lovely to hear children outside calling to each other to look at the window, and parents too - it reminded me of doing the windows at Bags of Books. (sniff...sniff!) It's really nice to feel that you are brightening up people's day!

After giving sweets to lots of trick or treaters we dressed up and went to our friends Jenny & Gary's house for a great Halloween party. There was lots of hilarity over the traditional games like apple bobbing, the doughnut game and musical chairs, with the added twist of it being men against women! (We may have just been pipped this time but you wait till next year, you cheating blokes!) Here are Joe and Lucy in the big Musical Chairs Final,

and Charlie in the Doughnut Game.

Tomorrow it's a day of serious work. If I haven't posted to tell you I have made a pair of doll's legs and a batch of peg dolls then someone please tell me off!